Trader Joe's in Louisville

340 Trader Joe's in some 28 states but despite the expansion, the store has maintained its “I’m-your-neighborhood-grocer” quirkiness.

Yawn. Another chain. Trader Joe's is no more a "neighborhood grocer" than Miller Lite is a "fine pilsner," but I suppose in the post-sensical age, we neither know the difference nor care.

No Roger! But this just isn't any chain! It's different! I don't really know how, but it's different! Just trust me!

Since TJ only operates in the most hipster (hypster?)cities and neighborhoods, they are automatically exempted from the mandatory Hotbytes derision of chains.

[Robin Garr]

Yawn. Another chain. Trader Joe's is no more a "neighborhood grocer" than Miller Lite is a "fine pilsner," but I suppose in the post-sensical age, we neither know the difference nor care.

I have uttered the "But folks, they're bound to draw some bucks away from the locals we love" so many times that repeating myself would just be boring. Oops.

I have uttered the "But folks, they're bound to draw some bucks away from the locals we love" so many times that repeating myself would just be boring. Oops.

About as boring as people's adverse reaction to anything over a certain size and not reserved to one store. Yes. But the good thing about the entire matter is a person has choice to patronize any business; local or not.

Certainly it isn't a neighborhood grocer. But their origins are bringing quality bread cheese and wine to the people, and I still think they have that feel to them, just in a larger scale (more products).

Yes, they'll take some revenue from local businesses. That sucks. But we do live in a pseudo-capitalistic society (where the masses subsidize the losses of the rich), so we do have to accept that competition exists. TJ's isn't like your walmart. The full-time employees there (most of their work force) are VERY happy. Virtually no turnover. They work 45 hour weeks, get great benefits, and make well over 50K per year. You may love our locals, but they simply don't pay their cashiers anywhere near that much.

I really hope our locals can use some of the benefits of having competitors in their midst. They can observe and improve their own systems. A small store cannot compete on price alone (they'd lose), but they can take bits and pieces and make their own stores better. But many of us simply cannot afford to pay the prices our small groceries charge. For some of us, cost doesn't matter. For some of us it does.

I was recently in NY, and found myself at both manhattan TJ's stores. Both were very good. One is squeezed into a narrow space and has to use an escalator to get to the lower level (all of it is in a basement). Great place to stock up on some baked tofu, nuts, etc for supplemental food. (don't worry, we hit a LOT of restaurants, that is basically all we did other than parks and a couple museums and relatives - where we got some home cooking).

To those who haven't been to one, just check it out with an open mind. I suspect you'll like it. Again, this (confirmed) rumor is a quality of life improvement for many of us in Louisville. Yay!

(now if we can just finish that pedestrian bridge....)

[Robin Garr]

The full-time employees there (most of their work force) are VERY happy.

Do you know offhand how management feels about workplace organizing? Frankly, TJ's strikes me as being in a position not unlike Whole Foods as it began its national expansion. And for the record, I admire much of what Whole Foods does, and shop there now and then. But it just seems like a simple and unhappy truth that the more corporate a firm becomes, the less humane it becomes, and certainly Whole Foods today has come some difference from Whole Foods as I remember it in Austin in the early '90s.

TJ's is very late coming to Louisville. I expect the process is already well under way, although I'll bring an open mind to opening day.

But when I spend a buck there, I'll still feel a little guilty that I'm not spending it in Lotsa Pasta.

Yawn. Another chain. Trader Joe's is no more a "neighborhood grocer" than Miller Lite is a "fine pilsner," but I suppose in the post-sensical age, we neither know the difference nor care.

I have uttered the "But folks, they're bound to draw some bucks away from the locals we love" so many times that repeating myself would just be boring. Oops.

Kinda the Robin version of "Falling off the Bone"... Guess we've all got our hot buttons, don't we ?

Kvetching about chains and union-busting aside (which are very valid concerns, btw), I think it's really pretty bogus that Trader Joe's will be on Shelbyville Road while downtown Louisville still needs a real grocery store. I don't buy the claim that they're a "progressive" corporation while they locate in one of Louisville's most over-crowded traffic corridors.

Louisville's most over-crowded traffic corridors.

Isn't this location right down the street from Whole Foods?

The full-time employees there (most of their work force) are VERY happy.

Do you know offhand how management feels about workplace organizing?

In the spirit of we've all got our "Hot Buttons"...This one is mine.

http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/article/20 ... store.html

As a result, I don't do much shopping at Whole Paycheck, Fresh Market, Walmart, etc, etc....Nor do I see us jumping on the Trader Joe's bandwagon.

Louisville's most over-crowded traffic corridors.

Isn't this location right down the street from Whole Foods?

Yep. Same goes for them, too. Either corporation could've been a game-changer by locating in any number of downtown or near-downtown spots, but instead chose to go with boring ol' Shelbyville Road. Obviously there's a compelling economic argument for doing so, which I understand, but I still think it's lame and un-progressive (and means I'll very rarely shop at either).

But we do live in a pseudo-capitalistic society (where the masses subsidize the losses of the rich), so we do have to accept that competition exists.

You lost me here, Nimbus. First, I really don't get the "psuedo" part of the first clause of the sentence, and them I'm really confused by "masses subsidize the losses of the rich." Don't the rich have gains, not losses?

But we do live in a pseudo-capitalistic society (where the masses subsidize the losses of the rich), so we do have to accept that competition exists.

You lost me here, Nimbus. First, I really don't get the "psuedo" part of the first clause of the sentence, and them I'm really confused by "masses subsidize the losses of the rich." Don't the rich have gains, not losses?

THIS oughta be good....

I probably should have moved that to a new thread. Hijack!

No Roger! But this just isn't any chain! It's different! I don't really know how, but it's different! Just trust me!

Matthew,
I really wish those of us in the know would stop talking about this. There's a Buddhist proverb about the turtle that tries to explain dry land to fish. The fish are incredulous and ridicule him. Of course the nature of reality of the land remained as it was and the fish remained ignorant. We need to let those who judge without experiencing miss out. It's their loss and our gain to for making the aisles a bit less crowded. Thank heavens we won't have to make our few-times-a-year trips out of state for a TJ stock-up! Heck, TJ is worth a trip just to cheer up when you're low. The staff is always so upbeat it lifts one's spirits.