Saturday, November 8, 2008

First trip to Trader Joe's Nashville

The SO and I braved the crowds and made our first trip to the new Trader Joe's this morning, its second day of business.

The same issue that was a problem when Wild Oats was in that location was a problem today--traffic and parking. We drove around the lot just a bit and finally just camped out and waited for a car to leave. I'm sure we annoyed several people, but you gotta do what you gotta do. I'd thought we might park at Grace's Plaza, but there were signs in the lot warning against that. I noticed a few people who parked across Hillsboro and walked over--smart idea.

Once inside, the crowd was just as crazy as the parking lot. But people seemed to be fairly pleasant; I suppose because none of us really knew where anything was and wanted to see everything. And the staff was really polite and pleasant considering they had to navigate the crowds with boxes and such to re-stock the quickly-dwindling supply of food.

I really wasn't too impressed with the TJ's in Las Vegas, but I think it was because I was looking for some particular items. It also just seemed a little dingy. The TJ's in Nashville, though has skylights which really take the edge off the fluorescent lights. Also, I think the key is to go in with an open mind and dig for treasure. Which is how I ended up spending nearly $90. I'm really not sure what all I got, but my refrigerator is bulging. Some broccoli and fancy mushrooms, some fresh pasta, some of those fleur de sel caramels...um...well, that accounts for about $12. Oh! some truffled cheese, ginger cookies, soap...let's just say that we started out with one handbasket, got a second and then transferred to a cart. We went a little nuts.

And based on the other overstuffed carts I saw, I'd say we weren't the only ones. So now we've been initiated. We're Trader Joe's fans.

Trader Joe's
3903 Hillsboro Pike
open 9am-9pm every day

And, of course there's plenty of beer including Nashville's own Yazoo, but no wine.

7 comments:

Taylor said...

Going back to your price comparison post, I just went to BJ's yesterday (never been before) to use my 60-day trial membership I got in the mail, and while there are not a lot of products at BJ's that I eat, the items that I did look at - cereal, crackers, etc. - were just as cheap at TJ's or only slightly cheaper by pennies, and sometimes even more expensive than TJ's. The 16-pack of Boca burgers for $10 was a bargain at BJ's, though. So...I guess I'm saying TJ's has great prices.

Anonymous said...

you are a brave soul! I will go into TJ soon but not until the fad has worn off.

ErinsFoodFiles said...

Thank for the comment on my cupcakes! I DO have a bit of a pumpkin obsession. I even have a recipe I haven't posted yet! You MUST make the pumpkin risotto! I've never had risotto, let alone made it, so I'd love to see your recipe.

I finally made it to Trader Joes on Sunday. It actually was VERY easy getting a parking spot, but the store was rather busy. I enjoyed it!

Almost Vegetarian said...

Hey you! Wanted to give you a response to your comment on the recipe on my site.

Yes, they are good for you. And, yes, they are worth another try. Actually all the vegetables you had (and loathed) as a kid are worth another try. Especially if the veg you got was like a lot of the veg I got - so over cooked that it was limp and nasty and worthy only of tossing out the window (or at the person who made that evil stuff in the first place!).

Let me know how it turns out.

Cheers!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Joy of Cooking said...

Hey Lesley! that last post was removed bec. I posted it from our cucina account and it said it was posted by 'claudia'. Not wanting to speak for her, I removed it! :-) anyway, thanks for the review of Tj's. I plan to go there soon to check it out. See you soon!
Joy

michael, claudia and sierra said...

you. bought. fresh. pasta?

i am so upset