Jackson Heights Life
Get Connected => Neighborhood Chat => Topic started by: Emogj on March 09, 2012, 12:29:02 AM
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The people at Trader Joe's in Forest Hills have told me to get my friends and
neighbors to fill out the Location Request form on their website. They know how
crowded that Queens location has become and they say their bosses take the
emails and requests seriously. I think it's a long shot, but it can't hurt. If
you want another Trader Joe's in Queens and particularly in our area, please go
to this link:
http://www.traderjoes.com/about/location-requests-form.asp
Please cut and paste if it does not work directly.
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Hmmm, not sure I'd want trader joe's in my neighborhood exactly (big corporation), but they are pretty good.
I'd rather fairway, but even they are getting too big that it's gotta hurt smaller stores.
maybe they should put one in flushing, or maybe at near the museum of moving image.
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I totally agree with Jeff. If it's going to be a major chain store, let it be one that brings the neighborhood good union jobs like Fairway-- definitely not a Trader Joe's.
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Trader Joes? NO WAY! They exploit the environment, exploit suppliers, exploit communities, and exploit workers! Trader Joe's is no better than wal mart in all of their practices, in fact they use the same playbook. If you really want a food distributor try, as Jeff said Fairway or a ShopRite. Say No to Trader Joe's. http://www.traitorjoe.com/index.htm or http://www.traitorjoesny.com/
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Trader Joes? NO WAY! They exploit the environment, exploit suppliers, exploit communities, and exploit workers! Trader Joe's is no better than wal mart in all of their practices, in fact they use the same playbook. If you really want a food distributor try, as Jeff said Fairway or a ShopRite. Say No to Trader Joe's. http://www.traitorjoe.com/index.htm or http://www.traitorjoesny.com/
That's a little over the top.
First of all, your Greenpeace link about sustainable seafood (http://www.traitorjoe.com/index.htm) says that Trader Joes has responded to activists and will only sell sustainable seafood starting in Dec. 2012. You should read your own links more closely -- that one is full of "victory!" messages.
As far as the other link (http://www.traitorjoesny.com/) -- apparently Trader Joes' isn't a union shop? Too bad (I do support unions, and have been a union member in the past). However, there are much worse grocery chains the UFCW could be pressuring -- for example, Key Foods and Associated supermarkets, where in some cases, like the Bushwick Associated, employees make less than the minimum wage (there's a lawsuit there). In other locations, they merely make minimum wage. I'm not an expert on the topic but from what I understand, employees at Trader Joes are compensated relatively well, and have good benefits (including health insurance options, if I'm not mistaken).
I like Trader Joes and I will continue to shop there - they have great prices on staples like yogurt, half & half, nuts, olive oil, lean ground beef, frozen vegetables, egg whites, and other categories. The quality is better than my local Associated, and so are the prices.
However, I do respect the concept of keeping 'big box' stores from opening in the neighborhood.
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The point of the first link was to illustrate that Trader Joe's does nothing to better the world, unless they are forced to. An illustrated example would be the Imokalee Workers who fought for years to get TJ to pay a penny more per pound on tomatoes to lift the wages of the pickers. Again, only because of immense pressure, not because they are a "good" company did they finally cave.
Trader Joe workers are nnot compensated well for their hard work. Trader Joe's has spent billions of dollars promoting itself as a good employeer, but just like Fox News' attempt at a similar PR, most of us have the ability to see through the campaign.
Reason TJ has low prices? same as why Wal-Mart has low prices. They pressure the supliers to agree to artificialy low prices.
I for one, will not stand by while people beg a multi-trillion dollar company to do business in my neighborhood.
And remember K2000, if the "big boys", Trader Joe's, Wal-Mart, Wholefoods, et.al. can get away with being terrible employeers, neighbors, and citizens, then the little guys will as well.
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We had a thread some time ago about the unfair treatment of grocery workers in Queens. http://www.jacksonheightslife.com/community/index.php?topic=3862.0
I like Trader Joe's and will continue to shop there once a month or once every two months or so -- whenever it's convenient for me to get there. However, I don't support a store here in Jackson Heights because of the horrible traffic congestion it would cause. The existing Queens Trader Joe's parking lot and surrounding streets get extremely congested, especially on weekends. We already have enough of that.
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I really wouldn't mind a Trader Joe's anywhere in Western Queens. It's not as if I'd shop there all the time anyhow. It's not a large store and really only specializes in certain things. You don't buy a lot there - they don't even have big shopping carts. I would still shop locally too if we had one. I'd do both. That's the beauty of having options. You buys some things here, some things there. But as far as affordable organic options, let's face it - it's not as if this area has many of them. Most of the grocery stores here have one tiny ass section devoted to organic and they mark it up in price. I'd rather buy the organic at the greenmarket on Sunday - which I do - than buy organic at the local grocery store.
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Not enough parking on Northern. Have to use the PlayStreet for the overflow. :D
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Hope this isn't too off topic... does anyone know anything about Food Cellar? It's an Amish Market store. I go to the one in LIC and absolutely love it. They won't open in JH, they stay in the monied areas, but I was wondering if anyone has any info on the good-corporate-citizen aspect.
Jeanette
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Hope this isn't too off topic... does anyone know anything about Food Cellar? It's an Amish Market store. I go to the one in LIC and absolutely love it. They won't open in JH, they stay in the monied areas, but I was wondering if anyone has any info on the good-corporate-citizen aspect.
Jeanette
Amish Market was fined by the DOL almost two million dollars for wage theft for about 50-70 workers. Actually the Wage Theft Prevention Act was written with the Amish Market in mind. In other words, they were the inspration! And they are not Amish!
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Trader Joe workers are nnot compensated well for their hard work. Trader Joe's has spent billions of dollars promoting itself as a good employeer, but just like Fox News' attempt at a similar PR, most of us have the ability to see through the campaign.
Reason TJ has low prices? same as why Wal-Mart has low prices. They pressure the supliers to agree to artificialy low prices.
I for one, will not stand by while people beg a multi-trillion dollar company to do business in my neighborhood.
And remember K2000, if the "big boys", Trader Joe's, Wal-Mart, Wholefoods, et.al. can get away with being terrible employeers, neighbors, and citizens, then the little guys will as well.
Can we see some confirmation of your accusations that Trader Joes underpays their employees? Here's a website that says crew members make good money for a retail/grocery job, they get regular job reviews and raises, that they are generally treated well by management, they have access to health care benefits, etc:
http://www.jobitorial.com/trader-joes-job-reviews-C814 (http://www.jobitorial.com/trader-joes-job-reviews-C814)
That is just one link of many I found, Googling "how much does Trader Joes pay".
In contrast to the "big boys" I believe most Key Foods and Associated markets are privately owned, and they pay much less than what Trader Joes pays...
So how about backing up some of your claims. "multi-Trillion dollar company" who "spent billions of dollars promoting itself as a good employer". Really?
The Fox News and Walmart comparisons seem like cheap shots. Sour grapes, perhaps?
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Can we see some confirmation of your accusations that Trader Joes underpays their employees? Here's a website that says crew members make good money for a retail/grocery job, they get regular job reviews and raises, that they are generally treated well by management, they have access to health care benefits, etc:
http://www.jobitorial.com/trader-joes-job-reviews-C814 (http://www.jobitorial.com/trader-joes-job-reviews-C814)
That is just one link of many I found, Googling "how much does Trader Joes pay".
In contrast to the "big boys" I believe most Key Foods and Associated markets are privately owned, and they pay much less than what Trader Joes pays...
So how about backing up some of your claims. "multi-Trillion dollar company" who "spent billions of dollars promoting itself as a good employer". Really?
Sure lets compare companies that are in similar brackets, like sales, profits, and labor. Stop & Shop full time employees start at 11.25 per hour have full medical insurance paid by the company, full pension benifits paid for by the company, time and a half on sundays, paid holidays, sick time, personal time, and vacation. Guarenteed raises twice a year (on specfic dates so everyone knows when the raises will be), without an arbitary review by someone that may or may not like you. Oh did I mention guareentee 40 hrs per week, regardless of the sales.
It is not "sour grapes" . It is called a fundemental believe in my brother and sisteers not being trampled by coporations. I take great pride in making sure my disposable income is spent in places that recognize humans as, well as humans, and not overhead.
Do you take time out to make sure you buy fair trade coffee or not to buy blood diamonds? If yes, then take a moment to realize in your backyard people are living in wage slave system that is designed to keep them down. This is not a fantasy. The world is full of reports and non fiction studies of this system. Who coined the phrase "crew members make good money for retail/grocery jobs" What type of elitism is that? Shame on you for judging a man or woman because of the job they have. Maybe we were not all born in the 1% and we must fight for better wages.
Yours Truly
99%
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Oh for Heaven's Sake, Relax!
And signing your rant "99%" is pretentious.
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Am glad this was clarified as we really like Trader Joe's and find that the food is a good fit for our family. I see a number of slightly older folks who are
real pleasant as cashiers and we know some local high school grads who were lost and seem to say that their Trader Joe's job is putting them back on
track with a supportive work environment and good role models. I don't know the inside story but from where I stand, the products and the workers
look mighty fine. Would be ecstatic to have them in our neighborhood!
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There is a rumor.
That the now closed SuperFresh market ...on Northern Bld ...is going to be replaced by an ALDI. (Which is another arm of the same company as Trader Joe)
Anyone know if this is correct?
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If you're talking about the rumor on a JH Facebook group, the way I saw it was that it was a rumor being floated by one person only. When pressed, she first said she heard it from a clerk at SuperFresh, and then later she claimed she had read it online, but didn't provide a link, and now she's saying she read it in the "local papers." (When I googled "Aldi" + "Jackson Heights" nothing comes up that indicates one is in the works.)
So yeah, sounds like a rumor and nothing more. Of course I'd love it if it were true as it would add something new to the neighborhood instead of the same-old in terms of grocery stores or pharmacies.
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Thanks.
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there's definitely no hard info out there, but in theory, Aldi could take over. this is a very small building as supermarkets go -- 10,000 square feet, according to Loop.Net -- but Aldi's specs actually say "a minimum of 10,000 sq ft" is required, with most locations being around 16,000. that's much, much less space than a Whole Foods will even consider and smaller than most Trader Joe's locations.
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In theory I suppose even a Tiffany Jewelers could open there.
My guess is another auto-related establishment will open up. Like Auto zone?
Northern Bld is, after all, known for car yards.
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ABCD... Let's not hate on Northern Blvd. It's a commercial area that a lot of folks love. Some terrific restaurants, bars and food markets. Hope something different to what we already have moves in there as I think there was too much overlap with existing food shopping for the previous occupants to survive.
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ABCD... Let's not hate on Northern Blvd. It's a commercial area that a lot of folks love. Some terrific restaurants, bars and food markets. Hope something different to what we already have moves in there as I think there was too much overlap with existing food shopping for the previous occupants to survive.
Itsit, you're a car lover.
I am most definitely not.
I would be happy if all car yards everywhere in the world were turned into parks for bikes and strolling.
But I know what I see on Northern Bld. And I see accursed car yards.
Regardless of any wishful, magical thinking that cars should all disappear.
And pretending those car yards are not there on Northern Bld would be delusional.
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You're missing some excellent retail and dining establishments on Northern Blvd. Just a fact!
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Yes, no doubt.
The solution is to turn NORTHERN BOULVARD into an Open Street.
Now that would be truly awesome.
:)
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The ultimate in self-righteousness: People who want to live in a city without living in a city.
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true. people who want cars where they're not needed.....not much different than people who want to raise goats in a co-op apartment.
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Yes, no doubt.
The solution is to turn NORTHERN BOULVARD into an Open Street.
Now that would be truly awesome.
:)
Maybe you'd prefer to shut the entire neighborhood?
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I have thrown the cat among the pigeons.
Or should I say the public transit proponent among the car lovers.
Car lovers are free to sit among their fumes and car yards and parking lots and traffic...
And pretend they enjoy it.
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This, I'm not going to miss.
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true. people who want cars where they're not needed.....not much different than people who want to raise goats in a co-op apartment.
(https://i.imgflip.com/5yb0yw.jpg)
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I don't know how reliable this is, but one of the employees there told me he thought the owners were going to open another grocery store there. I think SuperFresh is a Kroger brand like Food Universe and KeyFood and Food Emporium. They had everything on sale at 20% off, but not much left at this point.