42 replies to this topic

[citylife]

If Apple can have its own thread then Trader Joe's should too. You guys can thank me for this: http://www.greenvill...le-s-retail-hub I sent Rudolph Bell all of the info on the future Greenville store. Oh and hope you guys like the thread title.

Edited by citylife, 30 June 2010 - 12:36 AM.

[Birdbrain]

I just found out from that article that I'm a CULTIST.  Ugh.  I've been driving to TJ's in Charlotte all this time, and didn't realize that I've been brainwashed by all the great food, great wine,  and bananas for 19 cents per pound.

I hope this doesn't mean I have to wear bubble wrap and drink spiked Kool-Aid with the next comet pass.  

One suggested tweak to the thread title, however - change the phrase from "not a Trader" to "not a Traitor," since it's an American-owned grocery store!  (The brainwashing is responsible for that last crack, sorry)

[gsupstate]

Birdbrain, on 30 June 2010 - 07:45 AM, said:

I just found out from that article that I'm a CULTIST.  

A Trader Joe's Cultist!!!!         Love it.

[benjamesriddle]

Birdbrain, on 30 June 2010 - 07:45 AM, said:

I just found out from that article that I'm a CULTIST.  Ugh.  I've been driving to TJ's in Charlotte all this time, and didn't realize that I've been brainwashed by all the great food, great wine,  and bananas for 19 cents per pound.

I hope this doesn't mean I have to wear bubble wrap and drink spiked Kool-Aid with the next comet pass.  

One suggested tweak to the thread title, however - change the phrase from "not a Trader" to "not a Traitor," since it's an American-owned grocery store!  (The brainwashing is responsible for that last crack, sorry)

Woah Woah Woah... Please explain the banana price, and prodcue in general for that matter! Is it really that cheap at TJ's?

[vicupstate]

Is it at all realistic that Trader Joe's might open a second store in Gville?  I'd love to see them at Main and Stone or the Greenlink property in the West End.  I hate Woodruff Road, but could easily see myself being a regular at a different location.

[RiverWalker]

Birdbrain, on 30 June 2010 - 07:45 AM, said:

One suggested tweak to the thread title, however - change the phrase from "not a Trader" to "not a Traitor," since it's an American-owned grocery store!  (The brainwashing is responsible for that last crack, sorry)

Sadly, though the Trader Joe's chain was American-owned initially, that is no longer the case. Trader Joe's has been owned since 1979 by a family trust set up by German businessman Theo Albrecht, one of the two brothers behind the German supermarket chain Aldi." Theo and brother Karl operated Albrecht Discounts - ALDI - together until the 1960s, when they split the business in two after a disagreement over whether to sell cigarettes. Since then Karl has run Aldi Sud, which controls Aldi food stores in the U.S., while Theo runs Aldi Nord, parent of Trader Joe's. Interestingly, Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud share a common global web site at http://www.aldi.com/.

One thing that Trader Joe's shares with the Aldi food stores is the philosophy of private labels and rigorous control over costs. The combination of eclectic products and appealing prices is why the chain has such a cult following. According to Wikipedia, the May 2009 issue of Consumer Reports ranked Trader Joe's the second-best supermarket chain in the nation, after Wegmans.

[Greenville]

vicupstate, on 30 June 2010 - 11:36 AM, said:

Is it at all realistic that Trader Joe's might open a second store in Gville?  I'd love to see them at Main and Stone or the Greenlink property in the West End.  I hate Woodruff Road, but could easily see myself being a regular at a different location.

I think a second Greenville location is definitely possible, if not probable, based on Trader Joe's trend of having several stores in a metro.  They will probably see how their first Greenville store does, but I won't be surprised when a second, third, etc. opens.  I like your suggestions for their future locations, too.  

[Birdbrain]

RiverWalker, on 30 June 2010 - 12:37 PM, said:

Sadly, though the Trader Joe's chain was American-owned initially, that is no longer the case. Trader Joe's has been owned since 1979 by a family trust set up by German businessman Theo Albrecht, one of the two brothers behind the German supermarket chain Aldi." Theo and brother Karl operated Albrecht Discounts - ALDI - together until the 1960s, when they split the business in two after a disagreement over whether to sell cigarettes. Since then Karl has run Aldi Sud, which controls Aldi food stores in the U.S., while Theo runs Aldi Nord, parent of Trader Joe's. Interestingly, Aldi Nord and Aldi Sud share a common global web site at http://www.aldi.com/.

One thing that Trader Joe's shares with the Aldi food stores is the philosophy of private labels and rigorous control over costs. The combination of eclectic products and appealing prices is why the chain has such a cult following. According to Wikipedia, the May 2009 issue of Consumer Reports ranked Trader Joe's the second-best supermarket chain in the nation, after Wegmans.

"Joe - say it ain't so!"  

Great info on the Albrechts, and a complete shock that Trader Joe's isn't owned by a 'MerCAN. Once you go there, you would think Trader Joe's was run by some laid-back, beach-combing Californian with a wry sense of humor.

As for 19-cent Bananas; that's their price every day.  Kind of like their calling card, if you will.  No, the rest of the produce isn't that crazy-cheap, but you can always find deals in season, just like anywhere else.

[citylife]

[citylife]

Word on the street is an October announcement for this. And yes, that is 2010.

[RiverWalker]

citylife, on 15 August 2010 - 08:04 PM, said:

Word on the street is an October announcement for this. And yes, that is 2010.

While this pleases me and many others, it can't be good for Magnolia Park Town Center. It was almost two and a half years ago that TJ's was rumored to have been in negotiations with Menin Development for a 15,000 square foot store to become the "gourmet grocery" shown on the proposed plans with an opening expected for fall of 2009. I guess TJ's simply got tired of waiting and moved on the site that is currently being outfitted adjacent to Academy Sports. Losing a store with a well known name and strong drawing power must hurt the already stalled development.

Meanwhile, I find it curious that the Greenville location still is not listed on the "Coming Soon" page of the Trader Joe's web site, despite visible evidence that the store is on its way here, nor have any jobs been posted for the store. In contrast, a new store in Omaha, Nebraska, which is also planned to open in October, is listed on the site, and the company is already advertising for retail store managers. On the other hand, Trader Joe's has neither announced nor listed another new store in Lincoln, Nebraska, despite the fact that the company has applied for a retail alcohol license for that store and has included it in a CareerBuilder.com job posting for store managers. I suppose they must have their reasons...

[citylife]

Yeah, Magnolia Park looks to be losing their planned retailers/restaurants left and right from Trader Joe's to Apple to Chipotle. I don't expect that development to ever be the huge high-end mixed use center developers originally envisioned. Regarding Trader Joe's, they're apparently wanting to keep the store a secret with opening sometime late this year or early next year. The building permit filed for the space has the tenant name listed as Trader Joe's so they're definitely moving forward on it.

Edited by citylife, 16 August 2010 - 11:27 AM.

[Birdbrain]

RiverWalker, on 16 August 2010 - 10:36 AM, said:

Meanwhile, I find it curious that the Greenville location still is not listed on the "Coming Soon" page of the Trader Joe's web site, despite visible evidence that the store is on its way here, nor have any jobs been posted for the store. In contrast, a new store in Omaha, Nebraska, which is also planned to open in October, is listed on the site, and the company is already advertising for retail store managers. On the other hand, Trader Joe's has neither announced nor listed another new store in Lincoln, Nebraska, despite the fact that the company has applied for a retail alcohol license for that store and has included it in a CareerBuilder.com job posting for store managers. I suppose they must have their reasons...

Nope, I don't find it curious at all that someone hasn't thought to update the website.  If you know the web biz, you'll find the most common thing that will happen is that TJ's will put Greenville in the Coming Soon section about a month AFTER it opens here!

[vicupstate]

I think Magnolia Park is not likely to ever become anything close to what was originally announced.  Actually, that is probably a good thing, as it will allow Haywood and The Point to prosper.

With commercial real estate in a crisis, we really don't need to divide the 'pie' again for awhile.  

Any news on Bass Pro Shop?  Is a local expansion on hold? Weren't they looking at the old Cellanese (sp?) plant?  I can't remember.

[RiverWalker]

Birdbrain, on 16 August 2010 - 01:09 PM, said:

Nope, I don't find it curious at all that someone hasn't thought to update the website.  If you know the web biz, you'll find the most common thing that will happen is that TJ's will put Greenville in the Coming Soon section about a month AFTER it opens here!

It's easy to leap to that conclusion, but there really is no evidence either way. However, when coupled with the lack of recruiting efforts, well, then it gets a little more curious.

[Birdbrain]

Inside work at Trader Joe's - freezers / fridges delivered.
No chocolate on hand yet, so no reason to stop for another few weeks...  

Edited by Birdbrain, 23 August 2010 - 12:15 PM.

[gsupstate]

Birdbrain, on 23 August 2010 - 12:14 PM, said:

Inside work at Trader Joe's - freezers / fridges delivered.
No chocolate on hand yet, so no reason to stop for another few weeks...  

TraderJoes082110.jpg

Thanks for the photo.     Looks like that famous TJ's raw wood paneling in the back corner as well.

[citylife]

Good story from Yahoo/CNN Money on Trader Joe's here: http://finance.yahoo...-of-trader-joes I noticed in the article it said that Trader Joe's is only opening five new stores this year. That's a lot less than I thought it would be for such a large sought after retailer. I'm hearing the Greenville store will open early next year in January. Subject to change of course.

[Birdbrain]

citylife, on 24 August 2010 - 11:00 AM, said:

Good story from Yahoo/CNN Money on Trader Joe's here: http://finance.yahoo...-of-trader-joes I noticed in the article it said that Trader Joe's is only opening five new stores this year. That's a lot less than I thought it would be for such a large sought after retailer. I'm hearing the Greenville store will open early next year in January. Subject to change of course.

Very interesting story, good find!

(We Trader Joe cultists deny any negative arguments, however, no matter how true they may be. )  

[cundvale]

Birdbrain, on 16 August 2010 - 01:09 PM, said:

Nope, I don't find it curious at all that someone hasn't thought to update the website.  If you know the web biz, you'll find the most common thing that will happen is that TJ's will put Greenville in the Coming Soon section about a month AFTER it opens here!

TJ's website has additions to the coming soon list:

Coming Soon:
Athens, GA
New York (72nd & Broadway), NY
Omaha, NE
Portland, ME
Rochester, MN
West Des Moines, IA