I have been shopping at Trader Joe’s for close to ten years and have never once had a bad service experience. I was concerned when I moved from Seattle, WA to Raleigh, NC that I would not be able to find the store anywhere that was convenient to my home or office, but I was thrilled to find out that just after I moved, a brand new, beautiful store had just opened in Cary, NC.
From the minute I walked in to the store, I felt like I was in a garden or museum. The walls are beautifully hand painted with a jungle/forest setting that is both appealing and inviting. The store is also huge! I was told by the cashier it was actually the largest Trader Joe’s built so far. It made such a difference in my shopping experience to not feel cramped and crowded when going down the aisles, as I sometimes did at other locations.
When you first walk in to the store, on the left is a lovely display of all different types of plants and flowers at very reasonable prices. Just beyond this is the bread aisle, where all the bagels, muffins, breads, and pitas are found. There is always a large variety of choices all healthy, high in fiber, and usually low in fat.
Just beyond the bread is a cold section with prepared soups and entrees. The one thing I have realized with through years of shopping at Trader Joe’s is that I should never expect anything to be in the same place from visit to visit. The store likes to mix things up and keep customers on their toes by moving things around, and the last time I shopped there, the prepared food section had moved some things around.
I was also slightly perplexed for a moment before I realized the desserts and produce had done a shuffle. Again, I guess this is just to keep things fun and interesting. It didn’t bother me, as the store is not so large that it becomes confusing when things are moved.
There are not very many aisles in Trader Joe’s, so it’s not complicated to find what you’re looking for. Despite the Cary location being the largest, it’s still small enough so as not to be overwhelming. The aisles go from grain items to frozen and refrigerated foods with an aisle for snack foods, water and beverages, and wine following in that order. There are two other walls that have cheeses and dairy items as well as a fresh meat section and a section for greeting cards and other such novelty items.
The two things that always draw me to Trader Joe’s are the extremely reasonable prices and the excellent customer service. Living on both the east coast and the west coast for long periods of time each, I have discovered that the west coast has overall better customer service than in the east. When the Cary, NC location of Trader Joe’s opened, employees were relocated from areas out west such as California and Washington State. I felt like I was receiving the great service I received so frequently in Seattle and felt comfortable and welcomed. There was even an employee who I struck up a conversation with who had been transferred from a Seattle location and actually had worked at a grocery store close to the most recent apartment I’d lived in. This discovery made my experience even more fun.
Prices at Trader Joe’s are always better than any other grocery store I shop in. Even though the foods are all healthy and often organic, this does not cause the prices to skyrocket. I’m not sure what Trader Joe’s does to be able to keep their prices so low, but it’s a tactic that other grocery stores should adapt. On my most recent shopping excursion I left with three bags of groceries and spent just slightly more than $30.
The one and only thing about Trader Joe’s that can be frustrating is the lack of consistency in their products. Because they are always looking to provide the best prices, when certain foods are no longer a reasonable enough price, they are discontinued. I remember years ago being on the Atkins Diet and so excited by a no carb béarnaise sauce I’d found at Trader Joe’s. I was able to get it for several months but then they stopped selling it, and I have never seen it since. This has happened with a few of the items I’d come to rely on. But, I always do find something to compensate.
Trader Joe’s in Cary, NC is not inconvenient for me in the grand scheme, but it is about a twenty minute drive in the opposite direction of my home and my office. I had heard when I first started shopping there that there would be a new location opening in Chapel Hill, which is a much more convenient area for me to travel to. So far, though, this has not happened and their website does not reflect an upcoming Chapel Hill store. However, the distance I have to travel to Cary, although not always the most convenient, is definitely worth the trip. The prospect of not being able to shop at Trader Joe’s at all is too unappealing an option.
