Trader Joe’s

So much wondrous stuff I cannot find at home… must be very careful here!

Love it that I can travel, go to a TJ’s, and find the quality service and products that I am accustomed to at home. The workers at this TJ’s were no different. There are always plenty around asking if you need help, and they seem truly happy to help you! Love the sampling station at the back. The pumpkin pie tasting was very good. Produce is always fresh, and displays are always stocked and well-​organized. Love getting to the checkout and not having to wait. Efficiently run store. Dependable food products.

The Trader Joe’s formula is to provide a great selection of healthy food at reasonable prices in a small footprint location. But what makes each TJ unique is the people who work at each store location and the culture at that location. Which brings me to Mr. McPinchy.
«Who is Mr. McPinchy?» you ask? Mr. McPinchy is the reason I’ve been able to spend many memorable hours shopping at the Livermore TJ with my daughters while their mother gets some well-​deserved rest and alone time at home. The first thing they do when they enter the store, after we’ve grabbed a couple of kids grocery carts, is hunt for the elusive fellow.
The hunt for Mr. McPinchy takes us through every section of the store, allowing me to discreetly load up our carts with the groceries on our list. Sometimes he’s hiding on top of the frozen food area, sometimes he’s camouflaged on top of the display where they keep their eggs, other times the wily little crustacean is hidden in plain sight among the vegetables — but you’d never know it till you were looking right at him, eye to beady eye!
Mr. McPinchy (aka McPinch or simply Pinch) you see, is the Livermore TJ mascot — a stuffed lobster full of personality! And the reward for finding him? Every kids (and parents) dream — lollipops (and other prizes that my girls don’t care for, like coloring sheets and stickers) — that provide the extra sugar rush and distraction needed to finish our shopping trip!
There are many things I love TJ for — like their great selection of healthy food at reasonable prices in a small footprint location. And the great management and stellar service, of course. But trust me, the reason we shop here, and will continue to shop here, is the remarkable Mr. McPinchy.

I generally like Trader Joe’s (although you should NEVER buy your pine nuts here — I’m talking pine mouth, and it’s not pretty). But I’m seriously tired of buying food, getting it home, opening it within a day or two, and consigning it to compost. Fresh peas supposedly good until August 6^th? Guess again — stinky and slimy by July 27^th. Bread dated «use before July 15^th?» Nope — moldy by July 12^th. We keep our fridge pretty darn cold, and foods we buy at other grocery stores last well beyond the listed dates. It seems that most things we buy from TJ’s expire really early. I stopped buying bread and meat here years ago, but now it seems to be the same story for vegetables and dairy products. I don’t know if it’s a problem with TJ’s in general or just this location, but it’s very disappointing as this is the only useable TJ’s in the area.

Really well run location. It’s always well stocked, the aisles are extremely wide, and they have so many people working checkout that they could probably send a couple across the street to Safeway. Even at its most packed, I don’t think I’ve ever waited in line for 5 minutes. The only slightly annoying thing is that there are a lot of people looking for donations/​signatures who hang out by the exits.

Super clean, excellent deals on groceries, & fantastic customer service too!

I like that this particular location is an easy to get to, good parking and not usually too crowded. The checkers are generally really friendly and I like that I know many of them from around town. The staff is knowledgable, courteous and helpful.

I love this trader joes! The staff here is helpful and friendly. It’s strange to say but I enjoy grocery shopping here!
It’s always clean the bathrooms are clean which is a super bonus if you are like me and run errands in batches. The grocery store is always last and that’s always the bathroom stop.
There is a gluten free list in PDF format you can download off the website. They have Udis bagels and bread at good prices. There are a lot of gluten free items here but you really have to read every label because they sometimes say things are gluten free that have contamination warnings and they also don’t label everything that is gluten free! I usually check the PDF for updates before I go.
The staff usually has great opinions on the new products which I love. Plus if you don’t like something you can bring it back and they actually care! They are also very nice to call if you are looking for something gluten free and are not sure about it.
The best part is the prices! They have the best deals on everything.
The pre packaged salads are super yummy too!
Oh and gluten free gravy!!!

I am so in love with Trader Joe’s. This location is one of my favorites. Great customer service!

Fresh vegetable, fruits, tasting yogurt and many variety you can buy for grocery.
I loved to go trader joe.
This was one of regular grocery market in my daily life.
Went to many location. This one was the best so far
Staffs were so friendly and well organized.
Also, parking lot was big too
Will go back to buy ice cream, frozen tiramisu and mochi ice cream.

This review is in regards to a female checker who seems to be always having inappropriate conversations with other co workers and then try’s to engage the customer in the inappropriate conversation. She makes people uncomfortable. She’s so busy talking that she hardly pays attn to the customer. This has happened several times. She kinda seems like she’s on drugs. Talks super fast and she always seems to have the shakes. I Always try to avoid her line but sometimes it’s impossible. Maybe a drug test is in order.

I had the pleasure of visiting this Trader Joe’s location this past weekend on a trip back to California. Here are some observations I had about the whole experience:
PARKING
This TJ’s is located in a strip mall, so parking is abundant right in front of the store. Access into/​out of the strip mall is easy.
AVAILABILITY OF PRODUCTS
This location had everything I was looking for. I usually stock up on a lot of stuff since we don’t have a Trader Joe’s in Hawaii (please, PLEASE bring one over) and this location had everything I was looking for and then some.
STAFF
The staff was very friendly at this location. One guy overheard what I was looking for as I was talking out loud and led me to the correct location. Another talked with me for a few minutes about a question I had about a product, nothing forced, all pleasant. The cashier was also super friendly and provided pleasant conversation while she was checking us out. Thumbs up to all the workers here!
CLEANLINESS
The store was very neat and tidy, like all Trader Joe’s locations. The shelves were stocked and the bathroom was clean. There was even a bench outside of the bathrooms which I used because believe it or not, there was a line for the guys’.

Love love love this place. Traders and whole foods are my HG! GMO free, no processed foods, always a healthy way to go. Employees are really helpful and place is always clean & organized. They sell the best Mandarins, fresh & juicy. Four thumbs up if I had an extra two. =)

This is my absolute favorite Trader Joe’s! The flowers and produce are always fresh, well-​stocked, and fairly-​priced. (I love the consistent availability of organic produce, too.) My three-​year-​old daughter LOVES going to the store and using the toddler carts to shop along side me. I love how wide the aisles are (great with a runaway toddler with a cart), and that the crew is always upbeat and eager to help. (Thank you for the wine recommendations!) The stickers for kids are such a bonus (and I LOVE the scratch-​n-​sniff ones — reminds me of growing up in the 80s). The cashiers are always so friendly and go the extra mile to greet my child and make sure we found what we came for. And I love that there is ample parking, even during busy times (unlike the Pleasanton location).

This was a nice Trader Joes. Did some shopping on a Sunday evening, as the sun started to creep down behind the mountains.
Not too crowded, and parking was easy-​peasy. The selection was good (standard TJs stuff), customers and staff friendly, and bathrooms clean.
And today for lunch, I enjoyed my TJs bounty with breakfast-​for-​lunch:
Dana G’s Lunch Omelette:
1. Open TJs pre-​trimmed asparagus package, cut the top of several stalks into 1 inch pieces, and sauté them with a little butter and potatoes that you chopped small.
2. If you’d remembered to buy garlic and onion, you would use those too, but you don’t, so maybe next time.
3. Beat three little eggs that were gifted from your friend who has chickens, add salt and pepper and maybe a little milk.
4. Add eggs to preheated skillet. Move the egg around just enough, but not too much! When those eggs have settled, flip them over and add TJs manchego and cheddar cheeses, grated or diced.
5. Add diced tomato to the breakfast asparagus-​potatoes and then
6. Put it all on your plate and enjoy with some OJ!

I love Trader Joes. Where else can you get a large selection of exotic and/​or organic foods for such a great price. Given that it is a little more expensive than safeway, you really do get phenomenal quality in the foods here. I’m absolutely in love with their french berry lemonade and delicious salads.
Not to mention the staff is super pleasant and always helpful. I’ve never had bad service here; Trader Joes has truly mastered a superior atmosphere of friendly customer service! :)

I love Trader Joe’s. It’s funny how most people who have never been assume it has Whole Food prices, because it most certainly does not. This location has a fairly big wine selection, compared to the one at Lake Merritt anyway. The staff is really friendly and helpful. This spot is definitely 5 stars.
Oh and they have little kid shopping carts, which is awesome.

My little boy dropped his free sample of baked ziti (Monday 1÷13÷14, 4ish pm) he went back for another but the employee working the sample desk refused to give him a replacement saying he’d already had one.
It’s 2 noodles. TWO.
It took courage for my son to ask, he’s only six. :(

How can you not love Trader Joe’s??? There is nothing to critique about this location so on to the good bits.
— the trailmixes are fantastic. Temptation, Powerberries, and Sweet and Salty are some notable mentions.
— the frozen food section and, particularly, the side dishes give my husband the impression that I’m the most perfect little wifey in all the land. Dinner is served! (effortlessly)
— the salad mixes… I’m way too lazy to create my own so thank you Trader Joe’s

As a huge fan of TJ’s in general I was excited when they first opened up a Livermore location. I had been going to the crowded store in Pleasanton for a few years now. I felt at first the Livermore location was pretty weak compared to the others I’ve been to. However, since I avoid the hell that is I-​580 East during evening commute hours, the Livermore store is on my way home ‘n I’ve grown to appreciate this store.
Now for the most part, they have the same products except they always seem to be out of certain things (vegan chili, coconut milk, vegan enchiladas, vegan Gardenburgers, noticing a trend here?) so I still have to stop off in Pleasanton on occasion, though it’s been better stocked recently. All the workers are courteous and friendly, except for the older dude that hassled me for returning stale chocolates that I had bought a few days earlier. Speaking of employee/​customer relations… Does employee training begin with «you must comment on at least one item in the customer’s cart»? They seriously do that @ every location.
Since the closest Whole foods is in San-​freaking-​Ramon! TJ’s is the only place I shop for groceries. I’m glad there’s one in Livermore, even if it is a little rough around the edges.