Fresh & Easy to open in Sylmar?

[LABornandRaised]

Originally Posted by bhcompy

Not really working class.. More like middle to upper middle to upper class. Working class might be Lakewood and maybe Torrance, but that's the very successful working class types(firefighters, policemen, boeing mechanics, established longshoremen, etc). Real working class is somewhere like Wilmington, where there is no Trader Joes. The Long Beach Trader Joes is in the Marina(ie Yachts), borders Naples(one of the priciest areas in the city and in SE LAC) and Seal Beach(decidedly upper middle class). Manhattan Beach is very expensive. Thousand Oaks is expensive. Santa Clarita is a family exurb. Bakersfield is it's own metropolitan area(57th largest city in the US). etc

You aren't talking about Harbor City, Wilmington, or Hawaiian Gardens here. Those are where the real working class live, and the primary bigname food retailer in those areas tends to be Food4Less, not Trader Joes or Whole Foods

I'm not saying Trader Joes is engaging in any kind of discrimination or anything, but they are in areas that can afford and desire their product selection, which can be fairly eclectic and sometimes pricey.

Have to agree with BHCompy. Trader Joes tends to place themselves in the richer-type neighborhoods. Hence the reason we can't expect one in NoHo. Toluca Lake is as close as we're gonna get.

[Beth56]

Originally Posted by JTGJR

Can't answer your question, but I can tell you that I purchased the worst rib eye steaks I've ever had at the Fresh & Easy in Manhattan Beach last month.

I'm with you. Fresh & Easy. Yuk!!!

[nickdahammer]

When F&E floated the idea of opening a store in Glassell Park, lots of people protested because the parent company (TESCO) is non-Union. We here in Mt Wash have lost alot of area 'mainstream' super markets and are forced to travel to other cities to shop. Not good. Thankfully, we have a tip-top Ralphs downtown. Free parking, as nice as any suburban market.

Needless to say, F&E opened anyway- I honestly don't know if their wages are below area standards, or what their benefit package is like. Regardless, the place seems awfully clinical to me, and the whole gig feels like Trader Joes only with an industrial motif. Their bargain-basement wine is undrinkable to me, and their frozen food is average at best.

I know downtown boosters have been trying to get a TJs there for decades- no luck. I think it would do booming business because of FIDM, the loftdwellers, office workers doing shopping after work, etc. Problem is TJs doesn't take even the slightest risk when opening a new store. And what's with the narrow aisles and limited parking? The only TJs I ever visited with ample parking and room inside was in Long Beach.

[majoun]

Originally Posted by CamaroGuy

So I've been told.

I don't know about that.

Van Nuys was definitely a working class neighborhood BEFORE it became a ghetto.

This topic plays into the disappearance of working class neighborhoods in Los Angeles, either they get gentrified or become ghettos.

[bhcompy]

Originally Posted by nickdahammer

When F&E floated the idea of opening a store in Glassell Park, lots of people protested because the parent company (TESCO) is non-Union. We here in Mt Wash have lost alot of area 'mainstream' super markets and are forced to travel to other cities to shop. Not good. Thankfully, we have a tip-top Ralphs downtown. Free parking, as nice as any suburban market.

Needless to say, F&E opened anyway- I honestly don't know if their wages are below area standards, or what their benefit package is like. Regardless, the place seems awfully clinical to me, and the whole gig feels like Trader Joes only with an industrial motif. Their bargain-basement wine is undrinkable to me, and their frozen food is average at best.

I know downtown boosters have been trying to get a TJs there for decades- no luck. I think it would do booming business because of FIDM, the loftdwellers, office workers doing shopping after work, etc. Problem is TJs doesn't take even the slightest risk when opening a new store. And what's with the narrow aisles and limited parking? The only TJs I ever visited with ample parking and room inside was in Long Beach.

Fresh and Easy isn't quite Trader Joes, though they do carry some of the same type of food(like a decent amount of foreign themed food items you won't find at grocery stores). Their primary target seems to be people that keep a low stock of food in home and buy meals ready made or easy made for the next day or two. I'm a fan of their precooked stuff personally, particularly the chicken tikka masala. Drop 3 or 4 bucks, have a full dinner and leftovers for tomorrow. Works for me after a long days work

[Arus]

Love Fresh and Easy
Cheap Cereal than the supermarkets
Pre-made foods are awesome especially when they go on sale (and you get the extra 10% discount when buying 3 or more)
Ice cream is cheap.
The stouffers lunch, lean quisines are cheaper than supermarekts
bread is definitely cheaper.

there is one close to where I work and I stock up on Mondays for food for the rest of the week. Definitely saving money.

[Senshi]

Fresh and Easy has some awesome Ground Sirloin meat. You just gotta make sure you buy the freshest ones out. The steaks always look nasty though.

And Santa Clarita working class??? LOL!

[CamaroGuy]

The Sylmar F&E opens September 8.

[ZenMaster2008]

The only thing I remember about F&E is that they had parking spots for hybrids only.

[CamaroGuy]

Originally Posted by Senshi

And Santa Clarita working class??? LOL!

I hear ya. Santa Clarita actually has a higher per capita income than Burbank.