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.
Was just over at a “Market Basket” next to where I live. Had a $10 off if you purchase $60 coupon expiring today. There are plenty of prime rib steaks available.
If I’m going to self quarantine, I’m gonna do it right.
LMAO!
Thar’s easy. Walmart created the most sophisticated pull-type distribution network on the planet and its large competitors copied it. When you buy the last item on the shelf the supplier has already gotten the order to replenish it.
Foo-foo stores can’t come close.
Yes and what is the deal with people stockpiling toilet paper during these events I don’t understand it. You can use Kleenex paper towels leaves if you had to whatever. I guess people just like their Cottonelle.
I’ve never heard Trader Joe’s referred to as a “fancy grocery” before. I would call it the “Ross Dress for Less” of food stores.
Trader Joe’s may not be fancy but they’re found in rich towns and college towns.
When I went to Costco 10 days ago, they were out of buttwipe and everybody was grabbing the packs of paper towels instead. That and bottled water. Not sure why.
All of them use similar systems. Everything is based on statistics. Depending on the product a store may have only a few days of supply for one reason or another. Their supplier will have slightly higher inventories but not enough to cover this swing. Nobody is sitting on 4 weeks of toilet paper because there might be a run on it. Except the people that went to Costco last week.
Going Krogering tomorrow. Fun times......
Good commercial practice...go where the dough is...most of our urban “food deserts” are because of high cost of theft.
Last night, I stopped at a Hy-Vee in a southwest suburb of Minneapolis.
Of course, toilet paper was completely gone. Jugs of water were picked over but available.
Canned goods like vegetables, soup, etc had been hit - but not hard. You could find what you wanted.
I didn’t see the meds section but I assume there had been action there too.
There were not long lines at the registers or self-checkout. I didn’t see anyone who had a grocery cart piled high with food.
I had to threaten to kill a guy over two boxes of Hostess Ho-Ho’s. OK, I lied about that part.
It really looked like a typical Thursday night. Of course, it’s hard to predict what this weekend will look like though.
You are doing it right. I just have hot dogs.
I see that here, too. WalMart grocery aisles are shoulder to shoulder due to the crowds. The Dollar General is normal traffic as is the IGA. The DGs and Family Dollars have been stocking up on things that WM is running out of. They expect to get jammed, too, but so far it hasn’t happened. The nearest DG stocked up on pallets of water at raised prices expecting to be swamped. Today the prices of water at DG have come down to below what they had been before the WuHan disturbance. We do not have anything like Whole Foods. We had a similar Lucky’s but it went out of business.
LOL!
Panicked Social Justice Warriors? They ARE easily startled!
*SMIRK*
People have been driven into a panic frenzy. What the hell are you going to do with all the toilet paper you just bought? The China virus don't give you no diarrhea.........Sheesh!
No such things since the competitors of the stores you mentioned are also the big box grocery stores such as Kroger and Meijer.......Same thing is going on locally.
I thought is was a cold virus not a diarrhea virus.
“That picture is of a regular store. “
Sort of ... ! H.E.B!
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