Shopping Cart Slut
Filed Under: Thriving
When it comes to grocery shopping, I admit that I sleep around.
I am not the woman who loyally visits the same supermarket, on the same day every week, with my coupons and shopping list organized aisle-by-aisle. Sometimes I go to Stop & Shop, where the deli offers Boar’s Head and they just put in a Starbucks! Sometimes I do the “order on the internet” thing at Shop Rite so I can drive up and have the nice high school boy load my groceries into the back of my car. When I’m in the mood for a quickie, I might go to A&P. And when I desire a glorious, multiple-hour, feast-for-all-my-senses shopping experience, I make the 25 minute drive to Wegmans.
Given that I love indulging in a variety of shopping experiences, I was intrigued when I read a couple bloggers having orgasms over Trader Joe’s. I Googled to see if there was a location near me and found one about 45 minutes away.
L went skiing with PHAT Daddy and I packed up C for our date with Trader Joe. When I pulled into the parking lot, I was surprised to find the store to be smallish. But I had high hopes to find cheery employees and wholesome delectables. Alas, not so much.
I guess I didn’t realize the entire store was comprised of “whole” foods, organic foods, gluten-free foods, etc. I was under the impression that Trader Joe’s offered a lot of that, but also “regular” food. I browsed the three aisles, picked up some wheat bread, cinnamon almonds, a chocolate bar and a frozen chicken lasagna (which, BTW, was really disgusting). That’s about all that looked appealing to me. I returned home without the much-needed staples of Goldfish, Ritz Bits, and Tropicana Orange-Tangerine juice.
You people who love Trader Joe’s? You really need to check out Wegmans if you’re in the Northeast. It’s Trader Joe’s meets Stop & Shop meets your favorite strip-mall take-out restaurants. They offer MANY similar natural/whole/organic foodstuffs, along with everything a mainstream supermarket offers. And… And… The bakery! The Chinese food bar! The store-made soups and sandwiches and prepared dinners! The pizza and sub shop! The coffee bar! Not to mention an entire seating area so you can sit and have lunch before you shop. It’s culinary heaven on earth.
Wegmans, you are my besherte - my destiny. Trader Joe’s? I’m afraid you’re relegated to one-night-stand status.
PHAT = Parenting, Homeschooling And Technology. That about sums up my life at the moment. 
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Angela, Mother Crone | Feb 7, 2007 | Reply
I love your analogy here! I laughed out loud, because I do much of the same. But my trips to Wegman’s…well, I could never take one of my children with me for the blood-rushing abandon I get walking through that store. There can be no distraction, no requests for cheez doodles or disgusting cookie cereals to disturb my bliss.
Thanks for the hat tip on Trader Joe’s…so the trip left you “unsatisfied.” Obviously Joe doesn’t have understand what a woman really wants!
J Aron | Feb 7, 2007 | Reply
Wow - we are kindred souls..as I am such a foodie..and yah Trader Joe’s is good for a quickie .. I really love their frozen artichokes.. and it is the reason I venture in every few weeks or so.. We don’t have a Wegman’s that I know of.. but I do like Whole Foods in our area..except that it can be quite pricey. Their meat is terrific and I only buy organic meat now.. Their veggies are also great..lots of local stuff too when it’s in season. My run of the mill shopping is at Waldbaum’s Foodmart, and their bakery is great.. Most of the basics I buy there.. every so often when I need a good kosher deli fix, or something really special for the holidays, I go shop with fellow yentas at Crown (the only exclusively kosher market around)
Obviously anywhere I go has to have great customer service.. if the person waiting on me is grouchy it makes me quite annoyed.
Now I’ll have to see where the nearest Wegmans is and go check it out. Thanks!
Kate | Feb 7, 2007 | Reply
I don’t get the whole love affair with Trader Joe’s either. I thought a it was small too and the parking lot of ours is stupid busy. I wish we had a Wegmans!
silvermine | Feb 8, 2007 | Reply
I don’t get it either. They sometimes have one thing or two that’s nice, but it’s too much work to go there for a few things.
I’ve had too many experiences with buying something and getting home to see it expired *months* before.
Carmi | Feb 8, 2007 | Reply
No one store should ever think that I’ll shop there by default. A little competition keeps ‘em honest.
I’ve called my wife my bashert since the day I met her. Cool that you used it here, too!
JayMonster | Feb 16, 2007 | Reply
With the nearest Wegman’s a bit more than an hour a way, it is safe to say it will not be on my regular places to visit soon.
I like Trader Joe’s as a place to pick up certain items, but certainly don’t go as crazy about it as others.
For us, the “it” store is Whole Foods Markets we shop there for all our Fresh and Wholesome stuff, and then use the “regular” supermarkets for normal items (to keep costs reasonable)
I think Trader Joe’s got an unfair shake from you though, but only because when you are expecting a “complete” supermarket, I can see how disappointing it can be. It is all about expectations.