Trader Joe’s

Friendly staff, large store, well displayed products, good food samples daily. Very busy location in the evenings and weekends, they usually run out of almost everything by Sunday, parking lot can be a nightmare at times. Popular items go fast but they let you reserve it for a few days until you are able to go pay for it which is nice. Definitely better than a conventional grocery store: good price for organic items specially from their own brand, fresh flowers and organic meats, great customer service. Overall it’s a great place to shop, you just need to know the best time of the day and of the week to shop in order to avoid the chaos.

I love me so TJ. This is my go to store for everything. Love the idea that they have organics and conventional. Really like the bread choices. I try to buy organic or natural meats and really like the idea that they have a decent selection. The only thing I don’t buy there is paper products as they are not large enough, but if they did I probably could do my complete food shopping here. Also like the idea of getting good quality of food and the prices are not through the roof. They are definitely giving WF a run for their money. Really wish they would put one in Montclair.

Does TJ’s really need a review from me? After 43 check-​ins (and counting!) it is
obviously my go-​to place for staples such as:
jars of coconut oil
strawberry coconut dairy-​free ice cream
fresh flowers
cases of electrolyte water
freshly ground coffee
walnuts, cashews, almonds
fig cookies
cat treats
organic produce
etc., etc.
I think the thing that always gets me to come back, besides their low prices, is the mood inside. From the cashiers to the freebie counter crew or the peeps stocking shelves… these are some of the friendliest, nicest and genuinely helpful folks you can find under one roof. I wish every retail store ran on the same model!
My only complaint is that they don’t sell wine in this location.

The last time I went to Trader Joe’s was before I ever knew what Unilocal was. So a visit was in order. Now I know some of you think that Trader Joe’s is the next best thing after the invention of the light bulb and the burrito, but I never found this place special at all. Now don’t hate or De-​friend me, please.
Now maybe if I live in Manhattan and my only option was the bodega with 10 day old bananas I would definitely be into Trader Joe’s, but I live in NJ with mega size supermarkets that sell everything including organics and free range Buffalo.
So anytime I go to Trader Joe’s I find the produce sub-​par and the overall selection lacking. OK they have some items under their brand name you can’t get anywhere else or the odd ball item like Zucchini Fries or Peanut Butter & Jelly Greek Yogurt but that’s not my thing.
Now the service, checkout was always good and fast but each time I go maybe I get a discounted orchids or buy something frozen so I don’t leave empty handed.

I love Trader Joes. Based on the selection of items available, one would usually supplement a regular grocery store trip with a stop in TJ’s for an organic item here or there. I on the other hand use TJ’s as a staple for my healthy dietary needs. There are times when I visit multiple times a week but most often times, I just make it a bi-​weekly but regular trip.
My favs…
Refrigerated Produce Section: Sweet Onion Bacon salad dressing, Tuscan Kale, brussel sprouts, chicken soup
Frozen Section: Pizza (any pizza really), asparagus, polenta, scallops
Packaged Goods: Handful of roasted almonds, peanut butter with chia and flax seeds, jackfruit
Refrigerated Beverage Section: squeezed grapefruit juice, organic 0% fat plain greek yogurt.
Tips: Sunday’s are VERY busy and the parking lot is not the most accommodating. Hours have been extended to 10pm !!! Great option for a healthy late night run.

I’ve been going here since it opened, and it’s been great ever since. Great place to find affordable organic essentials, especially when shopping for young kids. Has all the frozen/​pre-​made items that every freezer should have. Make sure you get there early in the weekends, as the parking lot can be an issue.

This location BLOWS. I had to stand at 3 separate registers to get rung up. First cashier took a guy ahead of me with a cart when I had been standing in line with a hand basket. Second register was malfunctioning. They had NO raspberries or blueberries in stock. The produce section is Shockingly small. Don’t bother going here; I WONT be returning.

Definitely our favorite trader joes in the area. Everyone is always friendly, helpful and so polite. Food shopping can feel tedious and annoying especially when everyone is in a hurry, but the employees never seem to be effected by this hurry up energy. The groceries we need are aka ways in stock and the prices are reasonable for a week and a half worth of staples.

Grateful for the better prices than WFs.
You can buy better (healthier) house good products at reasonable prices. LOVE their watermelon juice (seasonal), the pear tarts ($ 4.99!, also seasonal), the vegan chorizo, chicken, Turkey, and tofu sausage alternatives. The Trader Joe’s teas and other products already mentioned are all good value…& that’s why I go there. This location and Millburn, nice.

This is such a fun place to shop. Small but they carry things that the big Supermarket chains don’t stock. Great selection of frozen dinners (not so much in quantity but in diversity) very reasonably priced. I especially like the Greek chcken dinner with Orzo. They also have a nice variety of frozen veggies and sides. They also have a ready to go section of sandwiches, wraps, salads and sides. Hubby likes the Turkey wrap with spinach and swiss with a small side for lunch at work. I really love is the samples they offer at the back of the store. Today they were giving out Endive stalks with a smear of Blueberry Vanilla Chevre and slivered almonds. So yummy and creative! (I bought the cheese, I will make do with some crackers instead of the Endive, yeah I am that lazy!) The workers here are also super helpful and will always walk you to the item you are looking for. Also love that they keep the check out lines moving quickly.

Trader Joe’s is my go to place for mostly everything especially frozen foods.
Some tips:
— went on Friday night and they were stocking up for the weekend so lots of fresh stuff to get
— They have 1 food sample every day to try including coffee
— no 2 buck chucks here… yup no wine
— if your curious how something tastes, ask a TJ’S worker if you can sample it. If you like it they’ll give you a fresh one to buy
— love the meats and produce… I always get my bananas, strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple (precut)
— favorite frozen foods are cod provencale with ratatouille, Parmesan pups, veggie burger (Dr Praegers), frozen microwave rice packs, corn dogs (for kids)
— very friendly staff
— They provide a newspaper aka fearless flyer with new stuff in stock… sign up for it
— Oh and cookie butter is a staple of theirs… love! Spread it on bread or even make their blonde brownies and slap some cookie butter on that bad boy… WALA delish!
— parking is not too bad… I just avoid coming here during the day on sat and sun

I LOVE TJ’S! One of the best decisions I’ve made was to take an extra 15 minutes to go to this Trader Joe’s. It’s pretty big + has a good selection of produce + everything else. The people that work here are pretty friendly + the prices are super cheap. The only thing I noticed during the evening I went was that there wasn’t a great selection of ground beef. There was only one packet left of 90% lean ground beef. Who knows maybe a bunch of people came right before me and bought everything or there wasn’t any beef left?
Best deal:
Container of Greek yogurt! I cannot get over the fact that it’s super cheap here compared to other super markets. $ 2.99 for a 16 oz container of fat free greek yogurt! I bought these for breakfast/​lunch during my work week. Just add some honey and almonds and you’re good to go!
Cooking ideas:
Buy the bagged microwaveable brussel sprouts. You don’t have to use the whole bag all at once, just microwave the amount you want to eat. I ate the bag within three days (I microwaved some then sauteed them with beef and they taste delicious!). I’m attaching a picture of my home cooked meal (I bought all the ingredients at this TJ’s) to this review!
Bottom line: This TJ’s is awesome!

Great store, just sometimes the produce goes bad quickly. Many great options in the freezer isle for dinner or snacks. I like their cheese selection!

Came to trader Joes for fresh fruit not expecting much. I took the time to actually walk around the store and see their selection. I had previously been turned off from this place because this place is small in comparison to the 20+ aisles of grocery shopping I am use to. Seems they cut out all the extra and left the fresh goods and that’s the result. I was surprised about the amount of stuff they actually have. I ended up going for fruit and left with seafood, fruit, chips, dip and stickers!
Best part of the visit an associate by the name of Dana who saw my 4 year old and made it her business to get him a lollipop and stickers. I ADORE great customer service and that’s what she went out of her way to provide. SOLD !
I will absolutely be back and look forward to being able to take advantage of their selection.

This location seems to be bigger than the Edgewater location and what I love is that it never feels packed, even on busy days. Some reviews say this place is small but I actually find it spacious. Trader Joes always has the friendliest staff members who you can tell enjoy working there and are always helpful.
Store is always clean and kept up with. Things are organized and well stocked I guess it can also be depending on what day you go in. I love the TJ brands I find that they are still great choices at good prices.
The parking lot here can be a nightmare coming from RT 3 and leaving the lot as well. That’s probably my only complain about this location.

I’ve been a few times in the evening and luckily never had much of a parking or line situation. Route 3 also has a wide enough shoulder that it’s easy to slow down and speed up to get on and off even in heavy traffic.
Definitely a decent selection and I enjoyed walking around looking what they’ve got. I don’t live that close, so I usually leave myself enough time to look around instead of going with a set list like other grocery stores.
I did bring a canvas bag with me but grabbed more items than I planned, and the cashier stuffed that bag to where it was difficult to carry instead of filling it regular and giving me another bag. I get that it’s a certain kind of store with a certain kind of clientele, but I think they can spare a bag here or there without hurting the Earth.
A good place to get certain things, and I will be back from time to time, but I still need to rely on larger grocery stores too.

This is my favorite stop on my ride home. It’s clean and the people are friendly and helpful. I love that they continue to update products so it feels like they have something new every couple of weeks.
My family all have their favorite items. My daughter loves the mini ice cream cones and chicken nuggets. My wife really enjoys the wasabi seaweed. I enjoy the variety of salads they offer if I’m to lazy to prepare my lunch for the entire week.
The only draw back for me is the parking. If you want to pass by on a weekend after 11 get ready to battle for parking with the other shops in the complex. It’s not the biggest but they have a good variety of products and some really good produce. Enjoy and if you stop by in the weekend go early and safe the headache.

It’s small. But clean and good products.
Their meat is my favorite part. You can find grass feed meet which is pretty neat.
I like their brand products, affordable than whole foods, but off course, less options, specially for organics veggies/​salads/​fruits.
Service is always prompt and pleasurable to shop here.

As far as Trader Joes go this is one of the smallest and least impressive ones that I have been in.
Some great staples like the frozen pizzas selection of cheeses etc. The usually great bread section was lacking as was the produce.
On the whole very average for Trader Joes!

Trader Joes is your one stop shop for produce, bread, wine, coffee, fresh flowers, organic fare and so much more! The best way to describe Trader Joes is that it is like Whole Foods hippie younger brother that everyone thought wouldn’t amount to anything, but then turned it all around…
The Trader Joes location in clifton is relatively large. It carries all of the products previously listed with the exception of wine (come on Clifton, we love 3 buck chucks). Their produce section carries the basics and a little more. Granted, you will find more of a selection at a chain supermarket. However, Trader Joes does carry both organic and heirloom produce, which is pretty cool! Most importantly their fruits and vegetables are SUPER FRESH.
In addition, I feel that Trader Joes «feather in the cap» are their flowers. Joes flowers are among the freshest in the area. They are beautifully cut and arranged. More importantly, you won’t go broke buying your lovebug a bouquet. Arrangements range from $ 5-​$ 15 depending on what you purchase.
Trader Joes also has a huge selection of quick prep meals. Moreover, these quick-​prep meals aren’t you regular ol’ Hungry Man dinners. In addition, these meals can rival similar restaurant dinners. I recently, purchased Steak and Ale pies (mini shepherd’s pies), general Tso chicken with vegetable bag, and roasted red potatoes; all of which took under 20 minutes to prepare, and were delicious!
The clifton location is very clean. The isles are nice and wide, so you will rarely feel cramped especially during peak shopping hours. The staff is very courteous, helpful and knowledgeable about the products. The staff do their best to try to check you out as quickly as possible too! The prices are reasonable and even more affordable than Whole foods (though Whole foods houses more products).
My biggest complaint about this location is its ease of getting to and parking. Since it is located on route 3 West, a lot of people pass this location especially during rush hour. Getting to the store during rush hour can take a while. Moreover, Trader Joes parking lot is small, thus parking can be a pain.
In the ends, Trader Joes is a more affordable alternative to Whole Foods (or other organic boutique stores). Joes houses a nice selection of products and stand behind what they sell. I love Trader Joes!
P. S. GET THE COOKIE BUTTER IT IS AMAZING!