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Trader Joes - Finally!

Jenkins

By Jenkins
in Rhode Island

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jencoleslaw Town

jencoleslaw

Posted
Posted

Trader Joes goes to one of the worst commercial roads in RI

Disclaimer: i'm not a real estate developer.

This has got to be the worst location in RI. Anyone who has half a brain stays away from Bald Hill Road. The demographics HAVE to be better in Seekonk where they can draw from RI, East Bay and SE Mass. Are folks from Barrington and Bristol and Aquidneck Island going to go to Bald Hill Road? Doubtful. But folks from Warwick and East G might go to Seekonk. The whole thing is very strange! And I think TJs will rue the day they opened in RI when they try to conduct business in the state--my friend who manages REI says that it was a nightmare because of the laws around retail (ie., employees have to be paid weekly, which screwed up the company's payroll which is biweekly everywhere else in the country).

And who knew they were owned by the ALDI people? I didn't. And Scott Avedesian can totally be governor now if he wants. He can just glide into the statehouse on the "i brought Trader Joe's to town" ticket.

:rolleyes:

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ruchele Hamlet

ruchele

Posted
Posted

Maybe they are going to bring Trader Joe's in the same way they brought ALDI in- start in one place, then suddenly open three in different locations around the state. Seriously, A TJ's somewhere more accessible to Providence would CLEAN UP.

FYI, folks from Aquidneck Island would and DO go to Bald Hill Road to shop. Back before they big-boxed all of Middletown, Rt. 2 was kind of the closest place to get big box crap. I remember doing back-to-school shopping on Rt. 2 in the '80s. It was like an annual pilgrimage.

That said, I, too, avoid Bald Hill Road like the plague. Traffic isn't what it was in the '80s, for one thing. For another thing, I didn't move to the city so I could spend my shopping time stuck in miracle mile hell traffic jams.

A while back, I went to a small store along there, and the owner said, "We have customers who say that they hardly ever come because we are so far away from Providence! Jeez, it's only a few miles, you Providence people don't like to drive anywhere. . . " She might take the hint that it would be good for business to move into Providence, but instead, she just thought it's our problem that we don't like to drive. Hmm. She kind of misses the big picture, if you ask me.

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mental757 Burg

mental757

Posted
Posted

I live in Kent County and avoid Route 2 as well. I've never been to a TJ's - I'll check it out once it opens, but can gaurantee I won't go there after that. A Providence location would have been a better place to enter the RI market IMHO.

The location of this store is right across from Price-Rite and less than 2-3 miles from S&S, Shaw's, ALDI and a bit farther from Dave's in EG. I imagine that is why they chose this spot, for competitive reasons.

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Bil Whistle-Stop

Bil

Posted
Posted

Wow, this really is a terrible location. I'd heard rumors that there was going to be a TJ's on Route 2, but I dismissed them as sheer lunacy.

That said, :yahoo: this is right down the street from my house! With liberal use of the backroads, I can be in and out of that plaza while only spending 2 minutes total on Route 2! Yes, yes yes!

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mr2448 Whistle-Stop

mr2448

Posted
Posted
Trader Joes goes to one of the worst commercial roads in RI

Disclaimer: i'm not a real estate developer.

This has got to be the worst location in RI. Anyone who has half a brain stays away from Bald Hill Road. The demographics HAVE to be better in Seekonk where they can draw from RI, East Bay and SE Mass. Are folks from Barrington and Bristol and Aquidneck Island going to go to Bald Hill Road? Doubtful. But folks from Warwick and East G might go to Seekonk. The whole thing is very strange! And I think TJs will rue the day they opened in RI when they try to conduct business in the state--my friend who manages REI says that it was a nightmare because of the laws around retail (ie., employees have to be paid weekly, which screwed up the company's payroll which is biweekly everywhere else in the country).

And who knew they were owned by the ALDI people? I didn't. And Scott Avedesian can totally be governor now if he wants. He can just glide into the statehouse on the "i brought Trader Joe's to town" ticket.

:rolleyes:

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New Name Burg

New Name

Posted
Posted

Hey PVD forum

For what it's worth, Charlotte got our first TJ's about a year ago. There was so much hype about it before it even opened that they announced a second store. The hype was realized when the lines backed up out the doors, and parking lots, and crippled the retail center for the first month. Now we have two open locations on the far ends of the suburbs, both of which are always busy (granted they are tight on square footage). And we already have our third location under construction in Midtown (center city). So I would say if you get the same response for your first store, you can look forward to other locations coming quickly.

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ruchele Hamlet

ruchele

Posted
Posted
Hey PVD forum

For what it's worth, Charlotte got our first TJ's about a year ago. There was so much hype about it before it even opened that they announced a second store. The hype was realized when the lines backed up out the doors, and parking lots, and crippled the retail center for the first month. Now we have two open locations on the far ends of the suburbs, both of which are always busy (granted they are tight on square footage). And we already have our third location under construction in Midtown (center city). So I would say if you get the same response for your first store, you can look forward to other locations coming quickly.

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LegalEagle Crossroads

LegalEagle

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Gotta say I am excited about this, despite the terrible location. I will brave Route 2 only for Chipotle and Inskip, but I guess I will add TJs to this list. I go the TJs in Brookline all the time on the weekends. But since I live in RI during the week I have been TJs deprived! I am sure they will start expanding into PVD to compete with WF. I did hear that the only reason WF keeps its small Waterman location is to keep TJs out, but who knows whether that game of telephone is true.

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jencoleslaw Town

jencoleslaw

Posted
Posted

Despite my complaining about the location, were I still in the area I would just make stealth trips (sunday morning 9 am) to that trader joe's. It is still a far sight closer than the Needham one. But i do think it could have been put in a better spot, not just for RIers and Southern MAers, but for TJs as well. I think that the Mayor should get a medal of honor, honestly, for whatever he did to bring them to Rhode Island, finally. I can't count on both hands and feet the number of people, groups, entities who have lobbied Trader Joe's to come to the area. Truly amazing! Yay for Everyone! I'm trying not to take it personally that it happened seemingly the moment I left the state.

Of course, there are so many down here I can go to a different one every day of the week, all fewer than 20 miles away, and not have any repeats.

:thumbsup:

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runawayjim Metropolis

runawayjim

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Posted
I'm not saying I favor route 2 type development.. but I've never actually experienced traffic on route 2.

No, it wasn't a walkable, energy efficient paradise.. I just hope that they expand into Providence within the next couple-O-years.

-Miguel

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