Trader Joe's

Utah finally has a Trader Joe's and it's a happenin' place to be.  It may be the place to be in Salt Lake right now.  Yesterday I had some time to kill between doctor's appointments so I decided to go check out the new Trader Joe's.  To summarize my Trader Joe's trip, it was a madhouse.  First, the parking for Trader Joe's is woefully inadequate.  It's in a strip mall with an Ace Hardware and a Staples.  Those businesses have coned off parking stalls for their customers.  The lot was full; people were parking on the street.  Cars followed people leaving the store to their cars and vultured nearby waiting for the car to leave.  I was lucky and went far to the right and found a parking spot.  The store was packed with people.  There was a shopping route that you basically had to follow unless you wanted to be the swimming upstream fish and annoy everyone.  The store seemed miniscule compared other Trader Joe's I've been in; a clerk claims it's the same size as all the other stores, but I'm not convinced.  Maybe it just seemed smaller since it was so crowded.  After following the shopping route (seriously it was like being on a freeway, turn signals and brake lights would have been helpful), I went to the checkout.  The lines were long- 5 or so people deep; the checkers were slow but pleasant.  Finally I walked out the door and was stalked by an Audi that needed a parking place.  I casually made my way over to my car, loaded the groceries, put the cart somewhere safe, then did a 7 point turn about and left. 

My assessment- other than the parking being awful, the store being crowded, the lines long, and the checkers slow, this Trader Joe's is a Trader Joe's.  Same store as Trader Joe's Anywhere, minus the Two Buck Chuck.  Yippee.  The store is going to prove to be extremely successful and it's just a matter of time (minutes?  seconds?) until more Trader Joe's open along the Wasatch Front.

So, what did I buy?  Basmati rice, Gorgonzola crackers, blueberry preserves and blueberry sparkling cider-like drink (for gifts), a couple of frozen Indian dishes, a Thai noodle dinner (I have more to say about that later), animal crackers, Meyer Lemon cookies, meringues, some Ciabatta rolls, arrabiatta sauce, and cookie butter.  Oh, and I sampled chocolate cheddar cheese- yuck.