Trader Joe's

There wasn’t a line around 1pm on Sunday afternoon (miracle!). I loved all the inexpensive, fun stuff I got! Olive tapenade spread tops the list! Along with some Middle-Eastern yogurt-dill chips!

Trader Joe’s is one of the best places in my neighborhood to get staples and groceries. They only stock their own brand, but everything is fresh and healthy. They have really good prices - when my sister visited from out of town, she was impressed with how affordable everything was. Their service is also good - there are enough people on the floor that you can find someone to answer your question and people at check out are willing to chat with you about the products you’ve bought or the weather.

The downside is that Trader Joe’s has quickly become a very popular store—I see people getting on the train to Brooklyn with bags of their groceries. If you come during peak hours, expect a wait to get in the store and long check-out lines. They run out of basic things often. I’m happy enough with Trader Joe’s that I’m willing to put up with the downsides.