I Went to Trader Joe’s For The First Time With a Fanatic, and Now I’m a Fanatic Too

You saw the title of this blog, and you’re thinking one of two things right now –

Person 1: OMG I love TJs too! It’s amazing!!

Person 2: I really don’t understand the hype. It’s a GROCERY STORE.

Well, this is the story of how I turned from person 2 to person 1 within hours, thanks to my dear friend Samantha. (And yes, I now lovingly call it TJs, like all the cool people.)

How this trip came to be: Samantha is obsessed with TJs and was telling me how one was opening in Tulsa and how excited she was. I’d never been, and her birthday was coming up, so I decided my birthday present to her would be to take her on a road trip to Tulsa for the day so we could go. Some people thought this was weird to drive 2 hours solely for a grocery store, but it’s me and Samantha – the same people who took a day off of work solely to have a Stars Hollow Staycation aka Gilmore Girls marathon.

The week before our trip, Samantha sent me a text with her TJs list. My jaw literally fell to the floor. It had 49 things listed. Not just things she’d purchased before, but also things from TJ “best-of” lists. I responded with my list:

This was one thing I did know about Trader Joe’s – Two-Buck Chuck ($2 wine!). I couldn’t wait to buy a case for only $24 purely to keep my wine rack full. Come to find out, due to some crazy Oklahoma laws, they don’t even sell it in this store. Needless to say, I was devastated. However, we continued on and made the journey to Tulsa.

You guys. This store is a GOLD MINE. There are so many unique finds here and for so cheap!! Case in point, Samantha had read about pickle flavored popcorn. Sounds weird/most likely disgusting, right? Well, we get in the store and it’s proudly displayed on an endcap for only $1.99. One dollar, and ninety-nine cents. So obviously, I had to try it, right?! Let me tell you – if you like pickles, and you like popcorn, you will love this stuff!!

{Yes, we took a selfie with the popcorn}

Other items purchased include: Scandinavian Swimmers, Frozen Macarons, Pear Champagne Dressing, Brownie Bites with Sea Salt, Porcini Mushroom Pasta, Dried Mango, Fancy Almonds, Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups, Burrata and Prosciutto Pizza …. the list goes on.

We spent an hour and a half in the store, spent way more money than both of us were anticipating, and filled my Mini Cooper to the brim (including two coolers in my trunk).

And we had so much fun! Seriously. I was pretty much a convert when I stepped in the door, but it certainly didn’t hurt to have a fanatical friend show me all the exciting finds and to peruse the store with in search of new finds.

{before and after}