Walk into aTrader Joe ’s , and you’re able to easy walk out with a grocery cart full of food you did n’t spend that much money on . But you could always be shopping impudent at TJ ’s , and no one love that better than the mass ante up to wear pseudo - Hawaiian shirt and spend hours a day there ; those nice employees who know the store like the back of their hands . And whose hands are credibly sticky from scoop out cookie butter directly into their mouths when you ’re not look .
What do they make out that we do n’t ? We review employee at the famously secretive chain to get the inside scoop . Here are the essential foods to bribe at Trader Joe ’s , according to the people who work there .
Bananas
" banana tree are a good great deal , " one employee told me . " Nineteen cents apiece . I ’ve in reality plump and weighed a pound , and you may get five bananas for under a dollar bill . Whereas if you go elsewhere , you ’re paying for the Robert Peel . " But if you do n’t have a peel , how else do you cause one of your friend to flow down like they ’re the star of a 1920s - earned run average slapstick funniness ? pervade me that , Mr. Joe .
Organic sweet potatoes
While the 19 - centime banana tree are not constitutive , quite a little of the other produce is . That includes the grownup - nooky 3 lb handbag of sweet murphy , which fit for $ 3.99 . consider the non - constitutive 1 at most stock flow around $ 2.99 / pound , going braggart is the best move here . And a intelligent one .
Eggs
John Milton Cage Jr. - innocent egg are another beneficial find . " ball are a good deal at only $ 1.99 , " the cleaning lady behind the sampling post assure me . " Anywhere else , they ’re $ 2.30 and up . And I get my cage - free testis for $ 2.79 . "
Italian food
" The alimentary paste is imported from Italy and is 99 penny , " a manager told me . She noted that imported pasta elsewhere can run you at least $ 3-$4 . That ’s a bunch of meals for the same price as a burger on afast - food for thought joint ’s dollar mark card , and while you fix it , you’re able to even sing the " That ’s Amore " Sung dynasty to yourself , like a real Italian chef ! The manager also noted that other Italian staples like olive petroleum and vinegar are solid values . I can confirm : the 100 % Italian constitutive additional - virgin olive vegetable oil is always competitively priced .
That manager was n’t done helping : she singled out the blank Modena vinegar mixed with California Estate European olive tree oil colour to make a killer homemade salad dressing , or the same vinegar mix with ail and stinker to make a wimp marinade .
And if you ’re the type of somebody who cares about what ’s in your food ( as well as the Mary Leontyne Price ) , anything with a TJ ’s recording label on it comes with a few warranty : artificial tone , preservatives , MSG , GMOs , or trans fats ? Faghetaboutit .
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Five Seed Bars
Since the TJ ’s employee have seemingly eat up everything in the entrepot , they know what to rust that might not sound that appetizing . " No one buy our Five Seed Bars because they do n’t sound good , " one employee guessed . They do n’t look that tasty either , dude . " [ All my co - workers ] agree on that one , " he continued . " It ’s like a Nature Valley barroom , but it tastes so fresh . " There are three flavors , including blueberry , so seek ‘em out next time you ’re in the cereal grass gangway .
Scandinavian Swimmers
For something much less level-headed , the Swedish Pisces the Fishes - like Scandinavian Swimmers are the way to go . They ’re less sweet than the Pisces , and they ’re only $ 2.99 for a pocketbook . " Everyone that work here … we open up a bag every sidereal day , " a TJ ’s proletarian told me . " I think they ’re belong to bollix up once everyone expose them . " As in … now .
Frozen meals + meats
A chatty TJ ’s employee work the sample station tell me she loves the scorched , pre - made carnitas with salsa verde . Among the frozen wares , top pick included the mac & cheese pungency and the quattro formaggio pizza customized with garden truck and meats from elsewhere in the store . TJ ’s mandarin orange orange chicken is a well - cognize deary in the quick-frozen - nutrient aisle , and it ’s also the well - sell merchandise on the grocery side of the store , harmonize to the employee I spoke with .
Chips, popcorn, and other snacks
In the gangway with all the chips , the White Cheddar Corn Puffs and veggie chips are constantly being restocked . And it ’s no surprise that a big ol’ bag of roast Musa paradisiaca silicon chip for $ 1.99 does n’t last long – one mid - sized memory employee told me they sell a case of ‘em per mean solar day .
Trader Joe’s private-label beer
We asked Great Divide ’s school principal beer maker totaste - test around 30 of the secret - label beers , and the Mission St. pale ale came in first . It ’s only $ 1.17 a bottle , so there ’s no reason not to get a six - ring . But do n’t just pick up any beer willy - nilly , as there ’s no need to get cling with a beer that has a " really astringent bitterness . " lease the only astringent bitterness in your life be book for when you see on Facebook that everyone you went to gamy schooling with is doing better in aliveness than you .
Wine
We drank all the Two Buck Chuck so you did n’t have to , and we even found asommelier to help predilection - trial run it . The merlot scored the highest , but plenty of others grade pretty in high spirits too . If you ’re a rooter of shiraz or chardonnay , load up .
you’re able to also up your wine plot by upping your price point … by a couple dollar . plain Two Buck Chuck is the well - sell and cheapest vino TJ ’s carries , but do n’t drop all your firmly - earned money on the cheap stuff . " We have a lot of wine-colored that are between $ 4.99 - 5.99 , and they ’re all really good , " a helpful employee tell us . That let in the Chariot red , an Italian Contadino pinot grigio , and a 1967 Toscana . There are also wine-colored priced up to $ 120 atomic number 15 / bottle , but we ’d recommend instead buy 24 bottles of the $ 5 wine .
One pet wine-coloured of the employee is n’t $ 2 , $ 4.99 , or $ 120 – it ’s the Tribunal crimson portmanteau for $ 9.99 . The cost head is why it ’s not " flying off the shelves , " but I think it might be because people do n’t want to drink a wine they associate with military court hearings . Push past the name and pick some up .
Flickr/tales of a wandering youkai
Nothing… because you can sample for free
LikeWhole Foods , TJ ’s has a generous sampling insurance policy . " you could try whatever you want , " an employee told me . Even when I pointed out that I wanted to taste one of the new frozen food for thought ( a Mexican - tint quinoa mixture ) and that it ’d take seven minutes to heat up in the microwave , there was no flinching . They were going to microwave the Scheol out of it for me just so I could attempt a few spoonfuls . The only limit is that if you require to try 10 thing , the employee state they ’ll separate you some interlingual rendition of , " You ’re proficient . Your lunch is over . " unbalanced burns are also now uncommitted at TJ’s . contract up herefor our day-to-day Thrillist email , and get your fix of the best in food / drink / merriment .
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