First time coming into this store, and I have to say. my experience was great, Julia who works there is a great example of what costumer service is supposed to be like, very polite, and knew all the answers to my questions, thank you Julia.so good this is the first review I've ever written. read more

I love this Trader Joe's. The employees are always so friendly & helpful. If you look confused, they will come up to you asking if you need help, rather than you going up & down every aisle looking for it. The pre-made salads are delish, especially the BBQ chicken one. I take them for lunch often. The cheese selection is grand & the prices are very reasonable compared to other grocery markets. I like going to this location because there is a huge parking lot, unlike the one in the city. It does get crowded during rush hour grocery shopping times, but the lines move pretty fast & all check outs are usually open. read more

This is a very well run Trader Joe's location. They have been doing a good job during the pandemic keeping store capacity at a reasonable amount. The outside line is generally less than 10 minutes even on the weekends and it's very easy to shop once inside. Prices are also always the lowest compared to other grocery stores in the area. read more

5 stars! 5 stars! My most recent trip to TJs started off bad. Well, the day in general started off bad. Waking up with a cold, an empty fridge and it was raining, blah blah blah (more complaining). When I arrived to TJs I always have the feeling that it's going to be insane because of the amount of cars that occupy the parking lot, but it was nice. I was able to walk through the aisles freely, no carts bumping into me, and I got to the checkout counter within 20 minutes (I'm a quick shopper). When I get to the checkout counter... the day gets worse. I can't find my Debit card. DOH! I explain to the clerk what's going on as she's ringing items up and she says to me sweetly "Don't even worry about it. We'll put your groceries in the back. It happens more often then you think". So she proceeds to put my items back in my cart, takes my name and I walk out the door in shame. How embarrassing! Honestly, the first time this has ever happened. I run home, find my Debit card and run back to the store. I tell the customer service clerk what happened and he gets my cart within a few minutes and I am out of the door groceries in hand. Phew.... TJs, you deserve that extra star. Great customer service when the customer is a ding dong is always a plus in my book. read more

Love this place. Compared to the other grocery stores, TJs always leaves me with the most money in my wallet and the lowest bill for goods. They have the lowest prices I've found for any major grocery chain. Sure they don't have a lot of the "extras" like Whole Foods does, but if you're out to buy GROCERIES, then you can't beat the low prices at Trader Joes. Not a bad wine/beer/liquor section either. Found some good red wines there. read more

The customers are just so lazyyy to take back to carts back to the store . My car was hit by one of those carts and I'm not happy with that. They are all over the parking lot and even on the other side of the parking lot. Trade joes is not even there . What are you guys going to do about that ?The Holidays are coming and people get Lazier. read more

Everyone working at this store is always nice, just what you would expect for a Trader Joes. I am surprised at how well stocked this specific store seems to be as its usually pretty busy here. I wish they would dedicate another cash register to fewer items as those lines always seem to be the longest and move the slowest due to conversation or who knows what. Might just be quicker for you to jump in another line behind a carriage thats full sometimes.. as a heads up! So amazing that TJ's in California can sell alcohol -- what a great price!! The only purchases I ever regret at Trader Joe's come from the CHEEESE department -- So, If you are looking for a good cheese try one of these and you won't regret it: Goat Gouda (blue sticker on the packaging with a windmill?) English Sharp Cheddar (Old clipper ship on the sticker) Creamy Camembert (this is better than any of their brie selection) Rosemary asiago (so goooood) and all the Manchego options are the best! read more

TJs is pretty good all around the country. I like their products and I like their culture. This store in particular is great. I have gotten to know several of the staff over the years and they are so nice when I go in there. Like Jason. One day he helped me find some banana apple fruit crushers and we talked about what a good way to get extra fruit those things are. Since then he always asks if I am getting some in a funny way. It just is nice to go in a store where folks know you. Our society has become too impersonal and the staff at TJs make me feel like I am going in a community store. read more

I go into Trader Joe's at least once a week. Not only is it a bargain, but the employees are great and always have an answer to my questions. I can't believe the prices on their flowers, especially the orchids! So reasonable. Every time I go to the back to get dairy items, I have to stop by the sample of the day being served. I almost always end up buying whatever I've sampled. My only disappointment is that some foods are not always available, as they may be sold for a short period of time. It's also not easy to get everyday pantry items. Talk about wines....It's really fun to talk to the helpers in the wine department. I always get good tips and of course, what a bargain Parking dilema ? Park closer to Petco and then it's no problem. read more

The first, & now the worst trader joes I've been to in the north bay. They were out of [or don't even carry] at least a 1/2 dozen items that the stores in sonoma county stock on a regular basis. The 1st guy I talked to was just clueless, & had to call someone else for help. He wasn't such a big help either. 1 thing TJ's has done is deceptively package tea bags in tins, making them look like it's bulk tea instead, by the picture alone, in order to double the price. So they put $2 worth of tea into a tin, & charge twice the price for it, so you end up paying $2 for the tin & $2 for the tea bags, which are triangular shaped & have strings that are way too short for teapots. No more tea tins from there for me. Even TJ's isn't what it used to be in the 20th Century. There seems to be a real downward trend everywhere I go these daze, no matter where it is, & it's not just being trumped up. read more

Super appreciation of the TJ Crew in San Rafael. Shout out to MIGUEL and the staff working at about 4:30p on Wednesday, April 15. The guys on the bridge, the cashiers and other TJ peeps all saved me from extreme humiliation. Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I hope to repay your kindness someday. I will never forget the smiles behind those masks. read more

Clean and friendly. I love this place and they have good prices. Make sure to check out their booze selection.

Let's first review the history of the space this Trader Joes occupies to understand the main problem that frustrates it shoppers, including me. This grocery store used to be occupied by the lifeless Montecito Theater, which, even on a busy afternoon probably saw no more than a handful of bored moviegoers catching a second-run flick for half the price. Fast forward to the present. Now this small space is occupied by an extremely busy store that likely sees more shoppers in five minutes in one express lane than the Montecito Theater saw in an entire day! So this one space in the shopping center goes from having 50 to 100 customers going through in a day to perhaps as much as 1500 to 2500 now? And the parking lot didn't change one bit? WOW...HUGE problem here! In the beginning, I used to live pretty close to this Trader Joes and loved the prices and products but HATED the huge lines and WORST parking lot in all of Marin. When I moved to North San Rafael, I pretty much stopped coming here because all I could remember was that it wasn't worth saving a few bucks to deal with the huge lines and nightmare parking lot. In recent weeks, though, I discovered this place again. The store and Montecito obviously have taken some steps to fix the flow of traffic. Now there are 3 lanes for exiting the shopping center on the Trader Joes side. Big help. The overflow lot that they put just past the center is another plus. Inside the store, there are a couple of more express lanes than what they had in years past. Also gone are the crappy "punch-key" 1960's cash registers they used to have...instead SCANNERS! And with the buzz that their Larkspur location is soon to open (in the former Tower Records location)...things can only get better here. I was able to grab some deals and be "in and out" of this store in under 10 minutes. Something I could NEVER say years ago!! read more

went up there the other day - they have everything well organized and well I n stock and are managing the covid restrictions beautifully. Great experience! read more

This Trader Joe's is the all time worst -- no, no, not for the food, for the parking and crowds. This shopping center doesn't support the amount of traffic that seems to always be overwhelming. In front of the store are parking places clearly marked "COMPACT' but that doesn't stop the overly entitled Marin YUKON or Range Rover drivers from pulling into a spot. I came out of the store with all my groceries and find I have ONCE again been pinned in so tightly a snake couldn't open my door. I go back to the store, and ask the manager to ask the person with the OVERSIZE SUV to please move their car. Well...guess what? Their PA system is still not working. After about 1/2 hour, I just go into crazy lady mode and say VERY loudly "will the owner of a dark grey SUV please move your car?" Now everyone is staring at me and suddenly I feel so stupid. Damn, My stuff is thawing out. After about 15 more minutes a really skinny Asian kid offers to help me. I open the hatch to my car and he literally somersaults through my car and kerplunks into the driver's seat, and backs my car out for me. Is that the nicest thing EVER??? Wow. Big tip for him, but he won't take it and runs away smiling. As I'm pulling out I am still pissed about this SUV on one side of me and an enormous goddamn car on the other. So I leave a note. Hey A--hole!! (I don't normally call people that, but I must say, it felt so good this time) You pinned me in and I've been watching my groceries thaw for 45 minutes so I had to key your car" By now it is almost dark. No, of course I would NEVER key a car, but I said I did and hope that person spent a lot of time with a flashlight looking for where the scratch might be. ha ha jerk. Look where you park next time. Ok, so now about Trader Joes: The veggies are frequently bitter and I hate the pre packs. I just don't need that many of anything. For fresh produce, I prefer Whole Foods across the street. Anything fresh is worth the price at WF because you know what you're getting and you don't find out an hour before you start to make dinner that something is inedible. The raw nuts, olive oil, avacados, unsalted butter, GREAT. Lemons by the bag, what a deal! Good veggie juices, and LOVE that Dr. Bronners minty castile soap. I've even enjoyed teh pre-made salads. The TJ brand bread is just awful. Terrible trick, because it looks and smells great in the store, but eww, just the wrong texture and just not good. Oh yea, and the TJ brand tofu is really really good. I like the silken for miso soup, but it's hard to find. I don't eat sugar but I buy the Belgian Chocolate pudding for a friend who adores it. Oh and speaking of Belgian chocolate... They have Belgian chocolate baking bars priced at $1.00--that is the best deal I've EVER seen. I made a 5 layer chocolate cake with Italian buttercream frosting and wow , that chocolate was really dee-vine. As nice as the Callebaut brand. I've opened so many cans of things like beans that were all stuck together and funky on the bottom, so I don't do anything canned there anymore. I don't particularly like the TJ brand coffee but how how how do they make the samples in those little cups taste so good? If you're in the city which I am most of the time, I go to the one on Bay Street because there is so much parking and it's NEVER crowded. All in all, great prices, slow-ass checkers, but do what everyone else in line seems to do: open a package of something in line and people watch. Oh, and I love to see what other people buy. Ok, last comment, I swear: WHY do they have 2 spots in front marked 10 minute parking? There is no such thing at this store. read more

While I love Trader Joe's...I do not like this location...the parking sucks...plain and simple.

What a surprise, this place is just like all the other Trader Joe's! Except the parking is almost as bad as Whole Foods across the street. I have only been in here a couple of times and now that there is a TJ's in Novato, I will likely not come back. read more

I love trader Joe's products and prices, but what's with the terrible parking at all of their locations?

Great alternative to Whole Foods ( for some items). The prices are soooo much better than WF. I just wish they had more products so I could avoid WF all together. In anycase, I love all the TJ brand products. Try the Super Cee juice...so good! read more

I can honestly tell you I love Trader Joe's, but I will do everything I can not to ever go to this location again. Not because of the store itself but because of the horrible parking no matter what time of day and the incredibly, INCREDIBLY rude, disrespectful and inconsiderate customers. On two occasions I have had someone nearly run me over as I was walking into the store because they were either driving too fast to try and get a parking spot or they just weren't paying attention as they were backing up out of their parking spot. One of those times they not only almost hit me, but the car that was behind them waiting for a spot. Inside the store they aren't much better...blocking aisles while they chat or just stand in the middle looking for something with no regard for other customers trying to get by. Been there several times since we moved to the area recently and unless it is first thing when they open we won't go again. Love you, Trader Joe's, but this location is horrible for parking and the respect and basic courtesy I would respect from other customers. read more

I used to have consistently positive experiences at this store. Last night, the checkout person rang up my items and did not offer to bag my groceries. When I asked her if she would be willing to do it, she said I could do it. This is so unusual for a Trader Joe's store. Also, there were other checkers at other counters without any customers. None of them came over to help this checker by bagging my items. I am really surprised by this quality of customer service since Trader Joe's checkout staff are usually the friendliest staff anywhere. Whole Foods, across the street, was also really good until Amazon took over a couple of years ago. I wonder if there is a severe workforce shortage right now that is making TJ's hire people they wouldn't usually hire. I realize this is a difficult time for everyone especially our essential workers. Hoping this was just a one-off experience at this store. read more

My local TJs. I like TJs because it offers great food stuffs at a decent price. That's why I'll come here instead of the Whole Foods across the street, if I can hack it. Unfortunately, TJs is kind of bad about their sourcing, so I am caught in a little dilemma. Do I afford good food and have a crisis of conscience, or do I blow my whole paycheck at Whole Foods and get a fraction of the food? Truthfully, depends on my mood. TJs sells hard liquor, Whole Foods doesn't, so there's a point (pint) for TJs right there. read more

Wow, the only Trader Joes I know of that is packed even on weekdays ealry in the day, all day every day any time.....this is the place I fell in love with Trader Joe's Party Size Meatballs,sample off the chain...I was checking out and helping the guy by putting my stuff by his register...guy"is this seperate?" me"no" guy again" do you wanna pay seperate?" me "no, I was just trying to help"....why me read more

I love this store. Though the produce does seem to go bad much faster than it should, the prices for everything are so cheap and yet the quality is comparable to the much more expensive whole foods. The one issue I have is the parking in San Rafael. The Montecito Shopping Center is always crowded, which makes finding a spot hard. Other than that, I prefer to shop here. read more

Love TJ's. We have a house in Idaho and I have to buy up before I go so I won't be without my favorite items from there. Many healthy items and prices are always great. read more

I like how the cashiers have to struggle alone at the register and pack a bunch of bags while the guy who should be helping is pacing back and forth for 10 minutes with a box of plastic forks pretending to work. Maybe he could help with bagging? read more

This has the best variety out of all the TJ's in Marin in my opinion. Parking is a huge royal pain in the butt so I'm gonna suggest going the first two hours they are open. Don't go right when all the high school kids get out or on Sundays. I love the produce and the assortment of organic products. Lots of kid friendly snacks for school. I did just notice they stopped carrying my favorite organic corn chips, ten times better than Fritos. Hoping they are back soon. The aisles are narrow so you have to show patients when trying to maneuver. The seasonal holiday foods are usually amazing and the floral department is super cheap. Give our more samples and a better variety of sushi and this place would be golden. read more

Good deals and good groceries. I always find what I need here. Organic is fairly priced. The employees always give awesome advice about products; they are very knowledgable, approachable, and friendly. Store is always clean and stocked. read more

Great place to shop. Easy to park I have been shopping here for more 20 years. I have a customer long before I met Kat. Kat and I shop here often. Great selection of fresh flowers. I often say to Kat okay sweetheart pick out what you want. Last time she picked out tulips and live orchids. read more

My wife while shopping at Trader Joe's had her wallet stolen from her purse. Upon checking out she reached in her Puerto get her wallet and found it gone. The checker said let's leave your full shopping cart on the side and she called me and I rushed down with my card to pay. I came home and started to call our card companies to report a fraud. My wife came home and she said the manager of Trader Joe's said you are so shook up you need something good to happen. He proceeded to bag the groceries and said I'm sorry it happened in our store, take the groceries on us. Wow, customer service like the old days. Thank you Trader Joe's and for all that read this review, please start shopping at the store that puts the customer first, TRADER JOES. read more

Love to shop at Trader Joe's because they are still decent in prices. Love coming over here because their food don't have things that are not supposed to be inside your body. The thing is, they are busy all the time. I have never seen TJ empty. But, I still love TJ because it has my almond and waffle cookies ($2) also my honey greek yogurt! They are yummy!!! Although, I can also find some gross food there that I would never bough again, such organic tomato soup in can... yikes!!! read more

TJ's rocks! I go there once a week at around 8:30 right before they close. At this time there is no line at all. I hate waiting in line, so I never go there during the day or on weekends, it's too crowded. read more

They are pretty good. They are open until 9p.m. just like Whole Foods across the street. Their butter costs more than Whole Foods which is annoying. But, their olive oil is less than Whole Foods (by $.50) and about the same quality. Sometimes I buy things here and they are moldy or bad within just a few days, however, if I mention it to the staff they give me a refund or a new item of the same thing ---- so, I should not complain. I only buy a few things here......but I am happy with what I get. read more

This location is especially good because of the ample parking, and there are several outdoor areas with tables and chairs to take your TJ's lunchables, and eat them in the lovely Marin weather--look to the right and left of the store by several storefronts to find these alcoves. It's Trader Joe's--everything is good. Montecito Plaza is a few blocks from the freeway, so you could hit this store up, going up or down the freeway. read more

YAY!! :) A trader joe's in larkspur (or is it Corte Madera? not sure, it's next to party city anyway)! Just checked it out. It's great! All new and clean, pretty, organized, fabulous. There were samples of mushroom turnovers that day and pomegranate limeade. I ended up buying the mushroom turnovers, but wasn't too fond of the limeade. They also have these adorable mini shopping carts with flags sticking from them that read: "customer in training." It's perfect for little kids or if you aren't buying a lot. read more

My favorite supermarket and reasonably low prices. The staff is friendly and the food is awesome. The parking lot is terrible to no fault of Trader Joe's. read more

I love Trader Joe's, but I cringe when I think about even driving through this parking lot...let's not even mention having to fight for a spot! Once you get through that mess, this store is NOT big enough and the lines, especially at peak hours, are down the isles, making for an annoying shopping experience! It's not fun when you have to wait in line just to grab a product off of the shelf. read more

Not too shabby! Has a decent selection of the regular Indian food I get. Tea selection is awesome! Not enough crumpets for me. I'd like to see then carry more. But the service is always great! Gets 4 stars and not 5 because I always feel like there's some element missing....hmmmm read more

They try to keep the lines moving at the registers. Friendly staff.

Parking is sometimes a problem, but other than that, it's always a nice experience going into this store. The staff are super friendly and the selection is pretty good. I load up at this store, to take a bunch of grocery items to relatives overseas - they love the Dark Chocolate Honey Mints and Almond Thins. The Blue Agave sweetener was a hit, too. read more