Annapolis Trader Joe's

I wasn't feeling 100% this morning so I decided to do some fun things on my to do list. One of those was check out the Annapolis Trader Joes. I'd heard some where that the Annapolis one was bigger and I wanted to see if it was true. The small size and the tight parking at the Silver Spring Trader Joes were serious turn-offs. To my delight, what I heard about the Annapolis Trader Joes was true. While it won't compare in size to your regular supermarket, it was larger than the Silver Spring store. The Annapolis store also had better parking and a more convenient location. It's only a block from the Annapolis Mall. The store had a larger selection of produce though it isn't close to equaling the produce you can find in a regular supermarket. It does have a good selection of low fat snacks and frozen prepared meals. If you hate cooking, this store will ensure you eat well and right. They also offer natural soda pop and a good selection of spring and mineral waters. They offer a large selection of organic products. It appears that one of Trader Joes niches is in organic products. Their stores are a good place to find a good selection of such products. The bakery section had a nice selection of breads and cakes but you won't find any donuts or pastries. Another plus in terms of baking was that the store carried a good selection of bread mixes. Lastly, the store's staff were very attentive. By the time I got in line to pay for my items, a number of the lines were getting long. One of the store's staff promptly called for all cashiers to come to the front. This resulted in shorter wait times and I'm sure their customers appreciated it.

Overall, I thought the Annapolis Trader Joes was a lot better than the Silver Spring store. I thought it had a better selection of merchandise and was more convenient. The staff was just attentive at the Annapolis store as it was at the Silver Spring store. The store offered a good selection of Trader Joes own brand products. I tried some of their multi-grain crackers and found them fair taste wise. However, if you're counting your calories, you'll like the fact that they put them in 100 calorie bags in the box. They also offer products without all the chemicals we see in some of today's processed food. I was able to buy some beef jerky without Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). MSG is one chemical I hate as it had negative effects on my body. It's very annoying that it is used in so many processed foods. You will pay more for some items at Trader Joes but the flip side is that it is better for you. I bought a bag of their rice sembei crackers. Unlike other rice crackers, these were baked which cut down the amount of saturated fat they'd have in them. I was able to buy a six-pack of Hansen's natural Root Beer. Their root beer doesn't have any caffeine, sodium or preservatives. Trader Joes won't meet all your grocery needs but it does offer healthier foods at fair prices. They're a great place to pick-up a frozen ready prepared meal or healthy snacks for a party. Their website is located at http://www.traderjoes.com. You can use their website to find out if there is a Trader Joes close to you. If not, you might want to keep an eye on their website. Trader Joes is a growing chain and it might not be long before one comes to your part of town.