Trader Joe's came up with the perfect holiday message

For those who don't know, Trader Joe's is a specialty grocery store. I've never been there, but I'm told they sell gourmet and imported foods, organic foods and stuff you wouldn't find at your local grocery store.

Anyway, they recently opened a store in my area and I got their newsletter in the mail a couple of days ago. I was just looking through it and I saw this message:

"We wish you Happy Holidays, no matter which holiday it is that makes you happy."

A message of inclusion: I'm sure the fundies will be offended by that as well. After all, they OWN the entire month of December, even though Christmas is only one day. :eyes:

By the way, the newsletter also says, "Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa!" but I think the "Happy Holidays" message really says it all. :-)

That is a great, all inclusive message. I was at a store yesterday looking at Persian rugs, including prayer rugs. The salesman asked, "Are you ready to celebrate Christmas?" I said "I don't celebrate Christmas." He looked at me funny and backed off. At least I didn't see him calling Homeland Security....

We helped open the first store in Georgia
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5561565665179751904

It looks like they have a lot of interesting and unique items. :-)

http://www.traderjoes.com/product_categories.html

Trader Joe's has changed my life. I would have to spend so much more time in the kitchen if it weren't for TJ's (and Costco, but there's only so much room in the freezer for Costco-sized bags). TJ's saves us a ton of money, too.

Love 'em!

In fact, I'd never heard of it until I saw people posting about it on this board a few years back.

orginally a Pagan Holiday..didn't they borrow the Birthday? I've heard Jesus was a Pisces..the whiners about "war on Christmas" should worry more about Peace and that Jesus was a man of.. said Peace than what people actually say during the Season's Greetings.

Between Costco for bulk items and Trader Joe's for everyday fresh foods, I seldom if ever go to Von's any more. I have been pleasantly suprised at how cost-effective it is to shop there.

Enjoy your new neighborhood store!

Hekate

The newsletter emphasized the "gourmet goodies" and the specialty items for the holidays, so it didn't occur to me that I could get the basic stuff, too. :-)

from what I hear usually cheaper.

It's usually cheaper than some supermarkets too.

Decent wine for $2 a bottle - they bought the winery.
They have gourmet food at supermarket prices.

Especially you Starbucks haters. TJ's has tons of whole-bean coffees from all over the world, far cheaper than the Seattle variety. I like Starbucks when I'm on the road, but I only buy TJ's for brewing at home.

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I've shopped at Trader Joe's since I was a kid; I lived down the street from one of the original stores.

I saw one on the highway when I was going to the mall and I had no idea what it was. Then a couple of months ago, they opened a store in my neighborhood and I've gotten a few newsletters, but I haven't been there yet.

with no Trader Joe's. I only shopped when I happened to be in a city that had one. We got one two years before I moved, of course. During those two years, I never shopped anywhere else. Trader Joe's and Costco did it all.

Now I live in another area with no TJs. We have one being built as I type, though. I probably won't do ALL my shopping there, since it is about 14 miles away, but I'll make a trip at least once a month.

Go on in; just be warned that you may find it addicting, lol.

I won't eat any breakfast cereal other than Trader Joe's store brand.

Many, very good wines for extremely reasonable prices.

...in Australia. Very, very nice Shiraz and under $6 a bottle. I don't know how TJ's does it, but you can get some excellent wines and beers quite affordably.

Hekate

the ones in Westfield and Florham Park. Westfield had the wine, but Florham Park didn't have the liquor license. (Or was it the other way around?)

Anyway, Joisey has a fixed number of liquor licenses which are auctioned off when someone closes a bar or whatever, and no cheap "beer" license. This makes selling beer and wine an expensive proposition when you have to ante up well over a hundred grand to sell a bottle of wine. Besides, Joisey also has a minimum price for wine, so two buck chuck was three bucks when I lived there. Stil a bargain, of course.

When the two buck stuff first came out, TJs only said it had a deal with a major winery. Rumor had it that it was Gallo looking for a market for its excess. 'Twas a time of wine production well over demand with smaller vineyards and producers biting the dust daily.

i drive over an hour to go to one closest me!!

but no wine.

:(

fly

I don't really care for Charles Shaw, mostly because I don't like the types of wine they have. I prefer Shiraz, Pinotage, and Riesling. There are some great values coming from South Africa, Australia, Chile, and the Columbia Valley of Washington State. If you're a big wine drinker, check out some of the good boxed wines like Black Box and Wine Cube.

Trader Joe's Rocks!! We do a lot of our shopping there.

They saved us during the big grocery workers' strike a few years ago -- we did all of our shopping there.

Joe-Joes are their version of oreos, only without the hydrogenated oils. Dark chocolate cookie with peppermint filling w/bits of candy canes.

But your'e right--the fundies won't be satisfied unless Christmas, and only Christmas, is recognized.

I used to go to that store all the time in Portland, but now its at least an hours drive to the nearest one. Its a great store.

It happens to sell mostly their own brand of stuff, but unlike traditional grocery chain "store brands," TJ's is almost always a higher quality at a lower price. They sell lots of excellent prepared foods that you can actually afford, and they don't taste like lousy teevee dinners. I find their produce can be sketchy, but sometimes its awesome. Since they're so small, they don't put out acres of it, though, so if they get a bad batch of something, you're stuck with what they've got. They sell lots of organics and preservative-free meats (don't buy it unless you plan to eat it quickly once it's opened!) but just about everything is cheaper than in a regular store. I'm amazed at their natural peanut butters. I never liked the natural stuff until TJ's...lots of different varieties, from different types of peanuts even. And full lines of bath stuff, too, like natural toothpastes and soaps. You tend to get only stuff you really need there, because of their limited size; you don't fill up your cart with crap you probably shouldn't be buying in the first place.

Oh, and another bonus: they recently announced they will no longer sell anything made in China

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but judging by the comments in this thread, that's not true. Maybe her definition of "gourmet" is different than mine, LOL! Their newsletter had a lot of "fancy" items in it, but that's probably because it's the holiday season and they make nice gifts.

It's good to know they sell prepared foods - that'll be very convenient during this busy time of year. On some days, I'm too tired to cook ... and I'm getting sick of pizza, LOL!

Thanks for the info. :hi:

And *most* of the time when you shop there, the staff, as well as the people who shop there, are cool too.

YEARS. I didn't know it until I just looked at the link -- thanks!

I hope they don't go the way of Whole Foods, begin replacing great brands with their "own" brand.

I really appreciate that they have a lot of vegan options (and are starting to label them all as well) and that almost all of their bodycare and cleaning stuff is free of animal products and testing, works and smells great and is pretty darn cheap.

They have lots of great food but it's not snobby at all, and the prices for things that are generally expensive at other stores (like nuts, decent breakfast cereal, etc) are really good. Their product mix is a good blend of indulgent foodie stuff and healthy items.

My Favorite Master Artist: Karen Parker GhostWoman Studios

Because a TJ's just opened up last week and I am psyched about going there!

China.

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Business/2007/10/20/trader_joes_backs_off_chinese_goods/6531/
Trader Joe's backs off Chinese goods

Published: Oct. 20, 2007 at 8:30 AM
Print story Email to a friend Font size:CHICAGO, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Trader Joe's grocery markets will phase out all single-ingredient products from mainland China by Jan. 1, the Chicago Sun-Times reported Saturday.

"We feel confident that all of our products from China meet the same high quality standards that we set for all of our products," said a statement from the company. "However, our customers have voiced their concerns about products from this region and we have listened."

The change apparently does not affect products with multiple ingredients, some of which may be from China, the Sun-Times reported.

Trader Joe's, a specialty foods chain based in Monrovia, Calif., is owned by Karl and Theo Albrecht, German billionaires who also own the Aldi food chain.

Competitor Whole Foods will continue to sell single-ingredient products from China, which comprise "a very small percentage" of Whole Foods' products, a company statement said.

China has faced numerous exports scandals this year, ranging from contaminated pet food and toothpaste tainted with industrial chemicals to lead-laden toys and jewelry.

A new store just opened in Chapel Hill, down the road from here in Durham. I got a bottle of wine, box of cookies, bag of nuts, jug of apple cider, large container of oatmeal/cranberry "dunkers", and about 4 other items and the total bill was $22. Can't beat that anywhere. It would have been near $50 at my local Whole Foods, which I still appreciate for the larger variety.

woo

My wife does the major shop there...great cheeses, smoked meats, sauces, etc...

I've actually been to Traitor Vic's, as I like to call it, when I went to California last year. It's almost like a real supermarket. A real PRICEY supermarket, that is. A kinder, gentler con job than Whole Foods, you might say.