582967 Fri Dec 26 16:58:20 -0800 2008 4 32 Chains 0 4274792 Is it just me, or are other people finding their Trader Joe's mixing it up in a bad way? I loved the grains section that they had (the Harvest Grains was AWESOME) and the Spelt soup was fantastic. However, they've "discontinued" these, and shrunk the grains down to basically rice. Also, they've really cut down on the frozen fruit choices. Is it must my TJ's or others too? William Fri Dec 26 16:58:20 -0800 2008 78993 wflanagan 1 4274961 I don't know for what rhyme or reason that their products expand, contract, or disappear. Sometimes, it seems to make sense. Other times it doesn't. I do know one thing for sure though. TJ's can be a very very tough customer with their vendors - I know of a couple of businesses that dealt with TJ's at this level. They demand a lot, don't pay much or very well, and "pass on" their return policy to the vendors. I can see where some vendors probably had enough and don't renew their contracts, some probably go out of business, and of course, sourcing of ingredients/demand for certain products can start to wain. When considering how great the pricing is on so much of their products, a lot of what I mention starts to seem pretty obvious. Fri Dec 26 18:51:15 -0800 2008 4274792 64003 bulavinaka 2 4278534 That's really interesting. TJ's is like the Rosie O'Donnell of grocery stores. They appear really nice and generous, always giving away items, but to the people who work with them they are very demanding. Very interesting. Sun Dec 28 17:44:27 -0800 2008 4274961 18011 Jacey 3 4278636 Again - this is the relationship between TJ's buyers and the vendors. But don't feel bad for the vendors. Many have been able to weather otherwise hard times that their competition has had to deal with head on. When the 400-pound gorilla in the room has a huge appetite, these vendors are more than glad to keep feeding it - just don't get him mad. Sun Dec 28 18:37:36 -0800 2008 4278534 64003 bulavinaka 1 4275119 I admit I ahve not thoroughly read a Fearless Flyer lately, but in prior years, a lot of times it would state something like "we bought 750 cases of this had have distributed evenly among our 75 stores, so once it is gone, it is gone". I believe the items with a Trader Joe/Jose/Josef/Giotto/Darwin brand are the mainstays and are tried and true items which stick around longer, because they made the cut and stuck around initially for a certain amount of time. If it is another brand, I buy one, and if I like it, I go back and buy as much as I can. Fri Dec 26 20:39:29 -0800 2008 4274792 12123 Cathy