Jackson Heights Life

Good addition for the hood.

It's a welcome addition, especially for those living in East Elmhurst.......but nothing really to write home about. 

I don't understand how people can still be complaining about the supposed lack of good grocery stores in the 80s. We have amazing green grocers, great butchers like Boina Roja, a bodega on every other corner for basics, the natural market on 84, and Mi Tierra.

People like to complain. They don't realize there's fresh food galore in JH, and they lament that frozen meal purveyor Trader Joe's won't return their calls.

Quote from: stevn on February 16, 2021, 11:55:48 PM

Quote from: JA on January 13, 2021, 01:43:40 PM

I don't understand how people can still be complaining about the supposed lack of good grocery stores in the 80s. We have amazing green grocers, great butchers like Boina Roja, a bodega on every other corner for basics, the natural market on 84, and Mi Tierra.

People like to complain. They don't realize there's fresh food galore in JH, and they lament that frozen meal purveyor Trader Joe's won't return their calls.

I know, but I always love to poke the "why won't X upscale chain open in Jackson Heights" (for any value of X) folks. The answer is usually "for the same reason normal people can actually afford rent here."

I imagine rents in Rego Park are not that different than rents in Jackson Heights, yet Trader Joe's built a store there.

Also, I assume you're referring to Trader Joe's as being 'upscale' but not sure what you mean by that. If you mean that their products are reliable, fresh, innovative and the stores are clean and have excellent customer service, then I would agree. However, if you are equating upscale with expensive, then I don't agree at all. Trader Joe's prices are more reasonable for quality goods than anywhere else I could think of shopping -- including the stores here in JH (with the exception of the produce markets).

And since this thread is about the new grocery store and not Trader Joe's, I should mention I took a swing through and took at look at the one product that I know how to do price comparisons for, the large Quaker Oats canister. At this new store it costs $6.99. At C-Town it's $6.49. At the market that used to be called Fruta Dona on 37th and 83rd, I recently bought it for $3.99. At Target it's $3.49. So that leads me to the conclusion that the prices are not much of a bargain here. I'm sure they have some loss leaders and sales, so if you're shopping for something else, perhaps you'll find a decent price.

Quote from: Shelby2 on February 17, 2021, 09:14:54 AM

Quote from: theplanesland on February 17, 2021, 08:45:04 AM

Quote from: stevn on February 16, 2021, 11:55:48 PM

Quote from: JA on January 13, 2021, 01:43:40 PM

I don't understand how people can still be complaining about the supposed lack of good grocery stores in the 80s. We have amazing green grocers, great butchers like Boina Roja, a bodega on every other corner for basics, the natural market on 84, and Mi Tierra.

People like to complain. They don't realize there's fresh food galore in JH, and they lament that frozen meal purveyor Trader Joe's won't return their calls.

I know, but I always love to poke the "why won't X upscale chain open in Jackson Heights" (for any value of X) folks. The answer is usually "for the same reason normal people can actually afford rent here."

I imagine rents in Rego Park are not that different than rents in Jackson Heights, yet Trader Joe's built a store there.

Also, I assume you're referring to Trader Joe's as being 'upscale' but not sure what you mean by that. If you mean that their products are reliable, fresh, innovative and the stores are clean and have excellent customer service, then I would agree. However, if you are equating upscale with expensive, then I don't agree at all. Trader Joe's prices are more reasonable for quality goods than anywhere else I could think of shopping -- including the stores here in JH (with the exception of the produce markets).

And since this thread is about the new grocery store and not Trader Joe's, I should mention I took a swing through and took at look at the one product that I know how to do price comparisons for, the large Quaker Oats canister. At this new store it costs $6.99. At C-Town it's $6.49. At the market that used to be called Fruta Dona on 37th and 83rd, I recently bought it for $3.99. At Target it's $3.49. So that leads me to the conclusion that the prices are not much of a bargain here. I'm sure they have some loss leaders and sales, so if you're shopping for something else, perhaps you'll find a decent price.

You'd be surprised. On statistical measures, we come out as a low income area. Our median household income for 11372 is $60659 with a median of $41852 in one-earner households and $84745 in dual-earner households. Down in Rego Park it's noticeably higher: $66795 overall with $60767 in single-earner households and $116047 in dual-earner households. East Elmhurst is in between. I like to hammer on this, but the population of this board and our neighborhood online groups isn't statistically representative of the overall population of the neighborhood, which is *much* lower income and *much* higher percentage Latino than tends to be represented here.

I was talking about rent, which is what you referred to.

Also, if our residents are under a strict budget for food, they might do better off to take the bus to Rego Park and do a big shopping at Trader Joe's vs pay the crazy prices for certain food items around here, like the example I gave for oatmeal at Super Fresh.

And if we had a Trader Joe's here, they could save the money on the bus fare.

Trader Joe's is opening in LIC soon, right?

At least you can get there by subway.

Anywhere in NYC not near the subway lines is off my radar. (Like the far flung Trader Joe, Rego Park location)
I'd much prefer to go to Manhattans' Trader Joes by subway than shlep faraway by bus.

This is a little out of the way for me, but I heard some excellent reviews, so I brought my cart up to Northern for a big shopping trip.  I was impressed by their selection and quality for a small grocery store.  This is an excellent additional option in the neighborhood.  Hopefully they'll get enough turnover to keep the perishables fresh and diverse.