Trader Joe's — Attraction in Seattle

Brand spanking new. Open as of 9 AM today. The most important thing: there is parking. There really is. Huzzah! And at a busy intersection like Greenwood I know your fifth that makes all the difference after a long day of work: whether it's worth roaming around for parking or you can just drive straight up to the lot and get down to the business of groceries.

Now onto the other things. Super helpful staff. That is the one feature about Trader Joe's that has distinguished itself from other grocery stores in the past. They have staff that are often roaming and understand the assignment is to ask us if we need help finding anything. This makes a huge difference. Today was no different even though the store was jammed with hundreds of people, they scaled the number of staff that were around and we could tap anyone to ask where something was and they were more than glad to inform.

In fact, when you got to the wine section, which felt a mile long, there was a crewmember there, Ben, who took the time to point out a staff favorite: the diamond cab with a Trader Joe's label on it. So didn't know that Trader Joe's had its own wine label, now I do. Second, didn't realize they had ranked some of the wines they were carrying per the status diamond, platinum reserve, etc. All under $20 a bottle. But then he also took the time to introduce me to a couple of the whites that are under eight dollars. When I asked him about the bubbles he was honest and said that wasn't his forte. (I appreciated the honesty especially since I do know my bubbles.)

The cooler section is one of my favorites because two entire shelves are dedicated to frozen Indian food, and there is excellent Korean, including vegan/plat-based options, scattered throughout. Their selection of internationally appreciated dishes available in a ready-made just need to heat version is really appealing for those of us who need an affordable, quick option. Which is also why the ready-made pasta selection is so popular: you can get ready-made fresh pastas (like the spinach tortellini or the butternut ravioli) that boil up in minutes, toss in a jar of marinara sauce and you're looking at a meal for two for nine dollars ready in 10 mins. Really. Just grab some Parmesan from the cheese section and it puts you over to $13 but you have Parmesan that lasts for a month.

Affordability is one of the reasons we like Trader Joe's so much. That and the store is commitment to making interesting food available at a reasonable price: just look at the cheese section and you'll see amazing selection of interesting and well made cheeses available between $4 and $10

Checkout was friendly and quick, and the produce section was extremely well stocked. Again a note to the responsiveness of the staff: when I realize that some of the strawberries were snowy, a very common happening in grocery stores, there was a quick response to a colleague check through the packages of strawberries and remove the ones that needed to be taken. It's not about perfection it's rather much more interesting when there is a responsiveness to issues that will invariably come up.

Welcome to the neighborhood, Trader Joe's. Given how far away other grocery stores are, the...

Is there a business as deservedly loved as Trader Joe's? Delicious food that's reasonably affordable w/ a staff that's helpful and kind.

I'm immunocompromised--so I have to mask--and, also, I walk w/ a walker. Two different employees at the nearby Fred Meyer have made absurdly ableist remarks to me. Each was subsequently disciplined, but you know what? Like everyone, disabled persons should be able to grocery shop w/out harassment.

So, now I ONLY shop at Trader Joe's and the difference between TJ's and FM is day and night. At TJ's, the employees actually lift my basket onto the checkout stand and they're just really friendly.

SO glad TJ's is in the neighborhood--a...

I have never seen a Trader Joe’s that is this nice. Completely different layout than any other Trader Joe’s , frozen food is kept in freezers with doors not the open trough style like other stores. Also, snacks are not above the frozen section, but have their own aisle. Oh and speaking of aisles, the aisles are nice and wide. There’s great flow and intent with product placement. You won’t believe the amount of parking. This is the best Trader Joe’s. I...