Trader Joe’s

I try to visit this trader joes every couple weeks. Generally, I visit on the weekend since I live about 30 min away. I enjoy their selection healthy foods and products.
I had to knock off one star because the parking is very limited. The parking lot is always hectic and gives me anxiety. It would be wonderful if another trader joes opened in the area! I would probably visit several times a week.

I really really love Trader Joe’s. The only downfall of this location is really the size of the store and the parking lot, but that isn’t a fault of the Trader Joe’s brand. Honestly, if this location was just a bit closer, I would be here weekly! The selection of meat and veggies is decent, with some different choices available than the regular grocery store. The snacks are fun and there is always something cool in the freezer/​refrigerator section (pun intended!!!) What really sets Trader Joe’s apart from them all is the price for the quality! It really can’t be beat!

I generally like this Trader Joe’s because everyone who shops there is completely oblivious that anyone exists other than themselves and their cellphones. So, as I careen through the sea of yuppies and urbanites, picking through the intoxicating array of junk food disguised as organic goodness, I am reminded of my place in the universe as a lowly being. The soccer moms, the hip couples, the well behaved children afraid to move because then, years down the road, if they do, they might not get into Harvard. The sea of agony disguised as cheerful corporate, vaguely Hawaiian solace all at hand, the prices lower than, say, Whole Foods. The cashiers who spend their nights smoking pot whilst discussing politics online, sanguine and wise. And, mostly, that one bottle of cold green tea I don’t deserve to drink, dripping as I am with first world shame. Ah yes, Trader Joes, you sly dog, you.

Trader Joe’s is my all-​time favorite grocery store! Years ago, I was disappointed that it was smaller in size than most grocery stores, and their selection was limited. But I have since grown to appreciate and love Trader Joe’s for this very fact! Why? Because when I shop there, I feel like they’ve carefully hand-​picked their merchandise, narrowing down the choices for me (which is great for my indecisiveness!). They’ve essentially cut out all of the mediocre junk you’d normally find at other mega supermarkets. Every time I visit Trader Joe’s, I know without a doubt that I will walk out with something interesting, unique, and frankly… fun! All this at an affordable price, to boot!

So this is the only TJ in central Connecticut (mind you, there are 6 stores in the lower western corner of the state… makes no sense). It’s a nice size with all the options you might expect if you’re accustomed to frequenting TJ.
Seems to be a larger than the typical TJ stores that I’ve visited with lots of aisle space and lots of parking. There are also a lot other places to shop nearby. Typical store, with nice prices, wide selection of food and great customer service.

I love Trader Joe’s just hate the location of this one in West Hartford. You would think being located within a strip mall there would be abundant parking au-​contraire mon ami, at least in my experience which typically is on the weekends, this location is a flippin nightmare! If parking is a problem then you can imagine what it is like in the store which is a scaled down version of TJ’s larger stores. Having dealt with the logistics, I still am a big fan even though the TJ’s stores in CT don’t carry beer or wine, they still have some of the products I have come to rely on and in a pinch, a big fat a. pinch, I will stop in endure the bump and grind and stock up. My go to store is located in Framingham, MA and is well worth the 1.5 hour drive, even on the weekends this much larger store is spacious, has easy parking and a great selection of beer and wine at very affordable prices. Trader Joe’s is a do not miss shopping experience, you just have to find the most convenient one for you.

I’m in and out of TJ’s in under 10 minutes. Gorgonzola gnocchi, cookie butter, orange chicken, coconut oil and yellow corn chips. Must haves, and what I typically head in for. Of course throw in another half dozen frozen treats, apps and snacks but still — there’s a handful of aisles and the store is compact and easy to navigate.
I like this TJ’s just as I like them all. Nothing stands out, nothing to complain about. I’m happy and my belly is full.

Man oh man – do I love Trader Joe’s! Any and all; I have never lived more than five miles away from a TJ’s, and nor do I ever plan on doing so. When I first moved to West Hartford, I was thrilled to find a TJ’s nearby; it quickly became one of my frequent grocery destination (in addition to Whole Foods… yes, I probably sounds super pretentious). They carry all the standard TJ’s goodies – including fantastic frozen food, fresh produce (organic and regular), and my favorite, the chocolate covered, peanut butter filled pretzels! Their service is phenomenal and I love that they give paper bags rather than plastic.
After moving here from Wisconsin, I was disappointed to find that they don’t sell wine (stupid state laws), as I’m a huge fan of two buck chucks. The store itself is also relatively smaller than other TJ’s I’ve been to, but like I mentioned previously, they carry all the essentials! Lastly, this place gets crazy busy! I would avoid going on a Sunday afternoon/​evening, if at all possible; it’s like a circus and a half in there!

Man, I love this place so much. I will say, I’m not that impressed with the produce selection so I typically run elsewhere, but for anything else under the sun — whether it’s something that I know I want in advance, or something that I couldn’t have imagined in advance existed, TJ’s doesn’t let me down. Lately, I’ve been at war with my esophagus trying to inhale bags of ginger chews. Those things are soooo firey. Don’t care. Must eat.
Love the 73% cacao dark chocolate covered almonds. If I hadn’t quit chocolate you could be sure I’d be eating them right now!
The cookies. The crackers. The hummus. The salads. The random samples. The frozen meals are so awesome. From the vegetable mixes, to the Indian and Asian foods you can come out of there with all manner of low cost relatively healthy lunch (I’m talking under $ 4) to just pop on the stove top or in the microwave. Love it so much. The vegan pizza. The shampoo and conditioner. My hair LOVES Tea Tree Tingle omg!
Then there’s the customer service. Everyone is just so pleasant. And I just feel so good when I arrive and when I leave.
As to price range, I’d say it really depends on what you’re buying so I’m voting moderate, even though for some things TJ’s is downright dirt cheap.
Sadly, I’m moving to Manchester so I’ll be visited TJ’s far less often going forward, but I will be back when I can. Did I mention that I love this place?

I like this Trader Joes a lot but it is always so so so crowded and the parking lot is always so full, it makes it impossible to just run in and grab something quick. However, I love their frozen food section. I rarely eat frozen food but when I do, it’s from TJ’s! Burritos, pizza, Kung Pao chicken — they have so many varieties. I like their fresh produce and they have a good variety of chips and snacks. However, due to the small store and parking lot, I have to carefully plan out when I go…

Lovely selection for such a small store. I’m happy to be able to buy crumpets somewhere again although the fact that they stock pseudoscience «snake oils» in their dietary supplement section is worrisome.

I fell in love with Trader Joe’s the second they opened in this part of CT. The produce is super fresh, they have some really unique items and the prices are fantastic, IMO. Spending an average of $ 60 instead of the usual $ 100ish for my regular grocery trip was absolutely the best draw.
My only qualms:
–They often run out of produce and other items
–They are inconsistent with what inventory they carry (went in for cubed butternut squash today and it had vanished)
–Always. So. Crowded.
Apart from that, this is my go-​to grocery store unless I need something super specific.
And Trader Joe’s, if you’re reading this. please please please open more stores in this state so the Westfarms location can be less of a zoo.

This location was clean, orderly and the staff seemed to all be busy stocking and cleaning. I asked the clerk at the register about the bananas (price) which was listed as “. 19 «. I was confused due to the sign was a little misleading. I thought they wanted only .19 cents for the ENTIRE bunch of banana’s, when I asked for some clarity, she was put out, rolled her eyes and said «we sell things BY THE PIECE» uhhh. ok so basically, their banana’s are .19 PER banana. Just so people are clear! HA! She might have been having a bad day…

Shopping at Trader Joe’s is more than an errand. It’s an EXPERIENCE. My time in TJ’s is as much of a grocery shopping trip as it is a sociologically-​fascinating people-​watching exercise. And I kind of love it.
The good? Consistency. I know what to expect from Trader Joe’s: the products; the pricing; the cheery, attentive staff; and the occasional pleasant surprise («Oh, wow, so I CAN afford to buy organic apples!»).
The bad? The fact that I can’t make Trader Joe’s my primary grocery store (it would be prohibitively expensive) and the fact that they don’t carry: (1) heritage/​pasture-​raised chicken and (2) a good selection of «sustainable seafood» (as determined by Monterrey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch). As a forward-​thinking grocer, they should acknowledge the fact that conscious consumers are starting to demand more –including the desire to cut out an extra shopping trip to Whole Foods.
But hey, things could be worse. I mean, without this West Hartford Trader Joe’s, I’d be forced to satisfy my TJ’s fix by driving to either Rhode Island or Massachusetts. (Yeah, no, thanks.)
3.5÷5 stars

Trader Joe’s is wonderful. I typically shop at Whole Foods, but there are some things Whole Foods either doesn’t carry, or charges WAY too much for, and in those cases, it’s Trader Joe’s to the rescue. For example, cage-​free eggs are so much less expensive here! There’s a great selection of interesting foods and friendly workers. I wish it was a little closer to me, but I usually make a pit stop here when I’m near the mall.

Trader Joes, I love you!!! Over the past couple of years I’ve completely switched over to doing all of my grocery shopping here with the exception of when I need some Skippy peanut butter or Heinz ketchup — I can’t make the commitment to switch to anything else. The products are so unique and I seem to always pick up some new treat while I’m here.
A few of my favorites include the frozen banana slices, frozen fruit bars (one with strawberry and lemonade), granola bars, strawberry Greek yogurt, kimchi rice, cinnamon apple sticks and the Thai chili cashews… the list could go on! I love that you are able to get fresh, organic and low-​calorie items for a reasonable price. Their coffee is also very tasty and priced pretty comparable to the other big brands.
Tips: This place is packed on the weekends so come here on the week days if it’s possible for you or come early in the morning on Saturday or Sunday. Always double bag, unless you bring your own bags

As much as i do love trader joes and its neat array of well priced grocery items, one thing i do not like about this location is the size. Its small and tends to be very busy. Weekends and evenings produce long lines, but the cashiers are as efficient as they can be. The store just gets overcrowded very easily.
They have a great produce, cheese, nuts/​dried fruit, and beer selection. I highly recommend them for more natural foods since their prices are very competitive. The other downside to trader joes is that you might not be able to find every item that you would find at a regular grocery store and still need to go elsewhere. This mainly includes juice varieties, deli selections (no deli for fresh sliced lunch meats), baking items, and household goods.
There is a huge parking lot out front but sometiems you will still have to walk a little ways to the store.

So I’m not much of a cook; not because I don’t like it, but because I don’t have the time (or just don’t feel like it). So I’m a fan of quick easy meals and Trader Joe’s is sooooo good for that! They have a great selection of frozen and premade ready to go food that you just can’t find anywhere else, and this selection includes lots of different cultural foods, organic, and meatless options. I love the Mandarin Chick’n (vegetarian), Paneer Tikka Masala, Quinoa Duo w roasted vegetable, the vegetable gyozas, the frozen pizzas, the marinated frozen fish, the brown/​red/​black rice medley, the salads, I could go on and on. The cheese selection is great, as are the dried fruits and nuts, sauces and salad dressings, sweets, and breads. Lots of staples, and lots of specialty items.
Since many of their products are Trader Joe’s brand, the prices are cheap, cheap, cheap. Even non-​store brand stuff is comparatively cheaper than other stores.
Even though there are a lot of things I like to stock up on here, its not somewhere that I will always do my regular shopping. The produce department is small, and I’ve found their produce to be not-​so-​cheap and sometimes supbar. Also, the layout is kind of weird and hard to navigate, especially if you are unfamiliar with the store. Some cart bumping and «excuse me“s and general confusion are usually part of the experience if its particularly crowded in there.
The staff is nice and helpful, and there are always free samples of some sort. For such a small store, Trader Joe’s manages to pack in a really great assortment of stuff and if you are veg*n or lean towards healthy options, you will feel right at home.

Have loved Trader Joes since I stumbled into my first one in Hadley, MA decades ago.
Great prices on nutritious (not over-​caloried) cereal. Great salsa. Great frozen foods. Really good muffins (try the banana chocolate chip –you will weep for joy).
We bought a cart full of cool stuff today for a reasonable price. Even scored a free sample of gingerbread.
The sales staff here are all very hip fun people and they always make you smile and feel welcome.
I wish I had one closer to where I live…

It’s high time to update this review even though the rating hasn’t changed. I’m currently adhering to a dairy-​free, gluten-​free, alcohol-​free lifestyle (just for a month, don’t worry) and it’s really challenged me to discover new products that just weren’t relevant to me a few months ago. Rice pasta, sprouted grain products, rice milk — you get the gist.
The sprouted grain bread is much better than I expected, and many of the prepared meals and frozen products are a decent time crunch alternative to homemade. The produce selection is smaller than I’d like but I ended up finding all of my staples.
Oh — and try the pear-​champagne salad dressing.
Oh, and the prices — stellar for wholesome, excellent quality food.