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| - I have a slight Trader Joe's obsession. I am so in love with Trader Joe's that when my husband and I were recently house-hunting, I would only consider neighborhoods that were within a 5 mile radius of my other husband (Mr. Joe's). And no, I'm not kidding.
See, when I first moved to Pittsburgh, I had never been to Trader Joe's. And at the time, I didn't live near Trader Joe's. So I ignorantly used to shop at the nearest grocery store, which, of course, was that dirty bird Giant Eagle. And Giant Eagle used to send me into fits of rage when I would walk out of there, because even a single, sparse, sad-looking bag of groceries would set me back at least $50 bucks every time. Every. Damn. Time. I began to think that I would be forever in the bird's insanely-high-priced death grip.
Then, one fateful day, I tagged along with a friend who needed to pick up a few things from Trader Joe's. When I walked in, it was one of those moments where time stood still and orchestra music began to swell in the background. I had met my grocery destiny.
This place was the polar opposite of the dirty bird. Employees were friendly. Products were unique and interesting. And the best part of all -- PRICES WERE REASONABLE!! I walked through Trader Joe's with my friend, staring in awe...organic baby spinach for $1.99 (which I had just bought for $3.99 at the bird)... steel cut oats for $3.99 (just paid $5.50 at, yep, the bird)....tomato basil sauce for $1.99 ($2.99 at Geagle)....this place had tons of my staples for much cheaper than I had been paying. Plus, they had all of kinds of interesting and convenient packaged foods -- cookie butter! frozen brown rice! jalapeno hummus! frozen garlic naan! I knew right then and there that the rage-filled relationship between me and the bird had come to an end.
Three years later, and I still love Trader Joe's as much as I did on that first day. I do nearly all of my weekly shopping here. Yes, occasionally I will still have to stop by Giant Eagle (shudder!!) to get something that Mr. Joe's doesn't have, but in general, the stuff that I eat is the stuff that they sell. Their produce section is small, but I find that it meets my needs, and I've never had any issues with quality or freshness. Ditto for their meats. Their huge selection of frozen foods and other meal-helpers (e.g., simmer sauces) have been a lifesaver on many occasions.
The store itself is very small, but they pack a lot into such a small space. It gets incredibly crowded on weekends, and the parking lot is a disaster, so I like to go there super early when they open (8 am) to beat the rush and have a pleasant shopping experience.
Thank you, Trader Joe's, for saving me from the death grip of the Giant Eagle. I look forward to many more years together.
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