Weighting Trader Joe's

Has anyone commented on the lack of scales in the produce section at Trader Joe's? I ran in TH afternoon on a long hunt for something I didn't find but DID SEE the display of 1 lb. containers of Rainier cherries. I asked the staff person standing in Produce if there was a scale on the floor. He said no. Instead, he said, Trader Joe's is known for such precise measurements that their customers don't need to measure. Puzzled, I brought up that some recipes require odd measurements. What I didn't say though is if you are known for your reliable measurements wouldn't you put a scale in the produce section to allow customers to discover your abilities for themselves? Sincerely, are they missing an opportunity here? He did say he thought there was a small scale in the back and offered to hunt it down and bring it out for me. Since I was in rush, I declined and said my thanks. Purchasing the cherries, when the clerk asked about my experience, I suggested the scale and had an almost identical conversation. The difference was despite taking the time to speak to a second staffer, she suggested I search for someone in a Hawaiian shirt and plead my case yet again. Have to say, every other Produce section I shop in , in Lou., has a scale including those at the Farmers' Markets. Am I the only one missing this thing?

I never noticed that. But then again, I rarely (maybe once every two years or so?) measure food by weight at a grocery store, so I guess I'm not a good one to ask.

All of their produce is sold by the piece except bagged stuff. Do you have reason to believe a bag of cherries marked at 1 lb. would be less?

David, I don't think the concern is so much that something doesn't weigh what they say it does but the fact that since they sell many items by piece instead of by weight you don't know what something ways. In many cases you are buying stuff for a recipe that may say you need a certain weight of a product. Since they sell by item instead of weight you don't know how much that each one weighs so you don't know which size or how many to purchase.

All of their produce is sold by the piece except bagged stuff. Do you have reason to believe a bag of cherries marked at 1 lb. would be less?

My years have, unfortunately, taught me to trust no one. I have had partners steal money and inventory, retail clerks with 15 years on the job begin stealing money, employees in collusion to steal inventory. This all in the past 2 years.

I no longer trust my mother, so I sure ain't gonna trust a bunch of corporates with no name!

I actually still have a positive outlook on life...but it's just plain stupid to "trust" someone you don't know.

Reminds me of an old joke about the boyfriend who told his girlfriend to "trust me". She says, "the last time you told me that, I got pregnant"!

All of their produce is sold by the piece except bagged stuff. Do you have reason to believe a bag of cherries marked at 1 lb. would be less?

My years have, unfortunately, taught me to trust no one. I have had partners steal money and inventory, retail clerks with 15 years on the job begin stealing money, employees in collusion to steal inventory. This all in the past 2 years.

I no longer trust my mother, so I sure ain't gonna trust a bunch of corporates with no name!

This has been my experience as well, both in trusting others and in trusting certain employees.

Sorry, for some reason Robin I didn't get a notice that anyone had replied to this post. My point is sometimes you need to allow others to discover, independently, you are doing a great job. If there were a scale in the produce dept. I would have likely weighed the pricey Raniers to confirm the weight recipe or no recipe. AND if they had weighed out it would have created another good job moment between me and TJ's. You add enough of these moments up and you'll make an effort to go back. Though weighing for recipes is an excellent point, I was thinking about why I consistently "trade" with some companies regardless of their location and not with others closer to home.