The new Trader Joe’s is opening this Friday. The grocery store, located just north of Georgetown at Wisconsin and Whitehaven, will provide a new option for shoppers in the area.
Trader Joe’s certainly has its hardcore fans, but it is a bit of a quirky place. It’s not really a direct competitor to a general grocery store like the Safeway, just a block south. It doesn’t pretend to be a place where you can stock up on all the food you’ll need for a week (unless you only eat frozen food). But what it does have is always a bit of a grab-bag of stuff, mostly under its own brand.
It will be interesting to see what impact its opening has on the Safeway. Trader Joe’s aims for a younger audience, so we may see fewer GU students stocking up around the Safeway. But, again, it can’t really fully replace Safeway in offerings. So any changes will probably be at the margins.
Regardless, it’s great to have another option. And once the apartment building that the Trader Joe’s is in finally opens, hopefully the increase in residents will help support the shops and restaurants of upper Georgetown.
Trader Joe’s competition usually isn’t Safeway but Whole Foods, which blotted its copybook in the store on Wisconsin with the rat problem. That said, TJ’s will provide some competition with Safeway on prices. Many staples – pasta, canned beans, decent if ordinary olive oil – can be had at prices below Safeway’s typical sales prices for these items. Trader Joe’s isn’t a substitute for Safeway because it can’t match that chain’s comprehensive array of foods, cleaning products, etc., and in some aspects Safeway is the better choice for foodies – TJ’s rather bland and rubbery cheeses can’t match the Safeway gourmet cheese counter. But opinion polls currently rate Trader Joe’s as the most popular grocery chain in the nation and it isn’t just because it offers frozen meals for millenials.
I am far from a millennial and I do almost all of my shopping at Trader Joe’s. They have a wonderful selection of just about everything and they are so much easier to navigate because they are smaller. Just went to the new store this morning, and it is beautiful with friendly employees. Safeway is going to have to some competition for sure.
Happy to have TJ’s in the neighborhood, though one can’t even begin to compare the quality of TJ’s produce to Safeway’s… it just can’t be done. Looking forward to TJ’s wine and beer selection as well as interesting frozen foods and seasonal offerings. Will be an asset to withering Glover Park.