Whole Foods versus Trader Joes
Ms. Haiku
Washington DC Posts: 7,282
The first time I went to Trader Joe's was probaly 1 year and a half ago. I was surprised at all the frou frou food like in Whole Foods. I'm been a few times, and I'm hooked by the baked goods. I LOVE their biscotti.
I don't know if there is much of a difference between Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, though. I think their marketing campaigns are both nice and colorful and polished. I totally want to try every non-dark roast coffee of Trader Joe's because of the cute containers. Do you find a big price difference? Overall, do you find a quality difference? I haven't found much of a quality difference.
I don't know if there is much of a difference between Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, though. I think their marketing campaigns are both nice and colorful and polished. I totally want to try every non-dark roast coffee of Trader Joe's because of the cute containers. Do you find a big price difference? Overall, do you find a quality difference? I haven't found much of a quality difference.
There is no such thing as leftover pizza. There is now pizza and later pizza. - anonymous
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
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LOVE them both!
total LOVE!
that said, i think trader joe's is 'better'....b/c there price points are far better imo, and damn, crazy friendly/helpful staff, sooo unusual in a market. however, i will say that whole foods has a bit bigger selection of certain things (also just physically bigger stores) and their produce is insane! i WISH i had a trader joes closer to home. whole foods is quite close, trader joes is about a 20 minute highway drive. not bad, but not something i would do weekly, so we go monthly and stock up. great, great stores! oh in regards to quality, i agree....very similar. certain items, prices are similar too, but overall i still give the edge to trader joes...some true bargains, all the time!
Let's just breathe...
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Whole Foods is head and shoulders above. They buy local and fresh 1st.
I can go into my local WF and get produce, eggs, and milk which were all grown and produced locally.
TJ's there produce sucks. Most of it comes in plastic and even styrofoam. Funny thing some of it is labeled organic. Really? I didn't know you could grow organic plastic.
Oh, and then the topper is seeing organic apples from New Zealand in VA. I wonder if the jet fuel was organic too.
Trader Joes is good for quick frozen meals and snacks. Along with cheap beer and wine.
Whole Foods is very affordable if you buy the 365 store brand. Being a vegetarian it is cheaper for me to shop here than any other local super market. Well, except Wegman's.
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
actually, what i buy a LOT of at trader joes?
FISH.
specifically tilapia and alaskan sock-eye salmon. they have AWESOME price points, and since it's frozen, can really stock up for the month. we eat both just about every week. i too like their coffee, their green tea is dirt cheap, and they always have something new/interesting that i want to try. plus, so much is organic, or at least healthy ingredients, coupled with great prices.....fantastic. their produce is damn good too, but i give whole food the edge there simply b/c they have so MUCH.
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
Trader Joe's has a smaller selection than WFM, but lower prices. They always rave that they negotiate with manufacturers to cut out the middlemen that add to the price. At first, I was disappointed that TJ offers so many items in conventional only (Genetically modified, pesticides, etc.) Their frozen sorbet is made of corn syrup. Yuck! Corn syrup is deadly poison not fit for human consumption. More than half of their items are not organic. But when I tried some of their organics, I was pleased!
Their whole wheat organic penne pasta is a staple of mine at $1.29 per pound.
TJ's fair trade organic French Roast whole bean coffee is BLISS!!! But it's the one thing I've found that is more expensive than at WFM.
A can of organic refried beans is just $1.09, 30 cents cheaper than the lowest priced one at WFM.
TJ sells an unusual, but delicious, organic cheddar. Sadly, it's not raw, so there's almost nothing healthy about it. Also, it's wrapped in thin, soft clingfilm which means that thousands of molecules of the plastic migrate into the cheese.
Before I knew that I was allergic to soy, I loved TJ's corn flakes: Literally, the best corn flakes I have ever tasted! Perfect texture...Ooh, I'm missing them... Also, they discontinued a cheap, organic whole wheat sourdough bread that I adored. But that also had soy ingredients.
Every few weeks, TJ sells some lovely crisp rice bars. Organic, vegan, very few ingredients, free of all the foods to which I'm allergic. I take a tiny bite of the dessert, adding a chocolate chip and a bit of almond or walnut: Perfection!
TJ almonds are not organic, but the whole raw almonds they sell are quite simply, a celebration of life. I stupidly bought almonds elsewhere, and had to return them because nothing else will ever be an almond for me.
They sell an excellent Vitamin
After shopping there for over a year, someone told me that TJ's has a contest every week for a $10 gift certificate. If I don't use a bag, or bring my own, I fill out an entry form. My local TJ is across the street from the place where I sell recycles. So I can make $4 in nice green cash, then pop into the food store to buy 1 or 2 things, AND enter the contest for the ten bucks!
Whole Foods Market has an amazing selection of special diet foods: Gluten free, dairy free, raw, organic, vegan, etc. I stock up on cheap basics: Organic short grain brown rice from the bulk dispensers at $2 a pound. I feed all 6 of my pet mice for next to no cost by giving them organic grains from these bins.
WFM makes an approximately 17-slice loaf of organic whole wheat bread (with no oats, soy, egg, or other allergens!) for just $2.69. I live on that toast.
WFM's Pacific Rim organic coffee beans are delicious and much cheaper than a small bag or can of a similar product.
I am disappointed that both of my local WFMs have stopped carrying a delicious, reasonably priced, soy free chocolate chip. Now they only sell one that is $5.29 for a 9 ounce bag.
Last month, I was fortunate to actually have enough money to save money: A cereal that I adore was on sale for $3 from $3.99. I bought twelve boxes to get the 10% "Case Discount." Add a coupon for $1.50, and I paid $30.90 instead of $47.88.
I always make a big deal of saving 5 or 10 cents by using my own bags. Often a cashier will kindly double this for me.
My nearest stores are in West Hollywood. They are full of rich folks. I never see anyone like me in those places. It has been a loooong time since I've seen a celebrity at WFM. I've seen five at the Fairfax/Third Street location since moving here in late '7. Now that the W Hotel above the Hollywood/Vine subway station has finished construction, there are soon going to be BOTH a Trader Joe's AND a Whole Foods Market opening in the new plaza. I'm going to be in healthy food utopia! I can go to both shops, without taking a bus in between! Hooray!
I mean, so what if I can only afford one item from each store. That part of Hollywood Proper has a lot more working-class (and lower than working class) people. Feels like home.
TJ's: Cheese is basically the same and is clearly cheaper than WF. Bruschetta toppings are great and a great deal. Dried fruits, spices, etc. are all good deals. In general, TJ's provides better value.
WF: My WF has a great selection of fresh fish, including prepared fish (like pistachio coated salmon), so I tend to go there for fish. Their 365 stuff is usually a good deal, especially the cereal. I like getting milk there, because it has an actual lid, whereas with TJ's milk I have to kind of pry open the container. Stupid reason, but the TJ's container annoys me.
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D'oh! The new Trader Joe's is instead of Whole Foods Market, not in addition to it! Argh, that would have been soooo nice.
I wonder what happened. WFM had signs up back in 2008 saying, "coming soon." Poo.
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
I like Whole Foods because their produce is better, and they have a much larger selection of quality organic products.
I like TJ because of their random items (from frozen anything, to prepared lunches, or whatever). They just have good stuff. TJ is a hell of a lot cheaper than WF too.
TJ has some really good frozen items...the orange chicken and oven pizzas are great!
Whole Foods is just too damn expensive! Although I do go there for lunch occasionally...they have a pretty nice selection.
instead of eating out, we will got to whole foods on a sat and get dinner stuff. they have good steaks. the ground bison is good for burgers on the grill. gf likes the fish.
it is expensive, but we'll drop the same coin on dining out at a midlevel restraunt. however, i do a better job grilling up my steak than most restraunts.
they have an ok beer selection as well.
the other option for a good steak is the butcher.
mmmmm beer/steak farts are the best.
trader joes is okay.
I like trader joe's wine a lot though.
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That joke hasn't been funny since... well, actually it was never funny.
I didn't mean it as a joke, its true. :roll:
We shop at both and love both. Trader Joe's really has good quality inexpensive food. And Whole Foods, as expensive as it is, it's the best grocery store in the US as far as I'm concerned. We no longer go to the California chains because of these stores. Then again, my blood pressure rises everytime my wife goes and gets groceries too! And shit, they are building one just 10 miles away from us. 2nd job, here I come!
i would LOVE to have a whole foods or a trader joes 10 miles from home!
actually, now that i think about it, our whole foods is probably not even 5 miles away. however, mr. dream definitely prefers trader joe's. whole foods DOES have a few bargains tho, and even amongst some of the stuff that isn't, a lot of it is simply worth it. the only sucky thing with both these stores....it just makes me shop at a lot more stores instead of hitting up just one. :P we used to go to one market and that was it. then, i would occasionally hit up our local asian market for some special foods and their awesome produce dept. now we try and hit up tjs every other month....whole foods on occasion. but you bet, i DREAM of a trader joe's in my neighborhood.
Let's just breathe...
I am myself like you somehow
Totally right. I love the food quality at Whole Foods...but, everytime my g/f comes home with their bags in her hand I can't help but ask: "How much was the bill?"
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8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
This can be true, but it doesn't have to be. If you go in there with a list & know your budget, it's actually pretty easy to stick to it. I'm a Whole Foods convert (from Safeway & Stop & Shop) because my daughter is vegetarian & WF works for us.
We're both vegetarian as well. I've noticed that is the key to Whole Foods, you have to stay within your means definitely. Usually she has a hard time doing that if I'm not there either. Sometimes it pays off to be a cheap ass.
6/12/08 - Tampa, FL
8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
You don't eat meat??!! You big sissy!!! Just kidding, I married a vegan. While I'm the carnivore of the family, I see the health benefits of not eating meat, but I will forever enjoy me some cow. However all the gluten free, no sugars, corn syrup, and healthier foods, I'm in. Whole Foods is great, but yes, you must stay within your means. We have left there having spent over $300 in one shot. But who can't love Whole Foods, I met Flea from the RHCP at the one in Monterey!
I won't lie, I do miss the taste of a greasy cheeseburger, or a nicely cooked steak. I guess it'd be fair to say I'm a semi-veggie...a pescetarian really. Still eat seafood. :geek:
When I met my girlfriend, I was critical of her diet, but I decided to give it a fair chance before I bashed it. I was amazed at how much better I felt. In addition, I suffered from acne, and eating a much cleaner diet nearly eliminated that problem.
6/12/08 - Tampa, FL
8/23/09 - Chicago, IL
9/28/09 - Salt Lake City, UT (11 years too long!!!)
9/03/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 1
9/04/11 - East Troy, WI - PJ20 - Night 2
Do you think they just whirl a shitty brew and split it up ...change each batch a little and slap a different label on each six pack?
they have beer....hmmm...
binny's is where i get most of my beer. they have hundereds of different beers. it's like heaven.