Trader Joe’s

If you come here after 10 AM on a Saturday or Sunday, you’ll probably have to kill someone for a parking spot. I almost always come around 8 or 9 AM on Saturday or Sunday, and the parking is abundant! So, definitely come early.
I really like this Trader Joe’s. Their produce selection is better than any other Trader Joe’s I’ve ever been to, and their dairy selection is better than any other grocery store in the area. The frozen meals are the reason I started shopping at Trader Joe’s – they have a huge selection, and they’re great to take to work for lunch.
The staff is always super friendly and helpful, so ask if you can’t find something.

Love this place.
So clean amazing produce, meats, and very friendly staff. I just moved to Rockville MD and trader Joes is the best part about it.

Trader Joe’s markets are crazy places, and this is no exception. Every time I have been here, the parking is horrendously difficult to nab. The location also lends itself to families and groups of people taking up a lot of space in the aisles… Which may be why this place has spacious aisles, but still…
The stream of customers is always high at TJ’s, but restocking is usually going to fill in gaps of food. However, at this location, I sometimes find just gaps of produce that I can’t buy because there isn’t any on the shelf.
In addition, the staff seems somewhat too focused on each other and whatever task at hand, which often feels like that task is not helping customers check out faster or in an organized fashion.
Thus, my conclusion: I’ll go if I am in the area and dying for some TJ’s products, but otherwise… I will go elsewhere.

I heart this Trader Joe’s. Its close to work so generally if I come its after work. Its in a large shopping center so finding parking close to the entry and/​or exit I don’t even bother to try and find. I generally park towards the middle section of the shopping center to save myself aggravation. Now because its MD, and they have different rules and regulations from VA don’t expect to find wine or beer here (for those of you who live in DC or VA). Unless there’s some secret code that only Marylanders know and they keep the stuff in a back room.
This place is much bigger than the closest TJ’s near me, and I always seem to find what I’m looking for too. Hark I wasn’t able to find my bacon pieces at the Reston location but they had them here. Yay! So I stocked up and bought a few extra to store in the freezer. Tip to Unilocalers I cook with the bacon and then add their shave brussel sprouts, which is yummy because most everything is better with bacon as they say.
At this location the aisles seem much wider that you can even get two carts down an aisle. So that’s another plus, compared to some of the other TJ’s in the area. The staff there is friendly available and helpful.
I would say overall 4.5 stars, rationale: 1. no wine, and 2. the parking lot at the shopping center. Also if you’re not aware bring your own bag as county charges you a bag tax of 5 cents per bag.

The only reason I gave two stars was because he employees are super nice, helpful and efficient. Check out is a breeze BUT the produce is beyond third rate. In the summer with dozens of farms in the area and everyone selling local produce, why do they sell melons from Mexico, cucumbers and tomatoes from hot houses on Canada? Luckily for them they mistake serve urban people who do not know what fresh produce is supposed to taste like. Do your self a favor find fresh fruit and vegetables.

It’s the best place ever, here I can find everything that I need for my food.
The always are so creative for each season, love the fall season, pumping food is my favorite, I love all kind the stuff that they have it.
Friendly staff, and clean place.

I like TJ in Rockville — it’s a nice store with a so-​so and at times very tight parking but great choice of organics, snacks, cakes, and many other items. You can find nice specials here and a great variety of choices. The return policy is great and easy. Prices are inexpensive and the customer service is by and large superb. This is the most attractive feature for me here, and it gives the place a unique atmosphere. It’s fun to interact with their staff, and they seem to have good time too talking to the customers.

I hit this location because I was at another store in the shopping center. Pleasantly surprised, as they have remodeled, and there is a lot more room to move around, especially compared to the cramped Silver Spring branch where I usually go. Besides picking up TJ proprietary items like the dark chocolate and almond pounder plus bar (a week’s supply of antioxidants) I wanted facts to support my pan of Whole Foods.
Black rice — WH didn’t have
Turmeric — TJ 1.99 for 1.6 oz, WH 4.99 for 1.66 oz
Dried porcini — TJ didn’t have
Parmagiano Reggiano — TJ 14.99/lb WH 19.99/lb
Smoked Paprika — WH didn’t have
But what I like most about TJ is they have managed to keep most of the mellow vibe of organic before it was cool while doing a sustainable business model. By comparison, M.O.M is a bit more like those hippie cooperatives of yore while WF comes across (to me, anyway) as thinly disguised corporate. [hearing the line about businessmen from All Along the Watchtower in my head]

I love going to this trader joes. The staff is always friendly and the very knowledgeable about the products they sell. Only downside is on the weekends this place us a zoo. But what can you expect when a place provides great food and great customer service.

The parking here is awful, but once you get inside, everything else is great.
We love so many of the products that you can only find at TJs. Their produce is decent in selection and quality– and the few times something has spoiled quickly they have replaced it at no cost with no questions asked.
The staff is very friendly. Many of them know my kids by name (and we only go once a week). My kids love looking for Rocky, getting lollypops, and putting stickers all over themselves.
I wish they still had the little carts that the kids could push… but I understand that they were stolen, so TJs is not in any hurry to replace them so they can be stolen again.

This Trader Joe’s is very small. Staff is still incredibly nice, but the store has a little less variety than others in the area. Of course, does not sell alcohol (MD state law). Parking is miserable every hour of every day.

This TJ has super friendly employees, but if you plan on coming on a weekday night or weekend… Don’t! Parking is an absolute nightmare in TJ’s shopping center. As for the store itself, only complaint is that the produce isn’t always fresh. Make sure you squeeze, poke, inspect accordingly!

I really enjoy the prices and the wide range of items TJ offers. Unfortunately to enjoy TJ’s «2 Buck Chuck» Charles Shaw’s exclusive brand wine for TJ, you have to travel outside of MD :-) Smoked Salmon pasta & wine was a hit.

A great TJ with friendly staff, but it’s in a very crazy crowded shopping center. This location seems to run out of inventory often, so beware. Parking is tough during busy hours and especially during the holidays. They do have special spaces aside from handicap, such as expectant mothers parking spots, but don’t abuse that, please.
Bring your own shopping bags!

Like all my other fellow MoCo-​bred Unilocalers, Trader Joe’s has easily been one of my go-​to grocery stores for fresh produce and pantry products. Years ago, I avoided Trader Joe’s because of the kitschy-​ness, but now I’m a believer.
Here is what I love about Trader Joe’s:
1) They have the best vegetarian and vegan mock meats. E.g. chorizo and morning sausage patties.
2) They sell their produce by item, not by weight. This, for some reason, makes me a lot more conscious of the amount of perishable produce I purchase and is more budget friendly. For example, I’m less likely to go overboard on a produce that is on sale which will end up rotting in my fridge anyway. The con of this is that recipes which measure by weight, I’m essentially going to have to eyeball until I get home.
3) Pantry items like olive oil, cornbread mix, flour, sugar, maple syrup, etc. are all available in ONE AISLE. No more picking through 5 different brands that all equate to the same product.
4) Samples and free coffee. I end up buying the product they sample 80% of the time; just warning you. Excellent marketing tactic. It also introduces me to new items that I normally wouldn’t try due to (see below) fear that I’m going to hate it.
5) Kitschy products that are fantastic, e.g. ginger snap cookies and everything crackers (aka crack)
6) Great customer service and fast moving lines
Here’s what’s MEH about Trader Joe’s:
1) Kitschy-​ness = sometimes not so tasty products. I’ve bought products that sound delicious – frozen garlic naan, mushroom risotto, phở, refried beans, etc. that fall on its face on flavor. Darn you Trader Joe’s deceiving packaging and enticing product descriptions! I’ve learned my lesson — stick to the basics unless you’re ok with potentially throwing away the product.
2) Cart warfare with mindless, rushed middle-​aged mom or dad
3) Parking — lot fills up quickly around busy times (weekends, after 5 pm). Be prepared to park near Microcenter and walk with bags of groceries if you go at those times.
Overall, the pros outweigh the cons by miles. Most of the time, I’ve walked out of the store with a smile because of how wonderful and friendly their staff is. The place has a nice positive vibe to it. Overall, be a mindful shopper armed with a list and you’ll have a great experience.
Tips: Free parking, lot fills up quickly during weekends and after 5 pm on week days. Enter through the entrance on the left.

FAVS:
CAULIFLOWERRRR!!! Yes. I shouted this out in the store in glee. $ 2.49 for a large head is completely unheard of these days (don’t get me started on the whys…). Mom’s Organic was $ 2.99 and Balducci and Whole Foods are laughably too rich for my blood. Even the Asian markets I frequent when I’m desperate enough to priority cheap over all else (little secret: curly kale there is $ 1.49 — whether it was scraped off the bottom of a truck and plopped wilting into a bin is up for debate but hey if you’re going to turn them into chips, does it matter?)
RAINBOW CARROTS. purple dragon carrots are the bane of many a heirloom farmer and Mom’s were woefully small. These were larger and slightly more reasonably priced.
WHOLE STALKS OF BRUSSEL SPROUTS. Those things look like those jingle bell shaker sticks. I am so already plotting a christmas theme meal on that imagery alone.
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Amaze-​ball reasonable prices for fruit and a decent seasonal variety, and that includes local and organic (which…doesn’t always look better but is always a dolla’ more).
Lots of selection for gluten free, fiber rich, etc. and wholesomely processed foods (I’d still limit the intake though). Reasonable prices for meats. Trader-​Joe brand though so I’m still sticking with my Heritage Farms local goodies.
Living in the DMV area means expectations for color and flavor bursting produce has to be fairly tempered (except for summer when EVERYTHING IS FARMERS MARKET WONDERFUL WEEP) and your wallet is going to take a hit if you focus solely on organic (Whole Foods doesn’t mean local FWI; it just means large scale certified organic), and your aesthetic standards are going to take a hit if you focus solely on local/​CSA/​farmers market (oregon we are not :{). So I usually end up going to multiple grocery stores for different items on a weekly basis at least.
The yogurt section in Mom’s Organic Market and ice-​cream is far more extensive than Trader Joe’s. And I couldn’t find whole stalks of kale at TJ (just pre-​washed/​pre-​packaged) but I did at Mom’s.
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Tips:
PARKING IS A NIGHTMARE. Like worse than Asian supermarkets bad. So do not come hungry or you will want to HULK SMASH everyone around you. I usually go around the back and park in the larger less-​stressful parking lot in front of the Planet Fitness gym.
Lines are very short inside though.

Trader Joes, Whole Foods and Wegman’s are the grocery store elites now. If you want or need stables (make no difference stuff) go to Safeway, Giants, Walmart, Shoppers; any of those. This particular Trader Joe’s does not disappoint even though the SQFT is small.
I am very impressed by the low prices on organic food. I picked up a 3-​lb (9) bag of red pears for $ 2.99. Safeway would charge twice as much or more. Jeez, I got a lb of sunflower seed, shelled, unsalted for $ 1.99. I don’t even think I can find that at my local Safeway, especially not at that price. I got 2 of the 19 cents bananas too.
There is just so much shopping synergy in this location. There is a World Market (wine, beer, treats, house ware, gifts) a few stores away and lots of other places to spend more money than I have. The Silver Diner is in the same area, in front. Park once and walk. Don’t forget your recyclable bags, this is Montgomery County.
Bön Appetite!

Apparently, all I do lately is shop at and review Trader Joe’s. All good, I guess.
The parking here is a nightmare. A huge, bloody, nightmarish conflagration of moronic impudence. There were, at 12:40 pm, exactly 3 spots open anywhere in the mega lot. Found a spot light years from TJ’s and miraculously scored a rogue shopping cart that was curled up in the island vegetation, cowering in fear of bad drivers. Managed to get into the store. Phew.
But you know, I liked it. Sure, the produce arrangement makes no sense. There’s regular carrots here and baby carrots there and organic somewhere else. There are bags of avocados here and single cados over yonder. Etcetera. Sure, it’s really just another TJ’s. But the layout seemed brighter, more open. A woman stocking bananas chatted with us. There were TWO easily-​accessible bathrooms that were clean and available. The checker was SUPER nice. And a woman in the adjacent line was sweet and made me chuckle. Yay.
Then I got out of there and told the pickup driver who almost mowed us down to JUSTLETMEGETTOMYCARFORTHELOVEOFGOD!!!, hung the cart up in the bushes again (no cart return, and two kids in tow means no walking 6 miles back to the store), got in the car, and just breathed. Grocery shopping might just kill me yet.

The folks who COMPLAINED about parking have not been to TJ’s in Silver Spring.
I live less than 3 minutes away from the one in Silver Spring and I prefer to make the drive to Rockville because I tend to get claustrophobic.

Y’all, I’m callin’ ‘em Trader Joh’s
Kimchi where you’ll find the guacs, salads, sushi, premade soups, you get the idea.
Go Joh!!! Not bad. $ 1.99 for about a serving bowl size. Personally I can eat this in just one meal for myself (stay away from me after I wipe one out though).
I enjoy my pungent side dish really really fermented — where your nose hairs go on strike or just plain fall off. I don’t like the freshly made salad-​like kimchi. This one just opened is in the middle… not fresh (thank you) but not fermented (I forgive you, Joh).
Look at my food porn for details.
Now if I can wait a few days I can enjoy it even more fermented-​so but I can’t :p so I’ll take the medium-​fermented result. I laugh when I see expiration dates on kimchi. Ha, I say. Older the better and the old school buried-​underground-​kimchi-​from-​the-​korean-​countryside is spectacular. Sorry I went off topic… this is about Joh’s kimchi.
But Joh’s has the usual faves I purchase regularly… frozen jasmine rice, chile verde chicken burrito duo (again stay away from me afterwards), chunky guac, pineapple cuts, mango cuts, jalapeño chicken sausages, flavored pretzel bits, olive oil popcorn chips, hansen’s sodas, etc…
Just thought to share since I discovered Joh’s kimchi