Trader Joe's by Christmas for West Seattle?

[JoB]

dawsonct…

i am not a homesick Californian and i still make 2 trips a month to one of the trader joes for items i can’t find elsewhere at any price..

and some i can find but don’t want to pay a dollar or two more per item since i am in the store anyway.

i don’t buy the overpackaged produce and don’t know where their dairy products come from so i don’t buy them much either.

i am that annoying lady who is slowing everyone down by reading the packaging on the label and mostly rejecting any product that is not local.

While i agree with supporting local businesses I am much more fanatic about supporting local products whenever possible.

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[bebecat]

Went to the TJ’s in Burien. I was totally turned off by all the processed foods. High sodium and preservatives in everything. Seemed like unhealthy foods. Lot’s of Wine. I walked out and didn’t buy anything and have never been back. I am one who hopes TJ’s does NOT take up space in West Seattle.

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[Carson]

JoB, do you know where any other dairy products come from? With very few exceptions (Strauss Dairy) most don’t list the farm the milk (cheese, whatever) came from. I buy the milk because I trust them that its Organic, assuming its coming from a Co-operative, like 99% of all the milk out there.

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[SarahScoot]

Carson, here’s a handy chart that rates many organic dairies in our country for their practices; Trader Joe’s would not disclose any information about their suppliers, so they received a poor rating. They could get milk from a decent co-op, or it could be Horizon/Dean Foods (horrible!), so I don’t buy their milk at all.

Whole Foods did disclose information about the conditions of their house-brand organic milk supplier, so if I’m at a WF, I’ll buy their 365 Organic milk; anywhere else, I’ll only buy Smith Brothers, Organic Valley, or a smaller local dairy. http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/Ratings_Alphabetical.html

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[JoB]

Carson..

i can’t link this morning because my brain is swiss cheese. but i did find a site that rated the reliability of “organic” milk on several factors and trader joes was not high on that list.

i will admit that i have not yet asked my local trader joes where their milk comes from. i keep meaning to do that. they can generally tell you which coop they buy from.

the best rated local source available in West Seattle was organic valley in the local cartons without the plastic spouts.

there is a dairy that sells though the TOPS stores that got their highest rating but the nearest store that sells it is maybe kirland or everett.

if i had consistent energy i would buy my milk at the farmer’s market..

but that isn’t a good bet for people like me who may or may not be able to go on market day and may or may not be able to walk far enough or carry enough to shop there:(

and don’t get me started on eggs.. the loopholes there are enormous.. i settle for buying as local as i can and wish i could visit the farms.

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[JoB]

thanks sarahscoot

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[Carson]

I guess since I only put milk in my coffee, I will settle for whatever is the cheapest organic I can get. I suppose if my kids were still in the milk drinking years I might be more vigilant.

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[JoB]

carson..

you might ask yourself what the label on the cheapest organic milk you can get means…

if you follow the axiom that similar packaging on store brands indicates similar source..

it is possible that the trader joes organic milk sold here comes from the local organic valley cooperative which would be a good thing.

but it is also possible that it comes from a local source that pools milk from sustainable practice farms with milk from larger conglomerates that don’t currently feed their cows growth hormone as an additive… or from a far less local source… i think the label reads monrovia california …

was that what you thought you were buying?

if so.. you don’t need to buy organic to get that…

any of the local dairies which post bgh (???. not sure about the initials…bovine growth hormone therapy) free on their cartons will do.

i don’t know which is cheaper.

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[KBear]

“you might ask yourself what the label on the cheapest organic milk you can get means…”

If you follow all the way through on that logic, you will not find yourself shopping at Trader Joe’s at all.

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[Carson]

I trust Trader Joes as much as I trust PCC or anyone else, and thats not very much but I don’t have the time or energy to go to the farm myself. If I was that worried, or paranoid I would go off the grid.

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[Carson]

It cracks me up a little bit that people love to hate TJ’s. I can’t think of a single Restaurant or grocery store that doesn’t sell something that I think is bad. Maybe thats why I shop at Costco, TJ’s, PCC, Met Market and Safeway. They each do something better than the others, my only rant has been how far I have to go to get to TJ’s!!

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[JoB]

Kbear..

no… if i follow through on that logic i will be making informed decisions about what i buy and where i buy it.

those will be my buying decisions… based on my personal purchasing philosophy… filtered through my time, my energy and my financial circumstances.

Because when it comes right down to it.. if i make an informed decision to buy the most processed and packaged food possible with my money…. If i decide to pay more for the same product because i like shopping at a particular store.. if i don’t carry bags and ask them to double bag with plastic bags… it’s my decision to make.

I personally believe all those decisions to be poor ones.. but i have to tell you that on a bad day i have made any and all of those decisions because of convenience.. and given another equally bad day i would probably do the same.

Milk happens to be one of those things i care deeply about and won’t buy if i can’t get what i need… the gastric disturbances that follow a poor buying decision on that one are too big to overlook for convenience:(

if i was sure that the organic milk at my local trader joes was from local dairies producing milk according to sustainable organic standards.. i would probably buy it. however, the one time i did.. it turned out to be a mistake for me. if it wasn’t so critical for me.. i probably wouldn’t be quite so persistent… but there you go.

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[MrJT]

JoB – Seriously, TMI.

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[sam-c]

that is an interesting link SarahScoot-

I couldn’t find Natural Directions on there, and a little search showed they were (?) related to Unified Grocers, which isn’t on the list either.

Any idea on how ND rates for dairy ?

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[Jiggers]

Trader Joe’s has nothing to offer me. It is what it is.

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[JoB]

and i want one in west seattle…

i will shop there just about as often as i shop at met market and PCC and Thriftway… as i do now.

i just won’t have to drive so far to do so:)

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[villagegreen]

Whether you shop at TJ’s or not, we’d be lucky as hell to get them into that Huling spot. The space is so large nothing ‘cool’ and ‘local to WS’ would ever move in there. Would you rather have a Best Buy or Bed Bath and Beyond there, or god forbid another car dealership?

It’s the same thing as the Petco on California – I’d love to see them go, but what else could possible go in such a large space. I’d rather Petco stay than have it razed for some new highrise apartment complex.

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[ws4ever]

Guess I feel a strong reaction to the “love to see (Petco) go” statement above. We are not an European village with all independent business owners. We love individuality, but need the convenience of Safeway, Petco, Home Depot for non-specialty items, but love the diversity of local places such as Village Green, Husky Deli, Bakery Nouveau and places in-between. Why target Petco?

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[ellenater]

IAWTC. I like the mix of chain and local. Better flavor. All chain= strip mall hell. All local=eventual gentrified nightmare.

And again, Trader Joes person, if you are reading this, please come here now. Thank you.

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[villagegreen]

ws4ever – I didn’t mean to imply that there shouldn’t be chains in West Seattle. God knows I love Target, Cupcake Royale, Matador, etc.

My main problem with Petco is that the building (from the outside) looks like a crap hole. The window displays don’t appear to have been changed in decades – the whole place just looks depressing. They could easily spruce the place up with a small investment, but that would require them to give a damn about fitting into the aesthetic of the neighborhood. Most chains are located in strip mall type settings, and so cater to that type of aesthetic.

I’m sure Petco is well aware of this fact, yet they choose to do nothing about it. And I, therefore, choose not to shop there – and kinda wish they’d go away.

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[JoB]

petco doesn’t make it as a chain store for me in their junction location because of the lack of easy parking… i buy halters at petco.. i just visit the one at southcenter where it is easy for me to get in and out of the store:( i am surprised they do well enough there to maintain their store..

as long as they have no need to maintain a more local business using their storefront to attract business.. they are unlikely to invest in infrastructure…

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[rockhills]

OK, full disclosure here: I am a California transplant. I fell in love with TJ’s down there because of the low prices (approx. 20% lower than up here) and their connection with local free range/organic farms, which were clearly labeled and easily verifiable. These don’t seem to be options at TJ’s up here, and boy do I miss that. BUT, even at a higher price, Washington TJ’s typical (i.e. greater than 100 mile radius) grocery fare is of equivalent value and significantly less expensive than Thriftway or QFC. I would be thrilled to have one move into West Seattle.

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[JoB]

20% ? really?

i think i will be mailing some care packages home from california at the end of the month.

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[rockhills]

Ayah. Beer and wine in particular. At first I thought it was a tax thing, but never found any proof of that.

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[JoB]

dang.. i was hoping to score a deal on dog treats and shower gel. I don’t buy enough alcohol to make the bother of a care package worthwhile

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[Author]

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