OPINION

KAREN MARTIN: Trader Joe's coming to the rescue

Karen Martin
Karen Martin

Many of us are familiar with Nextdoor. It's a social networking service for neighborhoods. Users submit their names and addresses to their local Nextdoor affiliate, then can post items for sale, info on suspicious characters, questions about what's going to open in the vacant space next to a doctor's office, reports of runaway dogs ... Posts can be seen only by other Nextdoor members in the same neighborhood who have signed up to be recipients.

Nextdoor Hillcrest is among the most vibrant of these, with thousands of members who feel perfectly comfortable in expressing their opinions among those seeking a used lawnmower, asking for help finding a handyman, voicing distress over a huge pothole, and sharing the completion date of yet another stylish new restaurant being constructed on the bones of another that's been recently demolished.

Lately, a single post served to start a massive rant. The topic is a neighborhood supermarket--part of a national chain--that is, in practically everyone's opinion, doing a miserable job of serving its customers.

The grumbling started slowly--rude checkout clerks, sub-par cleanliness in bathrooms--then took off. Some of these people are really angry, and do an explicit job of explaining why.

Among the more interesting complaints: Customer service clerks who snap at late-night shoppers to hurry up since the store closes at midnight; three out of four everyday items on a shopping list are unavailable; flies are visible in the prepared-food case; bakery staffers won't bother to take care of customers until they've waited a good long time; customers being overcharged; fruit and vegetable abuse when bagging; two cashiers at the registers during the 5-6 p.m. rush; empty shelves; self-checkout only (no cashiers) during early morning hours; not enough parking; nobody at the customer service desk, abysmal response from management.

One poor soul voiced support for the store and was sharply scolded by another Nextdoor user who recommended the supporter should find another thread to post on. So much for fair and balanced ...

Anyway, here's the solution, according to many Nextdoor users: Don't worry, Trader Joe's is coming soon.

Why do we think that a new version of anything is going to be better than the old version that's already here?

Granted, a new house can offer amenities that a 1920s bungalow doesn't have. A new car likely has decent technology, more responsive handling, better gas mileage, and a level of reliability unlikely to be found in one that's a decade old.

But all retail stores have reasons that people like them, along with plenty of reasons why they don't.

All the natural-food fans went crazy when Whole Foods moved out of its original Little Rock location at 10700 N. Rodney Parham Road to its present 34,000-square-foot spot at Bowman and Chenal Parkway, which happened in February 2015. The Rodney Parham store was too small, shoppers said. It had narrow aisles. It was poorly designed (it used to be a Marshall's department store). It was too laid-back for modern tastes, but didn't exude a welcoming vibe. The floors could have been cleaner.

Is everybody happy with the Bowman location? Well ... It's bigger, with wide aisles, high ceilings, and efficient organization. Lots of samples are on offer. Employees are plentiful, and most of them (especially the checkout crews) are friendly. The wine selection is impressive.

But the store temperature is, for some of us, too cold for comfort. It's hard to feel warm and fuzzy when you need to wear a fleece there in the middle of July. Plus, although it's a fine destination for specialty items, not everyone is willing to spend what's necessary to do the entirety of their shopping there.

And let's not forget The Fresh Market, which came along in 2007. I have a great affinity for this pleasant grocery store with subtle lighting, classical music, exceptional produce (some organic, some not) that's beautifully displayed, and staff members who tend to know what they're talking about. It helps that I worked there part-time on weekends for two years as a sampler at the store on Cantrell Road, serving shoppers exotic fruits like Buddha's hands, Grainger County (Tenn.) tomatoes before everybody else discovered them, 28-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano, 25-year-barrel-aged balsamic vinegars, and premium seafood.

But, once again, it's unlikely to replace mainstream supermarkets when it comes to stocking up on staples. There are no 99-cent loaves of sandwich bread here.

So will Trader Joe's be the answer? I've been to lots of its locations in other cities. There's a huge emphasis on making sure customers feel valued and inspired to make adventurous choices.

Overall prices--especially of private-label products--are reasonable (the Two-Buck Chuck wine is up to $2.99, but there are plenty of other decently priced bottles).

Packaging isn't a big deal; the same items may not look identical across a shelf. Items you love may disappear if the supplier raises the price too much.

The most exceptional item I've noticed there are bananas for 19 cents a pound, but they're so green they can't be eaten for days. Oh, and in urban locations like Manhattan's Union Square, the checkout lines snake through the entire store; it takes at least a half-hour to settle up and get out.

Tastings and samplings are often going on, with friendly employees--organized via a nautical theme, with "captains" in charge and "mates" as middle managers--touting products. The sushi is not highly regarded (not many grocery-store sushi offerings are, with the exception of Fresh Market's), nor is the produce (this is not a local farmers' market).

Employee culture is highly rated. Glassdoor named the chain as one of the best places in the U.S. to work in 2018, 2017, 2013, 2012 and 2011. And the store donates 100 percent of products not fit for sale but safe for consumption to nonprofit organizations.

These observations come from stores that have been up and running for a while. No retailer is ever really ready when the doors first open. So be willing to give Trader Joe's a chance. Let's all see how this works out. We'll keep an eye on Nextdoor for customer comments.

Karen Martin is senior editor of Perspective.

kmartin@arkansasonline.com

Editorial on 09/22/2019

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