Trader Joe's pulls plug on Northeast Portland Store

[wolverine]

I'm always surprised at how Trader Joe's is viewed as an upscale grocery store. It is a bit higher end than many other grocery chains.
I have to travel about 50 miles to reach one, and I don't go out of my way to do so. But when I'm in the area for other reasons I like to shop there.
I don't breeze through the store buying anything I want. I look for deals and think that I find food that I like at reasonable prices.
I'd like to shop at Whole foods but find it a bit pricey. I just don't see Trader Joe's as a high priced grocery store. I think it's a good fit for areas that have limited choices for decent food.
Wal Mart pretty much ruined our choice of grocery stores in the small town I live in. Then again, I'm not into extruded tubes of ground beef from unknown sources. There are a number of products at Trader Joe's that I also find questionable, but I think it's a reasonably good asset to just about any neighborhood, regardless of the financial background.
I do see it as a positive that if a community doesn't see them as a good fit, they don't push it, unlike Wallytown.

I'm surprised people have that perception too. trader joes is high quality, low cost food because they have their own brands. I could spend less feeding myself for a week at that place compared to where most people shop....even at discount grocery stores.

I think TJ's did the right thing. Better to enter a market when the community feels ready. But sometimes, I don't think neighborhood residents always get it. I'm willing to bet at the next community meeting, residents will ask for "better access to fresh food". Well they had the chance and lost it and usually national chains are capable of delivering fresh food cheaper in urban markets than some mom and pop markets.


That said TJ's would do extremely well in Detroit. Willing to bet planning one is in the works already