I know this sounds like a commercial, but I really don’t work at Trader Joe’s and they aren’t paying me to say this. I discovered Trader Joe’s about a year ago and I can’t believe how much money I save by shopping there.
We live near Springfield, Mo and the nearest Trader Joe’s that I know of is in St, Louis. It’s about a three and a half hour drive and we go there once a month. The main things we buy there are pasta and wine.
As a foodie and wine lover, I always want quality ingredients and healthy food, but sometimes balk at paying the price that organic, health food stores charge. There’s a line between, “This is high quality food and is worth it,” and “This is just overpriced.”
At Trader Joe’s, even though I have to pay for gas to get there and back, I know that I’m getting the quality and healthfulness I want, and the prices are so amazing that I’m still not sure how they do it.
The Trader Joe’s brand pastas are 99 cents, imported from Italy, and they cook up perfectly every time. I can stock up with a whole month”s worth when I visit.
The biggest pull for me, though, is the wine. Before Trader Joe’s, I couldn’t get a bottle of real Sherry for under $13. Now, I regularly pick up Amontillado for $5.99. Prosecco used to cost in the mid teens, but it’s $6.99 there. I get Aglianico from Italy for about $8, which is absurd, Barolo for under $15 – no, that’s not a typo – and can get a variety of Chianti and other Tuscan reds for as little as $3.99.
Where I usually think of anything drinkable for under $10 as a good deal and anything I actually like for under $15 as a good value, I now buy a mixed CASE of wine at TJ’s for about $60.
I once asked someone who worked there if they gave a discount for mixed cases. He looked at me in disbelief and asked, “Do you know how much you would have to pay for this stuff anywhere else?” I assured him that I did while I eyed Burgundy for $7.99 on a display in front of me.
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