Susu shops the new BJ’s Midtown and gives you the run-down.

The new BJ’s Warehouse opened in Midtown without too much fanfare, at least in my circles.

My friends had mixed feedback about shopping BJ’s, and I wasn’t convinced another warehouse store was the answer to my already over-engineered grocery shopping decision tree. It’s a complex if/then calculation that involves Costco, Trader Joe’s, Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, REIDS and Clean Catch Fish Market, and it doesn’t need a new player.

But I heard that BJ’s offered more manageable sizes and brand names than the other warehouses, it’s much closer to home, and I am a sucker for a new store. So I set my jaw and hit it up. Here’s what I found.

PARKING.

Fantastic. At least on the two days I went.  Pull all the way to the back of the first floor of that Target Parking lot. The door is way back there.

THE FORMAT:

Business up front, party in the back.

Looks a lot like Costco when you first walk in, well, actually you have to walk pretty far in to get to the shopping.  Up front BJs looks like your basic warehouse, with giant & bulk sizes and dwarfing shelves.  However, the signage is more clear and visible, and the end-caps don’t interfere.  Plus, there are not as many SUPER ANNOYING junk food hawkers, I mean samplers, with their lines of folk making a lunch out of samples.

Oh, and they have discounted greeting and holiday cards, trim-a-tree and gifts right up front in what appears to be their seasonal section. Cards at 50% off. Hmmmmm. Me Likey.

The rest of the upfront is your basic warehouse shopping experience. I did not see any different brands in the drugstore section, maybe a few here and there. Some less bulky bulk sizes, but I wasn’t getting any “wow this feels different” vibe.

Yet.

WAIT FOR IT….

But then, I got to Pet Food. Yep, BJ’s you had me at IAMS 50 lb bags. In several flavors.

The only things I hate buying more than Dog Food are Toilet Paper and Laundry Detergent. I would build a room addition if it helped me avoid running out.

BJ’s even has the healthy soft food that we use to stuff with our dog’s liver meds. {which she probably needs since she eats grocery store dry dog food. Don’t judge.}

At this point in my BJ’s journey I am feeling pretty positive. And then I get to the real grocery section.

YOU REALLY GOT ME.

I am brand-name girl. Not a LOGO girl, not a fan of logos. But brand names? Absolutely. A total marketing victim. Imagine my thrill when I got to the Ice Cream section at the new Midtown BJ’s.

Er Mer Ger. Giant sized Ben & Jerrys and Haagen Dazs? Plus-Size Talenti? Are you kidding me?

Mega Klondikes? I was beside myself.

BUT I LIKE TO BUY ORGANIC TO OFFSET IT.

Organic meats, dairy and vegetables.  Plus anything else I can find except organic junk food and cereals. I mean,why bother. No one eats them and I just end up throwing them away. My family likes their junk food straight up chemical filled, to go with their whole we-know-it’s-poison-but-we-love-it thing.

BJ’s has lots of moderately plus-sized organics that I would normally get at Trader Joe’s. I honestly didn’t even compare the price, ’cause at some point time = money.

And brand names that we love throughout.

I mean, look at all these rip-off bottle water brands at a fraction of the Teeter rip off price!!

Heaven. No Nestle pretend-spring-but-really-distilled-water for me, my friends.

SIGN ME UP.

I did it. I signed up. $40 for a household membership. I got our Thanksgiving Turkey and bulk bags of pecans (no, not organic, it was just too easy to check them off the list while I was there). I will definitely add BJ’s to my weekly grocery decision tree.

Other than the unfortunate name, I would say “all BJ’s all the time”…..but anyone who knows me knows that’s not happening.