Grocery Store Experiences
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March 23rd, 2010Trackback from : Butalbital no prescription.
Trader Joe’s sells farm raised fish from China. I don’t see how they can promote an “organic” appearance with this type of junk on their shelves.
Witty: I agree. I do not buy any of their seafood and it’s a shame that they don’t get with it like MOM’s and other natural foods stores have already done. I do like many of their products though and the fact that they also keep their prices low.
Apparently Trader Joe’s is finally implementing sustainable seafood policies: http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/responsible-living/blogs/trader-joes-to-support-sustainable-seafood
I have the same feeling when I go into conventional/mainstream markets- it’s a bit of a culture shock and I suddenly am reminded of how great people who live the eco and organic foods lifestyle are.
btw- I happen to own MOM’s and blog posts like yours mean a lot to me and people at my company.
And one more “btw”- Witty- you are very observant. I think TJ’s is a fantastic company when it comes to ops, model, and branding. However, frankly they should be ashamed of how low little attention they give to sustainable seafood.
Scott: I love your stores. I used to visit your location near College Park when I was in college. Now I live in Columbia, so I visit the Jessup location very often. You have done a great job with your stores and I love the selection, quality products and such a great atmosphere. I have never met an employee at your stores that not been extremely helpful and friendly. I also enjoy the local foods during the summer months. Keep up the great work and hopefully your company has continued success.
I didn’t realize this was close to home, I will be checking out the MOM’s in Alexandria this weekend. Thanks!
My local grocery store has become more and more “natural”. They encourage the bring-your-own-bag thing and they are offering more organic foods. They are a long way from being a natural market, however. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to a local natural store – I have to travel several miles to get to one.
I think that is the major problem with many people. It’s not that they don’t want to go to natural food stores, but more that there is not one close to their homes. If you do want natural foods, probably your best bet would be to wait for a local natural store to come in your area (which may take some time) or order online, which only goes so far. I would also recommend either signing up for either a local CSA or checking to see if a farmer’s market is in your area.
One more tip for those far from natural food stores is the Eat Well Guide. You just type in your zip code and viola! You can see all of your options close by in terms of farmers, stores, and local artisans. There are a few other online guides like Local Harvest or Slow Food that may help connect you directly with the growers.
And for those of you shopping at large establishments and feeling a bit overwhelmed, I recommend the book “the Paradox of Choice.” It speaks about how having a multitude of choices actually makes us less happy and satisfied with the product we walked away with. At co-ops, natural food stores, and family establishments, its is a nice feeling to know that someone has done the picking for you.
Great topic to highlight Patrick!
I have to say, I respectfully disagree with your opinion of coupons. Coupons have saved us hundreds of dollars on organic food, and I’m not talking about processed food either. I’ve found coupons for organic meat, milk, eggs, yogurt, produce, rice, flour, vinegar, cleaning products, organic shampoo, toothpaste, etc. It’s especially helpful during the winter when local options such as the farmers market are scarce. It’s not time consuming at all if you know where to look. If I can save $10 a week with a half hour of my time, well then that’s a pretty good deal! I’ve gotten many inexpensive or even free organic items this way. I’d suggest giving it another try!
I do agree that using them on natural and organic products are great. I use coupons whenever I can on organic/natural products, but I found it difficult to find them as readily available. I just checked out your blog and you seem to have tons of coupons that you are just describing. Like the blog a lot, I just subscribed 🙂
My reference in the article was more to coupons we get with local newspapers. I just always found it tedious when I used to go through coupon books looking for the “national brands” and only find a coupon or two that I actually would use. They also don’t often contain many coupons for eco-friendly or organic products.
Thanks, I subscribed to you too!
I definitely agree with newspaper coupons! It’s pretty rare to get a good coupon from it. The best organic coupons I’ve found are either online printables or mailed to me after contacting the company directly.