You know, I like Trader Joe's. "Fact," as kids say these days. Yes, I'm a fan. After buying a loaf of their sourdough bread to try, thinking, "not sure what it will be like," I was quite pleasantly surprised. As it turns out, theirs had good texture, taste and firmness. A lot of their products, like cheese puffs or their lasagna (made with fennel, not even some high-end restaurants do this) beat better known products or what you'd find dining out. read more

It's all about: Price and Quality; or lack thereof, these days. Trader Joe's used to be known both for the best prices and high quality. It seems both have suffered tremendously and over a short period of time. Let's start with a basic: organic milk seems to have gone up from $5.99 to $7.49 very quickly -a year(?). There's almost no difference now with Whole Foods (AKA "Whole Paycheck"). The increase seems greater than other organic milk sales, by percentage (though not by actual price), at other supermarkets I have been to in the greater NY area. I've been shocked at the increase -I think it's common. I notice that you can't even check prices for some items -including milk- on their website. My guess is that it would be too much trouble to keep changing it t o reflect the higher prices. Favorites among the frozen vegetables have all gone up. Broccoli comes to mind. To add to this is a personal long-time peeve that they only sell one size. My family uses, for example, a lot of the broccoli -and there is only one size, and it is relatively small. -Too much wasted plastic packaging and, ostensibly, a larger package would save some money. But the price keeps rising. A favorite "treat" that my son likes is the dark chocolate almonds. And they have risen from $5.99 to $7.99 over a short period. So has the half gallon on vanilla ice cream. Good bargains like the 2lbs of organic frozen chicken wings are altogether gone. :( I could go on, ranting. But my suggestion is this: vote with your feet. Time to give TJ's a rest, until they come back with some better prices. read more

This is one of the smallest Trader Joe's that I have ever been to. I just came here to buy plants since the plants are so affordable here. They had a lot of plants like the monstera and money plants in stock though. They looked really good and fresh. The monstera plants they have are very green and leafy and are in medium sized pots. I had a hard time picking the best one! They all looked really good! They cost around $15, which is definitely worthy! I also got a money plant which was in a nice cemented pot that looked so nice! It also cost $15! Much less than other nurseries! Besides plants, they got a lot of nice salads and fresh salmon salads that I tend to get that are less than $10. Nowadays it's hard to get fresh salad bowls less than $10 due to inflation so thankfully Trader Joe's is doing a good job at pricing their goods. read more

This Trader joes is like all the other ones. Shelves seemed pretty stocked and organized, it was clean and the staff were helpful. It is one I do not go to often though. But when I go I usually have no issues here. read more

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This Trader Joe's is always insane but I'm impressed by how quickly and efficiently the employees work to restock goods and move people through the line. Everyone here is always really nice - I have my Trader Joe's staples and sometimes I'm not fast enough to pick up my Everyday Seasoning, but no one gives me a hard time when I ask when it'll be back in stock. I get weirdly anxious about stuff like that when I know a business is busy but people are really patient here. I think this one is busy throughout the day because of the NYU kids but I still think it's worth checking out. It's very organized and clean. read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

First, I love Trader Joe's and shop regularly at TJ's - but just not at this store. (Normally, I give the chain - my favorite - 5-stars with great products, knowledgable team, and excellent service and prices.) It's not that this Union Square one is small, but the checkout process is horrible! Given Trader Joe's popularity and this Union Square location (NYU students residing above and all around the neighborhood plus general heavy foot traffic here), the line wraps always around the store's perimeter, yet they don't always have a cashier at every register station. Every time the line alone takes at least 10 minutes, and I've even waited over 25 minutes in it to check out! This problem has persisted from when this store opened, yet never seems resolved. You never know until you get in line how bad it will be. It's painful! Making the decision to make a purchase here creates an absolute time suck! So, I avoid shopping here unless it's absolutely unavoidable! Out of consideration to their customers, who are loyal like me, it's a matter of ensuring this particular Union Square store checkout is always fully staffed given the constant extremely high volume of business. Perhaps both the converting of the adjacent TJ's Wine Shop to a Pronto and opening of the East Village location further down E. 14th Street has helped... but it ain't enough! read more

Trader Joe's - Trader Joe's Union Square Storefront - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

Shopped here for years and the staff has always been problematic. Huge lines and the prices are increased by 40 percent. read more

A very cramped Trader Joe's, but checkout service is speedy. Everything is well stocked. Lots to browse through despite the smaller size of this Trader Joe's. read more

Small and no restroom. Had to stop shopping with my toddler and go across the street to a Starbucks.

I love Trader Joe's, good prices and some food/snacks I like which can be healthy from here to there. 1st photo Spicy snack that's kinda spicy in my opinion even tho I take spicy things pretty well. I like it a lot because of the spice. No delicious flavor, just crunchy and spicy that's it. I say try it if you like spicy things but don't expect no fancy flavor. 2nd photo. The channa one has a lot of sauce and it probably is best if you had a wrap or bread or some thing to eat with it. The vegetable biryani has a lot of rice and the meatball is veggie. 7th photo Chicken burrito bowl, the text is on top of a red rectangular box. It was decent for the price given. I enjoyed parts with cheese n chicken. Small portion which fill me up to be satisfied but not ful full full like the Vegetable Biryani. 8th photo Ube pretzels are delicious and sweet. The texture of pretzels is not too much of that dry pretzel that comes plain. It is covered with yogurt candy/sugar. Crunchy like a regular pretzel but more fun to eat 9th photo The bread is soft over all but not soft like sponge cake. Soft like regular baked bread. The middle is good and I e joyed eating this with dipping pieces of the bread inside a brolic soup sauce. You can get creative and eat this bread with something else such as chicken, hummus, pepperoni, beef, anything you think would be a good combination. The thickness of the bread allows us to to cut it and probably place things inbetween so it can become like a sandwich if that's what you want. read more

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This location seemed a little bit smaller than I expected and had fewer options to choose from. However, the store was clean, quiet, and the wait time was short. I selected a southwest salad bowl, and a spicy lentil wrap. The wrap was so good!! read more

I will never shop at a Trader Joe's again in my life after the treatment I endured. Ben a short bald white guy with a beard was so rude and short when I inquired about a product I did not see. I was uncertain about approaching him at because of the nasty sour look on his face. This is one time I wish I would've went with my instincts. This man has a piss poor attitude!!! read more

Came in on Saturday at 7:45PM to get a couple of things I needed and it wasn't the most pleasant experience with the cashier. Rather than saying hello or asking how I was doing the cashier on number 16 named B. Hannibal decided that it would be more important to be having a private conversation with his fellow coworker about women who were walking by. When everything was rung up he just stared and didn't even tell me the amount, turned around and continued with his convo. No thank you or have a good day or a smile when checkout was done. Usually cashiers are some of the friendliest at Trader Joe's obviously this wasn't the case here. read more

Ty who had glasses, a beard full of grey hairs and is african American is a disgrace for Trader Joe's. Absolutely unprofessional and disgustingly disrespectful. Got loud with me when I asked him to help me with a basket he said it isn't his job and I should have grabbed one on the way inside. Reported to corporate and management. read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

I came here recently to pick up some essential items before heading home. The lines wasn't very long and they went very quickly. The store was very well stocked and they most of my favorites in stock. read more

Not to be confused with Traitor Joe's, which I guess is a communist store (I'm being stupid, I have nothing against communism, although it kind of sucks, but capitalism is pure evil so who is counting). I've now used this Trader Joe's on a number of occasions and it's a little bit hard to get to because of parking and militant meter maids, but if you can get in here, especially if you're on foot, the space is limited and people suck inside, good luck getting around the store, and when you finally get checked out, the one big problem is the bagging. It's supposed to be a high-end grocery store but they pretty much sent me out of the door with a ton of half gallon bottles of water without any bags and then it was too busy for me to go back in there and so I leaned over, grabbed some bags off another register for which I was given a dirty look, then I had to bag all the stuff myself while I was in the entrace way to the store, in everybody's way. Then I didn't have enough bags so I had to overfill them and they started breaking on the sidewalk and it became a total nightmare to just walk three blocks with all these waters. So even though I'm really glad that they had the waters that I needed, I'm still giving them only two stars. read more

Trader Joe's - We didn't choose this store. It joes us. - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

They did open a new location! (On 14th and A). Thank you, Trader Joes!! (I spent some time visiting the one on Columbus and 91st but now I'm back down here and so happy that I can actually enter and shop in TJs here due to new (to me) location!!). read more

Probably my least favorite Trader Joe's, but I love TJs so that's not a huge knock. Plus, the proximity (right between my office and home) makes it so I'll always inevitably go. The TJ Union Square experience is: get the few things you need, get in line, wind around the entire store in a crazy long queue (albeit fast-moving), end up picking a dozen things along the way that were total impulse purchases. I went in for beer and snacks earlier today, for instance, and left with chicken sausages, ravioli, a pack of artichokes, chocolate chip cookies, etc. The prices are great so it's easy to make spontaneous purchases and then realize afterwards that you have the perfect meal for a very pregnant woman. Definitely not as nice as the BK one that's close to my bf's, so I try to go there if I can. However, whatever faults there may be, the lovely employees make up for it. Seriously, TJ employees are the best people in the world. Will return - the worst TJ is still better than the best Whole Foods, IMO. read more

Trader Joe's - Butternut squash ravioli from tonight - delish! - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

I'm originally from socal, and these stores are all over the place! Just moved here, and glad I found this one. The food is great, people are always super friendly. Great prices and they always help me when I need it. read more

Trader Joe's is my to-go place every week! Fresh fruit and vegetable The most excited things is their frozen food. It's easy to cook and taste so amazing. Reasonable price and good quality. TheNone I always get is edmame, orange chickEn, and cauliflower gnocchi. And I love their seasoning section as well. Trader joe makes me like I'm a great chef xd And they offer season item as well. Make sure you get it early, because they sold out quick! read more

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One of the smaller TJs in the city, it's usually busy with NYU students (dorm next door) and locals in the area or those commuting. Union Sq is always buzzing with people and this being next to the TJ Wine shop, expect lines. The team works to try and get people checked out fast, which I love! Try going after lunch on a weekend... might miss the rush! I was lucky it wasn't packed at that time. There is no restroom. They have wipes when you walk in to clean your cart. Happy it's usually full so they def pay attention to refilling supplies. Wheelchair accessible with a ramp as you enter the store. read more

Trader Joe's - Inside - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

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We were nearby yesterday shortly before 5:00 p.m. and then taking the bus home, so it was a good opportunity to buy some favorite Trader Joe's items. We certainly weren't surprised that the store was real crowded, but the customers seemed to be in a rather insane frenzy. Also; the stock was low on some things we wanted to buy, and I'm comparing that unfavorably to the (admittedly larger) Trader Joe's in our neighborhood. The very *positive* point, however, was the cashier; she was *very* friendly and thoughtful. read more

BE AWARE THAT THEY KEEPS EXPIRED FOOD ON THE SHELVES. I grabbed this and it expired 3 days before. Gosh it is even fermented inside. Why do you still keep it on the shelves? read more

Trader Joe's - THEY SELL EXPIRED FOOD! - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

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TJ's! Terrific affordable groceries in a not-so-affordable city. I come here all the time for all sorts of food, drinks, snacks, flowers, and even greeting cards. The wine shop next door is a gem too. Yes the lines were insane especially when this location (the first in NYC) opened years ago. Even on busy times you'll see lines snake around close to the store entrance. But overall in the past several years (and with the multitude of other locations opening up in the city,) they've managed to perfect the art of the speedy check out. I think there is probably no retail establishment in the city that is as efficient as a TJ's check-out line. They keep it moving! Just the sheer number of check-out stations impresses me, coupled with their effective system of waving a staff/flag to indicate availability, and one or two staff dedicated to directing customers towards the next open spot--simple, speedy and ingenious!! Haha the ocd super anal part of me loves it!!! I meant to write this review much earlier but wanted to say a thank you to the staff assigned to work outside managing the lines during the pandemic in 2020-2021, especially at the peak times when we were Just collectively learning about social distancing. I recall a freezing cold evening in the 20-30 degrees Fahrenheit range when I was waiting outside of the store for about 20 minutes in a line that was about 100+ feet long. There were spots marked on the ground 6 feet from each other. There was a guy in line that was totaling encroaching on my personal 6 ft radius and the TJ's staff were very clear in asking all patrons to maintain the required distances. I know it wasn't an easy/popular job to do during these times especially standing outside in the freezing cold, so wanted to say thanks so much!!! read more

I live in Brooklyn, but keep on getting attracted to shop at this store. The energy here is good due to the workers here and the product selection is very strong. Even though it is smaller than some other stores, for some reason they are able to select core items that people buy. So I think the buyer of this store or this area is doing a super good job as I always see the shelves empty at the end of the night which is a good sign for sell through. I will keep coming back as they carry everything that I love. read more

Where to start, hmm... Okay, first I want to say how much I love TJ's. If you've read the review I posted of the Trader J store in my hometown I sang them all sorts of praises, and it is one of my go-to stores as a health nut. Now that we got that out of the way I hated my Trader J experience today. At 3 in the afternoon on a weekday the line was EXTREMELY long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Thanks to all the other reviews I mentally prepared for a long check out but WOW ... totally did not expect to take 30 minutes to check out even after having a buddy wait in line for me while I quickly grab stuff. And speaking of grabbing stuff perhaps I've been over-familiarized with my home Trader J store but it was hard to find stuff I KNOW they carry in this location. I'm not sure why even with the seemingly same amount of square footage. I really think it makes life easier (especially for loyal customers!) if every store has the same layout. The only plus side to shopping here today is the prices which I find to be the same (even though this is a NYC location), and the friendly workers. Other than that I think my vacation will include less grocery trips to this (and maybe all) TJ's. Call me crazy but if the store can afford to have 2 workers directing where the check out line starts with a sign wouldn't it be better to add more cash out registers, and just have a sensible layout with a clear directory? Be creative and go nuts - have the checkout line direction stencil onto the floor or something. I'm totally amazed people will stand in line (personally I made a trip here and I was NOT leaving without my intended purchases) this long but I can imagine this store can do better for its loyal followers starting with fixing the ridiculously long check out line. It's experiences like this that makes me appreciate tenfold the amazingness in my neck of the woods! read more

Trader Joe's - Checkout point pretty much starts the minute you enter at this location! - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

This Trader Joe's is always super busy and crowded. The prices are insanely low for NYC since TJ's has the same prices across the country. They have the same prices as TJ's in GA so the prices here are about half the price of some other grocery stores in New York. I love the items here but it is a little harder to browse here than other locations. Know what you want and go grab it. There's not much room to leisurely stroll around and browse. This is not the place to go if you're in a hurry since the lines can get insanely long here. They usually start at the back of the store and wind through whole aisles to the front. There were two lines. But don't be too intimidated, since the lines move pretty quick. There are a lot of registers working here so the line is pretty quick for its length. Don't forget the check out the Trader Joe's wine shop location (it's a separate store). That is the best part. read more

I love this Trader Joe's! Everyone that works here is super nice, helpful, and friendly. I've never had a bad experience and I've been coming here since they opened. It's smaller than some other locations, which I don't mind because it makes shopping faster for me. They have a great selection and are very organized. At peak hours expect long lines, but go at the right times and you can avoid them. read more

I LOVE shopping at Trader Joe's and have been customer for years in various states. Some of my favorite staples? Raw nuts, rice milk, organic cucumbers. Now, I don't know what's up with the NY locations but I have never not once found a clean bathroom. NEVER! NOT! ONCE! The last time I tried to use the bathroom I HAD to take a photo and I'm not gonna put any particular location on blast...just know this was in NY and happened recently. Shopping needs...awesome! Bathroom cleanliness...needs work. read more

Trader Joe's - WHY are there food items in the bathroom under the toilet?!? - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

Popped in today right after opening to do some socially distance shopping for the holidays. they have a great selection of holiday food and chocolates. I also got a fondue kit to make for the holidays. it sounds good and I can't wait. Checkout was a breeze and there was almost no line. I recommend shopping after 8 AM opening to avoid crowds. The employees and customers were all wearing masks as well. read more

Conveniently located just east of USQ on 14th street, this Trader Joe's is slightly smaller then other stores in the city...and if you are comparing it to one in suburbia you'll be surprised. That being said, they almost always have everything in stock, and if they don't there is always a team member around to check in the back or help you find an alternative. The line is like all lines in NYC...there always is one. During these COVID times, they limit the people allowed in the store, and the line moves really quickly. It's almost easier shopping there now because there you're not always trying to maneuver around people, and it's much more controlled and orderly. And lastly, Max was the one who helped me at checkout. He was very understanding as I haphazardly juggled 3 different bags trying to fit all my groceries. read more

How the mighty have fallen. This location is no longer a vibe. I visited last week and about 1/4 of my items turned out to be stale. I don't frequent the nabe and I chucked them. I did send an email to corporate though because wtf Tjs?!? Maybe it has to do with closing the wine shop or the entirety of Union Square turning into a misbegotten destination. Whatevs avoid this location of you can. Every TJs has its personality and quirks but this one is done. The cashiers ROCK tho!!! read more

This is the Trader Joe's most convenient to me though I live on E 62. Just 8 minutes on the 4 and then walk east. It's a small store and unbelievably crowded. Also the flower selection is terrible (compared to SoHo, the best TJ in the city). The pasta selection is tiny. (Dry, not fresh.) The staff is great, though, and they do the best they can with the limited space. The best time to go is before noon. You go after that and it's a crapshoot. You might get in without waiting 10 minutes (due to COVID) and sometimes there's no line to check out. Other times, you see people in the produce section almost. But any Trader Joe's is better than none and this is the one I now shop unless I happen to be in SoHo, volunteering at God's Love (which is across the street). SoHo isn't easy for UES folks, especially with heavy bags. You either have to walk to Spring to get the 6, or take the train to Times Square and then walk to the yellow line (which is the equivalent of an avenue). So I just get flowers and some light items if in the SoHo location. read more

My supermarket obsession. I can't understand why everyone doesn't love this place. Lol. They stock pretty much everything a regular supermarket does. Prices are reasonable. And most of their products have none to very little artificial ingredients and preservatives. Which is a major selling point for me. And for those of you who don't want to cook, they have lots of pretty tasty frozen meals. I haven't tried them all, but some of the ones I like are: chicken soup dumplings chicken tikka masala with rice seafood paella cold brew dessert bars green tea mochi spanikopita. There is a square pan version and a round version by a different company. I like the square one. It has less pastry. Having a party? They have a some appetizers that you can heat up. No need to fuss in the kitchen, cooking a lot of stuff. The one bad thing about this place is that some of their products are sold for a limited time only. I've gotten very attached to some food products only to find out that they no longer sell it because it was a limited time only product. Like the cafe macchiato yogurt. Hmmm... that was such good stuff. I have cravings for it but I cant find it sold anywhere. They are always introducing new products. One of the recent ones is apple cider donuts. From what I've heard, they are really good. Every time I go, these donuts have been sold out already. They also have free samples in the back, where you can taste some of their foods or drinks. They have coffee samples! read more

If you ever seen the car reservation episode on Seinfeld you know. I reserved 2 racks of lamb this morning to pick up this afternoon. When I got there, they had the reservation but no lamb. I was sooooo annoyed because of the unnecessary trip to Union square. They even made me wait this morning to double check my lamb was in house to get nothing after work. read more

My favorite TJ. It's small but if you get there early in am no prob. Everyone is nice. I get what I need which weighs a ton. I have a TJ bag with wheels. Load it up and take the train or bus home. That's the high point of trip; it's close to both bus and train at 14th Street. The store is all on one floor. I like the fact you don't go up and down elevators or escalators. They keep renovating and improving the lay out. Prices are reasonable and food is fresh. Highly recommend. read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - New York, New York

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I usually love coming to this Trader Joe's because the staff are great and there's always the food I need in stock! I'm writing this review because I'm a bit disgusted I was there yesterday shopping as usual, walking by the frozen veggie aisle, when to my disgust a HUGE RAT ran by. It left from the right side of the freezer and ran across and climbed into the inside parts of the freezer. He ran right by the workers feet who didn't seem to notice and once I alerted him he was nice and seemed shocked. I know NYC is infested with rats but it's a bit disheartening to see that where you buy your food. Luckily packaged things you can tell if they've been messed with but how do you know they're not walking over the fruits and veggies!? I hope they get this checked out. I'm sure that's not the only rat living there. read more

I'm a fan of Trader Joes but this location is always disorganized. This place is a mad house. I wish I could tell you a good time to drop by, but there isn't. It's always packed and lines are always long. Come with a friend and ask them to stand in line as you shop. Even after you're done shopping, your friend will still have only reached half way to the cashier. It's that bad. Line madness aside, the prices are great and the quality of their products are good. This may not be the most organized TJ's I've been to but it's still nice to have one in the city. Employees are not the friendliest (maybe because they can't get a moment to breathe) and aren't all that quick (maybe because they are tired). They could open more registers by hiring more employees to help with the rush. It would lighten up the load on the other employees and may move the line quicker. Just an idea. Overall, reasonable prices. read more

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Great prices. Trader Joe's is a generally a good spot to shop citywide. However this one is probably most disappointing. It do be crowded. Plus they run out of their soy beverage all the time, what gives? Cut down on that oat and almond milk that you know nobody be buying. read more

I'm going to agree that just the sight of the line outside this Trader Joe's makes me want to curl into a ball and photosynthesize instead of buying food to sustain myself. As noted by another reviewer, the employees are all doing backflips to get people and goods through the store in a streamlined manner. I recommend Trader Joe's open a few more stores in the Manhattan/Brooklyn area because the ones I go to are jam packed 90% of the time. On another note, I really can't imagine myself letting go of Trader Joe's... the prices are good on many an item and the employees are doing some really amazing backflips whilst keeping the customers surprisingly satisfied. The line is constantly moving and the samples are flowing. The design of the store is also worth mentioning. In fact, this is my favorite grocery chain of all time, I just wish this one had more space/fewer people (but it's Manhattan so I'm probably asking for too much). read more