Shout here for Grand Frais too
I have also succumbed to the Aldi middle aisle @TheEnglishFlaneur
I went in for bananas and porridge and came out with a doormat and a dry robe 
Some of our Trader Joe’s favorites:
I have about 40 boxes of this in our pantry, because I’m addicted. It’s very gingerly, with a bite at the back of your throat, which I like. Other folks are hooked, too — some eBay resellers carry this at multiple times the TJ’s price.
My husband loves these. The first time he tried them, he said they taste like ones he had in Turkey. Turns out these are actually made there.
These croissants are popular. They’re tasty and flaky. Need to be proofed overnight, before baking. There’s a chocolate version as well, but I find the almond ones tastier.
I love these samosas, but for other Indian food, I can order delivery nearby that’s tastier and a better bargain than TJ’s frozen Indian entrees.
If you google or look on Facebook and other social media, there are loads of Trader Joe’s product recommendations from fans. There are even groups that promote new offerings (or returning products) every week.
Note: TJ’s has some longstanding products, but they often intro new ones and discontinue others. There’s serendipity involved in shopping there. It also has good cheese selections, at least for a supermarket. The dried fruits and nuts are great and there’s a large variety.
My favorite store
Since I mostly reside and do sits in the Pacific Northwest and on the West Coast, I definitely frequent Trader Joe’s when there’s one nearby. I also shop at Whole Foods, both in-store and for delivery. Washington also has QFC and Safeway, but Trader Joe’s is still my preferred grocery store. I’ll go in for one item and come out with 10. They have their own store brands, and I like their employee-owned concept. During late spring, summer, and fall, I’m in Sitka working my guide job, and being a small town, they only have Mom and Pop grocery stores and no chains. The go-to there is Seamart, known for the best view from a grocery store parking lot in the U.S.
View from seamart parking lot, Sitka Alaska
If you’re in the U.S. Southeast, I recommend Publix as chain supermarkets go. They tend to have slightly customized locations, depending on the area. Like in areas where there are Jewish concentrations, they carry some kosher products. Or in more upscale areas, they’ll carry imports like HobNobs. The bakery section is usually better than in typical grocery store chains, though nowhere as good as Wegmans.
I’m in the UK and shop primarily at Lidl. However, their salad ingredients aren’t always the best so Tesco for those and anything else I can’t get at Lidl. If it’s an unusual ingredient in a recipe that’s called for, Waitrose might have it - but that’s an expensive store.
This chain is good in the U.K./Scotland for prepared entrees and such — delivery or in store. Our Shops COOK
I did a sit in Glasgow with one of these shops and a Waitrose within blocks, which was lovely.
Yes, Cook is great if you can’t be bothered to cook as the meals are cooked fresh then frozen, so no horrid ingredients/preservatives. However, still a lot cheaper to cook the meals yourself. A lot of elderly people use them and they can be delivered.
I’m housesitting for a friend for a week (free) and she works part time for cook, getting a discount, so she’s providing me with some of their meals. Useful as I’ll be travelling to hers on public transport so not taking my usual bag of staples and frozen meals batch cooked by me!
Yes, must factor in time for shopping, prepping, cooking and cleanup when ordering prepared meals, frozen or otherwise. Businesses pay for rent, labor, utilities, insurance, etc. And depends on how you value your time (or even enjoy or hate cooking) when it comes to DIY.
Personally, I never cook and I can make money to pay for prepped food faster than I could shop, prep, cook and clean. Plus, I’d rather have pros cook my food. Like how long would it take me to make X as good as someone who’s done it for years or decades? And ordering or eating out, I can get a variety of cuisines at higher quality.
Totally get that some folks enjoy cooking or want to better control their ingredients and/or costs. Not me. Plus, I like helping to support small, local businesses and delivery folks.
I’ve never been in an Aldi’s even when I lived near ones, but their social media accounts are fun and clever and mention the middle aisle.
Hi @Jenny 
Oh this is fun… My loose rule: if you don’t recognise it and it costs under $5… give it a go!
Leaning into Southeast Asia (with a couple of nearby favourites)—where “quirky” is basically the baseline:
Thailand – 7-Eleven
The toastie machine alone deserves a mention. Ham & cheese gets all the glory, but the sweet condensed milk sandwiches are the real curveball. Also—seaweed in every possible form, and those little bottles of sweet basil seed drinks (tiny jelly-like bursts… oddly addictive).
Vietnam – Circle K / VinMart
Dried fruit, but not as you know it—chilli mango, tamarind candy, and those little packets of salted plum that make your face do something unexpected (in a good way). Juice-wise: sugarcane juice on ice or salted lemon drinks that hit differently in the heat.
Singapore – FairPrice / Cold Storage
Kaya everything. Kaya jam, kaya biscuits… and pandan-flavoured snacks that somehow taste like dessert and breakfast at the same time. Plus cartons of grass jelly drinks—half drink, half dessert.
Indonesia – Indomaret / Alfamart
Tempeh chips—thin, crispy, slightly sweet, and very moreish. Also coffee sachets that are basically dessert in a cup, and avocado juice blends that feel more like a meal than a drink.
Philippines – 7-Eleven / local sari-sari stores
Banana ketchup-flavoured chips (yes, really), ube everything, and sweet-spicy dried mango that disappears far too quickly. Drinks: calamansi juice—sharp, citrusy, and ridiculously refreshing.
Japan – 7-Eleven / Lawson
Convenience stores that make you question your life back home. Egg sandwiches so soft they feel fictional, matcha KitKats, and rice crackers in flavours that range from delicate soy to “what just happened?” Fridge section = endless teas, yuzu drinks, and the occasional “mystery seasonal” juice.
Hong Kong – Wellcome / ParknShop
A brilliant East-meets-West mashup—egg rolls in endless varieties, milk tea-flavoured treats, and those nostalgic creamy candies that somehow follow you to the checkout. Drinks lean classic: bottled milk tea and herbal teas you’re not entirely sure about… until you are.
And a slight detour from grocery stores—but very much part of the “snack adventure” across the region:
Street food vans & markets
Fried insects are surprisingly common—crispy crickets, silkworm pupae, even bamboo worms. Usually seasoned simply (salt, soy, a bit of chilli) and sold like chips. Crunchy, nutty… and a definite “well, I’m here” moment 
My husband used to complain when I’d buy frozen pizzas, because he’s white and I’m Asian and he said the clerks would think the frozen pizzas were for him. He thought frozen pizzas beneath him.
These are magnetized to the fridge in my home office as reminders of our Asian convenience store adventures.
Once, in Japan, we took a tour that involved multiple locations from which to view Mount Fuji. We found the oddest stop to be a Lawson parking lot, where you could take photos of Mount Fuji with a Lawson in the foreground. Apparently, on social media that’s a thing. We were perplexed.
I’ll see your 40 boxes of TJ’s ginger drink mix and meet you with 10 twin packs of tiramisu and I , too, am fearful that they’ll run out or stop making it !