Trader Joe’s

I really have to give five stars to the always lovely and enthusiastic group of workers at Trader Joe’s, especially in their dedication to service during the pre-​snowstorm madness.
I happened to be in the area during the surprise snow we had last Wednesday only to be met with a crazy amount of people in line to get in. Who knew that Trader Joe’s was the hottest club in town? To ensure everyone knew what was going on, a man in a Hawaiian shirt stayed outside to direct traffic, open doors, and help people unload their grocery carts… in the freaking sub-​zero weather.
Once I got in the store, you basically shopped in a single line that filed in and out of the aisles until you reached the cash register. There were TJ employees spread around to answer the questions and while annoying, the general atmosphere in the store was cheerful — most likely due to the organization of the store.
I got to the front store and paid for my groceries without any problem. My only complaint was they were pretty much out of Charles Shaw, which they should have stocked up on if they knew a snowstorm was coming. :)
As a parting gift, here is a list of my snowstorm essential grocery list from TJs:
— Cookie Butter Ice Cream
— Pita Chip Crisps
— Tzatiki
— Bananas (only 19 cents at TJ’s)
— TJ Nut Packets
— Almond Milk (The TJ brand is my absolute favorite)
— Pre-​Marinated Carne Asada
— A bag of Avocados
— Red Onions
— Eggs
— Sourdough bread
— Cookie Butter Cups
…basically anything you can find with the word cookie butter in it.

I had my first full blown shopping experience at Trader Joe’s this weekend. I typically come here for little things, but a friend suggested that I do the majority of my grocery shopping here, if I’m on a budget. My place for grocery shopping is either Whole Foods or Giant.
Love this place! I bought snacks and produce and spent under $ 30. The only downfall of this place is the parking and it being crowded. Other than that, this will be my go to for grocery shopping

Let me try to succinctly sum up this location: Extremely limited, poorly designed parking in which once you enter you might not ever get your car out again regardless of wether you find a spot; selection of goods so limited and basic as to not be worth bothering; almost always so crowded that you can hardly move or find anything; checkout lines that wrap around isle after isle and require 30 mins and finding a «teammate» to buddy shop.
Worthless lunacy, all to save a dollar or two on mediocre wine, dubious quality veggies or a plastic container of candy. It’s DC, why am I not surprised…

As usual, Trader Joe’s never disappoints. This location is not one of the biggest I’ve seen but it’s never too crowded that you can’t shop comfortably. It has its own parking lot for convenience, which is already a lot to ask in DC. Service is fast and you never wait too long to pay. Lucky me, every time I visited this location in the afternoon they were having wine tastings and they were always so patient and nice, and would let me try every bottle if I wanted to. I am so biased when it comes to TJ’s cause I love love love this store and this one in particular, definitely combines all the reasons why I keep coming back!

Although I like the Trader Joe brand and many of its products, this particular store gets Two Stars only from me for ONE reason — the insanely long lines at checkout during peak times! For some reason, management at this store cannot get their act together to figure out how to structure the store and the checkout registers such that customers don’t have to wait up to 30 minutes in line during peak times to get to a cash register. Yes, you heard me right — 30 minutes in line! If you thought Whole Foods at peak rush hour was bad, come to this Trader Joe’s and see what bad really is. The last time I came here, the line of customers snaked through almost every isle and all the way to the back entry way doors. Waiting 30 minutes is not just highly aggravating to me, but I imagine it’s also aggravating to the customers who are shopping in the isles and have to push through me and other carts in the isles to get to a shelf and pick out a product. If you are the manager of this store — you do the math — count up how many aggravated customers you’re making as long as you keep the store structured this way.

While it’s certainly nice to have a Trader Joe’s option in the area, and I do love taking advantage of the wonderful products they carry, I simply cannot give this store a higher rating.
Let me explain it this way — sometimes I forget how bad this store is until I have the opportunity to visit another Trader Joe’s when I’m out of town. Then, it only takes a few brief moments of shopping at a different location for me to remember how inferior our version of the classic really is. For example, a «real» Trader Joe’s offers a huge variety of gluten free products, a pet care section, untold numbers of cereal options, numerous deli items and a vast array of choices in each type of dairy product. Our DC store is so incredibly basic however that (in my humble opinion) it’s completely lost the magic that is Trader Joe’s. I have personally spent far too much wasted time in the store looking for item after item only to realize (yet again) that they do not carry what I’m searching for. Shopping there can be maddening, and yet I do return from time to time!
Be warned, the failure in its stock does not prevent massive numbers of people from filling the store beyond capacity several days per week (especially on Sundays). The lines can be wrapped in rows so confusing that staff members have to walk with hand carried flags to mark the end point. It’s a comedy act in the making!

First time at this location. I love that the DC stores sell booze. We all need a bottle of Two Buck Chuck right? Staff was friendly and helpful, the lines were long but moved pretty quickly. The store was well organized and clean. I cannot stand a chaotic grocery store. I would definitely go back and recommend this location.

My one major critique about this place is, depending on the time in which you go in, the selection can be questionable. NEVER go in on a Saturday/​main part of Sunday. The line is stupid long and the selection is completely picked over. Even Monday is really crazy and not worth the time/​lack of selection.
With that said, it’s better than most grocery options in the area. It definitely does not have the greatest produce options (on par with Harris Teeter, but 3 stars at best.) Definitely do not buy their raw meat. NOT worth it/​your health. It does however have the best prices in terms of wine (The «2 buck Chuck,» is DEFINITELY a CHUCK — I lose respect for anyone who buys it for anything but cooking.)and quick meals for people with little time to cook meals.
*Of all my go to items — I really recommend: (1) Mushrooms, (2) Cheese — they have a great selection for DC, (3) Peanut Butter Cups, (4) Pumpkin Bread Mix, (5) Fall Harvest (Pumpkin-​ish) Salsa, (6) Pumpkin Soup –I’m obviously writing this review in the Pumpkin Season, I could go on, but I’ll save you…
There are many other great items, these are just my favorite.

I am quite the Trader Joe’s fan girl. I have been a lover of their products since I was a toddler in CA, and remain a committed purchaser of their cheese and green chile tamales two decades later. (Seriously, if you have not tried these, get in your car right now and go pick them up. You’re welcome.)
Coming from NYC, this is one of the least crowded Trader Joe’s I have ever been to. The location is convenient, and the shelves are well stocked. Good produce selection, although it’s sometimes difficult to find ripe avocados (can’t have everything!)
The wine section has a great selection at absurdly good prices. Even though there are other supermarkets closer to where I live, I go out of my way to go to this Trader Joe’s. The food quality, prices, and service can’t be beat.

Clean, fast, friendly and cheap. No, I’m not talking about the ideal tinder date, but your best option for groceries in the Logan/​U street area!
Compared to the almost any other area TJs, this is the most efficient and user friendly. Foggy bottom is fast enough, but too crowded, in space and foot traffic. This one has enough room to keep my anxiety low during peak hours and is staffed to keep things moving. Plus, aside from the expensive and overwhelming option of Whole Foods, there isn’t another store that can serve as a one-​stop-​shop for groceries in that area. Thank goodness for Trader Joe’s!

Trader Joe’s is always well stocked with interesting products. It amazes me that I can buy tortellini and gnocchi for less than $ 2 each.
That being said, this location can be pretty hectic to shop in. Past 5:30 pm the store becomes congested with customers and by 6 pm the checkout line wraps around the aisles. However, the cashiers are extremely efficient and I don’t think I’ve ever waited more than 10 minutes.
Lastly, I don’t recommend purchasing flowers here. I once bought Chrysanthemums that didn’t bloom and irises that wilted away after two days. The produce is also hit or miss. In the store I’ve come across moldy zucchini and eggplant.

Trader Joe’s is fun. Always has been, always will be. They have interesting items which make the hassle of grocery shopping more fun. I love that. However, just as there are pros, there are most definitely cons.
Pros: $ 3 wine, samples, affordable food, friendly staff, those dark chocolate peanut butter cups, the peach soy yogurt, a clean bathroom, the frozen mini pepperoni pizzas, 19 cent bananas.
Cons: unbearably long lines, the lack of a person directing traffic to the parking lot at times when it is completely necessary, the fact that the produce and bread often go bad within a week, the coconut water, the peach sparkling wine, its fairly small size.
This place is good. But it’s over hyped. Greatly. I will say, that incredibly long line DOES move pretty quickly.

Nice clean store with lots of options for a great price. Even has beautiful fresh cut flowers. Friendly employees. It has lived up to my expectations. Wish we had Trader Joe’s in Oklahoma.

It’s great. In fact it’s so great that I come here from Columbia Heights which has a Target and a Giant. People already said some important stuff about this place: It is indeed packed on weekends. Free parking for 90 mins. Friendly staff. VERY cheap produce and good selection of vegan and kosher foods. I bought an eggplant the size of a baby for less than two bucks and some vegan cheese for $ 2.50 among other stuff. They give away samples of food and their coffee, which tastes much better than the average over roasted crap you can get in a chain grocery store. Try the following:
— tomato-​less salsa. Proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy
— champagne (real deal) for less than $ 15
— miso soup broth. goes with everything
— phở from frozen aisle is really good
— vegan ice cream that does not taste like sadness
— green tea mints
–INNER PEAS. they are like snack crack.
I wanna marry this place. There is a woman in Florida who married a dolphin, so maybe they’ll let me do that.

I asked them to open earlier so that I could grab lunch on the way to work and they did it! Love these guys!
The only thing that could make this place better would be if they had the SF sour dough bread like the TJs in SF.

TJ’S!!! What is not to love about Trader Joe’s?! And talk about location. They could not have picked a more prime piece of real estate!
This is not quite walking distance for me, so I’ve only been here a handful of times so far (on the weekend when I have the car). Each time I’ve visited, I’ve had very pleasant experiences. The samples aren’t as plentiful here as other locations, but that’s no deal breaker for me.
What I love here: the WINE, the CHEESE (heck, all the dairy), and the CHOCOLATE. Yeah, I know, none of the healthy stuff. They do everything well, but the sinful stuff is extra good.
On the negative: my last visit, on Sunday, I had a couple of workers I asked pretty clueless about the stock status of a seasonal staple (candy cane Joe Joe’s…you know you love ‘em!) and two of them had no idea what I was talking about. The guy who came to my rescue in the end was super helpful, though.
Also, the parking garage is a nightmare. Thank the good Lord I have a compact car — I would NOT want to navigate those extremely tight corners and spots in anything bigger. I’ve never seen a parking attendant any time I’ve been there, and only on the way out the other day did I see someone standing at the bottom of the garage half-​heartedly waving oncoming cars onward. She wasn’t exactly… helpful…but I guess she was jealous she didn’t get to be upstairs with all the tasty goodies.

I have to hand it over to the Trader Joe’s team last night (late afternoon? I came around 4:30 pm and was out the door in 30 minutes.)
I walked in, mentally preparing myself pretty much all day that this was going to be an experience filled with people and lacking in time and space to peruse the items.
To my surprise, it wasn’t that bad. Yes, there was a long line when I looked through the windows before going in, and yes, there was a long line after I left, but like everyone has said, the lines move fast, and to their credit, the TJ team is why.
I walk in and look for a shopping cart. A guy comes around pushing a couple full size ones and tells me he’ll have more in a few minutes and asks whether I want a full size or the short, two level cart. I take the latter and thank him as he pushes one out for me.
Then I slowly make my way around most of the store and start quickly filling up my cart with more wants than needs. On two separate occasions, I will be asked whether I need help finding something or if I am finding everything ok. One guy who was wearing a pink lei last night even made suggestions regarding the peppermint variety of treats and pointed me to the rose wines.
At checkout, the cashier was friendly and quick to scan and help bag what I couldn’t fit. Even better, she properly calculated the bag fee and credit. I had three bags and needed one more, and that was accurately reflected in the receipt. First time ever that has been done correctly in my DC grocery shopping experience. Great customer service!!!
As for the goods and crowds, yes, some of the aisles are crowded, and it’s definitely tricky navigating with other people and carts. Yes, it’s lousy when people take up the middle of the pretty large aisles, but for the most part, the TJ customers are aware of their surroundings and move efficiently.
I was excited to find rose (limited selection though) and a nicely wrapped soap set I will be gifting my hosts tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

This place is in a busy location. They are rock stars because not only do they have a free 90 minute parking garage but also elevators for those of us not always able to take stairs. If you have agoraphobia then avoid this place Saturday Sunday Monday.
The line will wrap around the wine section as well as by the meat and frozen pizzas. Please learn from my mistake of coming here Monday evening. They are always fully stocked which is awesome. It is a pretty clean store. The aisles are wider than other locations except in produce.
The employees are always super helpful in my opinion. On two different occasions two different employees have looked up stuff for us and they were pleasant about it regardless of how busy it was.
I have no idea if they have a restroom. Really didn’t notice nor seek it out. I think the layout of the store could use some reorganizing but that’s why they are only getting 4 stars.
Happy shopping!

Don’t let the length of the lines at trader Joes fool you, this place is nothing like FedEx field. The lines move quickly, the food is delicious, and the employees at TJs are unbelievably friendly! On top of all of this, if there’s ever any confusion as to where the gargantuan long rush-​hour line begins, trader Joes has one of their friendly employees holding a sign.
This location has an underground parking garage in which I’ve never had to wait for a spot. The garage also boasts covered bike parking right next to the guard which takes the trouble and hassle out of biking there.
Samples here are always pretty on point — who doesn’t want to snack while waiting in line? Not only does TJs offer samples at their sample station, apparently you can request to sample anything non-​frozen in the store!
The quality to price ration at TJs far surpasses any other grocery store. To top their quality, TJs keeps a wide selection of seasonal goodies in rotation (see pumpkin spice caramels). They feature various lines of international foods of which many of the items are imported. The pear and Marzipan tart from France is a winner… Thanks Trader Jaques! Their direct from Italy wood oven Italian pizzas are better than delivery, or digiornos.
Don’t even think about stopping by TJs without checking out their frozen offerings! If you only pick up to things, get the sweet potato gnocchi and pie crusts.
So why not five stars? This location in particular is often out of a lot of items and even with a fleet of stockers on the floor you can never seem to get quite everything on your shopping list.

NIce, brand new store! friendly employees.
Be careful of the parking garage as the turn coming into and out of the garage is very tight!
Love having Trader Joe’s closer to home!