Trader Joe's - Ahwatukee, AZ Review

Maybe that seems like a lot of stores but it's not.  Trader Joes is in twenty-three states and has over 280 stores with more on the way.  The chain started in California in the 1950s and the majority of stores are in that state.  They expanded in the 1960s to the east coast and have just started making inroads to the middle of the country.

The stores are relatively small because they don't offer a full line of products.  Take dairy for example.  There's milk, yogurt and cheese (lots of cheese) but there's no ice cream.  To cut costs many of their products are sold under their own label but don't let that deter you.  Some of this stuff is great.  I particularly like a fruit drink called "Dynamo" which I often substitute for orange juice in the morning.  There's nothing like fresh OJ but this comes close.  It a combination of grape, orange, pineapple, lemon and apple and it's loaded with vitamins.  It's slightly more expensive that OJ but it's worth the extra cents.

Other items I particularly like are their own brand label of corn chips and pretzels.  Quite good and again the price is a slight premium.  They have a large selection of frozen fish (cod, sole, snapper, grouper) that is not only good but many times lower in price than the same frozen fish at a supermarket. 

I buy several kinds of cheese but this is my own warning.  Don't buy what you won't eat in two to three days.  For some reason, the cheese develops a mold sooner than the same kind of cheese from a supermarket.  Maybe there's less preservatives and that wouldn't be all bad. 

Their produce is quite limited.  Tomatoes and lettuce are about the only items I find that are inferior.  I am sure this is not the case for the stores in California.  My experience with buying produce in California is that this is one reason to live in the state-it's fresh fruit and vegetables.

They rotate products quite frequently and slow sellers are quickly unavailable. 

All three stores I visited are clean, brightly lit and the staff in each store was very helpful if you have any questions.  The prices you see are the prices you get.  There are few, if any sales promotions, no coupons and no membership cards.  They don't sell online and each of the stores is company owned, not a franchise.    

Unfortunately, Trader Joes is a private company.  After several visits I inquired because if it was a public company I would buy the stock.  For more information about the store and its locations visit their web site at www traderjoes com