Love the people that works there, always smiling, super welcoming and genuinely nice people... keep it up guys! Much love to each n everyone that works in castro valley branch... THE HOODIE's go hard fr. read more

With all the hype around the new tote bags from Trader Joe's, it's disappointing to see how disorganized things are at this location. Customers are excited and willing to buy them because they're trending right now, but the way the situation is being handled is frustrating. Employees keep saying "I'm not sure" about when the bags will be available, which just creates confusion and misinformation. Why not simply put them out when the store opens and let customers purchase them on a first-come, first-served basis? They're limited anyway. The lack of clear communication is causing unnecessary chaos. People are driving from far away hoping to get one, and it's even affecting regular customers who can't find parking because of the crowd. At the end of the day, it's a business and customers are ready to buy -- there's no need to gatekeep a product. A little organization and transparency would make a huge difference for everyone. read more

Trader Joe's is a great place to shop for produce, frozen items and prepared foods. I love that they have fresh flowers every day as well as pizza dough when I do not want to make it from scratch. Customer service is always on point and there is always someone available to help me find specific items. I also like that they tend to have a lot of checkers so even if there are lines, the wait is usually pretty short. One star off for the parking lot. It pushes me down the street sometimes to a less desirable grocery store because I'm not trying to catch a case for someone with parking lot road rage. I'm not sure what the fix is but it seems to be a theme with the company. If they are trying to cause a sense of exclusivity, limiting parking is not the way. Hot tip: They have seasonal items- my fav is the dill pickle mustard. That's right, those two flavors are perfectly melded together in to one condiment. If you see me squirreling the bottles away at the end of the season, just know that I will use it all up and be ready for the next season! read more

Trader Joe's is always a good place to go. They never disappoint. The staff is very helpful when you're trying to find items, and if something isn't available, they'll let you know right away. The food is always fresh, especially the organic vegetables and fruits. I love their mangoes, cherries, cookies, ice cream, plants, and flowers. Try to go in the morning because it gets packed later in the day. Parking can be hard to find, but with a little patience, things work out. read more

Love the grocery hauls at TJ Everything is fresh and reasonable Staff are friendly Love the freshly foods and flowers. They always have something for everyone. Glad they have the strawberry soufflé available. So light and delicious read more

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Love that they have frozen Indian food that I can stock in my freezer for when the craving hits and I don't want to go outside to a restaurant. The serving sizes are also perfect for taking for lunch. Particular favorites are Chicken Tikka Masala, Vindaloo, Garlic naan (not the perfect texture, but in a pinch :)) and Butter Chicken. They have a slew of products that I won't list, but good quality food for decent products. I do miss the chocolate covered orange and raspberry they used to have, but their dark chocolate peanut butter cups are 2nd best. Here's What I Think...I'll be back next week to try the Pumpkin dog treats if the ingredients are safe for my pooches. read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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4/13/25 - Had an amazing tiramisu from ZoZo's in Reno, and my daughter and I decided to make one! See other review. And she volunteered her expensive good dark rum! I'm so excited! Quality/Quantity - 4/18/25 - Today is Good Friday. Rushed over here before they closed. The employees were working hard to restock the store for tomorrow's business, which was crazy busy today. Unfortunately for me, they did not have 2 of the 3 items I needed... So I was only able to get the cocoa powder. Walmart (another failure, and also crazy busy) and Safeway, here I come. 4/20/25 - Happy Easter everyone, see my pictures for our TJ Easter brunch. :) Atmosphere - Love the local art, see pictures. Plenty of parking, but again, it was crazy busy today 4/18 and on Easter Sunday 4/20. Open 7 days a week from 8am to 9pm. Service - Self service, checkout has always been smooth and easy. Price - $4 for my cocoa powder + whatever my wife bought. I did not even look. $25ish for all my Easter brunch ingredients. Plus we got empanadas ($45) from next door Pampas; see other Yelp review. Owner Comment - Congrats on your company's success since 1967 (1958 if you count Pronto Markets). 1979 - Sold to Theo Albrecht, owner of Aldi Nord. 2024 - 569 stores. read more

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This review is for the people that shop here Like CHILL OUT omg I don't think I'll come back to this location because it's so small and the type of shopping culture here it's low key insane Chill out !! It's not a race ( or if it is let me know so I can be prepared) There is no common sense or shopping courtesy People are running around on a THURSDAY @ 6pm for no reason read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - Castro Valley, California

This review is for the interactions during our grocery trip. Jules- stationed to assist customers while the refrigerator was out of service. He helped me with coffee creamer, incredible customer service skills. Jules- helped my husband look in the back for habanero sauce- which was out on the shelf. He found the habanero sauce and also recommended getting Birds Eye chili sauce (which we picked up) Jules demeanor and mannerism is very unique and top tier. Kalid- assisted with check out, fast, efficient, overall great service and so kind! Larry- as we were putting away our cart, he said thank you so much and acknowledge our deed of doing what all should do- return cart. Jules, Kalid, and Larry exhibit excellence and is the definition of why Trader Joe's is the top of its class. I applaud these people for being upstanding and incredible people. Thank you for making me believe in hardworking and kind people. Store is very clean and organized. read more

I am loyal toTrader Joe's! I am in this location no less than twice a month, I have been going to this location for over 10 years and I have never had an issue with the service or cashiers suprisingly. NOW, they have one of the worst parking lots out of any Trader Joe's I have ever been to, it is almost ALWAYS busy here, and I work nights, so I typically am here before lunch time, I can't imagine being here in the afternoon. They do sell out of things quite quickly and I have asked multiple times "When is your shipment days?" but always forget. But I always leave with something good. If you can visit another location, you're better off because of the parking lot madness and crowd because its a small location, but if this is all you got, just be patient. read more

This place is horrible, why do they hoard the viral mini totes. I was their this week to buy the totes and I bought them, and I call and told one of my friends. She literally told me that she was just there and they told her they were not gonna have any. My sister went to purchase some as well and they were standing in line to buy them and one of the workers told them don't even bother and make a line because we're not going to have them leave because if you come and purchase some, I know your faces . That's really rude. And then my daughter went today to go purchase them and they told her that they were not gonna have any so she had to drive all the way to San Ramon to purchase hers and on her way back she drove by the Castro Valley one and she saw people walking out with them. I understand the frustration they get because of the viral totes. read more

I love Trader Joe's, it's so affordable and most of the food are all good quality/healthy. The staff here are so sweet the only thing is the parking situation is madness. I had to take off a star for the parking, the store is located on a corner of a street and the lot is so crammed with limited spots. Every single time I've been here I've been waiting for a spot besides that everything read more

Their quality of poultry is horrible. I found parasites in my salmon weeks ago and yesterday, I made chicken breast from there and it was not good quality at all. Everything else about the store is fine but the meat is subpar. The people are really nice and personable and the store is always clean and organized. read more

Unfortunately I don't often have a good experience at this Trader Joe's. On several occasions, people have entered this location with pet dogs they pretend are service animals. They are evidently pets, as they often are pulling on the leash, barking at my REAL service dog, trying to smell or take food out of the shelves. I have never seen the staff kick these people out. They have not been trained to ask the "two questions" (the two legal questions a business should ask about any dog entering a no-dogs-allowed establishment: is that a service dog? What task is it trained to perform). I've asked them to enforce it several times as it puts my life at risk to have dogs so close by my service dog who may interfere with his tasking. They are apathetic at best. I was also told once by a staffer there that the managers explicitly told them not to enforce the no pets rule because it's too much of a hassle. This particular location also doesn't put out seasonal items at the same time as other locations. They wait until the official first day of the season-- so we get pumpkin items fairly late into the fall season, we only get Halloween items a few weeks before Halloween, etc. It's not the worst Trader Joe's but it's certainly not the best either. read more

Love love love that there's a Trader Joe's close to my home, healthy and inexpensive, also they have gorgeous houseplants ( I'm a plant mommy) I remember when the only thing on Redwood Road was a small Safeway , freeway offramps and a little further down a gas station across from either jack in the box or Burger King and it was considered part of Hayward back then. This Trader Joe's has an awesome selection and I love it so much read more

I'm so upset TJ got rid of the 15 items or less registers. Basket line only is what they called it. Now you're forced to wait in line behind other customers with carts full of groceries while you only have a few items. I don't know who was genius that approved this. Imagine how long you'll have to wait in line during the fast approaching two month holidays November and December. read more

We love TJ and wish there is a location within walking distance. We shop at TJ on a weekly basis and always very pleased with their selections and attentive services. Our favorite grocery store for sure! read more

Trader Joe's is an enjoyable experience no matter which location I go to. They do a good job hiring friendly people. Even the shoppers are in a good mood. This location was pretty busy. Parking lot is good sized so was able to find a spot. I would come here again but I think the TJ's near me is a little less crowded probably because we have three TJs in the vicinity. read more

4-4-26 went to Trader Joes to buy some items. No parking in lot as usual even at 8am. Store was busy with it's crazy arranged aisles with rude customers bumping into people with there carts, pushing in front, etc. On check out, bought 7 items, but June G. charged me for 9 items due to her fingers counting one item 3 times on receipt 23447 at 8:20am though there was only one item. Unfortunately I didn't noticed her mistake till I got home. read more

Trader Joe's has a creative way to promote their products within their store. I love how they design their signage and their pricing is generally reasonable for quality goods compared to other grocery stores. Located in Castro Valley, you're sure to find it's parking lot packed on weeknights with the after-work crowd and weekends for families making their shopping runs. Be patient when waiting for a parking space because there is no street parking. This location is a bit smaller than other TJ's, but it's the closest one to service the East Bay. Lately there's been viral videos about specific TJ products such as the Kimbap (12 piece Korean maki sushi roll - $3.99) and the mini chocolate chip croissant swirls (8 pieces - $3.99), both are available at this location if you're on a mission to find them! I picked them up recently when they were restocking on a Friday evening. They limit the Kimbap to two per customer. A few things to note if you're still questioning whether to visit this location - the staff are helpful and friendly and generally operate quickly at the check-out counters. Sometimes TJ's has samples - come by and check it out :) Happy shopping! read more

Trader Joe's - The viral chocolate chip croissant swirls are available ($3.99) for 8 pieces - 4/2024 - Grocery Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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I've always had nothing but great experiences at Trader Joe's, but I wanted to share a recent visit that stood out to me in a negative way. I interacted with a crew member it started with a L , and unfortunately the experience left me feeling uncomfortable and inadequate when I was just asking for help. It came across as though he was disengaged and more focused on himself than on assisting customers. I don't know if he was just having an off day, but his overall demeanor gave the impression that he wasn't fully present or professional in the moment Trader Joe's is usually known for its friendly, upbeat team, which is why this felt so out of place. I truly hope this feedback helps, because I know how great the staff usually are, and I'd love to continue having the positive experiences I've always appreciated read more

So disappointed- bought a half gallon of milk yesterday and this morning when my kid wanted cereal the milk had a huge lump of crud on top- and it's nasty- I should've been a bit more conscious considering the store itself was a disaster. read more

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I enjoy going to Trader Joe's. I mean doesn't everyone?! It always has such yummy out of the ordinary snacks, quick meals, sweet treats, flowers, good wine, cute packaging and such friendly employees. This location's parking is why I gave it one less star. Mondays are a nightmare...don't say I didn't warn you. read more

Parking lot is a disaster. Although I haven't met a Trader Joe's parking lot that isn't a disaster. A little crowded inside but lots of interesting snacks my kiddo was willing to try. The best part was our cashier who handed out stickers had a positive attitude and overall just made the whole experience. read more

Trader Joe's - $200 later - Grocery Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Long time customer who shops an TJ's several times a week. Today I had an assistant manager named Liam and two other employees chase me out of the store circle around me and request for me to produce a receipt for two bottles of wine I had purchased. Can't believe I was accused of shoplifting! I am beyond embarrassed and upset. Especially considering all the times I shop at this establishment read more

Trader Joe's - Wine accused of stealing + receipt showing purchase - Grocery Near Me - Castro Valley, California

Y'all stop sleeping on TJ's. They are very affordable despite the contrary. People keep telling me they're expensive when I shop here personally and know otherwise. Plus they have unique finds. The staff are always helpful. I love they are allergy friendly for me but within a fair price range, not absorbent. I made a mad dash before closing so I would have ingredients for grilled cheese to go along with my homemade tomato basil bisque I'm making tomorrow. They have very fresh, aromatic basil. TJ's please expand. I need closer locations. Please and thank you. read more

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This is my favorite spot to get groceries. The store is clean, staff are friendly and checkout is fast. They have vegetables/fruits/and various kinds of drinks. The frozen section has many meal options and chocolate pastries. I love baking so they have healthy baking options(gluten free/dairy free). If you are into planting, you can buy thyme, basil, rosemary , mint and oregano for your garden. It's more affordable than Safeway. read more

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Workers in this place are horrible and rude ! They be re stocking almost knocking people down and they don't even say excuse me or anything

Greta selection of affordable groceries. Friendly service. Cool and casual atmosphere.

There are a lot of variety of snacks here that other supermarkets don't have. The store and parking lot can be crowded during peak hours though. read more

This store and company is irresponsible. My mom fell because of their huge parking curbs. They did not care. She broke her tooth and was badly injured. A fellow customer had to call me to come to her aid. No one from the store attended to her. Now their shady insurance refuses to pay for her dental bills. All caused by their dangerous parking lot. Do not patronize a company that does not care about the welfare of their older customers. Boycott Trader Joe's go to sprouts. A way better grocery store. They are arrogant and unfriendly. They encourage bad behavior from their staff Beware read more

I am a fan of TJ's and am happy that there is one located in CV. Their price points are great and the products are always fun to try - enticing to try new products just by their packaging. I've found that on certain occasions, I was unable to find what I was initially going there to get which left me kind of disappointed. I do wish this one was bigger in size. Its one of the smaller ones I've shopped at (I am used to small though - my usual local ones were in South Pasadena and Pasadena). I've definitely seen larger ones though (Culver City, El Segundo). Parking can become difficult here, but I usually have been lucky at getting a spot. Sometimes the paths can be tight though when you're trying to back out and leave. read more

The fruit and vegetables are always fresh. Good healthy choices. Especially for snacks and dinners.

TJ's is a wonderful grocery store. TJ's is my go to grocery store because the whole store is reasonably priced. Today I went in for waffles and came out with my weeks worth of groceries for less than $40. They don't carry everything and there are times where I have to go to a big box grocer to get somethings but 90% of things I can grab from TJ's. The staff always seem like they are enjoying their work and are super friendly which makes you want to return. The store is small and there are more staff per square foot than a larger grocer which makes it easy to find someone to help you with locating an item. If you've never been would recommend. read more

Trader Joe's - Exterior - Grocery Near Me - Castro Valley, California

June G at the register is a slow and petty kimbap warrior. Came with my cousins after lunch to all get kimbap and more. We all know it's 2 per household but we went together in one car to save gas. June takes 10 minutes to ring up one cart ahead of us. Several carts have abandoned their spot behind us and already left the building by the time kimbap warrior made it to us. One cousin goes first, grabs her 2 kimbap from the cart, and gets her kimbap no problem. Now she gets to us and picks up all 4 kimbap stating we can only get two. First of all, all six were in the cart but we were doing separate transactions because separate households. But she assumes we are together even after I tell her we are cousins. Then I told her what is the difference between doing separate transactions and she again refuses saying people have LOST THEIR JOBS because they didn't abide by the 2 per household policy. If that's the case junie, then you should lose your job because you just let one cousin get two and another get two and "clearly" we are the "same household". She continues to give me hella passive aggression and threatening to grab her manager after I've already let it go because this kimbap warrior is already in the zone. Junie baby, get faster and smarter hunny. read more

Trader Joe's is always a good choice no matter which one. The ambiance and service is always great.

Always clean. Always organized. Lots of selection. Kids go here for their snack selections and I come for my trail mix, on top of other household needs. Staff is always professional and friendly and kids enjoy the conversations they get from staff. Parking is a challenge but not as much of an issue on certain hours of the day. Best to be strategic on when to do the shopping. read more

Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - Castro Valley, California

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Never again. I've always been a big fan of Trader Joe's--from their fresh produce to their convenient ready-to-go items--but this experience was different. I decided to try something new from their frozen food section: the mini cheeseburgers. I followed the cooking instructions exactly, but about two hours later, I became sick and was unwell for two days. That day, I ate my usual meals, with the mini cheeseburgers being the only new addition. I'm not sure if it was a bad batch or if the cooking instructions were off, but I wouldn't recommend them. If you do try them, make sure you have some Imodium and plenty of Liquid IV on hand. One star for the food product. read more

Trader Joe's - Frozen mini cheeseburgers - Trader Joe's - Grocery Near Me - Castro Valley, California

The staff are always very friendly and helpful! Since the pandemic, there's been a long line getting into TJs but it doesn't usually take more than 15-20 minutes. It has been a lot better the last few months. They spray down the carts and shopping basket, have the 6 ft social distance marking on the ground, required to wear face mask and limited the amount of people in the store. The line seems long but it's just spaced out to keep customers safe. They didn't allow customers to bring their own reusable shopping bags and gave complimentary bags. It has recently changed and they started charging for bags. A few of my favorite items: Roasted garlic and Sriracha BBQ sauce (must try!!) Mandarin chicken Kung pao chicken Mango Mango gummy candy Brioche bread Unbleached all purpose flour Baking soda Bittersweet chocolate (great for baking) Dark chocolate chunks (i believe these are newly added) Dried cranberries Dried mangos Organic arugula Roasted frozen corn Mango sorbet Ube mochi waffle (only had for a limited time this summer) Condensed milk (seasonal item) read more

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Im gonna go ahead and give this place 5 stars because while I'm sure they can improve in one area or another, they're always consistent and on point when I'm here, which is at least a couple of times a week. They always have full shelves and are willing to go to the back and grab whatever you need. Tonight I went looking for something specific based on my friend Cheryl M's review. I have been wanting to try Kunefe for a while now and thanks to her review I am going to try it out tonight. In the "spirit" of tomorrow being the first day of fall, I wanted to pick up some fall kinda treats.. I got Maple Leaf cookies, Pumpkin Bread Mix, and Cinnamon Streusel Coffee Cake Mix! Im happy to say all of their fall products are in! Well, except the eggnog. I need that in my life if we're being honest. I seriously love this TJ location. But honestly, whats not to love?! ...them damn long lines!! But other than that - they're pretty awesome! read more

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