Ping Nancre, It's Here! Trader Joe's Opened Today

Nancree, Your gift arrived today!!! Trader Joe's opened this morning at nine and I was there. There were hundreds more waiting for the store to open, so I know you will be glad to hear that you made so many happy with your generosity. :o)

The store is fabulous. No wine department, at least not yet, but wonderful fresh foods, some quite unusual. Today being St. Patrick's Day, there was a corner of the store set aside to offer toasted Irish Soda bread slices and coffee, all you wanted, the coffee either regular or decaffeinated, with cream, milk or soy milk. Now that I am back home, I am sorry that I did not buy a loaf. :o(

There were taste samples for many, many things. As a matter of fact, if you asked one of the dozens of employees who were on the floor to help the shoppers, what something was or tasted like, nine times out of ten the person would bring the item, open the package and let the people who were interested taste it.

I tasted bittersweet chocolate covered espresso beans (the best ever), three or four different kinds of cookies, each very, very good, Vegetable chips, fresh and crisp and addictive and too many other things to remember.

My only problem was, that I had to schlepp the purchases back home on the bus and all I had was a small folding shopping bag with wheels. Therefore, I bought a fraction of what I would have liked to buy. Here is the list:

usually pay

half what I pay for Schaller & Weber Wuerstchen, which are the ones I buy

Chocolates and Fudge and such, much less than gourmet shop prices in Manhattan

TJ's 8 fresh Ciabatta rolls for $2.29 the package, instead of 60 cents each at Citarella

TJ's Vegetable chips, 7.5 ounces for $2.49. I do not know how much I would have to pay for them in the super market, as they were always too expensive to consider buying.

Nancree, Thank you, I hope that you have a Trader Joe's near you. I hope that all who read this have access to one, too. Hugs, M