The Trader Joe's Closure That Has New Yorkers Upset

When standing up against other popular grocery stores, Trader Joe's is lacking in locations as it is. According to CNBC, the store only has about 530 locations, while Kroger boasts more than 2,800 stores, and Publix has 1,271 stores (per Fortune). What makes the grocer stand out from the rest is its lack of branded items, per Trader Joe's. Many items in the store are from a Trader Joe's private label, making the buying experience seem unique. Because of this, the chain is able to keep prices lower than its competitors. For these reasons, it's no wonder that New Yorkers were upset when a wine shop location shut down in New York City (via Eater)

Of course, it could always be worse. In 2016, an e-mail scam emerged claiming every Trader Joe's location will be shut down by January 2017, according to The Florida Times-Union. "Although we don't take ourselves too seriously, we don't want anyone to mislead our customers. Trader Joe's is open for business and has no plans to close," a spokesperson said at the time. This was good news, of course, but it doesn't cushion the hard truth that a beloved wine shop location in New York City is no more.

Eater confirmed Friday, August 12 that the only Trader Joe's Wine Shop in the city has been abruptly shut down. No formal announcement was made — the news was shared by a simple sign posted on the door. Employees weren't well informed, either. Though the workers will be paid through August 28, they only learned about the closure on August 11. The shop location remained open for 15 years before shuttering its doors.

Following the announcement, New York City residents took to Reddit to discuss the closure. One header read, "Now that Trader Joe's Wine Shop has closed, where will we go?" It seems that with rising inflation, many consumers were supporters of the store thanks to its cheap two-buck Chuck. "I'm devastated. [I] would go like once a week, it was nice seeing the same people working there and getting recommendations," one comment read. Luckily, some Redditors stated that other available options are Astor Wines or Warehouse Wines. Per EV Grieve, the Trader Joe's grocery store located next door is still open. Luckily, The Village Sun reports that the chain is looking to open the wine shop in a different location sometime in the future.