While the private school market may be experiencing a downturn, the niche grocery market appears to be full steam ahead. Last night at the East Sac Trader Joe’s I was asked my Zip code at checkout, surely the first sign of a massive identity theft ring development plan in the works at TJ’s HQ for a new store in the area. For once I had small talk to make with my checkoutperson — he said Davis folks can be rabidly for and against a new store, and that he has heard talk of a new store in Auburn. Yeah, that’s actually all I got. Anybody else have anything to say?
The Sac Rag 
Trader Joes realized that NO ONE is walking to the store, which, judging by the size of the parking lot, they expected EVERYONE to do?
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Sure Davis wants a TJ’s…on their terms: where they say, how big how much parking, etc. What else is new? See: Borders, Target, Big 5, Safeway, Nugget, anything “corporate” in the PRD.
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I could be totally wrong but when I did consulting marketing we had retailers ask for customer zip codes purely for data collection related to where to send out promotional material and having nothing to do with new locations. Haven’t you had this happen in most stores and there’s never a new one? Side note, I always give a TN zip code just to be annoying cause that’s how I roll. 🙂
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Please give 95835. We want one in North Natomas.
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Mad Dog, I wish you had a TJs in North Natomas. I remember waiting for one in my neighborhood. Giving your zip code won’t help though as my point above was that zip code collection by retailers has nothing to do with finding new store locations.
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My Mom lives in Auburn, and knows the site where they are building TJ’s on Hwy49.
Here is the article she told me about from their local paper…
http://www.auburnjournal.com/detail/97409.html
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Coincidentally there are over 700 Trader Joe’s in Tennessee.
Just kidding, I’m sure Plumwin is probably also right — however I’m sure it is sometimes done for expansion purposes.
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Damn, I didn’t check my facts first! Maybe I’ll use Puerto Rico next time. I just like watching the clerk make dubious eye contact with me for an instant (cause they see me like twice a week) but then know they can’t accuse me of lying.
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they din’t ask me 4 my zip code. sniff.
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They do this survey once a year at all Trader Joe’s. Just information for a marketing meeting.
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FACT: In Davis, Trader Joe’s was going to be at University Mall in the stand-alone building currently occupied by Radiological Associates. As of 1/2/09, they are not going to occupy that space and Radiological Associates is staying put.
RUMOR: Trader Joe’s is going to build a new store from the ground up near where the new Target store is building in Davis.
MY THOUGHTS: Thank god Trader Joe’s wised up and won’t be moving to University Mall. There isn’t enough parking now, much less than when a Trader Joe’s should move in there. Plus, the bird poop that accumulates on the parking lot and the cars is absolutely disgusting. The parking & bird poop is such a major issue, I probably wouldn’t shop there if they had moved in. I’d still go to Trader Joe’s in Sacramento once in a while.
Too bad Trader Joe’s doesn’t like the site in the Davis Manor Mall, in the other half of the old Albertson’s/Ralph’s grocery store. Lots of great parking, no bird poop. I don’t think any Davis resident could be against that location, unless they are share holders in other grocery stores in town.
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“I don’t think any Davis resident could be against that location, unless they are share holders in other grocery stores in town.”
I’m fairly certain you could find a large number of Davisins (or Davites, or perhaps just tree-hugging hippies) to be against just about anything. Grocery stores, big box stores, progress, hope, change, cars, squirrels, Republicans, common sense.
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Trader Joe’s, grocery stores, progress, hope, change, squirrels, common sense = good
Republicans = bad
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Sounds like someone is holding a grudge, T Mc. While it’s easy to stereotype Davis by categorizing it with its extremists, it is more than ignorant of you to bypass the mass of people in Davis that are for things like hope, change and most importantly, accepting things or people for what they are or what happens. Looks like you could use a little less chip off your shoulder, and a little more of that acceptance right now. Oh and by the way, not all “Davisites” hate Republicans. But if you want to be close-minded and think that way, then by all means, go at it. The bitter will continue to be bitter.
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