Bj’s Wholesale Club

This BJ’s was a bit of a let down. The store felt small and like it had fewer inventory than other BJ’s that I have been to. The parking lot was a disaster and it is not easy to get in and out of. On the plus side, it was clean and the staff seemed friendly. There were more cashiers present than other locations too. If you live in the area, this is your only shot, but it fell short of expectations when I went in for something and found a lot less than the usual when I looked around.

We go here about once a month, usually on the weekends. This is a great place to buy a big ticket item, the flat screen TV we bought last year was a great value. Mostly we shop here for the food items, things like K Cups and coffee creamers and frozen foods etc. Vitamins are a pretty good buy here too. Is every single item on the shelves a bargain? Absolutely not. Some of the pricing is high, some is average, but even the average pricing becomes less desirable because they make you buy double or even triple packs of things, and that’s not the best way for some people to shop.
The selection is pretty good, as far as the groceries go. They have certain items we see here that we just don’t see anywhere else — like the frozen Harvestline Chicken Florentine patties. They are delish and its always nice to pop open our freezer for a quick dinner choice.
During the holidays it can get pretty crazy here, but on this hot June evening, the place was empty. We feel that the annual membership fee is covered by the savings we generate by shopping here.

Torrington’s BJ’s is a bit slim. It’s got a pretty decent selection of your everyday necessities, but is definitely lacking in their fresh food selection. Produce is generally well-​stocked, but can be hit or miss. Their butcher area looks like some guy popped his trunk and presented you with his latest vacuum-​packed adventures in venison. They also have a very poor selection of organics and/​or natural foods, which are generally available in larger wholesale clubs.
All in all though, we do a lot of shopping here, and it’s definitely worth the membership dues. There’s a lot they could improve, but I’m not sure they have any sort of incentive to.
Their attentiveness to the check out area is the one issue that BJ’s is pretty bad about. It can feel like the Lincoln Tunnel at rush hour waiting in line sometimes… but oh, right. There’s only ONE register open, and a few employees standing around the service counter, watching but doing nothing. It’s probably not like that most of the time, but every time I’m there when it’s busy, it seems to be a testament to some poor front-​end management.