Trader Joes coming to San Antonio...

[CosmicCowboy]

It will be nice to have a Trader Joe's in Austin...although Sprouts has been here for a little while and they have a lot of the same things that Trader Joes has...

FYI...I tried a bottle of the Layer Cake Wine (Shiraz)...after reading some glowing reviews that claimed it was as good as hundred dollar bottles....so I gave it a shot (10.99 a bottle at Twin Lickers...err Liquors...)

It was really good and it will definitely be on the holiday wine list...and I am no cork sniffer but I thought it was so good it was actually...an experience...

Hmmm...Sprouts just took over Sun Harvest on Callaghan and I10 a couple of months ago and I really don't see much change yet...IMHO it's not even close to TJ's.

As for wine I've really been enjoying some $10-$15 dollar Argentine Malbecs lately. I confess that the friends we were visiting last weekend in Scottsdale had an amazing cellar. We blasted multiple bottles of amazing wine that were insanely expensive.

[silverblk mystix]

Hmmm...Sprouts just took over Sun Harvest on Callaghan and I10 a couple of months ago and I really don't see much change yet...IMHO it's not even close to TJ's.

As for wine I've really been enjoying some $10-$15 dollar Argentine Malbecs lately. I confess that the friends we were visiting last weekend in Scottsdale had an amazing cellar. We blasted multiple bottles of amazing wine that were insanely expensive.

Yeah...I'm not saying Sprouts is as good...but they do have a lot of stuff that Trader Joes carries... a lot of healthyish foods, niche brands, semi-fresh sushi, nuts, wines,etc...

Google the Layer Cake wines...they are priced low and are quality to boot.

[DMX7]

I've never been to TJs, but I don't think it really competes with H-E-B directly on most things.

[mrsmaalox]

I liked the TJ in Olympia, WA (but I have to say ALL the grocery stores up there are top notch), but relocating to Maryland was a surprise when I found TJ doesn't sell alcohol there.

TJ is nice, but I like the big HEBs, Central Market and Whole Foods too, so it won't be adding any great dimension to my shopping, just a change of scenery

[silverblk mystix]

I've never been to TJs, but I don't think it really competes with H-E-B directly on most things.

Of course not...but it is not meant to...it is a small niche store with some stuff that you won't find elsewhere...and it is not trying to be a mega we-carry-everything store.

[Sportcamper]

TJ’s does not try to compete with Super Markets…They specialize on unique items not found in the big stores…I make a TJ’s run about every three weeks. Hot sauce, y mus s, organic honey, rice milk, frozen oatmeal, Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Marsala and of course Napoleon Brandy & Irish Whiskey…IMO the TJ’s Jalapeno Pepper Hot Sauce is the best hot sauce there is…They also bag your groceries in these heavy duty paper bags that can be reused over & over…

I also like how the people who shop there act like they are saving the planet by buying TJ’s organic items…

[lefty]

lol fat people

[Sportcamper]

lol fat people

Not in Toluca Lake CA…That place is a Super Model Meat Market…

[lefty]

Not in Toluca Lake CA…That place is a Super Model Meat Market…

Im going there right now

[PuttPutt]

Of course not...but it is not meant to...it is a small niche store with some stuff that you won't find elsewhere...and it is not trying to be a mega we-carry-everything store.

They are compe ion (direct or indirect). Any grocer, big or small, that opens in another grocer's market is a threat to business. They may not carry everything that other stores have, or even have the size of the "common" grocery store. Trader Joe's does sell some of the same items as others. I know for a fact that the grocers in TX are fully aware of the possibility of TJ's opening. Not to mention the expansion of Aldi's outside of the Dallas market.

[clambake]

what you need is a gelsons.

[PuttPutt]

what you need is a gelsons.

Those are nice stores.

[Trill Clinton]

Well its about in' time

[Buddy Holly]

Why do you say that? HEB is fiercely protective of their turf.

Too completely different demographic targets. One is a large supermarket chain the other a small niche chain.

[tlongII]

Trader Joe's is good. I like their frozen quick meal items personally. Kung Pao chicken and Kung Pao shrimp is pretty good.

[Nathan Explosion]

Too completely different demographic targets. One is a large supermarket chain the other a small niche chain.

As an employee of HEB, I can tell you that while you and others may see it as different target markets, HEB doesn't see that one bit. If you're a grocer and you open in an HEB market, big small, niche or big box, you're the compe ion. For example, here are some chains and franchises that HEB views as compe ion: Walmart, Best Buy, Babies R Us, Wing Stop, etc.

If HEB sells something that your store sells, you're compe ion. I've actually known a store director that got fired because he owned a franchise wing place, and since HEB sells wings, it was a conflict of interest. The guy was a , so I wasn't crying a river for him, but yeah.

I recently transferred to the Boerne Plus (before the grand opening) and I can tell you that while I may not be the happiest with the direction the company is taking, I can attest that HEB learns from every new store opening on what they do right and what they do wrong. And lately, they're doing more right than wrong. This store is great. It has so much variety from national brand to niche in every product a grocer can carry, and while I have questioned certain decisions on products that we carry, in a few months when there is some hard financial data, HQ will make adjustments to our inventory and introduce products that are being asked for. Customers tell us what we want, we tell our managers, and it makes its way up the chain.

Trader Joe's also will have one HUGE hurdle that every other grocer (big or small) has in the HEB market, the community. HEB does very well to integrate itself into the surrounding community, even letting the residents help with the design (see the Deco district HEB in SA or the Montrose Market in Houston). One thing that is very effective is that when the customers refer to a store, they say, "The store near my house..." But when customers talk about HEB, they say, "My HEB..."

That in itself is a major advantage for HEB.

I know I sound like a major HEB fanboy, but that's far from the truth. I nearly got myself fired because I just hated my job so much and what the company was becoming. I transfered to a store 30 miles away from my old store, in a community I have never lived in just to start over. But I do know this, in 9 years of employment, HEB has grown massively both in store and retail knowledge. Our Texas company was National Retailer of the Year last year. That's a formidable opponent.

[CosmicCowboy]

As an employee of HEB, I can tell you that while you and others may see it as different target markets, HEB doesn't see that one bit. If you're a grocer and you open in an HEB market, big small, niche or big box, you're the compe ion. For example, here are some chains and franchises that HEB views as compe ion: Walmart, Best Buy, Babies R Us, Wing Stop, etc.

If HEB sells something that your store sells, you're compe ion. I've actually known a store director that got fired because he owned a franchise wing place, and since HEB sells wings, it was a conflict of interest. The guy was a , so I wasn't crying a river for him, but yeah.

I recently transferred to the Boerne Plus (before the grand opening) and I can tell you that while I may not be the happiest with the direction the company is taking, I can attest that HEB learns from every new store opening on what they do right and what they do wrong. And lately, they're doing more right than wrong. This store is great. It has so much variety from national brand to niche in every product a grocer can carry, and while I have questioned certain decisions on products that we carry, in a few months when there is some hard financial data, HQ will make adjustments to our inventory and introduce products that are being asked for. Customers tell us what we want, we tell our managers, and it makes its way up the chain.

Trader Joe's also will have one HUGE hurdle that every other grocer (big or small) has in the HEB market, the community. HEB does very well to integrate itself into the surrounding community, even letting the residents help with the design (see the Deco district HEB in SA or the Montrose Market in Houston). One thing that is very effective is that when the customers refer to a store, they say, "The store near my house..." But when customers talk about HEB, they say, "My HEB..."

That in itself is a major advantage for HEB.

I know I sound like a major HEB fanboy, but that's far from the truth. I nearly got myself fired because I just hated my job so much and what the company was becoming. I transfered to a store 30 miles away from my old store, in a community I have never lived in just to start over. But I do know this, in 9 years of employment, HEB has grown massively both in store and retail knowledge. Our Texas company was National Retailer of the Year last year. That's a formidable opponent.

If HEB wants to duplicate TJ's formula at a cheaper price then I'm all for it. I'll buy "Three Buck Butt" Cabs and Merlots if it tastes good...

[Cheeto]

As an employee of HEB, I can tell you that while you and others may see it as different target markets, HEB doesn't see that one bit. If you're a grocer and you open in an HEB market, big small, niche or big box, you're the compe ion. For example, here are some chains and franchises that HEB views as compe ion: Walmart, Best Buy, Babies R Us, Wing Stop, etc.

If HEB sells something that your store sells, you're compe ion. I've actually known a store director that got fired because he owned a franchise wing place, and since HEB sells wings, it was a conflict of interest. The guy was a , so I wasn't crying a river for him, but yeah.

I recently transferred to the Boerne Plus (before the grand opening) and I can tell you that while I may not be the happiest with the direction the company is taking, I can attest that HEB learns from every new store opening on what they do right and what they do wrong. And lately, they're doing more right than wrong. This store is great. It has so much variety from national brand to niche in every product a grocer can carry, and while I have questioned certain decisions on products that we carry, in a few months when there is some hard financial data, HQ will make adjustments to our inventory and introduce products that are being asked for. Customers tell us what we want, we tell our managers, and it makes its way up the chain.

Trader Joe's also will have one HUGE hurdle that every other grocer (big or small) has in the HEB market, the community. HEB does very well to integrate itself into the surrounding community, even letting the residents help with the design (see the Deco district HEB in SA or the Montrose Market in Houston). One thing that is very effective is that when the customers refer to a store, they say, "The store near my house..." But when customers talk about HEB, they say, "My HEB..."

That in itself is a major advantage for HEB.

I know I sound like a major HEB fanboy, but that's far from the truth. I nearly got myself fired because I just hated my job so much and what the company was becoming. I transfered to a store 30 miles away from my old store, in a community I have never lived in just to start over. But I do know this, in 9 years of employment, HEB has grown massively both in store and retail knowledge. Our Texas company was National Retailer of the Year last year. That's a formidable opponent.

You are 100% correct about the compe ion. You should also know that someone in the corporate level of HEB has read this thread & every other thread they've been mentioned in. Anything posted online about any major retailers is read by someone in the company/corporation.

[Sportcamper]

When SOME of you talk about HEB it’s like you are talking about a religious experience… Most communities in the United States have an Albertsons, Ralph’s, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Gelsons, Smart & Final & Vallarta markets…It is called choice…San Antonio has HEB & Whataburger…

ALL OTHERS KEEP OUT!

[JoeChalupa]

I love my HEB. Albertson's way way over priced. Never heard of TJ's.

[Bender]

Albertson's way way over priced.

when Albertsons was in S.A., they were overpriced for sure...

I remember complaining to Albertsons managers several times that certain items they sold were way more expensive than buying the same thing at convenience stores...

[CosmicCowboy]

You are 100% correct about the compe ion. You should also know that someone in the corporate level of HEB has read this thread & every other thread they've been mentioned in. Anything posted online about any major retailers is read by someone in the company/corporation.

Oops. My apologies Mr. Butt...

[Sportcamper]

I love my HEB. Albertson's way way over priced. Never heard of TJ's.

Well Joe you might just have to step out of your comfort zone & try Trader Joes…Wear a disguise if you are afraid that Big Brother HEB might be watching…

The TJ stores are tiny in comparison to Super Markets…But there is always a Hottie serving free coffee & treats…They have Trader Joe items like maple cereal, coffee, chili, soups, frozen foods that are awesome….They have great snacks like European chocolates, dried fruits, chocolate covered Macadamia nuts…They have a great variety of liquors from all over the world…I once purchased a Chianti that was about 27 % proof…(Gave me a terrible headache)…

Its not like a Trader Joe’s is going to try & undercut HEB on Lone Star Beer, Yuban Coffee, Velveeta cheese & Wonder bread….The TJ stores are pretty cool….

[JoeChalupa]

Well Joe you might just have to step out of your comfort zone & try Trader Joes…Wear a disguise if you are afraid that Big Brother HEB might be watching…

The TJ stores are tiny in comparison to Super Markets…But there is always a Hottie serving free coffee & treats…They have Trader Joe items like maple cereal, coffee, chili, soups, frozen foods that are awesome….They have great snacks like European chocolates, dried fruits, chocolate covered Macadamia nuts…They have a great variety of liquors from all over the world…I once purchased a Chianti that was about 27 % proof…(Gave me a terrible headache)…

Its not like a Trader Joe’s is going to try & undercut HEB on Lone Star Beer, Yuban Coffee, Velveeta cheese & Wonder bread….The TJ stores are pretty cool….

Ah, so it is for a unique clientel. I don't eat fancy Euro treats or coffee and I dont drink much wine. My HEB suits my needs but I would go for grand opening specials and to walk around and sample the freebies.

[Sportcamper]

Joe- I am pretty sure you will go to look at the Hotties…And while you are there you can save the planet by purchasing organic soap, natural tooth paste, free range eggs and wild honey…BTW Trader Joes does not carry or sell plastic bags…Plastic bags are just plain evil…