Why I Love Trader Joe's

I just got back from a quick shopping trip to Trader Joe's. We go there frequently, for items such as dried unsalted almonds and $4.99 La Ferme Julien French wine--the bottle with the goat on it. But tonight was an example of the way to do customer service right.

First of all, we found parking near the door. It was an hour before closing, but still, having a decent lot helps. We saw a cute face on a sign selling something (fruit?) on the way in that made us smile. There are lots of great signs at Trader Joe's.

Once inside, there's always a little room to stretch out and a check out a special before tackling the fruit and nuts section. Nice looking bananas meant grabbing a few, and some organic strawberries. We got the almonds we came for.

I exclaimed over a tempting display of cream soda and then turned the corner to find a package marked "Peanut Butter Goodies." These are peanut butter cookies with chocolate and nuts--and the box teases with photos of four phases of assembly. As we admired it, a friendly employee, in his casual TJ T-shirt, shorts and sandals, came up and offered us a sample. "Sure," we said, and he cut open a box and offers us one. YUM! Sold--we took a box.

We found a nice supply of the lemon kitchen soap we like and grabbed one, then got some lemonade for drinking--two kinds--and found the goat wine, neatly set out and ready to grab.

We went towards the registers and were invited right away into a checkout line. The nice young man asked us what we were doing tonight and we told him--and had a pleasant conversation about Buffalo Bill's Brewery--the place we'd had dinner. We discussed favorite beers they make there. TJ sells them in bottles--another future sale made.

I like the store--the old photos on the wall showing views of the famous corner on which TJ stands today. I like the public domain illustrations they use on their shopping bags. I like the music they play there. The last I heard as I left was the Tremeloes.

That's customer service. I assume I'll be back again and again. I always leave feeling better and completely satisfied with my purchases. What more could a business want than that?

Good Beer vs. Just Beer

I like good beer. I don't drink large quantities, so it's always been about quality for me. I like dark color, strong flavors, a creamy head--and it's especially fine if it's poured from the tap.

Favorites include Anchor Steam Beer, a San Francisco craft brew, and various products of the Pyramid Breweries in Berkeley, California. Today, I bought a six-pack of their Hefeweizen at Safeway.

We enjoy going to Buffalo Bill's Brewery in Hayward, California, where you can see the tanks in the back while drinking freshly poured steins of their fine brew and eating some of the best burgers anywhere. I especially go for Alimony Ale (bitter--you think they did that on purpose?). I even have a T-shirt with the Alimony Ale design on it (though I'm happily married).

So, what's the deal with Budweiser? I will drink one (or two) at a ballgame or after mowing the lawn on a hot summer afternoon. But there's really so little flavor in it. I think it's a factor of mass advertising and perhaps that many drinkers have never tasted anything with serious flavor.

I have visited the Anchor Brewery in San Francisco--I remember pools full of beer--with giant waves of foam. I also have toured a Budweiser plant. There were some seriously large aluminum tanks there--and it figures. They produce mass quantities.

Why drink a nice, strong craft beer? I guess it's the same urge that motivates someone to have a six-speed manual transmission in their car. You just get more.

Oh, price? My Pyramid Hefeweizen was $8.99. Bud? $6.99. I was expecting it to cost less. Maybe it's a better deal in the 24-bottle case.