A Bone To Pick with Trader Joe’s
Friday, February 6, 2009 14:27
I’m grumpy. Why? Because I got an untried product out of my freezer today that I’d recently purchased from Trader Joe’s and I feel really cheated.
I’d spotted a nice fat box in the freezer – two crustless Bacon & Feta quiches. Sounds great, right? Two of them. Perfect for a nice lunch for me and my guy.
Wrong!
Imagine my dismay when I unpacked the voluminous-looking 5 by 5 by 2 & ¼ inch deep box to extract two microscopic little quiches, each 3 ½ inches (round) by barely an inch deep!
That’s a teaspoon next to them in the photo, by the way, to give you an idea of scale.
Pathetic. Major disappointment.
Of course, I really should write them a letter. I will. I just wanted to vent about it here, and ask you guys out there in foodie land if any of you have had similar experiences?
Actually, I’ve been meaning to write to Trader Joe’s about their less-than-adequate frozen puff pastry.
It’s a decent product. It’s made with butter. It does the job – barely. I mean, it doesn’t even fully line my 9 inch quiche dish. Meaning the small dish I use when making quiche. Forget about the larger one I have.
Okay, it’s not the end of the world if the pastry doesn’t come all the way up the sides, and there are two sheets in there, so I guess I could use 1 & ½ sheets and use the other half sheet for something else. I guess…
But I resent the false advertising. The box for that pastry is a good 2 inches bigger than the product within.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Of course, I know this now, but – again – it was very disappointing the first time I opened that box.
Much like today.
Your thoughts?
By MaxMillion (see more of her posts). Max Million is the nom de 'net of Pauline Adamek. Born in Sydney, Australia, Pauline has lived in Los Angeles for the past thirteen years and finds it agrees with her. She has been reviewing films and filing celebrity-based interview articles since 1991, and has filed stories from various international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. She completed a family cookbook and has also written novels for 8-12 year olds. She is the creator and host of ArtsBeatLA.
Louise says:
February 6th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I hate deceptive packaging like that! I’d be ticked off too if I was ready for a thicky and creamy quiche and got those two little hockey pucks. Maybe they puff up in the oven? Did they?
The same thing happened to us last night. The BF bought a big contanier of nutritional yeast only to find upon opening it that it’s only half full. Bleh.
Atwater Village Newbie says:
February 6th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I think packaging is more for shelf display than for representing content. That’s why bag of chips are half air.
Don’t they print the size (ounces, servings, etc.) on the package?
MaxMillion says:
February 6th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Louise — yes, in fact I posted my little tantrum before they had finished cooking and they did puff up a little bit once fully cooked. But not enough to warrant purchasing them again. Had they been out-of-this-world super delicious, maybe. But there were okay and a little on the salty side, so never again.
Your nutritional yeast probably settled during transportation, but still…
Atwater - you say packaging is more for shelf display — WHY?
How about truth in advertising?
How about avoiding misrepresentation?
How about conserving resources and not adding to the massive landfill with extra inches of unnecessary packging?
Yeah, of course the ounce size was on the package, but I don’t know what that really means until I see the product. It’s all about expectations, and I feel misled.
Also, I compared the weight AND packaging of the other little individual quiches that Trader Joes sells, and those quiches are 6 oz (the crustless ones are 5 oz) and that includes a crust, so I think in that case you get more bang for your buck or at least a more satisfying and adequate meal. The packaging is much truer to the product, too.
As for potato chips, I always thought the air is there to protect the fragile product within.
Thanks for your input, though!
Tracy says:
February 6th, 2009 at 8:29 pm
That is the way Trader Joe rolls now, they knock-off a product and make it smaller. I miss my Neiman Ranch 1/4 lb all beef uncured hot dogs. Now it is fearless flyer all beef uncured 12 oz package of 4. Trader Joes is getting greedy and sneaky.
Atwater Village Newbie says:
February 7th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I’m no retail packaging expert, but I’m sure there are reasons. Shelf configurations? Box-printing templates? Why are milk cartons square and not round? Why are bagged meats and cheeses hung on rails instead of stacked on shelves? Why do fools fall in love?
yvonne says:
February 7th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
The same thing happened to me! I actually didn’t read the box well enough though…thought there was 1 larger quiche inside. I ate one a few weeks ago, and haven’t even thought of the other one until now. And this is unusual because I usually can’t have items just sitting in my fridge especially if they’re delicious (which they were not). A little too salty. Could not taste the featured ingredients. Too custardy for a quiche. Blah. I still love TJs though.
MaxMillion says:
February 7th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
^ me too.
Cb says:
February 11th, 2009 at 1:10 pm
I rather liked this quiche. WIth a small salad it’s the perfect quick meal during the week.
h2 says:
July 20th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Don’t you know about their greatest return policy ever?
If you don’t like it, you can bring it back for a refund or exchange?!
How sweet is that? They just want you to keep trying new things…
MaxMillion says:
July 20th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
You make a valid point. I *want* to like their goods (and generally do) but don’t appreciate deception.
DebbieN says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:20 am
On the puff pastry size—if TJ’s is like the national brands, I think you’re supposed to thaw it partially and roll it out slightly to quarter-inch thickness before baking. So one sheet might have made it far enough to line the quiche pan.
MaxMillion says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:45 am
No, it’s already extremely thin, and quite sticky when *fully* thawed… I just found out it’s become a seasonal item, so I am going to have to find my frozen puff pastry elsewhere, anyway. I heard Dufour brand is excellent and made with butter and I think Surfas and Village Gourmet (Studio City) stock it.
Frank says:
July 31st, 2009 at 3:25 pm
I am looking for a small euro-style market with fresh produce and prepared items - like an advanced version of TJ.
Does anyone know where to find?