Posted on 03/13/2020 1:49:13 PM PDT by Kaslin
Fancy grocery stores like Trader Joe's in affluent neighborhoods have lines out the door, regular stores, not so much.
Different types of people handle situations differently, especially when it comes to stuff like a pandemic of a deadly Wuhan virus. But in New York City and elsewhere, an interesting pattern is emerging in regard to fancy chain grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods which have been picked over like a carcass and still have long lines. Meanwhile, regular neighborhood chain stores have a few shortages, but are operating pretty normally.
The evidence is anecdotal, but it’s reflected on social media as well. I went to my local grocery this morning and there were a few people hoarding, but it wasn’t packed, it was well stocked, and seemed to be humming along.
COVID-19 has officially hit NYC.
There’s not a single piece of food left at Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods. pic.twitter.com/L5mF15LmRs
— Yano (@JasonYanowitz) March 12, 2020
Over at Trader Joe’s, multiple news reports have made the popular millennial hot spot sound like a post apocalyptic hellscape.
Here is video of the line inside one Manhattan location.
There is probably more than one reason that these differences are occurring, but it seems highly likely that the dispositions and incomes of the two sets of customers are playing a role in the run on Trader Joe’s and the slow steady traffic of old school grocers. The former are almost all in affluent sections of the city, the latter more often in middle and lower middle class neighborhoods.
But it’s not just in New York City.
This pattern is also happening in DC. Costco and big-box stores much worse than neighborhood grocers. https://t.co/mq9XzZaUfm
— Inez Stepman (@InezFeltscher) March 13, 2020
Whole Foods, Los Angeles. 8:00pm Thursday, March 12. pic.twitter.com/fpVJb4yHK3
— Arezou Rezvani (@ArezouRezvani) March 13, 2020
In the industrial part of Houston supermarkets are stocked with light traffic. In the expensive parts of town the whole foods are packed. It doesn't pay to be extremely online.
— Chris Raab (@ChrisRaab3) March 13, 2020
Welp.
This is what the Trader Joe’s on 14th street in DC looks like this afternoon. pic.twitter.com/31BDKERnEn
— Peter Suderman (@petersuderman) March 13, 2020
The scene this afternoon from the Trader Joe’s in Cambridge. pic.twitter.com/wysIrl8Ujz
— Jonathan Yuan (@jyuanathan) March 13, 2020
There is something to be said for the fact that more affluent people may be paying closer attention to the virus, but before we get to that, there are a few practical reasons this could be happening.
The first is income. New Yorkers who aren’t wealthy are not known for being swimming in savings. For many, the idea of dropping $500 right now for a stockpile would interfere with tight budgets. Another factor is space, people in small apartments don’t have storage for 27 twelve packs of toilet paper. And small apartments mean small fridges and freezers compared to those in new luxury buildings.
But it’s not completely off base to point to some psychological differences as well. For one thing, white collar professionals are far more likely to have jobs that allow them to stay tuned in constantly to the updates that cause anxiety and panic buying. The wage-worker, who isn’t on a device all day, is watching a severe pandemic occur, but not in a constant cascade of panic. The affluent in these areas also tend to be more progressive than middle class New Yorkers, and the progressive media has leaned very hard into the worst possible outcomes, whether for political reasons or not.
Whatever the reasons for the disparity, there seems to be two different realities playing out in the city regarding the Wuhan virus. Everyone might be taking precautions, but in different ways across socio-economic lines.
In the working class neighborhoods rules and advice from officials are being followed, but not exceeded to the point of baring the the shelves of the stores. Ultimately, this is probably a much more responsible approach, as local stores will have better control of their supply lines.
It’s a tale of two cities, one experiences a bit of a panic-driven freak out and another takes a more measured approach. I find myself in the latter camp, and I could be wrong, but at least I won’t be spending two hours on line at Whole Foods.
Practically nothing at Trader Joe’s is organic. Why chose them to pick on?
aisle
Fred Meyer had none, and very low on even napkins...no hand sanitizer....flour and sugar picked thru, even vinegar war all gone except for a few small bottles....
that panic making sure empties the stores...
“Finlanders up in the UP of Michigan get into the sauna the first sign of a virus.”
That is a fact. After the birch switches (vihta) are applied to back, viruses fall off and die. Any surviving viruses are frozen to death after jumping thru a hole in the ice.
Sisu!!
Just wondering where you are located. I am currently visiting my daughter who lives in the Seattle area right next to Kirkland (ground zero in WA where the infamous nursing home is located). I went to Safeway yesterday to pick up a few things and there was hardly anyone there and no shortage of anything that I noticed.
Sometimes my sarcasm is so sophisticated that people actually think I’m dumb.
A “lone box of some kind of chicken cordon bleu & a lone hot dog.”
If that isn’t a great line, I don’t know what is! ; )
We’re all Capitalist now.
I think Trader Joe’s started out catering to yuppies back in the 80s. I remember visiting family in California back in the 80-s. It was and is still known for its good prices on wine.
It took another 25/or 30 years for TJ to start showing up in the places I am familiar with on the East Coast.
Now we have one in the place where I live.
What I buy there now mostly is dairy products ( they have a good cheese selection), frozen food and meat (beef and chicken).
Their stores tend to sell things in smaller sizes, which is great for singles and married couples with no kids.
I have an older sister who started shopping there for her husband and herself, once her kids got jobs and moved out of their house.
But it is a store that is used by everyone in California. I began to go when it was founded...it was spun off from a place that sold cheap wine and cheese.
Every level of neighborhood has a Trader Joes. My favorite department is fresh fruit and vegetables. Fresh local eggs and salads when I don’t want to make them. :o)
well I bought 4 dozen eggs at 99cents each....I’m not buying extra unless its a deal....still want to shop smart...
KK?...you mean JJ don’t you...
This writer is delusional. It has been a madhouse in all pf the “little people’s” stores with lines backed up and toilet paper and other items out of supply.
Is there also a run on Dr. Suess's books? I noticed on USA Today Bestseller list maybe more that 20 of them in the Top 150. I have never seen so many listed.
I doubt it. The panic people are hitting in now. Have been all week. But soon the panic stricken will have their stuff. Also keep in mind we’re ruled by just in time delivery. JIT has good and bad aspects. The bad in this case is that nobody has a lot of stock in the back room (or much of a backroom anymore). The good is that trucks come constantly. More stuff is on the way. It’ll be arriving tonight, and the next and the next on going. Now it’s probably not enough for a full restock (bad side of JIT again, the pipeline is for normal demand) but eventually partial nightly restock will fully restock and things will be normal.
I was born in LA and still live here. My brother and I used to enjoy going to the original TJ’s ...still there BTW.
It’s a great place to buy things people actually eat... like fresh fruit and vegetables, canned food, baking items, bread loaves etc. Each store has wonderful eggs. I’m grateful that it is not geared for people that require “big box” items....they are small stores. They are super friendly... they accept returns without a receipt and without question.
If one wants to buy for a huge family they will probably shop at the local grocery ... I shop there too...but less frequently.
TP all gone. Kleenix almost all gone. Napkins and paper towels at about 20% remaining.
What I found interesting going through the grocery store is that for the most part things were normal. But a few things had just been raided. Rice was nearly gone, bananas were even worse, butcher counter was running about 50%. Best example I can think of is when I lived in an area that had a lot of orientals, and periodically they’d have some holiday I never heard of and some stuff was cleaned out. Mystery holiday weekend shopping.
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