Update on Trader Joe’s in Dallas

Posted on August 29th, 2011 10:10am by Nancy Nichols
Filed under Best Gay Hangout Restaurant Evah!, Breaking News, Bureaucratic red tape, cheap wine, ChirpyChirpy, Cult Cuisine, Groceries, Health Food, Hippie revolutions, Junk Food, Merguez Sausage Hunt, restaurant business news, sassy pants, Skinny bitches, Vegetarian/Vegan, Yum is Dumb

Grass does not grow beneath Teresa Gubbins' shoes.

Leave it to Teresa “Gumshoe” Gubbins to find a snitch in Trader Joe’s camp. Since the grocery chain announced they were planning locations in Dallas last May, they have been quite secretive about their locations. According to TG, you can rule out the former location on Greenville Ave. Her Deep Throat coughs up three possible locations: Walnut Hill and Central, Knox Ave., and Fort Worth. All of the details are here.

There was a time when Trader Joe’s was cool and funky and carried stuff you couldn’t find elsewhere, but I think the company is now running on a tired image. In the 70s,  Two Buck Chuck played a significant role in nursing wine drinkers off the Spanada bottle but the last TBC I sampled burned the enamel off my teeth. So, Trader Joe’s? Yes or no? Why?

20 comments

  1. I’m excited for it. But I hate all this secretive stuff to hype it. (I’m looking at you In-N-Out). Still I think it would be nice for Dallas to have.
    Do Dallas Cheap

    @ 10:34 am on August 29, 2011

  2. Word is that the northwest corner of Walnut Hill and Central will be developed with a Trader Joes and a Walgreens.

    Wal Mart Neighborhood Market will be built at the former Whole Foods site on Greenville.

    Trader Joes wants the current Lamps Plus building on Knox, and will probably get it when the LP lease is up next year.

    @ 10:41 am on August 29, 2011

  3. Yes! Upon coming back to Texas, the one thing I was disatisfied with was the fact that there is no TJ’s to be found. While their produce section in the stores I shopped in were not the best, the frozen food selection was primo with new items arriving weekly at a much lower cost than even Kroger and they have more than just TBC…a decent wine and craft beer selection goes a long way.

    @ 10:47 am on August 29, 2011

  4. Two Buck Chuck did not come out in the 70′s. Not in it’s current incarnation anyways. Trader Joe’s did not start carrying it until 2001. The other thing about it is that it is made in batches from grapes sourced all over the place. Batches vary from month to month more than year to year. It’s never been a good wine. It’s just supposed to be simple and easy to drink. Occasionally it doesn’t even make it to that level. You can still find amazing values at the $10 range that compare well to $20 bottles.

    @ 10:49 am on August 29, 2011

  5. The Knox LP location would be perfect for me. Say goodnight, Albertson’s.

    @ 11:16 am on August 29, 2011

  6. Two Buck Chuck sucks.

    @ 11:52 am on August 29, 2011

  7. TJ is so not tired. The under $10 wine selection alone is worth it, and the private label vitamins are awesome. Granted, one store will seem tired, as it will be overrun, quite like the first In ‘n Out.

    Also, a Tesco Fresh & Easy would rock.

    @ 11:53 am on August 29, 2011

  8. I don’t get the allure of Joe’s but I also don’t mind one popping up in DFW.

    @ 12:08 pm on August 29, 2011

  9. TBC? Franzia’s wine? No thanks

    @ 12:51 pm on August 29, 2011

  10. Knox doesn’t seem ideal – the parking is congested enough as it is.

    @ 12:52 pm on August 29, 2011

  11. I’m curious as to why this report is filed under “Best Gay Hangout Restaurant Evah!” Do gay people buy different groceries than straight people?

    @ 1:04 pm on August 29, 2011

  12. I was all excited when there was a Trader Joe’s acroos the street from my hotel in Chicago. Crusied the store for over 45 minutes and was slightly dissapointed. It was different but far from inspiring.
    I do miss me some Spanada.

    @ 1:10 pm on August 29, 2011

  13. I completely disagree that the appeal of Trader Joe’s is founded on an image, tired or otherwise.

    What’s good about Trader Joe’s:

    1. Small, compact, stores, easy to navigate – in and out FAST (unlike Whole Foods, Central Market)
    2. Very low prices (unlike WF)
    3. Very friendly staff who are paid and treated well (like WF)

    4. More subjectively, an “aspirational, upscale” clientele that makes shoppers feel good about themselves for going there

    No other place combines all these.

    @ 4:20 pm on August 29, 2011

  14. Jason said “small compact stores easy to navigate”. Sure, if you want a limited selection of items (like a Save A Lot or ALDI), your produce sold to you in plastic wrapped packages (no picking out and looking over for the type you want) and your meat pre-packaged (just like at WalMart), you’ll love Tader Joes.

    Me, I want to look over my produce for the ripeness I prefer, a selection of products to choose from, a deli counter where my cheese and meat are sliced at the thickness I want, and a meat counter with an actual butcher who can help me get exactly the amount and style of meat I’m seeking.

    Trader Joes? Overrated. Cute names on packages and cheap wine just doesn’t do it for me. I want quality.

    @ 4:39 pm on August 29, 2011

  15. I love their ginger cookies.

    @ 9:42 pm on August 29, 2011

  16. Lack of snitches and quid pro quo means means no cover story and no endless, head scratching blog postings. Retailers and PR people take note.

    @ 8:19 am on August 30, 2011

  17. I agree Aldi sucks but TJ is awesome. Some of the produce (not all by any means)is wrapped but I was never disappointed in quality and you could buy things like baby arugula or pea tendrils at literally half the cost at WF or CM. Their frozen and packaged items are top notch and they always have something new PLUS a policy of refunding if you try a new product and don’t like it. As others have noted, the two buck chuck is inconsistent but their large selection of under $10 quality wines is tops. I cannot wait although I will be a bit disappointed if it is Lamps Plus space – the parking there is horrid now not to mention what happens when that new apartment building goes in nearby.

    @ 1:39 pm on August 30, 2011

  18. I have found Natural Grocer to be cheaper than Whole Foods for the items I need to buy regularly. I don’t think TJ’s will offer what I need for my family and won’t drive far to visit one. I would prefer to see a Sunflower Market in North Dallas before a TJ’s.

    @ 12:38 pm on September 1, 2011

  19. I love Trader Joe’s! Having lived in SoCal for several years, I became dependent on Trader Joe’s. I am a total foodie and loved the selection of interesting items available at TJ’s. They also carry healthier options and organic options that are way less expensive than the always over-priced Whole Foods.

    @ 1:25 pm on September 6, 2011

  20. One of the things I miss from San Francisco (besides the weather) is Trader Joes. TJs was my main grocery store. It had the best deals – always cheaper than any major supermarket – and the quality was great. I miss the dozen bottles of 1.5L water for $6 (I think). Yes, $6. I honestly can’t wait for it to come here and get all of the things I’m used to buying. I hope a countdown starts soon!!

    @ 1:56 pm on September 8, 2011