I've been to Trader Joe's before. Their selection is nice. But...
1) They only open their stores in predominantly white neighborhoods.
2) The stores are tiny. They know the demand. They won't open a real supermarket. They just have these little posts with very little space. You have to fight foot traffic to get around in there.
3) The parking situation is horrendous! Every store has a tiny parking lot that doesn't support their customer base. This store has an overflow lot, down the street, and that little piece of dirt was full too.
4) Everything is over priced. You will not pick up a single item that will give you that bargain satisfaction.
5) They're against their employees unionizing
I have to drive a long way, through traffic, because their stores are nowhere near a freeway. I arrived to a chaotic parking lot. There was a line going down the street, waiting to park. I didn't have time for that. I just wanted to shop. I found the overflow lot, but it was just as chaotic.
Teslas and Priuses filled the lots. We found a spot around the corner. We hobbled over with our arthritic legs and arrived to another chaotic scene, trying to walk in. We gave up and left.
When I don’t feel like overthinking my list, I head to Trader Joe’s. The parking lot is usually chaotic, but once I’m inside it’s quick. I grab frozen meals, snacks, and whatever seasonal item they’re pushing near the entrance. The prices are consistent, and I can get in and out fast. It’s not the place for every single ingredient, but for staples and easy dinners, it works.
A pleasant market to shop for groceries. They have excellent wines at affordable prices, from different countries in the world. Shop here every week. Never break my bank
What a wonderful place to shop! For me the staff is what makes this my fave spot. The prices and selection are also excellent, but the care and ease with which the staff attend t customers sets them apart! Advice for parking: avoid weekends, Mondays, and Fridays, if possible, to escape the crowds that make the parking lot complicated. Love you, staff!
I rarely leave negative reviews, but this experience at Trader Joe’s Silver Lake was extremely disappointing.
Two days ago, I stopped by to buy fresh asparagus for dinner. Every single package in the produce section contained yellow, brown, or visibly rotten asparagus. Some packages even had brown liquid collecting inside, making it obvious that the vegetables had been spoiled for quite some time. There is no way the employees stocking the shelves didn’t notice this.
I asked an employee if they had fresher asparagus in the back. Instead, she suggested I buy the microwaveable asparagus. Since the packaging isn’t transparent, I trusted the recommendation and took it home.
When I opened it the next day, it was rotten too.
This isn’t about one bad package. It’s about putting products on the shelves that are clearly spoiled and expecting customers not to notice until they’ve already paid. That’s incredibly disappointing from a store that usually has such a good reputation.
Please do better. Your customers deserve fresh produce, not vegetables that should have been thrown away instead of sold.
