Trader Joe’s is OK
Of all of the terrible things about Oklahoma, one of them is the lack of good local businesses. That does not mean there aren’t some good ones here.
Sonic and Braums trump California’s In N Out Burger. I don’t care what people say. I’ve had all three and In N Out Burger is a rip-off. Their burger is a tasteless little patty between two tiny buns.
Both Braums and Sonic have much greater diversity of food options and their burgers are better (and cheaper).
What I’m really talking about is the fact that Oklahoma does not have a Trader Joe’s.
Trader Joe’s is a Los Angeles based grocery store chain that prides itself in screening all of the products sold on their shelves.
Trader Joe’s sells a large variety of products that are ”vegetarian”, “Kosher” or “organic”.
During my summer in California, I made several trips to my local TJ’s.
As an Oklahoman who is used to people making their grocery decisions based soley on price, the fact that the prices were low and the quality of the food was high made for a rewarding buying experience.
I lamented coming back to Oklahoma because I would no longer be able to take advantage of the deals on Kosher cereal. I would no longer be able to enjoy my organically grown blueberries or my organic milk.
Trader Joe’s just announced they are opening new store in New York City.
I doubt they will ever make it here. As usual, Oklahoma is the last state to get anything that isn’t related to the Bible, football or storm tracking.
Oklahomans only care about what food tastes like and how expensive it is.
A store like Trader Joe’s, who offers foods that are good for you and good for local communities, most likely would not survive against the Oklahoma store-of-choice Wal-Mart.
Although Trader Joe’s has inexpensive products (like the popular $1.99 Charles Shaw wine lovingly termed “Two Buck Chuck”), they would not be able to compete against much cheaper and much poorer quality alternatives.
Trader Joe’s does well in Los Angeles and New York because the customers are used to paying fairly high prices for high quality food and low quality food.
Trader Joe’s offers good deals and good food options that allow them to keep a competitive edge against their local competitors, like Ralph’s Grocery in Los Angeles.
March 23rd, 2006 at 12:07 pm
My fiancee loved Trader Joe’s when she lived in Cali. Dried fruit to die for. Mmm. Here in Oklahoma, there are a few alternatives to the evil Wally World, though. You know about the local farmers’ market. Fresh produce for cheap. It’s a good deal. Check it out–support the growers at the source!
Also, if you just want to pay more, check out Petty’s Fine Foods at Utica in Tulsa. Or there are Akin’s in both OKC and Tulsa. You don’t need a Trader Joe’s for quality food here in Oklahoma. There are alternatives.
All this food talk is making me hungry. I’m glad it’s lunchtime.
March 23rd, 2006 at 7:32 pm
Oh yeah, I love TJ’s. I could go to the farmer’s market, but I like the grocery store feel of Trader Joe’s. I went to the farmer’s market in LA and that was a really cool place, but I suspect that ones here in Oklahoma are not quite up to that quality. As far as Akin’s goes, I’ve never been there, but will have to check it out. But there are many more TJ’s in California than there are Akins in Oklahoma. One could actually go to their local TJ’s in California instead of having to go the northside of OKC or Tulsa in Oklahoma just to get some organic, Kosher cereal. That’s what I’m talking about. In LA, they go to Trader Joe’s. Here they go to Wal-Mat because that’s what’s nearby.