Trader Joe's

Previous Calica

Cheddar Rocket Crackers

Bang, zoom, to the moon! Open a box of Trader Joe's Cheddar Rocket Crackers and fly yourself to the moon, swing upon some stars, and on your way back, let us know what summer's like on Jupiter and Mars. These enticing little cheesy crackers will not only have you (figuratively) traveling, they'll have you (literally) singing - that's what delicious snacks can do. Shaped like miniature rockets (the full-size versions wouldn't fit in the box) and fueled by real Cheddar cheese (no palm oils like similar snacks), these are more dense and flavorful than some other, more nautically nuanced snacks. In a matter of seconds…3….2…1… these little shuttle bites blast into your mouth with their big cheese flavor and crispy crunch.

If you're seeking a little adventure in your snacking, sans artificial flavors and preservatives, then Cheddar Rocket Crackers should be your vehicle of choice. They're an out-of-this-world value at $2.49 for each 7.05 ounce box.

Mr. Darcy

Yeah, the ad copy is very hipsterish. Plenty of good food though, and Charles Shaw wine.

Misery

i love trader joe's

Previous Calica

Yeah, I love the actual food at Trader Joe's, though I've never had Two-and-a-half Buck Chuck.

The stuff in the flyer, though, I just have to laugh at, because, well...

glennmagusharvey

Trader Joe's has the cheapest milk in the area, for some reason.  And cheap oranges too.  And I usually buy their organic corn chip dippe--

~cracks up uncontrollably at the above video~

glennmagusharvey

Alduin

My friends call it "Faggot Joe's"

Previous Calica

Your friends are terrible people.

Salix Babylonika

Acererak said:

My friends call it "Faggot Joe's"

honestly I'm more mad about the lack of creativity in calling it that than I am the use of a highly offensive slur that applies to me personally.

I mean "Trader" and "Faggot" don't even rhyme.

also the fuck is "Trader Joe's"

Obā-san

Mojave Music said:

Acererak said:

also the fuck is "Trader Joe's"

it's a grocery store owned by the peeps that own Aldis

While a typical grocery store may carry 50,000 items, Trader Joe's stocks about 4,000 items, 80% of which bear one of its own brand names.[2] Trader Joe's describes itself as "your neighborhood grocery store" or "your unique grocery store." Products sold include gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian foods, unusual frozen foods, imported foods, domestic and imported wine and beer (where local law permits), "alternative" food items, and staples like bread, cereal, eggs, dairy, coffee, and produce. Non-food items include personal hygiene products, household cleaners, vitamins, pet food, plants, and flowers.

Many of the company's products are environmentally friendly.[11] In October 2007, Trader Joe's began to phase out foods imported from China amid concerns that standards on "organic" products from the country are not as stringent as they should be. Between February 2008 and April 2008, Trader Joe's claimed to have phased out single-ingredient products from China due to concerns over tainted goods. However, Trader Joe's does not provide Country of Origin disclosures on most of its private label brands, citing reasons of food source and supplier secrecy.[19]

Trader Joe's discontinues individual products more often than larger grocery chains do, due to increased costs or poor sales, or to free up space for new items.[20]

Trader Joe's sells many items under its own private labels, at a significant discount to brand-name equivalents, and requires their brand-name suppliers not to publicize this business relationship.[2] Their labels are sometimes named in accordance with the ethnicity of the food in question, such as Trader Jose's (Mexican food), Trader Ming's (Chinese food), Baker Josef's (flour and bagels), Trader Giotto's (Italian food), Trader Joe-San (Japanese food), Arabian Joe's (Middle Eastern food), Pilgrim Joe's (New England specialties, like clam chowder), JosephsBrau (beer), Joseph Händler (wine),Trader Johann's (lip balm), Trader Jacque's (French food and soaps), Joe's Diner (certain frozen entrees), Joe's Kids (children's food), and Trader Darwin's (vitamins and health supplements). By selling almost all of its products under its own label, Trader Joe's "skips the middle man" and buys directly from both local and international small-time vendors.[21]

Salix Babylonika

so it's basically the Market section at Wegman's.

good to know.

Mr. Darcy

Pangur Bán said:

Mojave Music said:

 Products sold include gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian foods, unusual frozen foods, imported foods, domestic and imported wine and beer (where local law permits), "alternative" food items, and staples like bread, cereal, eggs, dairy, coffee, and produce. Non-food items include [...] pet food, plants, and flowers.

Poor pets!

Previous Calica

Well, from what I've heard about stuff that goes in pet food, "non-food" isn't exactly a wrong description.

RocketRunner

Trader JoJo's.

Yarrun XIX

I know people who swear by the place, but I've never been there myself. No stove (and now no sink) in this place, so cooking's out of the question.

Princess Alice

My dad stops by Trader Joe's every now and again, much to the chagrin of my mother, who thinks the place is too expensive.

Never been to one myself...

Hexartes

No stove (and now no sink) in this place, 

O^O

Sredni Vashtar

Yarrun XIX said:

I know people who swear by the place, but I've never been there myself. No stove (and now no sink) in this place, so cooking's out of the question.

It has some really good stuff. A bit pricey, but really quite good.

Yarrun XIX

I have a meal plan, Kex. It's alright.

Though it does go horribly wrong sometimes. I ended up eating a bowl of grody salad for supper because I miscalculated schedules and forgot that the burger place was out of fries.

Previous Calica

Central Avenue said:

My dad stops by Trader Joe's every now and again, much to the chagrin of my mother, who thinks the place is too expensive.

Never been to one myself...

In my experience it isn't significantly more expensive than the Ralphs literally a block away from it...

Alduin

spinor said:

Your friends are terrible people.

They actually like Trader Joe's btw

The "faggot" part is from a movie we all watched together.

Salix Babylonika

spinor said:

Central Avenue said:

My dad stops by Trader Joe's every now and again, much to the chagrin of my mother, who thinks the place is too expensive.

Never been to one myself...

In my experience it isn't significantly more expensive than the Ralphs literally a block away from it...

yeah but weird things happen in the parking lot behind the Ralph's.

glennmagusharvey

I never knew Trader Joe's is from the people behind Aldi.

Aldi is awesome.

lee4hmz

There isn't a Trader Joe's all that close to me (the nearest on is in Springfield), but there's an Aldi near Potomac Mills that we never go to. There's also one on 123 in that scary half-abandoned shopping center that also, oddly, has a Salvation Army thrift store in it.

Obā-san

man we have this half abandoned shopping center near where we live.

it has a Lands End and a Marshalls

Sredni Vashtar

Pangur Bán said:

man we have this half abandoned shopping center near where we live.

it has a Lands End and a Marshalls

Cooooooool.

Well, not cool that it became abandoned in the first place, but I like abandoned stuff.

Previous Calica

Mojave Music said:

spinor said:

Central Avenue said:

My dad stops by Trader Joe's every now and again, much to the chagrin of my mother, who thinks the place is too expensive.

Never been to one myself...

In my experience it isn't significantly more expensive than the Ralphs literally a block away from it...

yeah but weird things happen in the parking lot behind the Ralph's.

This is Los Angeles.  Angel's here, not Night Vale.

Justice4243

I find myself in a Trader Joe's from time to time.

They do have some good stuff, but I have trouble imagining making it one's primary grocery center.

Princess Alice

Half-abandoned strip malls seem depressingly commonplace in America

It doesn't help that once the big "anchor" of a shopping center leaves, it ends up dooming all the smaller shops...

Section42L

Here's the obligatory link to deadmalls.com.

Justice4243

Central Avenue said:

Half-abandoned strip malls seem depressingly commonplace in America

It doesn't help that once the big "anchor" of a shopping center leaves, it ends up dooming all the smaller shops...

We actually have on of these that's in the process of repairing itself within a mile of the house.

It helps that Portland is FULL of strip malls, and they almost always occupy busy streets.

So even if one dies or mostly dies, it's usually just a matter of time before someone thinks they can use the space.

lee4hmz

The one I mentioned previously originally had a Zayre in it, apparently. Zayre merged with Ames, then Ames got steamrolled by Walmart and Target (not to mention the smaller second-tier discounters they could have competed with, like the dollar stores and Roses). I don't think there's been a proper anchor in that center for at least a decade.

Other centers that come to mind, since I'm bored and I feel like rambling: 

• Woodbridge Center, further down US 1, has what was obviously an old grocery store in it (it's since been converted to a church). DC Grocery is long gone, so I have no way of asking what was in there, but the building design looked like a Safeway or a Grand Union. 
• There was a strip mall in Dale City, near Dale Blvd and Minnieville Rd, that had a huge anchor spot lay empty for years since no one seem to want the space (which had belonged to Evans, a old-style catalog showroom). I think there's a gym in there now.
• Quite a few of the old strip malls along Route 1 between the Occoquan River and, oh, Dumfries have been taken over by stores catering to the Hispanic and Asian populations, particularly food stores and restaurants. Still, even food stores have failed here, and they usually do quite well.

Anonus

Pangur Bán said:

man we have this half abandoned shopping center near where we live.

it has a Lands End and a Marshalls

That Lands' End is probably only still there because Lampert couldn't sell it :P

Anyway, I went to a Trader Joe's in Ann Arbor, Michigan back in March, it was pretty cool...they had some good chocolate (though they did make a distinction between chocolate and fair trade chocolate)...

There are supposed to be four Trader Joe's locations up and running in Colorado by the end of next year...there are none currently.

glennmagusharvey

@lee4hmz: I usually go to the one in Fairfax.

Previous Calica

Trader Joe's is currently selling a chocolate called "Barely Buzzed" that contains espresso, apparently.

Of course I bought some.

Justice4243

They sell a lot of coffee meets chocolate stuff.

It's good.

Previous Calica

oops, I meant to say a cheese, not a chocolate.  :V

They're also selling chocolate cheese, though.

My favorite Trader Joe's chocolate thing is probably the chocolate-covered peanut butter pretzels.

Salix Babylonika

chocolate pretzels will never not be heresy to me.

You're ruining two good things, imo.

Previous Calica

Mojave Music said:

chocolate pretzels will never not be heresy to me.

You're ruining two good things, imo.

then I am a heretic and proud.  that stuff is fucking delicious.

Obā-san

chocolate pretzels will never not be heresy to me.

You're ruining two good things, imo.

Salix Babylonika

If by "delicious" you mean "a violation of both moral and natural laws", then certainly.

Previous Calica

Mojave Music said:

If by "delicious" you mean "a violation of both moral and natural laws", then certainly.

mmmmmm, violation