Trader Joe's in Oly blog-swell [Blog Local]

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Trader Joe's in Oly blog-swell [Blog Local]

Submitted by emmettoconnell on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 10:31am.

trader joes

Well, not likely, but it is weird to see it mentioned in two places in the last week or so.

Yelm Community Blog: Trader Joe's Wants to Hear From You -- About Potential Olympia Store

Olympia Real Estate Blog: Trader Joe's in Olympia?

emmettoconnell's blog
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AHHHHHHHH FANTASTIC!!!!!

Submitted by einmaleins on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 10:36am.

LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!

Yeah, yippie, great, wonderful!!!

mathias

Thin Ice

Submitted by Keith Hufnagel on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 12:10pm.

Low wage service sector jobs exploited by the walmart big box retail model are responsible for sticky, low wage, no skills for future employment or other escape, over priced health care that puts mostly older female workers at about $3/hr, jobs that routinely promote males to the top and keep women in apparel and on the till. There hasn't been a Trader Joes yet because Olympia has too much local competition from local high skill employers like co-ops, farms....for now...in the meatime the big box joes disguised as progressive will keep their creepy eyes on cornering our market. If we hang on to downtown movies through the next century we'll have a chance of keeping it round down heya.

whoa....

Submitted by epersonae on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 11:11pm.

Let's make a useful comparison here! Trader Joe's isn't Wal-Mart. (For one thing, there's no apparel section.) Like Costco, TJ's is pretty good to its workers, according to Business Week, anyway. (entry level part-timers start at $8-12/hour; the company puts 15% of each worker's pay into a retirement fund, etc.)

I really like Trader Joe's

Submitted by OperaGirl on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 12:24pm.

I really like Trader Joe's and would love to see an Olympia store.

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life. ~Ludwig van Beethoven

Never gonna happen...

Submitted by The Original Yoda on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 12:45pm.

... the they can't compete with our co-ops.

There's a co-op downtown?

Submitted by Ehver Green on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 12:55pm.

There's a co-op downtown? =)

I gotta say, in my circle of friends and family I only know of one family that actually frequents the co-op. It's a big cirlce, too.

There would actually be very little competition between a Trader Joe's and the co-op. The inventory overlap (brands) isn't all that great.

This could be the destination store downtown sorely needs. My family submitted our interest in having Trader Joe's in town. You should too!

Westside Co-Op (I've never

Submitted by Merwyn Haskett on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 1:14pm.

Westside Co-Op (I've never been to the Eastside location) is 50-50 on whether I get a decent person or a snob who's too good for me at the counter. And I'm even a lifetime member.

Customer service is the same reason I'm more likely than not to go to Charredbucks instead of BnB.

I prefer local - but local doesn't trump supply, demand and service.

You can blow out a candle / But you can't blow out a fire / Once the flames begin to catch / The wind will blow it higher

I agree with you about the Westside Co-op

Submitted by Laurian on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 4:42pm.

but for some reason the Eastside Co-op is much more user friendly. Check it out.

Re: Westside Co-op

Submitted by The Dread Pirat... on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 10:30pm.

Wow! I thought I was the only one! I've been shopping there on & off since '90, and it remains the worst service in town. Sometimes the folks behind the counter or who work in the back are friendly. Most of the time it's nothing but attitude, Why are you bothering me, I don't have time for your pathetic, stupid questions. Or just the simple dirty looks (which _have_ reduced over the years: Maybe it's because I'm older.) However, B&B has always been near the front in good customer service. I don't expect smiles & gushing adoration, just competent, polite service, and they've always been good at that.

I do most of my shopping at

Submitted by johnnycoke on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 12:54pm.

I do most of my shopping at the coop, but I still shop at Trader Joe's about once a month, when we're in the vicinity of one. I'm addicted to their flattened bananas.

What's Trader Joe's?

Submitted by Laurian on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 4:40pm.

n/t

quirky grocery chain

Submitted by epersonae on Fri, 06/20/2008 - 11:07pm.

Founded in southern California in the late 50s, known for their sometimes random selection of products, crazily good prices on fairly esoteric stuff, and wacky decor. more on wikipedia

Trader Joe's model is

Submitted by Meta Hogan on Sat, 06/21/2008 - 9:08am.

Trader Joe's model is regional retail, so they wouldn't just serve Oly (or even O/L/T). They have to be near the freeway to be accessible to folks from the wider area who would shop there. That's the reason I've heard for their hesitance in situating in Oly--no good space near I5. In that sense, Lacey might be a better option. I also have heard that our market, while it looks tempting in the long run, may not be big enough for them yet.

I love their big jars of briny things, but I get the impression that no one could really do the bulk of their grocery shopping there. It seems like you would buy your staples elsewhere, and then dress up your staples with stuff from TJ's.

In Seattle...

Submitted by einmaleins on Sat, 06/21/2008 - 9:59am.

... we did the bulk of our grocery shopping at Trader Joes and dressed it up at other places. I.E. fresh stuff at the Farmer's Market or flour at Cash n Carry. They have amazing prices, since they don't have blockbuster sales, so you buy what you want, not what's on sale. And they offer amazing "exotic" products for ridiculous prices. And especially their "traders brand" is great value for the money - please, please come to Olympia.

mathias

einmaleins

i'd rather not shop at trader joe's

Submitted by rosscowman on Sat, 06/21/2008 - 11:05pm.

however I would take them over the thriftways which is the only other downtown option right now. who wants to buy 4 peppers in styrofoam and plastic? It would mean however, I wouldn't have to go all the way to seattle to root through their dumpster.

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