Trader Joe’s

always out of inventory
long ass lines
wilting produce
the crappiest tj location in the 650

I pick up groceries in this branch probably once a week. The staff are great — if I ever have a question they are quick to help. During the last month 2 items I wanted were out of stock (Gruyère cheese and Prosecco) and on both occasions the staff member helping me double checked the availability and recommended an alternative. Thank you! They stock in season fruits and always have a fabulous selection of cheeses.

I haven’t seen a more disgusting produce department ever!!! The mold on some of the stuff is epic! I was scared to even breathe in the produce department. It turned my stomach and I couldn’t buy any groceries.
Gag-​olla!!!

This is a long overdue review. Can I say how much I love this store? I’ve been coming here for 7 years. Yes sometimes the parking sucks and sometimes the produce goes bad faster than what I would hope but I don’t know how we could be parents without this store. Healthy meals ready in minutes. Also they are so kid friendly. From the minishopping carts to the seasonal stickers and the find the giraffe game. Both the patrons and the ppl who work here are so sweet. Almost every time we go someone says something nice about our kids. My 3 year old will painstakingly slowly hand each item to the cashier and they are always so sweet about it. I love love love this store and it reminds me of why I love San Carlos.
Some of our regulars
Japanese fried rice
Korean pancakes
Indian food
Korean galbi
Ready made salads for lunch.
Teriyaki chicken
Pork belly

I love the 72% Pound Plus and Trader Joes us the only place to get it.
Conveniently located on El Camino Real, in San Carlos, I recommend you get here early. Parking lot fills up quickly.
As I pulled up, an employee signal to me that the store does not open until 8 AM. I arrived early.
As I sit here waiting for the store to open there’s so much hustling bustle. Employees are efficiently restocking the store in preparation for the busy day.
Store shelves are clean and well stocked, employees so helpful and check out is efficient.
Always a stop for me before returning to Hawaii

Since we don’t have Trader Joe’s in Hawaii, I need to make an obligatory stop every time I’m in California to fill orders from mom, aunties, and myself of course. This TJ’s in San Carlos was like many others with a clean store, fresh produce, and helpful and hardworking staff. I always like to stop by the sample corner to see what’s cooking, and fortunately they had some pumpkin pie and spiced apple cider when I visited. The spiced cider was warmed up, and I almost bought a bottle of the spiced cider, but I stopped since I’d had to lug it on my flight back to Hawaii.
I did end up buying what I went there for — some snacks for my flight home and some gifts for friends. Grapes felt super cheap (not much more than $ 2 for a box) because I’m used to paying $ 5 for 2 pounds, and that’s when they’re on sale. My colleague and I finished the whole thing on the first leg of our flight since the grapes were so sweet! I also grabbed some oatmeal cranberry dunkers (a gift for an aunty), some crispy dried fruits (a gift for my class), and some dark chocolate pretzels (for me). I know I can always rely on cheap and quality food when I shop at Trader Joe’s!

I’ve been a Trader Joe’s fan for a while, and this store is a quality representation of what I love about them. This store has been fully stocked every time I have visited, and each time I have seen multiple employees in the isles making sure items are stocked and that I am finding everything I need within the store.
Even in the late hours, this store always has fresh coffee and specialty items to taste. They are busy in the evening right after work, but it is easy to get in and out of the store after 7:30pm. I love the end section by the samples area which shows you all of the new products in the store.
If you are also looking for wine and spirits, Trader Joe’s is a great place to go with quality bottles and reasonable prices. Don’t do the «two-​buck-​chuck» but they have some great selection in the $ 5 range that will make a different at your dinner parties and holiday gatherings.

There needs to be a Trader Joes in Redwood City. This tj’s parking lot is always a zoo. I have to park blocks away with a little baby and unfortunately I avoid the store a lot because it’s so difficult to park. Plus the store is so busy there are out of certain produce items often. So frustrating.

Bravo! Selection, selection, selection is what you want and get. True of wines, food, and veges. The food is fresh, the prices are affordable, and the employees are always informative. Make sure you grab a hot free coffee while you shop, and a free food sample.
The lines can be long and the parking dense, so plan ahead.

This is more of a review of Trader Joe’s in general. Trader Joe’s seems to be lacking a lot compared to regular grocery stores. They don’t really have paper products or cleaning products, etc. There’s no bakery or meat department. You have a little bit of everything and a lot of frozen foods and wine.
I’ve tried some of their frozen dishes and they just don’t taste that great for some reason although they’re pretty cheap. They tasted under seasoned.
Their produce is okay. They price by the individual item many times so it’s a bit unusual. I’ve had good luck with their mangoes and oranges.
They also have the unpasteurized orange juice. It’s quite pricey. I thought it tasted fresh but not as sweet and I would like.
Their cookie spread is pretty delicious. I’ve had some success with their cookies as well.

I love this store so much and the variety of food. The staff is very thoughtful and intelligent. Great attitudes. As for the products they carry they are at a great price range and they are always fresh. I wish there was one closer to where I live in Redwood City but other than that I love this place.

I absolutely love going to this store. it’s right around the corner from video studio. The food is fresh, the prices are right and the employees are always polite and helpful. It all comes down from the top, and this is definitely one business that adds value to my life. Their salads are amazing and always fresh. It’s really a big change from the safe ways and luckys whom employees are definitely not happy. Thank you to all the people who make this store run on an everyday basis.

Really good service from Gwen today! Quick, nice speedy checkout in a busy grocery store! Come here mostly to buy my Kale for my salads.

I am a regular Trader Joes customer. I appreciate the varity of healthy organic foods at a reasonable price and an upbeat, helpful staff. I am especially appreciative of the donations department at TJs San Carlos for providing a generous donation for the opening of the Arts Unity Movement production of the premier of Quantum Leap, performed by the New Ground Theatre Dance Company and opening June 5. The sponsorship of TJs will enable us to provide interesting and healthy refreshments for our eight performances. Thanks Trader Joes!

This Trader Joe’s is typically well-​stocked and offers very good customer service– it is easy to find a helpful employee when searching for items and the cashiers are more than happy to send a «runner» to get an item you forgot or could not locate.
The parking lot is difficult to maneuver at times and has cross-​traffic at various points, which can lead to bottlenecking. I sometimes park on El Camino in an attempt to avoid some inconvenience. For this reason, I give a 4 and not a 5.

I have loved this TJ’s for years. I used to work 2 blocks from this location and I would regularly go there to get my lunch… they had great salads and vegetarian options (I have bought many a pack of smart dogs, from this place). I still regularly buy their pine litter and tuna for cats (my cats thank you… though my hubby does not as it seems to be the stinkiest cat food in the world… but it smells just like the Figaro cat food my cat Dottie had when I was growing up, and she lived to be 21 so I trust this brand and appreciate how affordable it is, even after the price went up recently).
Anyway the real thing that inspired me to write this review was, I was recently at the «retirement home for seniors» on Woodside in Redwood City, leaving something for the manager at the front desk. I just happened to walk in when a huge amount of leftover valentine’s day roses were delivered to the reception area. I heard they were donated to the seniors by Trader Joe’s in San Carlos.
I just want to tell the manager, or whoever donated these flowers… I wish you could have been there to see the looks on the ladies’ faces when they were unwrapping all those beautiful roses. Many of them seemed unaware of why they were there, and some were in disbelief, like, «Is it ok to take these? Are they really for us??» A lot of those women seemed downright GLEEFUL, as they scurried off with these big bouquets of gorgeous flowers. I was standing there for about 10 minutes so I got to see a lot of women taking roses until the cart was nearly empty, and it was so much fun to see them all looking so happy… it really warmed my heart.
Thank you to Trader Joe’s in San Carlos for your generosity and for caring about all those seniors. Some people would have just thrown all those roses out, but you did a really sweet thing… I got to witness firsthand… your donated was MUCH appreciated!!!

Ratchet.
And I swear to christ that I have never used that awful word before and had never in my life planned on exercising it, but in this case it’s just the most appropriate way to describe this sad sack Trader Joe’s. You brought this upon yourself TJ’s. YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON YOURSELF.
A Trader Joe’s in the condition this joint was in last night is only acceptable under two scenarios:
#1. Two days before a grand opening when stuff hasn’t really been stocked yet.
#2. Two days after the beginning of the apocalypse when people have already ransacked all the goods.
I wish I would’ve taken pics to prove it, but I didn’t want to look like too big of a jag… though my roomie can also totally vouch for the lameness of this Trader Joe’s.
Bananas– Absent from display unless tiny and bruised beyond belief.
Berries– NONE.
Cooler shelves: Empty. Huge gaps along the entire length of the display just naked with nothing.
Dry food displays: Same story. Huge empty gaps where prices remained but merch was nowhere to be found.
Low fat brownie mix: In stock… though all boxes are inexplicably dented and mashed.
Non-​fat vanilla yogurt needed to make aforementioned low-​fat brownies: GONE. Zilch in existence here.
Trader Joe’s signature hummus that tastes dry as hell and is grainier than sand: They’ve got plenty. Of course.
Flowers: Infinity flowers. Nobody needs that many flowers when they go to Trader Joe’s. You’re a grocery store, not a garden… but I get it… When my brother was a kid my parents told him he could be anything he wanted when he grew up and he said he wanted to be a squirrel. You can’t always get what you want, stick to what you’re (normally) good at.
I’ve never seen a Trader Joe’s so out of sorts before and I’d be wiling to cut them some slack if there was something saying that they were going out of business or about to be under construction, but there wasn’t, so for all I know this place just gets by on being a hot mess on the daily.
In my head this place is a two star and I feel so scorned by the presence of bad bananas and absence of any berries or yogurt that I’m never coming back, but because I don’t want to be labeled the TJ’s Grinch of San Carlos, I’m waffling over giving them an additional pity star since I probably won’t be back to ever write an update because I’m just that insulted by its chaos + generally stubborn… but meh. California has enough decent Trader Joe’s around every corner to make this location irrelevant. Deuces.

Go wild, go crazy…
Who can not like Trader Joe’s, I mean really. I like this location. It’s always stocked well and the people are very friendly. Depending on what day/​time you go it does get pretty crowded inside but also the parking lot gets very packed. Sometimes you’re even forced to park on the street around the corner if you’re super determined to shop. Just be careful when you’re driving in the lot or waiting for parking. Lots of moving cars and moving people. There is also a very big Walgreens in the lot that this store is located so that adds to the busy parking situation.

This was the BIGGEST and NICEST Trader Joe’s I have ever been to. Granted, I haven’t been to many Trader Joe’s, but still. ..
While locals seem to come here for groceries and healthy (organic) offering, I’m from Hawaii, so I come here for their very unhealthy sweets and treats (yogurt covered fruit, chocolate covered peanut butter pretzels, praline pecans, english toffee, wasabi peanuts, etc. I decided to forgo the cookie butter –the latest Hawaii crush– this time).
Anyway, this Trader Joe’s store was:
+ Easy to find.
+ VERY large.
+ Lots of selection.
+ Staff was VERY friendly.
The only negative: bigger store = more people = crowded :-(

Has anyone ever proposed marriage in a Unilocal review before? If not, let me be the first.
I’ll back up a bit.
Grocery shopping with a youngster can be less efficient than going alone. Sometimes one ends up with items one never intended to buy, including many more snack foods and sweets. Recently I shopped with my 7-​year-​old at TJ’s, and lucky for me, he’s on a health kick.
We selected some uncured organic beef hot dogs, which he got very excited about (and while this may not sound «healthy» to some, I was thrilled to see him eat something other than carbs). We even picked out some organic carrots, since he said he wanted us to make carrot soup
I asked him to select a bread, and Little L (LL) kept picking out white breads, asking, «Is this healthy?»
I pointed out some whole grain breads that would be healthier. He never fails to surprise me. He selected a honey whole wheat TJ’s bread that I never noticed and never would’ve chosen.
I was completely blown away when I tried it. It tasted a lot like Arizmendi Bakery’s honey whole wheat bread (which is my favorite), minus the drive to San Francisco. Woo-​hoo!
I told my son, «I really LOVE this bread. I’m so glad you chose it. I wouldn’t have picked it in a million years.»
LL: «A million years?»
ME: «Yes, a million years.»
This bread isn’t my usual «type.» I typically go for the organic, multigrain, sprouted, cracked wheat, or wheatberry breads — this is none of those things. Totally not my type, so I thought. I just never noticed it in the crowded bread section, and never thought much of TJ’s breads. That is, until now.
In true 7-​year-​old fashion, he said, «If you love it so much, why don’t you marry it?»
ME: «I will.»
I cringe inside at the thought that someday TJ’s may discontinue making this bread. So, let’s make it official. Trader Joe’s Honey Whole Wheat bread, whaddya say? Will you marry me?