Trader Joe’s

I love Trader Joes! They have helpful staff, affordable/​fresh food and it’s located right off the Minuteman Trail! Here’s why I gave this one three stars instead of five:
1. Terrible parking lot
2. TERRIBLE PARKING LOT
3. They run out of stuff — probably because it’s small
4. Selection is limited compared to other stores — once again probably because it’s small
5. No alcohol here =(

Lucky to have this TJ in Arlington. Staff has amazing morale and are friendly and helpful. One complaint is they tend to run out of a lot of items on a regular basis. Not sure if that is because it is small or what but I find it happens frequently. Otherwise an easy and pleasant experience.

The almost only good thing about living in Arlington. !!! Great management and employees — great changing selection. Yes, parking is bad but well worth. It. I have never appreciated TJ ‘s so much until WF appeared in my neighborhood. I appreciate some WF items as I eat organic, veg but the management (team leaders) and a lot of employees are non– responsive., and some rude.
I always leave Trader Joes feeling good. Their upper management needs to, teach other stores how, to choose employees and treat customers well!

What grocery store has better prices, a happier staff, and more fun, festive offerings? Plus «no cruelty» home and cosmetic products. Even recycled toothbrushes! I will never live far from a Trader Joe’s. :)

Enjoy shopping here, great selection and helpful staff. Reasonably priced and lots of ready cooked meals. Parking is a challenge.

Extremely helpful staff, rapid stock rotation, good selection of TJ’s offerings – although not quite as extensive as larger stores. I buy my booze elsewhere anyway.
Parking lot can be a challenge to navigate, but if you drove that far, you probably endured worse just getting there. Always plenty of parking along Mass. Ave, if the lot is full.
All in all, a great place to shop at almost any hour – and this from a non-​shopper!

The parking is definitely a challenge. However, all the employees are so worth it! I love stopping and talking about life and groceries! They are very helpful and give great suggestions. I would highly recommend this TJs!

Fantastic crew — they really make shopping fun! And the food’s good too.

Although this is not my favorite location, it does the trick. I have not done full shopping here, but it does not look as though I’d be able to complete an entire list. The checkout area is a little muddled, as there is a shelf directly facing the lanes. Everyone is chipper enough, and I’m always able to duck in and out reasonably quickly with the few items I need for dinner. I’d be much happier if they had a wine selection.

I never thought I’d find another Trader Joe’s whose parking lot can be as challenging to negotiate as the one in Albany, NY. This one shares a parking lot with Walgreens next door, and the lot is too small to accommodate both conveniently. Negotiate carefully.
Once you deal with that, the store is fine, though it is slightly smaller than the average TJ’s. It wasn’t obvious to me that they’ve compromised a lot on the products carried, but it’s evident when you check out. The cashiers are friendly and extremely talkative. That’s quite nice, EXCEPT when the lines are backed up, in which case you might not be so enthusiastic about your cashier casually chit-​chatting with every customer in front of you.
So if you can endure the parking and a chatty cashier, you’ll be fine here, because it’s still Trader Joe’s, and it’s still good.

A super extra-​friendly Trader Joe’s… wow!
TJs tries very hard to only hire the nicest people, but there have been a few growing pains here and there as they’ve taken over the country. They still do an awesome job, let me tell you. I don’t want to diminish the job TJs does whatsoever. But in a race for growth, sometimes a few mishires happens. No biggie. The strong TJs culture tends to weed out culture mismatches over time.
This one, though, is traditional happy yappy Trader Joes. Just like a Marshall amp, this one goes to 11!
Smiley person after smiley person. From the good vibes and jokes of Teresa at the sample table in the back, to the the very same thing from checkout person and her bagger (who’s name tag had a sticker on it, just with the letters left like «Anda»)… everyone just oozed charisma. Man, it was like a mini-​vacation just visiting tonight.
These folks are having a good time, whistling while they work, and it happily spreads to the customers.
Both adult and child friendly. Human friendly.
My ebay-​esque review would be something like:
«Awesome sauce’m! A A A +++ :):):)»
Oh yeah… and they had seasoned rack of lamb from New Zealand. All TJs carry roughly the same stuff, but I seemed to have overlook this sku at other ones. I don’t eat a lot of meat anymore, but when I do I try to eat the best, most humane stuff. It’s hard to beat meat from the paradise called New Zealand! (beat meat, just caught that… hahaha!)
There’s also the fantastic grass fed beef products from New Zealand. Very similar to what the highest end restaurants serve. Highly recommended!

Great location hours and products. I really like this place. Sometimes it is hard to find a parking spot.

Eh, not my favorite TJ’s location. The parking lot is horribly designed and it’s difficult to find a spot w/​o driving around for a few minutes first. The store itself is small and cramped. I usually frequent the location on Boylston St which is in a basement, yet this location feels far smaller and more cramped. Decent selection of produce.

I guess I was a little hard on Trader Joe’s. It’s fine, except for the parking lot, which is terrible, but I don’t know where else they would put cars in this busy spot on Mass. Ave. Best not to go at peak times, or, maybe to bike the Minuteman Bikeway.

It isn’t so much that the TJs is bad. The folks that work there are as good-​natured and hard-​working as you’d expect from any Trader Joe’s location. It is usually well-​stocked. It’s vibrant and cute. It has new things often. It is well-​priced, considering. It is small but full, giving that neighborhood grocery feel.
The problem with this particular location is the customers, my neighbors. The spoiled Arli-​Lexitonians in their too-​big and poorly-​driven crossover SUVs ruin the convenience of the parking lot, and their insistence on backing-​in to spots makes even walking through it hazardous.
Once inside, you might notice the café in the far back corner. No, that’s a group of people eating free samples, people whom society has failed, as is evident in their inability to properly use a trashcan, or stand to the side for people needing past. Among them is the geriatric who uses the cart as a walker, and has one item in it. There is also a down-​coated woman with three or four different bags slung around her shoulders, and her additional bulk is swung wildly as you try to meekly pass through. And, while you can excuse him somewhat for not wrecking the parking lot, the guy in the full-​blown cycling getup is stinky, smug, and asking every bustling employee who walks by why there isn’t any sprouted bread left.
Lastly, I know it’s cute to let them do it, and I know that if they didn’t want them used, they wouldn’t offer them, but the tiny shopping carts aren’t racecars. They aren’t even non-​race cars. For every kid who is given the cart and subjected by their parents to the same expectations of manners as are adults, there are nine or so who are simply turned loose, let wild, and dumbly release a day’s boredom out in the waning moments of my patience.
My advice is to walk here, and if you’re too far or fat for that, drive elsewhere. Further, just because they offer samples and tiny carts, doesn’t mean our best judgment is to partake. Lets instead realize the traffic this place undergoes, and do our part to alleviate the detriment it causes to what should be a simple and convenient grocery trip.

I’m divided on this place. I love Trader Joe’s, and this store, for me, is just like all the other Trader Joe’s. It’s a bit smaller, but I think all the usual goodies are there. So for being a Trader Joe’s, 5 stars. But. I HATE THE PARKING LOT. Like, hate hate hate. I hate it so much we usually drive to the Fresh Pond TJ’s, and the traffic around there is a nightmare. I’ve driven by this place in the morning, in the evening, and on holidays — it’s always packed with people trying to find spots or desperately trying to make a left turn out of the parking lot. The space are small, there aren’t enough of them, and the people are crazy. I’d give the parking situation 0 stars.
One saving grace — it’s right on the minuteman bike route! So you can lock up your bike along the route and go up for some snacks and drinks.

This Trader Joe’s is the closest grocery store to my house, so we shop here a lot. A LOT. The staff here is friendly and welcoming, and fun to chat with. During peak hours, if you don’t mind climbing a set of stairs, you can avoid the insanity of the parking lot and park down by Hurd Field (get there from Drake Road).

It’s not big, it doesn’t have alcohol, but this TJ’s tries to do good with what it has. The customer service is the what you’d expect from a TJ’s: well-​above average for a grocery store.
This TJ’s has all the other products that you’d see regularly. The drawback to this location is that the parking lot is tiny, and can be difficult to negotiate. The lot is shared with a Walgreens, which doesn’t help either. Sometimes it’s just to park on the street nearby.
TJ’s aren’t that big in general, so don’t expect a Wegmans experience. However, the former’s got good and refined products at reasonable prices, with solid customer service.

going from not having a tj’s anywhere near me and shopping there being a big event to having this tj’s be the closest grocery store to me … i don’t want to say the romance is gone, but i’m being a little more realistic about the nature of our relationship.
the pros: chocolate covered peanut butter filled pretzels, corn salsa (actually, their salsa in general), great coffee at reasonable prices, lots of great little prepared side dishes, sauces and the like, all at prices comparable to the big chains.
the cons: this is literally the worst parking lot i have ever been in anywhere. ever. evereverever. i hate to hold that against the store, but it really makes coming here suck. also, the more i come here the less i’m enamored with their whole model — almost everything is pre-​made or pre-​packaged. want less than 5 roma tomatoes? 6 slices of roast beef for a single sandwich? have the butcher hack you off 2 pounds of steak? tough, unless you happen to find a pre-​packaged amount that’s exactly what you need. want fresh fish? shop elsewhere. here it’s all vacuum sealed and frozen.
with a plethora of grocery stores and specialty shops nearby where you can get exactly what you want for comparable prices (s&s, wilson’s farm, the meat house, whole foods, &c.), tj’s won’t make it as my primary grocery option, but works out well as a once or twice a month stop.

Although it’s an alcohol-​free location, it’s 5 minutes away from me, which means I have access to the great assortment of TJ-​brand goodies this store has to offer. I’m especially a big fan of a few of the register employees — I’ve had some fun conversations with them and they definitely make waiting in line /​having your groceries scanned much more pleasant.
The only downside about this location is the parking situation — it’s madness trying to get in and out during peak hours. I see the potential for a mêlée occurring with so many people trapped within the one entrance/​exit spot.