Trader Joe's

Lois of Tucson, AZ September 13, 2009

Although I have been a avid Trader Joe's customer for years, I'm beginning to look elsewhere for many products. The reason? They keep discontinuing items that I had come to rely on. The most recent item to turn up missing on their shelves is Unsalted Blister Peanuts. For years these peanuts have been my favorite snack--an item I have never found elsewhere. Very disappointing!

Sarah of Newark, CA September 1, 2009

I think it very sad that Trader Joe's does not sell fresh bread. Most stores do not sell fresh bread but it seems to me that with their reputation they could go the extra mile and do so. Occasionally I get a loaf of fresh bread but usually it is several days old.

Angela of Bridgewater, MA June 8, 2009

Follow up to my complaint on 6/4/2009: Called Trader Joe's Corporate Headquarters in Needham, Massachusetts on 6/5/2009 and spoke with a representative. I was informed that the company that manufactures Trader Joe's tuna has no glass or plastic in their facility and that the substance in the can of tuna was the mineral Struvite, which occurs naturally in tuna and should be relatively small and easy to break apart. I explained that the substance found in the can was not small, the average size was that of a large pebble and that it took a steak knife to break one piece apart. The representative explained that the Struvite was fine to consume but if I desired, I could return all the cans I purchased.

On a personal note, while the representative that I spoke with was knowledgeable about Struvite, she was not overly friendly or sympathetic of my fear of finding what I believed to be glass/hard plastic in my food. However, in my experience, most Trader Joe's employees have been friendly toward me. Unfortunately, this is not the first issue I've had with a meat product purchased from Trader Joe's. Lastly, at one time I did almost all of my shopping at Trader Joe's but now, due to my experiences and because Trader Joe's often discontinues items, I frequent Hannaford's, a market I highly recommend. I will continue to shop at Trader Joe's, but only for a few speciality items.

Angela of Bridgewater, MA June 5, 2009

This evening, 6/4/2009, I found shards of broken glass or hard plastic in a 5 oz. (142g) can of Trader Joe's Albacore solid white tuna in water, no salt added. While my family and I did not consume the contents of that particular can, I did buy twenty cans of tuna from Trader Joe's, which included the can containing the glass/hard plastic, on 5/20/2009. Of the original twenty, my family has consumed seven cans in total. The can containing the shards is now being stored in my freezer, as suggested by the Trader Joe's employee whom I spoke with this evening.

Raine of Charlotte, NC May 16, 2009

They have begun to carry a product called Trader Joe's Plain Non Fat Frozen Yogurt. It is NOT plain - it has added sugar and corn syrup. There is no indication on the label or in their advertising that it is sweetened. The sugar and corn syrup do appear in the ingredients but unless you look there you won't know. This should be re-labeled to add the words "Sugar added" or "Sweetened" where people can actually and readily see them.

Karin of Berkeley, CA May 13, 2009

They are selling waffles under the Trader Joe's label as "whole wheat" where the first ingredient is enriched wheat flour, and the third ingredient is "whole wheat" (i.e, even more deceptive than your Sarah Lee lawsuit -- they just say "whole wheat," not even "made with whole wheat"). Here's the email that I received from Trader Joe's when I asked them about it:

Hi Karin, Our Trader Joe's Blueberry Waffles are correct in stating that there is eight whole wheat waffles on the label. Whole Wheat Flour is the third ingredient listed under the ingredients panel.

Steve of Chicago , IL April 27, 2009

Usually, I love this store and they hire really great people. The other day I was in there over the weekend and had a terrible encounter with a rude check out woman named Lori. People have come up to me since then and talked about how inappropriate she was.

She must have been in a bad mood before I got there because she said nothing to me and then started rudely throwing my groceries into the bag...she was almost pounding them into the bag. I was getting annoyed but did now want a confrontation so I started texting someone but made sure I ran the credit card first so the transaction would not be delayed. She then started snapping something at me and I could just tell this woman wanted to provoke a confrontation.

Kendra of Fontana, CA April 25, 2009

I am writing to share my extreme disappoint with the level of customer regard and service at this location. Today, April 24, 2009 at approx 6:30 pm my sister had a very disturbing experience in the Rancho Cucamonga store on Haven. My 4 yr old nephew, tripped and collided with a basket while in the store. He injured his head, right between his eyebrows, above his nose. As I am writing this he is sitting on the couch with a lump the size of a large egg on his head.

When my nephew was injured, he screamed bloody murder. Not just crying.. SCREAMING! Not ONE employee came over to see what happened and/or assist my sister. She was left to her own devices.. she ended RUNNING to the frozen food section, placing a frozen item on his head to prevent the large lump that was growing. All the while, mind you, my nephew was screaming.

I find it unforgivable that while a CHILD was injured in YOUR store, not ONE employee came over to offer assistance. This could have been a very different situation had he busted his head open and required medical attention. I would not be writing an angry email, my attorney would be contacting you. I am outraged that my sister and my nephew experienced such a total and complete lack of regard for their welfare in a Trader Joe store! I am writing this on my sister's behalf as she is still very, very upset and shook up over the whole event.

After trying to use the frozen food and STILL not receiving any attenion, my sister immediately brought my nephew home. Like I said before, you are VERY LUCKY we are not in a hospital right now! I have spoken with the store manager at this location. I called around 7 pm. I shared my feelings, my disappoint, anger and concern. I believe at THE VERY LEAST, my sister deserves a formal apology. We shop at that store a lot.. and other Trader Joe's in the area, but mostly the one on Haven. NEVER have I EVER experienced such a total lack of attention to a customer... especially where an injured child is concerned!!

Eva of Ozone Park, NY March 25, 2009

Eva of Ozone Park NY (03/25/09)
I used to like this store a lot but my recent visit was not what I expected. I purchased many things I always did and noticed at home that at least 5 products are spoiled and not edible. This was a total shock to me and I had to trow away fish, beef, milk and other products. My friend had a similar story with organic salmon which was not very inexpensive. What a waste

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