Slate gets lost following Trader Joe's
Slate mysteriously saw fit to comment this morning on Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, both in the context of New York. And not in their boring today’s blogs ghetto but in a front page double feature.
Hmm.
As far as I can tell MrLittlePants is the leader of Trader Joe’s skepticism in NYC weblogs—Google has taken note, giving him the #2 slot for trader joe’s packaging. (Topped by a self described “lame post” at Je Mange la Ville. On va te manger la tête, connard!)
The Whole Foods organic article at Slate is skeptical and well written (and doesn’t crib my boutique angle), but the one on Joe’s is some kind of “we had this chain store in L.A. first” pride piece, instructing late-to-the-party New Yorkers how to shop there. Gross.
Attention the country: New York City is not a training ground for new chain stores, nor does it want to be. It’s fine with us (judging from the past five years) if you send them here once you’ve hit a winning formula (and I mean this in terms of sales, not merit), but save your gloating.
We invent enough shit here, and we don’t have the cheap real estate you need to pioneer cheeky chain stores. And we certainly don’t pine for chain X that’s currently sweeping the nation.
Like Cold Stone Creamery. I been to one all right, in North Carolina no less, and no we don’t “have them here yet” and no I’m not looking forward to their inevitable arrival. (And don’t try singing to people here. We’ll eat your head.)
So there you go. We’re eager in NYC for anything that frees us from our own union-strangled grocery businesses. And fast-food crossover artists like Starbucks and Chipotle will do all right.
[fact checking dept: Barnett there is a cold stone in Times Sq!—Shit.]
Fine. Most national grub chains will have to settle for a franchise at one or two NYC “attractions,” where they can serve visiting bumpkins who are oddly enthusiastic for the same fat fare they can have back home. Well them, and some giggly European tourists, taking in a bit of Americana.
Slate, thanks for the Whole Foods skepticism and no thanks for the Trader Joe’s patronizing. I’m sure we can figure out on our own that they don’t carry Pampers.
Like we have babies.
Backtalk
i remember the good ol’ days when i didn’t get coffee at starbucks, lunch at chipotle and dinner at ruth’s chris or whatever dumb chain is now around… sigh. i think all of this infestation of chain’s kills the best thing about nyc - the deli. the deli used to be good, you used to order sandwiches and cutlets and bread and cold cuts and cheese!! they used to have to maintain a cleanliness standard and not smoke in their stores! but no longer. they can’t compete with the trader joe’s and co.’s so they’ve given up. also nathan, i hate to tell you but there is a cold stone creamery, not far from you actually downtown.
Yeah my fact checker picked up on that a little late. Let the singing begin!
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