107 replies to this topic

[gregw]

jencoleslaw, on Oct 28 2006, 09:06 AM, said:

it continues to blow my mind that we can support THREE wholefoods within, what? 10 miles, but Trader Joes says we're not the right demographic. Makes me wonder if they've really actually LOOKED down here...

Do we know for a fact that TJ isn't coming to Providence because we're not the right demographic? There could be other reasons such as not finding a suitable site or supply chain issues. Just asking.

Also is the Whole Foods demographic the same as the Trader Joe's demographic?

[jencoleslaw]

Liamlunchtray, on Oct 29 2006, 10:48 AM, said:

The one upside of Eagle Sq is that its po'folks priced. I spend a lot less there than at the bad boys school.

i guess you never heard my story about that shaws. About how i went down to that shaws specifically looking for powdered cleanser, like Ajax or Baboo or Comet. And they had none. In fact, there was no cleaner there that was priced under 2.29, and they were all brand names. "huh" i thought. "They must not carry that kind of cleaner anymore." I was underwhelmed by the store, it wasn't clean, it looked like a warehouse. A week later, i went to the higher end shaws in Johnston on Rt 6 and lo and behold--many many many powdered cleansers for about a dollar. Also plenty of non name brands.  Someone needs to explain to me how demographics play a roll here. Poor people don't need cheaper cleaner? Rich people deserve a better selection of cleaners? I don't get it.

so while some things might be priced lower for the poor, not everything is, in fact a lot of things are priced higher.

gregw, on Oct 29 2006, 12:26 PM, said:

Do we know for a fact that TJ isn't coming to Providence because we're not the right demographic? There could be other reasons such as not finding a suitable site or supply chain issues. Just asking.

Also is the Whole Foods demographic the same as the Trader Joe's demographic?

when TJs has been approached by folks from PVD, the answer has been at least twice "not the right demographic."

[gregw]

jencoleslaw, on Oct 29 2006, 01:35 PM, said:

when TJs has been approached by folks from PVD, the answer has been at least twice "not the right demographic."

Point taken. Does TJ just not get the Providence demographic? One would think this is the case given that Whole Foods cleans up here and the two stores are often descibed as similar.

Or is the TJ demographic different from the Whole Foods demographic?

I don't know, but maybe the TJ demographic tends to be more granola while the WF is more yuppie and/or hipster. Just throwing this out there.

Of course, maybe Garris is right and someone high up at TJ has a grudge against PVD.

What's funny though is that someone on UP was complaining that WF is avoiding Worcester while they have TJ and we're complaining that TJ is avoiding Providence while we're going to have 3 WFs now.

[jencoleslaw]

i think anyone who knows anything about RI knows that there's no such thing as too much of anything. We've got more liquor stores, more dunkin donuts, more who knows what than anyone else and they all seem to survive.

I would imagine the tj's demographic to be urban, upper middle class, well educated. However, stuff is a hell of a lot cheaper at TJs than at Stop and Shop (trader joes brand stuff--frozen veggies for example) and certainly whole foods, so the demographic could easily be lower middle class, high school education. I could easily see the art kids, and college students and everyone who works an entry level job shopping at TJs.

I'm not economist or numbers guy but i still don't understand why there isn't a trader joes here, or in Seekonk, or Cranston, or Barrington or even Newport.  They need to do that thing that they do at all the millions of other big box stores--ask for your zip code so they can figure out who is coming from where to shop.

in the meantime, i still head up once a month and drop some serious cabbage at the Needham store and do supplemental shopping at the local places.

[Recchia]

As far as being able to walk from Garden City to Chapel View, they did put in new sidewalks, crosswalks and ped signals at all the signalized intersections on Sockanosset Cross Road, even at the Route 2 intersection.

[basachs]

jencoleslaw, on Oct 29 2006, 01:35 PM, said:

so while some things might be priced lower for the poor, not everything is, in fact a lot of things are priced higher.

there are actually a lot of articles out there on this topic. Stores that are in richer areas are actually a lot cheaper than poorer areas. Not everything, but quite a lot. Reasons given range from easier distribution to the more base reason of the fact that rich people complaints are heard and resolved more than poor people's.

[gregw]

basachs, on Oct 30 2006, 09:36 AM, said:

there are actually a lot of articles out there on this topic. Stores that are in richer areas are actually a lot cheaper than poorer areas. Not everything, but quite a lot. Reasons given range from easier distribution to the more base reason of the fact that rich people complaints are heard and resolved more than poor people's.

I've also heard that the poor at least in urban areas tend to be more captive audience because they lack cars and that stores in poor areas justify their higher prices to cover losses due to shoplifting.

[Recchia]

gregw, on Oct 30 2006, 09:32 AM, said:

I've also heard that the poor at least in urban areas tend to be more captive audience because they lack cars and that stores in poor areas justify their higher prices to cover losses due to shoplifting.

Talk about an endless cycle.  Higher prices to cover shoplifting, then more shoplifting due to higher prices.  Where does it end?

[DaveRPI]

supply vs demand
cost to benefit ratio
company mission, or growth plans

[eltron]

jencoleslaw, on Oct 29 2006, 03:14 PM, said:

i think anyone who knows anything about RI knows that there's no such thing as too much of anything. We've got more liquor stores, more dunkin donuts, more who knows what than anyone else and they all seem to survive.

more strip clubs...

[Bil]

EPBOY, on Sep 29 2005, 08:32 PM, said:

I was passing that area today for the first time in months, and thinking the same thing.  What the hell is that??

I've seen this a couple times, and it looks to me like those structures are the stairwells for a parking garage. You can see the door cutouts, and I assume if it was a typical building they would build the stairs as they built the floors, but parking garages may be different.

[Recchia]

Bil, on Nov 7 2006, 11:27 AM, said:

I've seen this a couple times, and it looks to me like those structures are the stairwells for a parking garage. You can see the door cutouts, and I assume if it was a typical building they would build the stairs as they built the floors, but parking garages may be different.

A parking garage?? In Cranston? No way!

[Recchia]

This development is so stupid.  It's basically like throwing some housing into any of the strip plazas on Route 2.  I guess it's better than living on a cul-de-sac miles from civilization but I still would not want to live here.  I can't believe the Cranston planner (now the head of Statewide Planning btw) was so excited and proud of this project.

Edited by Recchia, 07 November 2006 - 01:02 PM.

[Cotuit]

Recchia, on Nov 7 2006, 02:02 PM, said:

This development is so stupid.  It's basically like throwing some housing into any of the strip plazas on Route 2.

It could have potential, I'm not saying it does, but it could. Check out the master plan for Mashpee Commons on the Cape (a Cornish project by the way). It's attempting to turn a mid 70s strip into a village center for Mashpee, a town which never had a proper center. It's working well, but the progress is slow.

[Recchia]

Cotuit, on Nov 7 2006, 02:27 PM, said:

It could have potential, I'm not saying it does, but it could. Check out the master plan for Mashpee Commons on the Cape (a Cornish project by the way). It's attempting to turn a mid 70s strip into a village center for Mashpee, a town which never had a proper center. It's working well, but the progress is slow.

Those have real streets with sidewalks on the street.  Chapel View has sidewalks then perpendicular parking spots in front of them.  I guess we can't expect from Carpionato in the suburbs at least.

[Cotuit]

Mashpee Commons shows that the Chapel View model can be done better, there just needs to be a will to do it. Chapel View is just an island of faux villageness surrounded by highspeed roadways and removed from the surrounding community. Mashpee Commons is trying to create a community and a center where one never existed before. I was down at Mashpee Commons two summers ago and they had put in crosswalks and walk signals on Route 28 and Route 151. I nearly crashed the car, people walking on the Cape, that's unpossible!

[Recchia]

Cotuit, on Nov 7 2006, 02:48 PM, said:

Mashpee Commons shows that the Chapel View model can be done better, there just needs to be a will to do it. Chapel View is just an island of faux villageness surrounded by highspeed roadways and removed from the surrounding community. Mashpee Commons is trying to create a community and a center where one never existed before. I was down at Mashpee Commons two summers ago and they had put in crosswalks and walk signals on Route 28 and Route 151. I nearly crashed the car, people walking on the Cape, that's unpossible!

Lol, the one thing I can't complain about is atleast they semi-pedestrianized Sockanosset Cross Rd with new crosswalks and ped signals.  At least people living in Chapel View can walk to Garden City now without dying.  

This area is prime for dense redevelopment and increased transit service.  We have a major retail concentration (Garden City, Chapel View, even Warwick Mall if you continue down farther), a major employment concentration (Pontiac Ave, Pastore Center, prisons, Pepsi-Cola, JanCo, etc.) and now some housing (Chapel View).  BRT!!!

[Cotuit]

Recchia, on Nov 7 2006, 03:15 PM, said:

BRT!!!

That's my fantasy elevated LRT line tying into streetcar service on Elmwood Ave. Elevated on Route 2 from the RI Mall (which shall be exploded and rebuilt as something far superior) to Route 10, then streetcars into Downcity.

[Liamlunchtray]

Recchia, on Nov 7 2006, 03:15 PM, said:

a major employment concentration (Pontiac Ave, Pastore Center, prisons, Pepsi-Cola, JanCo, etc.) and now some housing (Chapel View).

I'm just glad that I will finally be able to fulfill my dream of living in an overpriced condo in a building where unknown atrocities were commited against children AND with a beautiful view of a prison yard. SCORE!

Now if only a Grizzlebee's that only served bison were to open in the parking lot....

[Recchia]

Liamlunchtray, on Nov 7 2006, 03:59 PM, said:

I'm just glad that I will finally be able to fulfill my dream of living in an overpriced condo in a building where unknown atrocities were commited against children AND with a beautiful view of a prison yard. SCORE!

Now if only a Grizzlebee's that only served bison were to open in the parking lot....

   Honestly, I'd be so creeped out living there.  The only thing this place has goin for it is its view of the PVD skyline, and I guess being able to grocery shop in your backyard.