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SITTIN6 MIL IN ATHENS!
Trader Joe's Gets a Warm Reception!
before he oAciAy had tV job
Scott Bastin packed up hn house, hn
wife and his hopes. 'ekxanrxj from
Nat or* to Athens—aU for a grocery
store Months ago, when Bast'* heard that *
Trader Joe s would be setting up shop m the
Class* City, he and hn wife deoded that *t
was a golden opportunity - scratch that, tt
was a tropical opportunity
“Han we just packed and sieved even
before we knew for sure that we had jobs here
This is such a great place to work * Bastm
sard, standing proudly in hn red Hawaiian
employee shirt. 'And a great place to shop I
love the whole idea of a store that sells really
duality food for a real and affordable prxe
Plus those Joe-Joe cookies, definitely my
favorite ’
dnve to Atlanta was getting pretty old I tout
the bee* selection and my wft. of course is
m !ove with the Trader Joe s chocolate.'
As folks picked and pawed at the Trader
Joe's shelves fnday. not a single negative
wonJ could be heard throughout the stone,
•hich made me think-. Ail this happy talk, just
for a grocery store?
Actually, upon examination. the jubttant
buz/ proved quit* fitting. Strolling down the
narrow crowded aisles »t was easy to see why
Trader Joe s patrons were so enthusiastic. The
shop appeared to have it ait: samples of wraps
and cookies and coffee around every comer,
fresh. exotic and organic produce down the
entryway, promising flavor but not expense
a heavily and well stocked canned and frozen
food section And of course, the*e is the “two-
buck Chuck,' That simple,
tasty selection of house
blended and house branded
Cabernet (plus N*not.
Chardonnay and more) that
setts for less than $3
Shopper and Athens
resident Diane Ha«di was
quick to compare Trader
Joe s with other niche
*natwat* markets. The
major difference being, she
said, the price pomt.
It's the same high
quality food without that
high price tag,' Hanch said
as she scanned the detights
mi me rroaen rood section,
picking up a motto pack
age and pointing,
had this? It takes me five
minutes to make, tastes
like it came from a fancy
restaurant, and when I pair
it with a salad, my fam
fly is so impressed. This
stare has att the groat food
the family will love, and
you can afford it. I am so
ttmtied I can shop hero
m erierod by the truck load a# at budfei-fnendfy pnces
Two-back Chock,
Employees and customers both got their
fill of Joe-Joe samples on Friday' Oct. 29, as
offerings of the Oreo-like treat were passed
around by the tray-full, when Trader Joe's
cut the ribbon on the new Athens location.
Outside the Epps Bridge Road storefront
members of the Oconee County High School
marching band sounded the call with trum
pets. trombones and tubas, while Trader Joe's
staff cut the official ribbon to let in the piles
of waiting customers. Slightly afte. 3 a.m. the
gtass doors slid open and in flooded the eager
steppers, many of whom had been wafting for
years for this grocery moment.
*1 heard that they were thinking about
putting one of these in hero some four years
ago, and I have been waiting for it since,”
said Wetkinsville resident Cherie E-nest as she
pushed her bright red cart through the entry
way. 1 am so glad it is finally hero.”
So was shopper Jim Evans. Before the local
grocery opened, Evans and his wife would
make the trek dgytm the interstate to Atlanta
to frequent a metro Trader Joe's location. Now
the couple can save funds both on gas and on
their grocery bill
got hero at 7:45 this morning to wait
for these doors to open,” Evan? said. "That
This is precisely the
react on Trader Joe's upper
management was gunning
for. As a press release from corporate head
quarters explained, store products are chosen
based on freshness and convenience and am
sold directly from manufacturers, cutting out
the middleman distributor, which in turn cuts
out the inflated prices.
As for me, I was more than Happy to -
bypass that middleman and shell out less than
$15 for a brown bag futt of goodies: frozen
shrimp stir-fry; edamame, a haricot vert green
bean mix, roasted potatoes with mushrooms, a
chick-pea salad and, of course, that aforemen
tioned two-buck delight
In truth. Trader Joe's is not likely to put
area grocery stores out of business, but it's
exactly the kind of place you would shop for a
specific grocery need—especially for special
party-type occasions—if you're witting to put
brand preference aside. The array of products
offered is rotated regularly, with new items
and tastes shipped in weekly, so the selection
of faro never gets stale.
Trader Joe's is a welcome addition to the
Athens grocery and food scene allowing for
more competition and more flavorful options
m the Classic City.
Ferguson Hsll
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NOVEWJER 10,2010 RASPQtE.COM §
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