Truth be told I'm not really a trader joes girl, as I find their pricing to be so arbitrary that I never know whether I should buy something or not. Still, they have great pricing on organic produce most of the time, and their organic canned beans are a life saver for a college student with no time (and not a lot of money). Workers are helpful and nice, and this TJ is a decent size. read more

Thank you, thank you, for opening up here as well as Lakeshore. That TJ's in Emeryville was getting too crowded! Oaklanders love you, TJ's, if that's not obvious already! read more

I like the energy at this TJ's. A lot of people rode their bikes here, very green. Just one thing, they don't sell Cayenne Pepper. (None of them do!) read more

OMG! Trader Joe's! A block from my house! With big spacious aisles! And friendly people! The world is good to me.

I was happy filling my cart with holiday treats when this woman gouged me in the backside with her cart. I turned and she said oh excuse me in a very snide manner. As a disabled person I asked if she could say that ahead of time next time. She then told me I needed to move my fat ass out of the middle of the isle and some other swear words...A mother was horrified as she was shopping with her child. When I complained to management they would not do anything. I had to insist that the captain talk to her, finally he relented. But he did not say anything really. So I asked for the corporate number. The lady I spoke with said "Oh really? I am surprised the manager was not effective..I cant really believe that..I know him.' Then she said the District Manager would call me. He or she never did. I would have liked a feeling of being someone that they value. It felt like they could not really be bothered. So I am not going to be there anytime soon. read more

Trader Joe's is known for having friendly team members, this location might actually have the nicest ones that I've met! Super low key. Lots of parking. read more

Update: Don't expect any help from higher management either. I wrote in about the car-towing incident and got an email back from the regional manager that amounted to "well, sorry, too bad." Not impressed. read more

Used to be an Albertson's, whicih used to be a Lucky's Supernarket. Big props for the large and free parking. Wines and pre-packaged eats are the usual victims in my shopping cart. Chill Rockridge crowd, and cool workers. read more

I personally like this Trader Joe's a lot more than the one on University. It seems a lot larger (not sure if it actually is) and they have a wider selection of produce. Trader Joe's is amazing for vegetarians and vegans because you can find meatless, gluten-free, soy alternatives to everything! Like all Trader Joe's, this place is colorful and full of unique food puns and personalized labels/signs. They close at 10pm every night so it's convenient if you need to buy food to make dinner or if you are going on a late night stroll down College Ave. Their produce is relatively cheap (not too different from Safeway or Berkeley Bowl) and all the Trader Joe brand items are absolutely delicious! Tips: -don't forget reusable bags because they charge $0.10 for paper bags -grapes are cheap here. They are also delicious. -their almond milk beverages are amazing (great for vegans) -take your time shopping because they have so many unique items - definitely not a grab and go type of place I still, to this day, do not understand the cow bell thing. Anyone know why they ring the bells at the check out stands? read more

I'm a much bigger fan of hitting up a local Trader Joe's than any other chain grocer, and it's almost guaranteed to have cheaper organic products than Whole Foods. I love all the dairy free options they have to offer, ranging from chocolate chips to coconut creamer (I love having a non-soy option), and while they are busy (avoid like the plague around dinner) it's not nearly as bad as its counterparts in the city. read more

I felt cool just walking in here. Great people watching. The one think I lament about all Trader Joe's is the lack of cold beer...but...this place had a difficult parking situation and your usual TJ's selection. I'd go 3.5 stars if I could. read more

So...I went from being a total fan..to a little annoyed. My boyfriend and I were looking at chocolate by the checkout area, and kept disagreeing as to what to get when all of a sudden, the cashier turns around and said, "Please move, you arent letting people check out". ARE YOU KIDDING ME...did she really just do that? first of all, there was nobody around to check out and she was just annoyed at hearing us disagree...that is so not professional. i lost a little respect for you guys. read more

Good food here. If they had more organic kinds of breads, cookies, desserts, that would be great. Dont want products with the riboflavin, reduced iron mononitrate added in there. What is natural flavors anyway? Why the uv lights over the cold foods and on the ceiling?...CFL's are not only toxic but oudated. Led's and lcd save more money and have been around awhile now. Canoloa oil, in so many food products there.. cmon.. get that alien stuff out of the food supply.. Tom yom cahsews for a buck. Hurray for thai foods in my belly. :-) read more

The service and employees are helpful and efficient but I found "beef" in the steamed lentils in the dairy case. I am a vegetarian and was quite traumatized by finding meat in a vegetarian product. I pray it was beef and not a rodent. read more

I never thought I'd be one of those Trader Joe's believers. I got suckered into loving the place after our check-out guy serenaded us. Whoa! Worth the switch. (Missing it's fifth star because I never feel like I can do all my grocery shopping here). read more

Love the frozen selections. Friendly staff. The parking is a pain. People don't shop at Trader's park here! Unbelievable!

I see the appeal of this place, I guess. But there are too many negatives: 1) Very long lines 2) Many products coming from China which I refuse to eat. Many don't list the origin which is even scarier. Price isn't everything. Surely you could spend 5% more to support American food growers & makers struggling to make ends meet. Why support this to save a lousy quarter? 3) Kind of poor quality. Check out Chronicle's Taster's Choice column. You'll almost always find TJ products at or near the bottom of the list. There ARE some good items, but I'd have to agree that lots of times the product is not all that great. 4) Pre-packaged fruit and vegetables. Why would I buy multiple green peppers when I only need one? read more

I love Trader Joe's and shop there frequently. I stop at this one every morning or two to pick up something for lunch that day, maybe a few other items. My main shopping is done at a TJs closer to my home. There are a few problems with this one. The 'gardeners', aka the guys with blowers, are usually there and in action right when the store opens. They blow this stuff all over the cars. I hate blowers on principle, but I really hate them when they get my freshly washed car filthy and especially when there is so much stuff in the air that it gets in your eyes. Many people have complained to management about this to no result. Another issue is the blaring music. I'm hard of hearing and it's way too loud, even for me. Lastly, they are always stocking and cleaning and it impedes shopping. As for the blowers, I tried parking on the street but they came out there to blow. read more

I used to love TJs, but now I cannot trust them or their products. My wife was recently afflicted by "Pine Mouth", a 4 week long affliction of EVERYTHING tasting bitter, which is caused by eating a certain type of pine nut (search ABC News for "pine mouth"). It seems that TJ's pine nuts often contain this type or nut which causes the problem. But what makes this so bad is that TJ's IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM! yes, they refunded our money, but that does not help my wife who will have this bad taste for nearly 4 weeks on everything she eats now. And yes, they told me that about 1 in 20 will have this problem, THEY KNOW ABOUT IT, but since the FDA says the nuts are safe to eat (even if they cause 4 weeks of discomfort in 5% of the people) they will continue to sell them. They refuse to send returned samples to the FDA for testing, they refuse to mark the item on the shelf with a warning, and they claim the warning is on their web, but seriously, I am going to look up on the web every product I plan to buy? (I could not find it BTW.) So now I wonder, what else does TJ's sell that they know has problems or may make you sick, but as long as it does not kill you, they will sell it? Can I really trust this company to sell me a quality product any more? Yes, some good buys and good products here, but I am having trust issues, and the recent pine nut issue has left a bad taste in my mouth too. read more

This Trader Joe's is pretty awesome. After discovering that this Trader Joe's is closer to us than El Cerrito we decided to stop by. I love that it is it's own store, not in a shopping center. The store is also really large with wide isles, its about time! Trader Joe's shoppers can be incredibly rude with their carts and we need the room. Selection was nice, produce seemed larger here, though we buy our produce elsewhere. Lines were kinda long but the cashier was very friendly. Definitely coming back to this TJ location from now on. read more

I basically only shop here. Convenient, super friendly staff, and parking!

I peed my pants with delight upon hearing of a Trader Joe's at this location. This Trader Joe's is totally kung fu because: - It's within walking distance of both those living in Rockridge AND Temescal. These neighborhoods are full of people that make up the company's demographic, so it's been a long time coming! - Oaklanders who don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, but do have easy access to BART are in luck. Rockridge BART is a block away. - The store itself has TONS of space, a welcome opposite to the Emeryville store (After 3 PM, the latter is like a refugee camp. An old lady once crawled between my legs to get the last bag of arugula. I'm surprised there aren't more stabbings there). read more

I love trader joes! I always feel welcomed when i shop here and i love buying anything from mochi ice cream to Brussels sprouts. Sometimes after a tough exam i stop by and pick up some hummus and a bottle of wine to destress. I come here so much i feel like i am homies with the entire staff. read more

The products are stellar. I am only giving them a 3 rating because of the lack of security and low feeling of safety that I have when shopping in the store. I saw someone blatantly stealing in the store, to the tune of 100.00 in meat products. I reported it as it was happening and they did nothing. There is also no security in the parking lot so it feels risky when coming out at night. read more

Alwsys super busy. 15 min wait in line is aprox. Time Excellentvreturn policy No reciept no problem Goodfresh choices produce Good frozen foid Price is fair read more

I love Trader Joe's, but this one needs a bigger parking lot. Other than that, it's your typical Trader Joe's, gotta love pretty much everything here! read more

My go-to place for snacks. In fact, it's been less than an hour since I got back but I've already downed half of my chocolate cat cookies tub. It's a problem, especially since I've tricked myself into believing that just because it's from Trader Joe's, it's healthy. And if it's healthy, I can eat as much of it as I want. Besides a wide selection of delicious munchies, they also have free coffee and water in the back corner and samples of a product they're promoting. Today's was chicken tacos with guacamole. The crew members are always incredibly personable and very helpful! Always an adventure and delight to shop here. read more

Great area for a TJ's. Store is open and has a good selection and variety of items.

I liked this Trader Joes. I lived in the Grand Hills area and I would rather drive here then walk to the one near Lakeshore. This is much bigger, efficient in service, and produce is fresher. I like the prices and that this place was always easy to get in and out. Additionally, I love being in the College Ave area so it was a great excuse to get me there more often. read more

O Trader Joe's- the holy Ikea of supermarkets. I am so grateful for you and your cheap chics. Your 1.69 savory thins, so wafer-like & wonderful (and $5 anywhere else) to spread cheese on. Your $1.99 knock-off corn puffs, saving me from the otherwise ghastly prices of the more legitimate (but no more tasty) Pirate's Booty. Your 2.99 spiced cider. Your heavenly 99cent liqueur cakes (now gone from your shelves and shipped to fancier places at the unpalatable price of $3.49...) Your yummy penguin gummy tummies, so great when you just need a pick-me-up after a rough day of playing grown-up. $2 lemon curd, $3 creamed honey. $3.99 Citterio Sopressata. And of course, two-buck Chuck. You alarmingly hiked Chuck up to $3 for awhile, but that apparently wasn't too popular with the cheapy-chic TJ clientele, because hooray, you're back down to $2 again! How can a deal-scrounger like me thank you enough? What would I do without you and your snack foods? And the free coffee/sample bar? So inspired. Today's morsel of sweet potato puff w/ coffee made my day. Your produce section... well, it could use a little work. I wanted to make breakfast with my friends down in Westwood, and your brethren down there were charging some ridiculous prices for basics like potatoes (2.49 a lb for potatoes?? What is this, the Irish potato famine 2.0??) onions and tomatoes. Come on. When it becomes just as cost-effective to eat out as it is to stay in and cook, you know there's a problem. I can't live off your sublimely delicious peanut butter cups, even though I'd sometimes like to. So unless you get your act together with the fruits&veggie section, I'll still be frequenting Berkeley Bowl/Ranch for my produce. Also- the campy '60's music & Hawaiian-shirted employees? Can't really decide whether it's creepy or cute, but it definitely speeds me through my grocery-shopping every time. Bottom Line: My favorite place to get snacks- you won't find cheaper elsewhere. =9 read more

I heart TJ's but I shiver just at the thought of the crampness and slowness of people shopping HOWEVER The rockridge location is HUGE!! i can actually move my cart around even when people park it in the middle of aisle. ALSO the parking- it may not seem like it exists bc ppl park and then LEAVE - leaving shoppers out to fight street parking. not cool- but its there!! I particularly like the nice collection of fresh flowers right when you enter. ++ the flowers are SUPER cheap. I bought some iris' for 4 bucks and a MASSIVE orchid for 12.99 :D yay read more

I love that I can pick up some groceries while I wait for my turn at Zachary's! So glad Trader Joe's is in Oakland....and the staff is helpful and friendly. Even if I distract them from stocking the veggies, they'll walk me over to find the salad dressing I'm looking for/ read more

There's really nothing I can add to the many reviews already posted other than to say I'm a frequent shopper at Trader Joe's, especially this store in Rockridge, and that you get quality and selection at a reasonable price. I particularly like what Rachel posted, which is spot-on: "To me, it stands right between Whole Foods and Safeway, offering both reasonable price and fantastic quality." read more

I love trader joes olive oil eggs nuts 2 buck chuck in and out and I am done!

The staff is courteous and friendly! They gave stickers to my grand son when we checked out with groceries - kids like to play with them. They have good samples for cheese and veggie meals! read more

Conveniently located by BART in Rockridge. I love free samples and possibly free coffee even more.

Man, I have yet to run into a Trader Joe's that I don't love and this location is no exception. This is a great, easily accessible spot that's perfect for grocery shopping or a quick lunch bite. While passing through Oakland for work, I stopped in to grab some shrimp spring rolls (my TJ lunch go-to) and loved their spot. Clean, friendly staff and, in true Trader Joe's fashion, wonderful healthy offerings! read more

This is actually the first Trader Joe's I'd ever been in years ago. This place gets so packed I have seen the line go down an aisle and around the back of the store. Great store. read more

fantastic service... cashiers very personable & charismatic. staff is consistently friendly and helpful. proud to say this is my neighborhood TJ. fairly large, parking is gnarly during peak hours... [ride your bike]. cheap & smaller portions... read more

Wanted to review this place in case anyone is interested in buying flowers here for their wedding. I had a great experience working with their florist to select and order the flowers we needed for our centerpieces and decorations at the reception. We opted not to hire a florist and instead enlisted the help of some creative and generous friends. We had tons of flowers... 12 arrangements including 10 tables and spent less than $200 on the flowers. read more