Help bring cheap organic groceries to Chattanooga! (farms, farms)

[luminus]

Originally Posted by Richard Hertz

I really want to see our "local" organic grocery store feel the sting of defeat when this much larger company rolls right over them! I don't personally care for local produce.

beachbyrd made some very important points that I wholeheartedly agree with. But I will continue.

No one will stop you from shopping wherever you prefer, Mr. Hertz.

There are in fact many reasons to shop at both a local organic grocery market and a Trader Joe's. Here's just two:

"...although Trader Joe's does have some similar products to branded items in supermarkets, many of their products are unique in terms of recipes as well as packaging and sizing.

"[Also] it appears that many of Trader Joe's items are perceived as somewhat gourmet, yet at a reasonable price, thus further differentiating themselves from everyday supermarket branded and private label items"

-The New England Consulting Group

(http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/channel-marketing/219840-1.html) (http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/channel-marketing/219840-1.html - broken link)

While the items aren't often local at Trader Joe's, they also aren't common. Most items aren't the same as items (see above) at other organic grocery stores, especially "local" organic grocery stores, which contain (I'm estimating) about 90% public label items that, rather than being grown or packaged locally, are in fact packaged in a variety of states and countries and are sold at most other organic groceries across the country. TJ's sells very little produce, and this would be the most obvious problem for local growers. But since it's not a large portion of Trader Joe's stock, it's not a problem at all.

So your concern for local farmers is misplaced. As for your other likely concern, local workers, ""They incentivize the heck out of their store managers," says Langenborg [see article above], noting that six-figure incomes are not unusual."

Certainly it's not the perfect company (what is?), but I believe you could do a lot worse.

Not everyone will be satisfied with a larger chain supermarket entering a small market, regardless of how friendly, interesting, cheap, etc, the new store is. But the point of my petition is that the market in Chattanooga is nowhere near saturated. Most cities with Trader Joe's already have Whole Foods, which is (for competitions' sake, at least) the same as Greenlife Grocery, as well as numerous local stores. If the store is good, it will bring customers - who in Atlanta would shop at Trader Joe's instead of Your Dekalb Farmer's Market? I'd imagine most people would shop at both, and the business at each indicates this as well.

The popularity of the petition proves only that Trader Joe's would do well here - the organic, gourmet, and ethnic niche is just barely being catered to in this town, which is very strange considering the town that it happens to be. Again, this is the point of the petition.

If there are more concerns of this type, I would be glad to hear them.

[beachbyrd]

Trader Joe's is not owned by Aldi's, it is held in a family trust set up by one of the brothers who owns Aldi's. It was started by one man in Monrovia, CA and, yes he did come up with great concepts and market them very well.

Also, since you called me on it, I checked and they did sell stuff from China, but have now phased out Chinese products.

All of this was found on Wikipedia, so hope it is accurate...

Trader Joe's - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Brenda Brant]

I love Chattanooga,but since moving from a town with a Trader Joes. I do not understand why Chattanooga is so infatuated with chain stores. I have never seen an area with so many Walmarts and so little local restaurants. A new chain Restaurant or store moves into town and it is all the craze. We are becoming ANYWHERE USA. The chain restaurants and stores is homogenizing the world. I can travel any where in the US and eat at Outback, shop at Walmart,Trader Joes or Whole Foods .What makes a city strong is its citzens support of of local restaurants,stores and gas stations. this is the culture that makes Chattanooga its own. Fall in love with your local business comunicate to them how they can serve you better. Its worth paying a little to keep the money local. I would be in favor of a petition to get rid of the chains in the city limits. Send them all to Hamilton Place and make it its own city and they can tax themselves to death. No Starbucks,Outbacks or our beloved Neiborhood Walmart, Create a movement that encourages locals to open there own businesses and support them financially with tax credits better than what the chains get. We should be proud to have a Green Life, Rock Creek, St Johns, Grey Friars, Rock point books and Neidloves. The local store is what makes this town GREAT. Its the right thing to do.
I SAY BUY LOCAL the hell with Trader Joes

[luminus]

Originally Posted by Brenda Brant

Fall in love with your local business comunicate to them how they can serve you better. Its worth paying a little to keep the money local. I would be in favor of a petition to get rid of the chains in the city limits. Send them all to Hamilton Place and make it its own city and they can tax themselves to death...Create a movement that encourages locals to open there own businesses and support them financially with tax credits better than what the chains get...The local store is what makes this town GREAT. Its the right thing to do.
I SAY BUY LOCAL the hell with Trader Joes

Food sure upsets some people. I think you have a lot of good points, especially as far as chains go. But here's a different way to think about it:

How much of your furniture was even made in this country? If it's worth buying local, you should buy everything local, shouldn't you?

The Furniture Shoppe is a local furniture store where nearly everything is made in America, if not Europe - certainly not in China or Japan. It is family owned and has been for multiple generations. It costs about twice as much, possibly three times as much, to buy their products. They are well worth it.

But how many people angry about chain restaurants or groceries can say that everything they own, even the chair they sit in as they type, comes from a local source, let alone this continent?

Crabtree Farms (http://www.crabtreefarms.org/buylocal/foodbox.html - broken link) is a local organic farm (it's actually inside the city) which has a Community Supported Agriculture program - pay them $800 upfront, and you can get a bag of groceries from them every week for 29 weeks. That's $30 a week for lettuce, tomatoes, greens, mushrooms, basil, arugula, beets, and much more. You can actually buy Crabtree Farms' produce at Greenlife, at a decent markup. With the CSA program, it's 100% profit to the farmers.

But how many of the people who complain about Walmart (or alternatively, Trader Joe's) are signed up for this program?

I understand the anxiety many people have about more "chains" entering the city, but if you ever shopped at a Trader Joe's you would understand that it is

1) Not a big-box place like Walmart, in that the food is more often American-grown (especially if its organic) and if it isn't local, it is 90% private label. This means you will be supporting farmers, not Kraft's profit margins, when you buy TJ's Macaroni and Cheese. Yes, Trader Joe's gets some of the money also.

2) A huge contributor to local charities.

3) A grocery store unique in its contents. You cannot do all your shopping at Trader Joe's. It is the kind of place where you can get cheap organic avocados. Sorry, I don't think they are local.

There are advantages and disadvantages to shopping anywhere. That is why I cannot emphasize enough that if you already shop at a place like Greenlife, you will probably not stop. If you don't shop at Greenlife, you may actually start once you step into a Trader Joe's - the cheap prices + organic quality has convinced many people to stray away from their local Food Lion and enter a place like Greenlife Grocery for the first time. Also, if you believe organic food is better for the environment, which would you prefer - high prices that guarantee only 10% of the population buys, or lower prices which will bring in thousands more shoppers onto the bandwagon?

Another way of putting it is this: Like it or hate it, Starbucks has produced a huge market for coffee shops which did not exist before they were so ubiquitous. Independent coffee shops have a huge success rate which they did not have before Starbucks. (broken link)

Organic groceries are similar, as are exotic foods and ethnic cuisines - if you sell it cheaply, they will come. And then, they will shop around.

[Brenda Brant]

I am a former Tj Shopper. I do not miss the ambiguity of where my food orginates. I feel that local retailers are the real deal and have chosen Chattanooga for what it is. I do not want to see this town become a suburb of Atlanta. There are qualities of life here we need to preserve.Support the Chattanooga Airport, local artist, and Crabtree and Bill Kenners CSA
I buy used furniture and my last piece was made by a friend made from reclaimed lumber. The global economy should never come at the expense of the local economy. Besides that, I would say we agree more than we disagree. We need more people like us to keep Chattanooga real.

[Jon F Moss]

everyone needs to visit Business Chatt and vote for your favorite local coffee shop....tell Starbucks what you really think!

[no+Joe]

Hey Brenda I agree with you. I used to have a TJ's in virginia. It was very plastic. Unfortuatly, I don't think that Luminous gets what you are saying. I don't think that he understands what it is like to own a business. He doesn't understand the struggle with all of the walmarts and targets and that all of the small, locally owned boutiques, clothing stores, grocers, gas stations etc. are a dying breed. They are what make a town strong, not two dollar wine and bulk pre-bagged peanuts. Why are we not, as a city, standing strong against things like this. At least the people who are against things like this are passionate and not just a bunch of sheep. All of those petition signers are falling right in line for the convienence of a big supermarket. baaaaaah. Luminous, you are obviously good at getting people to listen to you. Why do you not stand up for something that will make a positive difference. You are trying to justify bringing in a large coorperation because, Why? everyone else is doing it? Why don't we make a change in the right direction? (Is this not the green city?)I am fully aware that I can shop where ever I want to, and I will continue to do what I think is right for myself my family and chattanooga, and you just keep making excuses. (furniture, Private labeling, donations) Thats not good enough. Go Chattanooga!

[creeksitter]

Enough with the petition - here's the fastest way to have cheap orgainc produce in Chattanooga --




OK, wait for it.......




it's worth the wait.....




here it comes.......




Grow a garden!!!!!!!!!

If you don't have a garden spot find a neighbor who does. Ask if you can sharecrop. If you get too many grumpy responses look for someone who already gardens but has space left over. Chances are they'll share the love. Digging in the dirt is a natural anti-depressant.

[Jon F Moss]

as soon we move...we're planting one

thanks for the tip creeksitter

[jkmewright]

We have our first edible garden this year so if anyone needs any lettuce, nasturtium or sunflowers, give a yell

For my family, the idea of Trader Joe's is NOT about organic for me it's about variety. Before Green Life and Publix we had a choice of BiLo, BiLo or BiLo. Try to find trout in this city, I dare ya!

I will continue to support our local farmers and curb markets for our daily needs however. Strawberries out of the back of a pickup truck are the best IMO