I shopped at Trader Joe's in the Midwest and New York City. The prices were the same, but the experiences couldn't have been more different.

• I visited two Trader Joe's stores, one in Wisconsin and one in New York, to see how they compared.
• The prices for most items were the same at both locations.
• The Trader Joe's in New York was much more crowded and featured two stories of groceries.

Since moving from Wisconsin to New York City over 10 years ago, I've become a die-hard Trader Joe's fan because of the store's low prices and quirky items.

During a recent visit to my Wisconsin hometown, I visited the local Trader Joe's store to compare the prices, items, and experiences with one of the chain's busiest locations on 72nd Street in Manhattan.

Take a look inside both stores.

I went to my hometown Trader Joe's store in Milwaukee — one of just three stores in the state — on a Friday afternoon in November.

A sign outside advertised that shopping carts would be collected from the adjacent parking garage.

Inside the store, a welcome sign was painted onto a wall facing the entrance.

Another mural chronicled the opening of Trader Joe's locations in the Midwest.

The 12,000-square-foot store felt spacious, but its compact aisles were piled high with products.

The flower section was decorated with butterflies and whimsical chalkboard signs.

In the produce section, hanging signs displayed prices of apples at 69 cents per pound.

Seasonal signs advertised fall produce with smiley faces.

In addition to grocery items, Trader Joe's in Milwaukee sold housewares like baskets made from recycled paper.

The store was full of decor that paid homage to the city of Milwaukee.

The artwork highlighted landmarks like the Milwaukee Art Museum.

There was also a painting of a Wisconsin license plate.

The beer section featured local brews like New Glarus Brewing Company based in New Glarus, Wisconsin.

Trader Joe's also sold Wisconsin sharp cheddar for $4.99 per pound.

Lines at the checkout counters were only a few people deep and moved quickly.

While shopping at Trader Joe's in my hometown, I enjoyed the tributes to Milwaukee, the variety of local items, and the short lines.

When I returned to New York City, I visited the Trader Joe's store on 72nd Street, one of nine locations in Manhattan.

Unlike the store in the Midwest, an escalator leads down to the first level of aisles.

Immediately, I noticed New York City themes throughout the store, like King Kong hanging off the Empire State Building.

The store was packed when I visited on a Tuesday afternoon in November. I could barely move without bumping into someone, which made my shopping experience feel stressful.

The produce section didn't feature the same hanging signs as the Milwaukee store, but the apples cost the same at 69 cents per pound.

Both the Wisconsin and New York City stores featured gourd-related puns.

The Trader Joe's brand of Wisconsin sharp cheddar was also sold in New York for the same price of $4.99 per pound.

Whereas the Milwaukee store was just one level, at this New York City location another escalator took shoppers deeper underground to a second level of the store.

It was a little less crowded without the long line, though I noticed I didn't have cell phone reception that far underground.

The New York store featured a much smaller wine section than the one in Milwaukee.

In the beer section, products from breweries in Brooklyn and the Bronx lined the shelves.

The lower level of the store featured more New York-themed artwork, such as a mural of Central Park.

Like the Wisconsin license plate in the Midwest, a New York license plate adorned the wall.

Back upstairs, a Trader Joe's employee stood at the back of the long line with a sign indicating where to enter it.

From the numerous escalators to the crowded aisles, shopping at Trader Joe's in New York City was a frenetic experience that made me long for the Midwest.

Correction: December 25, 2023 — An earlier version of this story misstated the size of the Trader Joe's location in Wisconsin that the author visited. It's 12,000 square feet, not 12 square feet.