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March 2024 by James A.
The Original! You have to stop-in just to be able to see that. We love Trader Joe's, and will stop in any chance we get. Parking is a bit hard, and we ended up finding spots in the alley behind the store (we knew it was OK since a sign proclaiming it was only for TJ customer was prominent). That being said, it would be really difficult to bring a shopping cart to that area so would recommend parking there only if you can hand carry it. As for the store itself, it tended to be on the smaller side, but seemed to have all the necessary essentials and the checkout line was very short. We were going to be in (South) Pasadena late, so we couldn't buy anything that would perish without refrigeration.We picked up our favorite (elote seasoning), and will try two things that I haven't tried before (peri peri sauce and red wine vinegar). We were also looking for pizza sauce, but the only one sold is the fresh, needs-refrigeration type (very close to the fresh pizza dough, which is very good btw). As usual, prices are low and the associates were all kind and helpful.
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March 2024 by Sarah S.
You all should know by now the fastest way to my heart is to compliment me. A guy working here did just that and so five stars for this Trader Joe's! Review done. Lol just kidding. Kinda. Now, this is the OG Trader Joe's location. If you ever wondered what the first Trader Joe's was like, here you go. Right here in Pasadena, we have the original, albeit quite possibly the smallest Trader Joe's of all time ... with what I would imagine to be the smallest Trader Joe's parking lot of all time. Quite possibly the smallest parking lot for any grocery store ever of all time? I went in for a few items, and even though this location isn't huge, they had everything I needed so no big complaints. Also, with the aforementioned parking, I was able to snag the first spot so I didn't have to deal with a lot of the maneuvering issues that everyone else in the parking lot had to. This isn't going to be my go-to TJs but it's just so darn convenient when I'm in the town of rose bowls! I'm sure I'll be back.
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March 2024 by Novia E.
This is just right across where I live so I always always come here whenever I need something or if I need to do grocery last minute. The staff always greet me with a smile and they always make sure I was full filled during my shopping trip. They have a good selection of items and new items. They always keep updated with that. Too bad that every time I come too late and some famous items are always already gone.
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February 2024 by Luke L.
This is the original and first ever Trader Joe's (opened in 1967) so I just had to pay a visit. Now is there anything special about this flagship store? Not really - in fact I probably prefer visiting other Trader Joe's locations for one simple reason: parking lot here is small with tight spaces. While I did notice this location has slightly more unique options (e.g. Instant Boba Kit) comparing with other locations, I would rather visit the one in Huntington Dr/San Gabriel Blvd. In general I love Trader Joe's, but treat this location as your average Trader Joe's with (1) the wall art to pay tribute on being the first store and (2) awful parking lot. P.S. - Didn't realize Trader joe's is owned by Aldi until now.
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February 2024 by Namir K.
The personnel is very nice , professional and courteous. But that's not where the problem resides: My issue is that a lot of items don't last as long as others bought elsewhere. Maybe I don't store them properly but let's take the pita bread: First, It is difficult to create a pocket as most sides are stuck so forget making sandwiches. They don't age well either. The vegetables don't last long when kept in the fridge. Maybe it's the fact that they are prepackaged in plastic for some. The basil is the best example: 2-3 days max when bought in the box. One can argue that the prices are less than elsewhere but for the apples for example are sold by the unit and there is no scale to get an idea of the price per pound. Of course, there are many good items like the hard cheeses and maybe, I caught a bad day or a bad batch. I wonder if I am the only one with this experience? I will try again and maybe update my review.
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February 2024 by Patrycja Rzepka
A great store with an interesting range of goods.
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January 2024 by Arvin Lloyd A.
Good selections. Parking is really tight and should really be one way only to prevent blockage. It's impossible to get out once you have multiple people coming in and out with no space to move.
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January 2024 by Linh Y.
This past weekend I was out with my daughters in Pasadena. We hit a few places and Trader Joe's was one of them. I did not know this TJ is the original original TJ. It was built in 1967... older than me by the chinny chin chin of X number of years LOL. Even though this TJ is 57 years old, it looks really good inside. Very bright and clean... just well maintained all around. Very well stocked in inventory. Love the wall art! I strolled around the store, took pictures along the way, and picked up some of my favorite items (TJ sparkling water, aloe vera juice, banana chips, corn chips, salsa) and some newly found items (peanut butter pretzel, spicy tempura seaweed snack) as well. I'm always up for new and exciting eats and drinks. Staff was fabulous and a joy to connect with for the moment... thank you sir for thinking outside the box in helping me pack my items... you know who you are! He made it very easy for me to transport the 15 TJ water from my cart to my car trunk. I enjoyed my visit very much. I even took some selfies with the beautiful art wall LOL. The only down side was the parking. It was really really tight. Not too many parking spots. I was lucky and got a spot upon arrival. Thank you TJ for the experience!
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January 2024 by Delilah D.
Yelp asked me if I recommend Trader Joe's? Such a great question...I mean who doesn't recommend Tj s. It's the most hyped, holy grail, if Trader Joe's sells it I buy it store. I love that I don't have too many options, but just 1 type. I don't need 4 brands of soy sauce. One is perf. Staff is always lovely and they have the best snacks. The freezer section? Total gem. Flower section is always perfection. Love 10/10
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December 2023 by Patrick N.
Honestly just wanted to post this review because of the amazing shot I had of this Winter Peonies as well as the nice lady who pointed me to where the peonies were at since I have no clue about flowers. The Peonies are to the right of the store when you walk in. There should be a section full of tubs filled with bouquet of flowers for $8-$13. I called in beforehand to confirm they had the peonies because the first store I called did have them! All of the bouquets of peonies only had 1-3 peonies that were fully bloomed and the rest were still in their bud form. Surprisingly parking was easy even though the parking lot was tiny!
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December 2023 by Jay Ammon
I hadn't shopped at a Trader Joe's in a fairly long time, for the most part, over the past couple handfuls of years, although it was my college years' favorite for gourmet choices and natural foods and drinks. This time around, I became compelled to visit a local Trader Joe's, on account of that I'd spotted and picked up a smashed bottle of Trader Joe's Super Lemon spritzer fragrance spray, right on the tails of having set aside much of my monthly cash budget for a fine men's fragrance, Dior Sauvage Elixir, which I'd had a 10 mL sample of, previously, and, at that point, I was also modestly capably invested in both men's and women's fragrances, by Dior, as well as some of Hermes' "eaux des" (light, or citrus specialty varieties, etc) - in this case, it was Eau d'Orange Verte, so I had layers available of rich, dynamic, and men's and or women's fine fragrance, for either gender choice, with Sauvage Elixir being a gift, included with a department store-purchased fragrance. Once I learned that the product is only $1.99, for having had a delightful lemony character to it (I felt), as for my initial impression of the Lemon Myrtle and Spearmint room spray. I felt that the product could potentially suit my venture back in to Sauvage Elixir, perhaps as a fragrance base starting point, although, for having purchased a fresh, new Super Lemon spray, I find that a more traditional and elegantly fancy sort of spray, such as Dior Homme, or Dior Absolutely Blooming, out of their ladies' floral-themed Miss Dior collection, both of which smelled impressively great, in layers including a rich Hermes' Eaux Des (Fruites), etc., such as Eau De Citron Noir, which had been my first venture in yo Hermes' fragrances, and which I had, as a more upscale and refined "lemony" fragrance and effect - somewhat had established as one of the laundry list items, within a fragrance layering profile, for a rich and well-resourced scent to wear. Super Lemon falls short, (hah), I'd suppose, I must say, as that Lemon Myrtle and Spearmint oils are the sole fragrance components of Super Lemon spray, and, as chefs and foodies would relate, minty things, thrown in to close proximity with other ingredients or items, especially within a closed space of air, impart that minty effect on to the other items, quite easily, with a generally undesirable effect being the result. That being said, I sprayed the stuff, out in the open, and upon myself, along with Dior Sauvage, to try out the fragrance profile, and it seemed as though lemony minty effects, upon all things, within this open space, smelled like Super Lemon room spray, for a good long while. It's alright, overall, I guess.
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December 2023 by Hadi Albouni
I have no clue what’s happened to Trader Joe’s staff but after returning from an extended out of town tour for work I’ve decided to pay them a visit. The service is atrocious and staff was very rude. Ate me up while I had a smile. I’ve tried to lighten up the mood and said happy holidays but met with absolute dead silence and even a bigger attitude.I regret this visit as it’s destroyed a perfect month for me. Should’ve spent my money elsewhere because I’ve never gotten such terrible service from a market before.Never returning, even though I used to shop here daily - the headache for me is not worth it. Thanks because you’ve saved me future bad visits.Edit: the male staff was spiteful to another degree. Made me feel very uncomfortable to be in there. The female staff is actually sweet and very kind/helpful.I have the slightest clue how they’re still there if that’s how they always carry such attitude, or maybe TJ’s has changed and that’s how they lead their business. Either way, I don’t want no part of such mannerism.
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December 2023 by Damien Younger
Always a cozy smaller market store with great quality stock. Mix of culture flows through Joe's place, whichever branch I visit.I often find what I am looking for, and also a few items I didn't know I wanted to try out. I cannot say it's as expansive as any larger supermarket chain, but it's quality products and the consistently attentive service make Trader Joe's a goto place.Admittedly, parking is almost always a crunch, but I just seem to want to go when everyone else does... meaning, I went once when I had some down time, and found easy parking.Trader Joe's is one of my goto markets for nice specialty items and good quality.
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December 2023 by Lili Ca
I live all Trader Joes. Good product, good prices and very nice CS. Just important mention: take care of the expiration date of meats sand veggies. I'd to return my meat purchase twice when I open my lamb package and the odor was terrible. Then I realized that it was expired several days ago. Can't understand.
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November 2023 by keith eichenauer
Trader Joe’s. What can you say. Great products. Even better service. Can’t hold the parking against the business. The store WAS built in the ‘60’s. So be real folks. Nobody in LA has ample spacious parking. So just enjoy the experience once you get inside.
