Being an ex-Californian myself, I was initially a big fan of the new Cary Trader Joe's. Quirky brands, surfer ambience, low priced organics make for a hip business model. However, after numerous negative experiences with questionable food quality, our family no longer shops there. It began innocently enough with a few bags of putrid fruit, quickly returned. Next came problems with chicken and beef being spoiled right out of the package. Then the wheat bread that came packed with a load of fungus gnats, which turned our house into the Amityville horror. The final straw came in the form of T.J.'s Organic Cereal Bars. Our entire family of four became so sick after eating them that it knocked us out of comission for two days. Headache, nausea and throwing up are never fun in the best of circumstances, but what really burned us was the store management's indifference to our plight. We even wrote corporate in California. We were likewide brushed off, albeit in a hipper fashion. We have since discovered our experience is not unique. To reiterate, these problems only cropped up after shopping there for months, so there's no way to know whether these problems stem from poor quality control or contamination at the suppliers, most of whom are overseas. Proceed at your own risk.
Pros: Ambience, wine selection
Cons: Questionable food quality, ambivalent customer service
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