Showing posts with label Trader Joe's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Trader Joe's. Show all posts

Monday, August 15, 2022

Days of wine and closures

Updated 8/17: A new report suggests TJ's shut the store after learning employees wanted to unionize.

On Friday, workers removed the Wine Shop letters from the now-closed Trader Joe's Wine Shop on 14th Street near Irving Place...
As previously reported, the company abruptly shut the doors to the only Trader Joe's Wine Shop in New York State this past Thursday after 15 years in the retail space of NYU's Palladium Hall ... surprising patrons and staff in the process. 

The closure prompted a surprising amount of nostalgia for the shop, many related to buying bottles of Two Buck Chuck ... to spurring some existential crises, as one Twitter user asked, likely rhetorically: "Why God, why????"

It sounds like a Trader Joe's Wine Shop will return someday and somewhere. The signage on the door mentioned that. And in an email to staff, management stated (in part):

It is now time for us to explore another location that will allow us to optimize the potential of our one and only license to sell wine in the state of New York. In addition, the space currently used for the wine shop will be used to improve the overall operations of store 540, our grocery store in Union Square. 

Read the letter sent to employees at 12:01 a.m. here

A few readers got a jump on suggesting new locations for the shop, such as at the Trader's Joe's on 14th Street near Avenue A... 
... which won't work. For starters, it's not really centrally located... and, importantly. there isn't any available retail space in the building.

For people who shopped at Trader Joe's Wine Shop, there were also discussions about wine-store alternatives in the neighborhood. There are several solid choices around here... which will be for a good future post. 

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Steak out: Man reportedly walks out of Trader Joe's with 10 packs of meat

Yesterday morning, a man reportedly walked out of the Trader Joe's on 14th Street near Avenue A with 10 packs of steaks. 

East Village resident Steven Hirsch, a photographer who contributes to the Post, happened to be in the store at the time. Per the Post article:
Two helpless Trader Joe's staffers had followed the man up an escalator leading to the store's exit but only stopped him from taking a shopping basket outside — not the meat, the video shows. 
"They basically just tell us not to do anything, just let them go," a Trader Joe's worker, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, later explained to The Post. 
"We get in trouble if we do anything … It don't bother me, I've been working here for two years, I see it happen every day. After a while, you just don't care."
The man initially told Hirsch that he paid for the items, but then "claimed that he was homeless and had stolen the food to eat."

"I'm gonna eat it," the man says in the video. "I'm f–king hungry." 

The incident made the cover of the Post under the headline "Hamburglar," part of a larger package on how CRIME is UP throughout the city.

Monday, May 11, 2020

You now have 2 extra hours to shop at Trader Joe's



Trader Joe's locations citywide, including the two on East 14th Street, will now be open later, expanding from 7 to 9 p.m., starting today.

Moving forward, the hours for TJ's are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with an 8-9 a.m. slot reserved for seniors or anyone with special needs...



And if you're hitting the TJ's on 14th Street at Avenue A, you can always get a real-time line check via Twitter.

Thursday, April 23, 2020

There's now a Twitter account that will let you know about the lines outside Trader Joe's and Target on 14th Street


The account launched on Monday, for anyone who may want some neighborly info to save time standing in a line. Per the description: "Headed to the Trader Joe’s or Target on 14th St and Ave A? We’ll let you know how the line looks. Not a bot, just two people stuck in self isolation."




Monday, April 20, 2020

These local Trader Joe's outposts will close for a day of cleaning


[Outside the TJ's on 14th & A on Saturday]

Trader Joe's, which previously closed several outposts on the East Coast after staffers tested positive for COVID-19, will shut down several neighborhood locations for a day of cleaning.

Here's the schedule via the TJ's website:

• April 20 — 436 E. 14th St. at Avenue A

• April 24 — 142 E. 14th St. in Union Square AND 400 Grand St. in Essex Crossing

• April 27 — the wine shop at 138 E. 14th St. in Union Square

These are just one-day closures.

And here's the official TJ's message about all this:

At Trader Joe’s, there is nothing more important to us than the health and safety of our Crew Members and customers. We believe in being proactive and transparent in addressing issues, and we value information and clear communication. With this in mind, we have temporarily closed some stores related to coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, including for additional, precautionary cleaning and sanitization.

We have made sure all Crew Members at the respective locations have been informed and understand the steps to take to best safeguard their own health and the health of their community. For any unplanned store closure, Trader Joe’s pays all Crew Members for their scheduled shifts.

And Pinch shared this photo from Friday, when the line for the Union Square TJ's wrapped around Third Avenue ...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Union Square Trader Joe's temporarily closed after employee is suspected of having COVID-19

Friday, March 27, 2020

The Union Square Trader Joe's is back open

The Union Square Trader Joe's location, along with the wine shop next door, reopened this morning on 14th Street.

EVG regular Pinch reports a line to get in as well as a shipment of groceries.

This location, as well as several others in NYC, closed for a "thorough cleaning and sanitization" after an employee "either tested positive for COVID-19 or is receiving treatment for a suspected case," according to a statement on the Trader Joe's website.

The TJ's website reports that an employee of the wine shop who tested positive for COVID-19 was last present in the store on March 22.

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

[Updated] Union Square Trader Joe's temporarily closed after employee is suspected of having COVID-19


[File photo]

Updated 3/27: This location, as well as the wine shop, reopened today.

The following information comes directly from the Trader Joe's website:

We would like to notify customers of the following locations that a Crew Member recently present in the store has either tested positive for COVID-19 or is receiving treatment for a suspected case. Out of an abundance of caution, we have temporarily closed the store for thorough cleaning and sanitization:

Trader Joe’s (Grocery Store) on 142 E 14th St & (Wine Store) on 138 E 14th St.

The Crew Member was last present in the store on March 22, 2020. We encourage customers who visited the store over the 14-day period ending on March 22, and have health-related concerns, to contact the New York State Department of Health Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Hotline: (888) 364-3065.

Stores in Elkridge, Md., and Plainview, N.Y., were also closed.

Back to the TJ's message:

We are working closely with local health officials to take all necessary measures. We are connecting with all Crew Members at the respective locations, encouraging anyone who may have been in contact to follow CDC-recommended self-monitoring guidelines and to call their healthcare providers right away if they develop any symptoms. While the store is closed, Trader Joe’s will be paying all Crew Members for their scheduled shifts. As soon as the store has been fully cleaned and restocked, we plan to reopen.

As we continue to respond to this rapidly evolving situation, our focus remains on doing whatever is necessary to safeguard the health and safety of our Crew Members and customers and best support our communities.

The store is expected to be closed for several days, according to an internal email seen by BuzzFeed News.


H/T Gojira

Monday, March 16, 2020

Line check



Russell K. notes the line to enter Trader Joe's on 14th Street near Avenue A stretches around the corner.

This photo is from 8:40 a.m. The store opens at 9.

There are other places to shop nearby too.

Wednesday, January 15, 2020

About those detailed East Village drawings at the new Trader Joe's on 14th Street



If you've been to the new East Village Trader Joe's that opened early last week, then you've likely noticed the nearly 200 drawings that adorn the store's interior at 436 E. 14th St. near Avenue A.

East Village-based illustrator Peter Arkle created the drawings, which are an appreciation of street scenes and architectural details that he has spotted throughout the neighborhood... from more celebrated sites such as the Cube on Astor Place to the lesser-known features like the water fountain/wash bowl with the bronze figures (circa 1890s) outside the Immaculate Conception Church on 14th Street.









Arkle, who has lived here since 2002, met EVG contributor Stacie Joy last week to look at the work in the store — as well as a few of their real-life locations. (You can do it too if the mood strikes — there's a map in the store with corresponding locations of all the drawings.)



Arkle also answered a few questions about the project ...

How did the invitation to do the artwork at this location come about?

Jon Basalone, the president of Trader Joe’s, approached me at the end of 2018, saying that a new East Village store was opening and asked me if I would like to draw something for it. He knew my work from reading [my Tumblr] Peter Arkle News, which he subscribed to back in 2003.

Did you have carte blanche on the theme for the illustrations? Did Trader Joe's want something East Village related?

Jon was already very familiar with that side of my illustration work. He said I could do anything I liked as long as it had some kind of East Village theme.

Peter Arkle News contains drawings and descriptions of everyday life — things I come across on the street, the subway, in the Post Office or wherever.

How did you decide on what scenes from the East Village to depict?

I decided to walk along every street in the East Village. I started by drawing a map and as I explored each street I would mark it with a red line. It took me about two months to visit every street — walking slowly, looking carefully and trying not to freeze to death as this was during December 2018 and January 2019.

I took photos and made notes. Very quickly I realized that it would be better if I drew things that were more permanent so I focused on sculptures and other architectural details, weird pipes, parts of electrical sub stations that look like robots, etc. This way, people would be able to go out and find them.

I am very happy to have been able to draw lots of those sculpted heads — gargoyles, kings, gods, goddesses, angels and cherubs — that appear on so many East Village buildings. Many of these are crumbling away or being painted over so many times that they are turning into blobs. They need to be celebrated. Many of them are very high up on buildings and hard to see without a zoom lens — it amazes me that so much detail was added by architects in places where it could hardly be seen. Did people have better eyesight back then?





Then what?

When I’d visited the whole East Village I then sat down to select which things to draw. This was not a very mysterious process — I basically chose, in most cases, the things that I would enjoy drawing the most.

By late spring, I had completed a set of 185 small ink drawings. I then scanned these and enlarged them so they could be turned into vinyl transfers to be stuck on the store walls.




[In Village View]

Are these permanent? Or is this a temporary exhibit in the store?

They are permanent — unless Trader Joe gets bored of them. I actually had a dream the night before the store opened that I went to visit and they had painted over all of my drawings with thick green paint because someone had complained.

Hope that doesn’t happen.



Monday, January 6, 2020

What time does the new East Village Trader Joe's open today?


[Photo from Saturday]

At 8 a.m., per the signage here at 436 E. 14th St. just west of Avenue A (or via our post from Friday) ...


[Photo by Mr. Baggs]

This location is open 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

We'll likely have quickie reader reactions to the new space... we also plan to do something about the art in the store, which was created by East Village-based illustrator Peter Arkle.

This TJ's location is in the retail space of the newish 8-story luxury rental called EVE. This development is on the site of the onetime Peter Stuyvesant Post Office (1951-2014).

Several readers said that the Peter Stuyvesant PO was elsewhere on this block between Avenue A and First Avenue. You can check out our extensive archives on the demolition of the post office to make way for this development at the links below.

The USPS has been leasing the former Duane Reade at 333 E. 14th St. for retail services these past six years.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Today in rants: the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office

Meanwhile, at everyone's favorite local post office branch...

UPDATED: Did you hear the rumor about the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office branch closing?

Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office will yield to an 8-story residential building

New residential building at former 14th Street PO will feature a quiet lounge, private dining room

Developer withdraws zoning variance request for former 14th Street post office site

The Peter Stuyvesant-PO-replacing residential building tops out on 14th Street

All about EVE, the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office-replacing rentals on 14th Street

EVErything about the new luxury rentals at the former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office


[Photo by Gian G. via Yelp]

Friday, January 3, 2020

The new East Village Trader Joe's opens on Monday



The Trader Joe's opens Monday morning at 8 here at 436 E. 14th St. just west of Avenue A... EVG regular Greg Masters snapped these shots yesterday (thanks also to Gojira for a heads up) ...



An EVG tipster told us in early November that Jan. 6 was to be the opening day.

EVG reader Mr. Baggs also shared photos... new employees are on the scene...



Industry pub Grocery Dive had a few more details about this TJ's:

It features local artwork and is headed by a "store captain" with 14 years of experience with the company. This will be Trader Joe's ninth location in New York City and its second in the East Village neighborhood.

This TJ's boasts 8,531 square feet of ground-floor space with 14,170 square feet on a lower level.

This is the final step in the long evolution (first reported in May 2017!) of the new EV TJ's, just a few blocks from the Union Square outpost that opened in 2006.

The location is in the retail space of the newish 8-story luxury rental called EVE. This development is on the site of the onetime Peter Stuyvesant Post Office (1951-2014).

P.S.

According to Grocery Dive, Trader Joe's has not indicated any plans to reinstate the home-delivery service that it discontinued last March.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Trader Joe's finally confirms that a Trader Joe's is opening on 14th Street at Avenue A

All about EVE, the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office-replacing rentals on 14th Street

Claim: A Trader Joe's won't be coming to new development at 14th and A after all

Trader Joe's: No current plans for grocery at 432-438 E. 14th St.

Looks like there's a Trader Joe's coming to 432-438 E. 14th St. after all

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Will the new East Village Trader Joe's open on this date in 2020?


[The incoming TJ's on 14th and A]

We reported yesterday that the incoming Trader Joe's on 14th Street at Avenue A is now hiring.

Now comes word from a reliable source that this Trader Joe's will open on Jan. 6, 2020.

The Trader Joe's website still lists this location at 432 E. 14th St. as "coming soon." TJ's corporate office typically keeps these opening dates a well-guarded secret. So we'll see.

And yesterday's post has more about the two-plus year background on this new location.

Monday, November 4, 2019

The incoming Trader Joe's on 14th Street at Avenue A is now hiring



A sign is up inside the Trader Joe's on Union Square announcing that the new location at 432 E. 14th St. at Avenue A is now hiring. (Thank you to Erika for pointing this out!)

This is the next step in the long evolution (May 2017!) of the new EV TJ's...



Still looks as if there's a way to go before this TJ's is ready. Here's a look inside the space on Friday... there's some TJ-esque paneling up, but otherwise, it's still pretty boxy-y inside...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Trader Joe's finally confirms that a Trader Joe's is opening on 14th Street at Avenue A

All about EVE, the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office-replacing rentals on 14th Street

Claim: A Trader Joe's won't be coming to new development at 14th and A after all

Trader Joe's: No current plans for grocery at 432-438 E. 14th St.

Looks like there's a Trader Joe's coming to 432-438 E. 14th St. after all

Monday, October 14, 2019

A proposal for a loading zone outside the incoming Trader Joe's on 14th Street at Avenue A



On Wednesday night, Community Board 3's Transportation, Public Safety and Environment Committee will hear a proposal for a seven-day-a-week commercial loading zone for the incoming Trader Joe's at 432-438 E. 14th St. just west of Avenue A.

The proposed hours for the loading zone: 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. There's no information at the moment about how large this spot might be for commercial trucks making deliveries to the coming-soonish store.

Back in May, Trader's Joe's officially added 432 E. 14th St. to its list of store openings, ending nearly two years of speculation that the chain was opening its second 14th Street outpost here in the retail complex of the residential building called EVE.

Don't expect this TJ's to open anytime soon, though... here's a look inside the other day...



Meanwhile, L-train work continues along this corridor between Avenue B and First Avenue, though MTA officials say they are ahead of schedule by three months.

The Committee meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the CB3 office, 59 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and Cooper Square.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Trader Joe's finally confirms that a Trader Joe's is opening on 14th Street at Avenue A

All about EVE, the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office-replacing rentals on 14th Street

Claim: A Trader Joe's won't be coming to new development at 14th and A after all

Trader Joe's: No current plans for grocery at 432-438 E. 14th St.

Looks like there's a Trader Joe's coming to 432-438 E. 14th St. after all

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

L train work moves to the entrance of the future Trader Joe's on 14th Street



As you may have noticed in recent days, the walkway configuration has changed on 14th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue in the L-train rehab zone...



Preliminary work started in the summer of 2017 on building new L-train entrances at Avenue A, including accessibility-compliant elevators.

Here's a rendering...



The front entrance of the incoming Trader Joe's at 432 E. 14th St. is now closed off to pedestrians ...





Pedestrians now have to navigate this path between the Trader Joe's-adjacent construction zone and 14th Street...



As for the Trader Joe's, the store's website simply notes "coming soon."

Not sure how soon "soon" is — especially when you see the inside of the space. Here's how the interior looked earlier last week before the construction moved to the front of the entrance...



Speaking of entrances, crews have restored part of the street and sidewalk outside the Associated across 14th Street...



Previously on EV Grieve:
Nightmare scenario for residents who learn that 14th Street and Avenue A will be the main staging area for the L-train reconstruction

Trader Joe's finally confirms that a Trader Joe's is opening on 14th Street at Avenue A

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Trader Joe's finally confirms that a Trader Joe's is opening on 14th Street at Avenue A



Trader's Joe's has added 432 E. 14th St. to its list of store openings (H/T to the commenter who shared this!) ... officially confirming what was pretty well-known already...



In early February, an EVG reader spotted equipment marked Trader Joe's being moved into the retail space in the retail complex of the residential building called EVE here just west of Avenue A.

This confirmation arrives nearly two years since we first heard of a TJ's opening at this location. In May 2017, The Real Deal, citing anonymous sources, reported that Trader Joe's "quietly signed a lease about two months ago with Mack Real Estate and Benenson Capital Partners ... for 8,531 square on the ground floor and 14,170 square feet on the lower level."

However, there wasn't much else mentioned about this possible new TJ's location (aside from some TJ clerk gossip that it wasn't happening) in the ensuing months-years. Finally, in a preview of EVE last August, City Realty noted: "To the delight of residents and neighbors, Trader Joe’s is the building’s retail tenant."

Last October, I asked a Trader Joe's media rep at the national office if they were opening a store here. The response: "Unfortunately, we do not have any current plans for a store at that location."

Nevermind that TJ's was mentioned in the "East Village Life" section that lists nearby restaurants and stores. Per the EVE site: "Although with a Trader Joe’s in the building, you may not need to go too far."

Trader Joe's is reportedly tight-lipped about its operations ... which apparently includes not disclosing information about new locations, and likes to have store buildout details worked out before announcing a target opening date, as the Lo-Down has noted.

From the look of it, the retail space at EVE still has plenty of work left before it's retail ready.



The store is also right in the middle of the L-train slowdown-repair zone...



... the new L-train entrance on Avenue A will be almost right outside the TJ's front door...



As previously noted, it will be curious to see what impact this might have on the Associated directly across the street as well as the food-heavy Target a few hundred feet to the east.

TJ's is opening on the site of the onetime Peter Stuyvesant Post Office (1951-2014).

Previously on EV Grieve:
UPDATED: Did you hear the rumor about the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office branch closing?

Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office will yield to an 8-story residential building

All about EVE, the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office-replacing rentals on 14th Street

Claim: A Trader Joe's won't be coming to new development at 14th and A after all

Trader Joe's: No current plans for grocery at 432-438 E. 14th St.

Looks like there's a Trader Joe's coming to 432-438 E. 14th St. after all

Friday, February 1, 2019

Looks like there's a Trader Joe's coming to 432-438 E. 14th St. after all



Last October, I asked a Trader Joe's media rep at the national office if they were opening a store at 432-438 E. 14th St. at Avenue A. The response: "Unfortunately, we do not have any current plans for a store at that location."

Perhaps those current plans weren't for October ... but it sure looks there are plans now here in mid-winter.

Yesterday morning, EVG reader Laura H. spotted this truck dropping off various equipment outside the new 8-story luxury rental called EVE... the work was happening in the under-construction retail space on the 14th Street side of the building...



... and there is a sign on the supplies...



... wait for it...



Some history. In May 2017, The Real Deal, citing anonymous sources, reported that Trader Joe's "quietly signed a lease about two months ago with Mack Real Estate and Benenson Capital Partners ... for 8,531 square on the ground floor and 14,170 square feet on the lower level."

However, there wasn't much else mentioned about this possible new TJ's location (aside from some TJ clerk gossip that it wasn't happening) in the ensuing months. Finally, in a preview of EVE last August, City Realty noted: "To the delight of residents and neighbors, Trader Joe’s is the building’s retail tenant."

Still, a few months later, Trader Joe's said there weren't plans for this location.

A map on the EVE website shows a Trader Joe's here...



It's also now mentioned in the "East Village Life" section that lists nearby restaurants and stores. Per the EVE site: "Although with a Trader Joe’s in the building, you may not need to go too far."

Trader Joe's is reportedly tight-lipped about its operations ... which apparently includes information about new locations, and likes to have store buildout details worked out before announcing a target opening date, as the Lo-Down has noted.

From the look of it, the retail space at EVE has some work left before it's retail ready. It will be curious to see what impact this might have on the Associated directly across the street as well as the food-heavy Target a few hundred feet to the east.

Meanwhile, leasing continues at EVE, where the residential entrance is at 433 E. 13th St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. This development is on the site of the onetime Peter Stuyvesant Post Office (1951-2014).

Previously on EV Grieve:
UPDATED: Did you hear the rumor about the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office branch closing?

Former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office slated to be demolished

The former Peter Stuyvesant Post Office will yield to an 8-story residential building

All about EVE, the Peter Stuyvesant Post Office-replacing rentals on 14th Street

Claim: A Trader Joe's won't be coming to new development at 14th and A after all

Trader Joe's: No current plans for grocery at 432-438 E. 14th St.