There is currently only one Trader Joe's grocer in Manhattan, and it happens to be close enough to me that I can visit it almost anytime that I want. Up until a year ago, Whole Foods dominated this neighborhood's demand for food and pretension, but Trader Joe's has them beaten by a country mile. Customers are spilling out of this store at all hours of the day and night, so much so that when I tried to get the inside dope and asked a cashier when the best time to do my shopping would be, he shot me a look that suggested that he thought he was dealing with a newbie--an arriviste. I said, "You know, when is prime time, so I can avoid it?" He simply said, "It's prime time from open to close, baby." Normally I don't like being called baby by guys named Fabrice who I've just met, but here it felt appropriate.
Fabrice was right though. I've switched it up in every permutation I can imagine, and I can almost never outsmart the beast. TJ's is packed to the gills constantly, but they've manged to stay one step ahead of this curve. If you get on the express line, which I always do because shopping for more than 12 items at a time is a bit much to carry, you can shop from the line. Basically, you call out items you'd like (Tangerine juice, goat cheese, flaxseed oil) and a peon brings it to you. It keeps the store from being congested, and the lines move remarkably fast. The store has something like 20 registers, and they turn these cats out like nobody's business. Actually, to be more accurate it is Joe's business. The line can snake to the doors, and you won't be there more than 15-20 minutes. This post is not a rant or anything, it is more of a valentine to the logisitical genius that is Trader Joe's.
Congratulations on the Manhattan store's stunning profitability. Lord know's you've earned it Joe/Jacques/Giotto.
Fabrice was right though. I've switched it up in every permutation I can imagine, and I can almost never outsmart the beast. TJ's is packed to the gills constantly, but they've manged to stay one step ahead of this curve. If you get on the express line, which I always do because shopping for more than 12 items at a time is a bit much to carry, you can shop from the line. Basically, you call out items you'd like (Tangerine juice, goat cheese, flaxseed oil) and a peon brings it to you. It keeps the store from being congested, and the lines move remarkably fast. The store has something like 20 registers, and they turn these cats out like nobody's business. Actually, to be more accurate it is Joe's business. The line can snake to the doors, and you won't be there more than 15-20 minutes. This post is not a rant or anything, it is more of a valentine to the logisitical genius that is Trader Joe's.
Congratulations on the Manhattan store's stunning profitability. Lord know's you've earned it Joe/Jacques/Giotto.
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1 comment:
Thank you for bringing Tori's Boomtown Rats cover to my attention. I love it, and as far as the clip goes, it just makes me wonder, how can I become a speechwriter? Seriously. How does one become a speechwriter?
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