I am happy to See Trader Joe's in Boise. I've visited their store three times prior to writing this review. My first visit was disappointing. Parking will be an ongoing problem, people jostling for spaces and honking horns. Once inside, I couldn't get out of the store fast enough because the music was way too loud and jazzy, an assault on the senses. The store was understandably crowded, having just opened and people wanting to check it out.
Second visit, there were a couple empty parking spots. Inside, I had to endure the loud music once again, but I was determined to see what all they offered. The majority of what they sell is their own privately labeled products which are high quality, appealing, different, and reasonably priced. Plenty of convenient grab and go fresh salads and wraps, frozen prepared dinner entrées, and a wonderful selection of snack chips, trail mixes, and sweet chocolate goodies. Fresh produce is packaged or sold by the "each", not weighed. Anything "USDA Certified Organic" was predominately displayed with green signs, much appreciated.
My third attempt to visit the store with a friend was also discouraging, no parking once so ever at 3:00 pm, cars going around and around looking for spaces. This is going to hurt their business. My friend and I gave up, we went down the road to Winco instead and spent the majority of our food dollars there. On the way back, we stopped by TJ's again, luckily found a spot to park and went inside. I may be getting old in that I find it offensive being subjected to loud, jarring rock & roll music while trying to shop. Janis Joplin's 'Piece Of My Heart' and Sweet's 'Ballroom Blitz' are not conducive to a peaceful grocery shopping environment. The store ambiance was plenty stimulating without the added musical discourse. This third time in, I noticed a lot of employees on the sales floor stocking shelves. Stacks of boxes and handcarts got in the way of shoppers. The store seemed small, shelf and cooler space was inadequate considering the number of different items they carried and the quick turnover of certain key items.
I commend Trader Joe's on their stance towards GMO's/transgenic ingredients , which is my biggest concern when sourcing healthy food. Per their website, "Trader Joe's Products are Sourced from non-GMO Ingredients".
http://www.traderjoes.com/faqs/product-information
Trader Joe's claims that all the ingredients in their private labeled products are non-GMO. A small percent of their private labeled products are "USDA Certified Organic" and bear the "USDA Organic" seal, and by definition are non-GMO. But this is were it gets confusing; on their private labeled products that arn't Organic and are suppose to be made from non-GMO ingredients, they do not label or promote the ingredients as non-GMO, nor do they provide/disclose any documentation/verification or testing results proving that the ingredients are in fact derived from non-GMO sources. Trader Joe's is essentially asking us to blindly trust them.
Why Doesn't Trader Joe's Use GMO Labels?
http://blogs.naturalnews.com/why-doesnt-trader-joes-use-gmo-labels/
This blogger posted, "..I doubt that Trader Joe's knows whether or not its products contain GMO ingredients.. only expensive lab testing and ongoing vigilance can really assure shoppers that they're buying GMO-free. That's not Trader Joe's (penny pinching) style."
http://www.traderjoessecrets.blogspot.com/2012/07/when-is-great-brand-disadvantage.html
With a little research, one can find that founder, Joe Coulombe, sold Trader Joes in 1979 to Karl Albrecht and his brother, Theo Albrecht. According to Forbes, Karl Albrecht at age 94 is currently worth 25 billion dollars and is the 23rd richest man in the world. "The last report concerning Trader Joe's ownership has Theo Albrecht placing the company in a family trust. Now that he (Theo) is dead, to whom the company has passed is a mystery. We don't know who or what owns Trader Joe's."
http://www.lamag.com/features/2011/09/01/enchanted-aisles
Also very disconcerting, "ConAgra did buy Ralcorp, and Ralcorp is one of the primary manufacturers behind the majority of Trader Joe's privately labeled, organic, and GMO-free products. With a projected $18 billion in annual sales, the ConAgra/Ralcorp combination creates a "packaged food behemoth" - second only to Kraft Foods (who currently boasts $19 billion in annual sales). ConAgra donated $1,176,700 to fight California's GMO labeling Proposition 37 - right alongside the "Big Six" GMO crop producers and other major processed food corporations."
http://gmo-awareness.com/2013/02/02/is-trader-joes-organic-gmo-free/
My mother always said, "Where there is confusion, there is a game". Overall, I'll keep going back to Trader Joe's but will stick to buying items labeled "USDA Certified Organic", which I wish there was more of. read more