Last week it was announced that Trader Joe's — the western temple of affordable, luxury snacks and oddities — will be moseying onto the island and blessing 14th Street in just a few months. Lifelong cityfolk, however, might not know what to do in the midst of Joe's multitudes, and so a Los Angeleno advises:

As a rough comparision, think of Trader Joe s as the IKEA of markets: A few funky items throughout the apartment is OK, but you probably don t want the whole damn house full of their stuff. Something as basic as eggs or milk under the TJ s label is a risky proposition. But you don t go there for milk and eggs. You go there for Trader Joe s Sparkling Blueberry Juice and Fire-roasted peppers. Butter? No. Three Layer Hummus though? Sure. White bread? Nah. Jalepeno Blue Cornbread? Absolutely. Catching on? [...] Basically, you can set up one hell of a party spread with their gear.

Now, if most Manhattanites had enough space to not only throw a party but also include a spread, this Trader Joe's thing just might catch on.

A Trader Joe's Primer for Manhattanites [losanjealous]

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