Around Pleasanton: Trader Joe’s opens expanded store in Rose Pavilion

I was one of the early-bird customers at 8 a.m. last Friday as Trader Joe’s opened its new 13,000-square-foot grocery store in the Rose Pavilion, joining scores of other shoppers dashing in after a festive ribbon-cutting.

Not only is the new location at 3903 Santa Rita Road significantly larger than its nearby older market on Pimlico Drive, now closed, but it comes with a much larger parking lot as well. Even so, the lot, which also serves next door service and retail businesses and is shared with a recently opened CVS Pharmacy, was filled to capacity not long after the grand opening and for much of the past weekend.

Trader Joe’s Pleasanton manager Jay Jones, who goes by the grocer’s title of Captain Jay, personally greeted customers as they entered the store under an arch of red and white balloons. Inside, “crew members” — another Trader Joe’s designation for store employees — placed leis over the heads of shoppers, including me, and then escorted us on tours of the spacious store, even giving each of us a reusable grocery bag to take home.

Many of us recognized Capt. Jay and his crew members because they came from the old store. They’d been there for several days to help stock shelves and hone their skills on new computerized registers and charge card processors at the checkout stands. During that time, crews from other Trader Joe’s locations served customers at Pimlico right up to its final closing Sept. 21.

Jones managed that store and earlier worked at Trader Joe’s locations in Brentwood and Fremont.

“Our new store has more than 3,000 square feet of additional space than at Pimlico, and a much-expanded wine section,” Jones said. “Besides having more parking for our customers, we also now have electric-car charging stations and more handicapped parking in front of the store.”

Jones said he and his crew members “consider themselves ‘traders on the culinary seas.'” At last Friday’s opening, they wore brightly colored Hawaiian-themed shirts, adding to the friendly and light-hearted air of the store.

Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said local shoppers will soon receive a copy of Trader Joe’s “Fearless Flyer” newsletter in their mailboxes.

“Called a cross between Consumer Reports and Mad Magazine, the publication is a somewhat irreverent description of timely product selections,” she said. “Each edition highlights products that the company’s buyers believe are worthy of customer interest, from comfort foods to items that are organic or that boast other special attributes.”

Trader Joe’s carries an extensive array of domestic and imported foods and beverages, including artisan breads, Arabica bean coffees, international frozen entrees, fresh crop nuts, deli items and even vitamins. It also offers the basics, such as milk and eggs.

What it doesn’t have, according to Friend-Daniel, are “sales” found in most other markets that last for a few days only to have those product prices back up again.

“Trader Joe’s prices change only when costs change,” she said. “There are no fancy promotions, discount cards or couponing wars. Plus, Trader Joe’s introduces approximately a dozen new items every month, heightening the store’s adventurous appeal.”

Trader Joe’s began in 1958 in the Los Angeles area. Since then, it has expanded to more than 465 stores in 41 states. More information about the grocer can be found at www.traderjoes.com.

* Editor’s note: Jeb Bing is editor emeritus for the Pleasanton Weekly. His “Around Pleasanton” columns run on the second and fourth Fridays of every month.

Swalwell's campaign gaining traction in crowded governor's race23 hours ago

Monarch Tractor exits HQ in Livermore amid legal turmoilMarch 23, 2026 1:23 pm

State analyst reviews PUSD's top areas of highest financial riskApril 1, 2026 3:02 pm