Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Maryland > Washington, DC suburbs in Maryland
 [Register]
Washington, DC suburbs in Maryland Calvert County, Charles County, Montgomery County, and Prince George's County
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-21-2015, 09:51 AM
 
1,830 posts, read 1,653,838 times
Reputation: 855

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by adelphi_sky View Post
Nope. Aldi's has ONE store in all of Montgomery County. And that store is even on the Prince George's County line in Takoma Park.
I rarely make a statement I can't support. If i can't support it, I don't say it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-21-2015, 09:55 AM
 
Location: It's in the name!
7,083 posts, read 9,573,042 times
Reputation: 3780
Quote:
Originally Posted by DistrictSonic View Post
If you do a map, Aldi has several stores in PG county. Trader Joes will not move into PG county as a result. This is the agreement between the brothers. They never compete with each other.
Well the fact that Montgomery County has three Aldi's and four Trader Joe's, in close proximity no less, blows that theory out of the water.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2015, 10:20 AM
 
Location: It's in the name!
7,083 posts, read 9,573,042 times
Reputation: 3780
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lubina View Post
Buh? Aldi's has a fairly new store in Gaithersburg and one in Germantown that's been there awhile.
Thanks. I didn't zoom out far enough. Forgot how big MoCo was.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2015, 10:57 AM
 
Location: Chicago
5,559 posts, read 4,630,095 times
Reputation: 2202
Trader Joe's caters to the demographics that is looking for fast, ready made food. That is the bulk of their profits though they have a very limited selection of common grocery items. A very specific demographic will pay for relatively high priced ready made food.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2015, 11:15 AM
 
Location: It's in the name!
7,083 posts, read 9,573,042 times
Reputation: 3780
Quote:
Originally Posted by richrf View Post
Trader Joe's caters to the demographics that is looking for fast, ready made food. That is the bulk of their profits though they have a very limited selection of common grocery items. A very specific demographic will pay for relatively high priced ready made food.
That demographic screams college students. And their prices aren't any higher than the local Giant or Safeway chains. I never feel buyers remorse after leaving TJs like I do Whole Foods or MOMs. lol
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2015, 11:25 AM
 
Location: Chicago
5,559 posts, read 4,630,095 times
Reputation: 2202
Quote:
Originally Posted by adelphi_sky View Post
That demographic screams college students. And their prices aren't any higher than the local Giant or Safeway chains. I never feel buyers remorse after leaving TJs like I do Whole Foods or MOMs. lol
It's not just college students. It is the professional that is working 12 hour days. If you hate to cook or don't have the time to cook then Trader Joe's is for you. But if you observe the price you are paying for ready made food, Trader Joe's is most definitely at the higher end of the spectrum. Lots of pasta and sauce and sugars mixed in with some frozen veggies and battered chicken at premium prices.

For those who don't mind cooking or are looking for a healthier, more well rounded diet, the Whole Foods is a far better choice. We can shop at either, and we only use Trader Joe's for a select few items.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2015, 12:03 PM
 
1,830 posts, read 1,653,838 times
Reputation: 855
Quote:
Originally Posted by richrf View Post


It's not just college students. It is the professional that is working 12 hour days. If you hate to cook or don't have the time to cook then Trader Joe's is for you. But if you observe the price you are paying for ready made food, Trader Joe's is most definitely at the higher end of the spectrum. Lots of pasta and sauce and sugars mixed in with some frozen veggies and battered chicken at premium prices.

For those who don't mind cooking or are looking for a healthier, more well rounded diet, the Whole Foods is a far better choice. We can shop at either, and we only use Trader Joe's for a select few items.
I think that's the truth, just not the whole truth. TJ is generally less expensive than WFM, and so also appeals to those who might like to, but can't afford to do the majority of their shopping at WFM.
That said, I was in TJ Columbia this past Saturday and wanted a cold drink on a very hot day.The small cold case had no water/soda etc. Just small juices/shakes of about 8 oz's at $2.99 to $4.99 each. I passed.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2015, 04:49 PM
 
537 posts, read 769,261 times
Reputation: 720
Quote:
Originally Posted by DistrictSonic View Post
Trader Joes and Aldi are owned by two brothers, they target different demographic slices using many of the same suppliers and products, but with different in store labels. Trader joes targets middle and upper middle income areas, while aldi targets lower middle and working class neighborhoods. Even then you have to have a sufficient concentration of affluence for trader joes to enter a market. If you do a map, Aldi has several stores in PG county. Trader Joes will not move into PG county as a result. This is the agreement between the brothers. They never compete with each other.

Most people do not know this, but this is the case with many retailers, they target income demographics when determining to build stores.
Makes sense. There was the same rumor in upstate New York with Wegmans and Price Chopper (not the brothers thing, but that they had an agreement not to compete with each other; you could only get to a Wegmans north and west of Rochester or something....around Buffalo, way, way upstate). Capital area got the short end of the stick....Price Chopper. I HATED Price Chopper with the fire of a thousand suns. Our only other option was really Hannaford at the time. I feel the same Price Chopper kind of way about Giant in Maryland.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-21-2015, 04:56 PM
 
537 posts, read 769,261 times
Reputation: 720
Quote:
Originally Posted by richrf View Post


It's not just college students. It is the professional that is working 12 hour days. If you hate to cook or don't have the time to cook then Trader Joe's is for you. But if you observe the price you are paying for ready made food, Trader Joe's is most definitely at the higher end of the spectrum. Lots of pasta and sauce and sugars mixed in with some frozen veggies and battered chicken at premium prices.

For those who don't mind cooking or are looking for a healthier, more well rounded diet, the Whole Foods is a far better choice. We can shop at either, and we only use Trader Joe's for a select few items.
Exactly why I wouldn't care much if my community had a Whole Foods only. I'd choose WF over TJ any day of the week.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-22-2015, 07:45 AM
 
Location: deafened by howls of 'racism!!!'
52,697 posts, read 34,564,185 times
Reputation: 29289
Quote:
Originally Posted by adelphi_sky View Post
After the discussion in the Whole Foods thread, I ran across this article about Trader Joe's and under-served neighborhoods.



https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/inf...-neighborhoods

Trader Joe's has lower priced foods but continues to avoid lower-income neighborhoods.

Given the fact that the price point at Trader Joe's is much lower than that of Whole Foods and with their product mix being half-frozen, why hasn't Trader Joe's followed Whole Foods into undeserved areas or at least those areas that carry the affluence and educational levels they seek?

Right now, There are a few prime locations that trader Joe's could open up shop in and would do just fine.

1. Bowie
2. College Park
3. Hyattsville

All three have the educational levels and are open to trying new foods. Now that I think about it, College Park has some of the most diverse dining options in the area. THere is everything from Pho, Korean, Peruvian, Jamaican/Caribbean, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Mexican, Greek, Italian, Vegan, etc. So, people in the area are naturally open to different foods.

Also, there is Hyattsville with its artsy population that would also be open to cooking different foods as well as vying for the quick and easy frozen dinner options.

College Park has been begging for a Trader Joe's while a black-community in Portland, OR turned them away.

What gives?
seems like I recall the city of bowie website used to have a link where you could sign a petition begging TJ's to open a store there. or maybe i just imagined that..

no doubt they could rake in the cash hand over fist. as it is, i just hit 'em up in Annapolis ever month or so.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Maryland > Washington, DC suburbs in Maryland
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top