a love story. . .

do you shop at Trader Joe's?

i do - and I have to profess to a love affair with them. . .from their gorgeous affordable selection of flowers, to their delicious quick short cuts to a healthy dinner. . .

this week though - we had our first falling out. . .it was all my fault. . .and they woo-d me back with superior customer service.

i bought a whole chicken there last week, with the plan of putting in the crock pot this week.  So that's what I did yesterday - I set the crockpot all up - onions, lemons, herbs, pats of butter, chicken broth, s & p. . .unwrapped the chicken to pat it dry and season it. . .when HOLY CRAP there were feather remains stuck on it!!!

now those of yo that know me - know that cooking is not my thing.  i can follow a recipe and much of my stuff comes out really great (ask John about the stuffed shells).  but i'm not a natural or comfortable cook - so i'm easily thrown off my game. . .and believe me these little gross things sticking out of my chicken were throwing me WAY off. . .

i looked at the clock - couldn't call my mommy she was at the pool. . .called a neighbor that I know cooks a lot of chickens.  she assured me it happens - and that I should remove the biggest ones and the rest will be fine.

i was still grossed out - but i did it and put the chicken in as usual.

an hour later my house smelled delicious and i could almost erase the memory of the feathers. . .but only almost. . .

i proceeded to tweet about it and send an email - which is how i handle most problems these days.  i got more confirmation that "it happens" - gross but totally fine.

when ryan got home he thought it smelled fantastic and couldn't wait for dinner. . .i served the tender juicy chicken and everyone thought it was great.

i received a lovely email from Nicki K. in Trader Joe's Customer Relations.  She apologized for my troubles, and reminded me of their Product Guarantee.  "If you are dissatisfied with any product purchased in our stores, you can take it, the empty package or receipt back to any of our neighborhood stores for an exchange or full refund.  We stand behind our motto, "We tried it! We liked it! If you don't bring it back for a full refund, no questions asked.""

so today, receipt in hand (and the email - just in case) i went back to Trader Joe's and told them of my woe. . .not only did they refund my money - they told me that my situation was not unusual in a kosher bird (I hadn't realized I bought a kosher bird) - and gave me another product suggestion for chicken in the crock pot!

LOVE THEM!

do you have a Trader Joe's love affair to share? leave me a comment!

catch you soon -