Rumors of Trader Joes coming to the old Capital One bank building on Washington

mr. met

Bob and Betty's charges $15 for a 6-pack of Naragansset. 

southeast

What is so special about Trader Joe's?

Consistency and their proprietary brands.  You know what to expect, from Los Angeles to Brooklyn; they have pretty much the same inventory, a lot of which, you can't get anywhere else.

chekhovian

Mr. Met - Compare charges less than $15 for a 12-pack of Gansset. I'm sure if this Trader Joe's opens, I will be able to go in there and find a price anomaly.

Southeast - having the same inventory at the same prices at stores on opposite sides of the country doesn't speak very highly of TJ's participation in the local food movement, nor does it create any difference between it and Starbucks as nationwide conglomerates.

southeast

Mr. Met - Compare charges less than $15 for a 12-pack of Gansset. I'm sure if this Trader Joe's opens, I will be able to go in there and find a price anomaly.

Southeast - having the same inventory at the same prices at stores on opposite sides of the country doesn't speak very highly of TJ's participation in the local food movement, nor does it create any difference between it and Starbucks as nationwide conglomerates.

Oh, I wasn't differentiating between Starbucks and Trader Joe's. I was just noting what I think is special.  I personally like them both.

bkchickie

one of the reasons given in the past was that the square footage was too small, but I was recently looking online and there are numerous Trader Joes' of this size, one specifically in Boston being even smaller.

I'm pretty sure that I know the one in question.  It is teeny tiny, but has all the TJs basics.

ETA: I am, however, like many of you, very skeptical of this rumor.

eastbloc

It took a long time to confirm the Starbucks rumor, and nonetheless it was true.

I'm going to hold out hope.

whynot_31

In the case of Starbucks, many people (including yours truly) knew about it long beforehand but were sworn to secrecy.

Despite such loyalty, I have either not been entrusted with the Capital One Secret, or none of my contacts knows said secret.

mishaps

Actually, there are a few TJ's items that are sourced locally wherever you are -- the bagels in the NY Trader Joe's stores are locally made, for example, and some fruit and vegetable options only appear in specific areas. It is, however, mostly optimal for packaged and canned goods of the sort that do not vary widely from location to location. 

MasTacos

All the Met, Key Foods, Compare options are awful? Same with specialty stores like Wedge, R&d Foods, the Health Food store on Vanderbilt, the store on Bedford? Bob and Betty's is awful? Pine Tree, Nam's? I'm sure I'm forgetting places, but the number of new food stores is at least comparable to the number of new coffee places.

Lot of small business owners have tried to bring a wide range of options to the neighborhood.

What is so special about Trader Joe's?

I said considering price and selection and I'll stand by that. I go to bob and betty's but it's quite expensive. Wedge/R&D are specialty stores in my opinion, different category. Compare is actually great but it's not convenient for me. 

naturegirlbk

So, has anyone been able to confirm the rumor that TJs is actually coming? Or is it still an unknown?

whynot_31

It remains a rumor. TJs corporate office has denied any such plans, and the Capital One Bank manager that is said to the source of the rumor has yet to be located and interviewed.

inpixels

They told her the same thing they told Brokelyn:

http://brokelyn.com/washington-avenue-probably-isnt-getting-trader-joes/

She is now trying to get in touch with the local branch Capital One manager, to see if he has anything that contradicts this info.

Brokelyn says look at Trader Joes Store Calendar..

TJ's store calendar is now busticated ...dun, dun, dun, dun

http://www2.traderjoes.com/stores/store-calendar.asp