It’s Trader Joe’s in Providence. I like Trader Joe’s. I work in Providence but live in Cranston. I will probably use this one more often than Warwick.

They’ve got awesome frozen foods.

I assumed it would be mobbed this week so haven’t gone yet but I will soon! Love the frozen selections at TJ’s, and the unsalted tortilla chips and spinach kale dip!

I’m glad there is a market closer by work for when I need it, but it has already made the exit a complete disaster. Tacks an extra 5-10 minutes on my commute and I have never seen more pedestrians brazenly disregard walk lights and clog an intersection.

Picked clean when I went, but gr8 location.

great selection, but is it just me, or did they have the A/C BLASTING in there? I was literally shivering in a jacket, I left without buying anything because it was too cold to wait in line

I went on Sunday. There were a lot of people. Many were there to look, not really shopping.

Half the size of whole foods, typical foods generally. Prices are decent and cheaper than stop n shop. I was worried they wouldn't have sidewalk entrances but they do!

Pedestrians have never been great at that intersection- to be fair though no one driving pays any attention either - lots of illegal turns despite signage and lights and u turns in stupid places.

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I swear providence is the worst place to drive when I register my vehicle by all means will Stay out of providence it’s always something with a driver not paying attention or is in a rush

Edit that to say Rhody in general and you have a point.

Trader Joe’s is a strange place. It’s got lots of great tasting stuff at pretty reasonable prices, way better than, say, East Side Market or Shaw’s. But it’s such a limited supply, I’ve never been able to find a full week’s grocery list there. I went in to the new location this weekend and it was pretty full. Employees were cheerful and the line moved really quickly despite the line being long. I’ll go back for specialty items but it’s not going to be a weekly visit for me.

What time of day, if you don't mind me asking?

Good. Less drivers on the roads for those of us who live here.

The whole concept of TJ’s is that it is a curated selection. Instead of 20 kinds of (x), they have one kind that was supposedly selected by “Trader Joe.”

Whether it was for Trader Joe's, this development in general, or a complaint of some kind, RIDOT (or maybe the city but this is an RIDOT designed intersection) changed the timing and order of the light a couple of weeks ago and gave a big nearly unused chunk of time to traffic coming off of Benefit. It may unintentional and be a broken sensor or something that triggers the light but I went from not really noticing the time I spend at this intersection (staying straight on Wickenden/Point) to it making me annoyed every trip.

That said, 5-10 minutes seems pretty extreme unless you are only commuting at the exact peak hour and have to commute through the parking lot. Unless you are blaming Trader Joe's for 195 traffic that has existed since it was on the old route. Or you have a penchant for drama because you got annoyed one day. Which is cool I do it too. But I came through this (coming back from weird as shit November beach day on Saturday) at peak shopping hour and had no real problem getting off at 195. Maybe it's the lunch crowd? Though, I grabbed lunch at TJ's yesterday and didn't really observe this, and had lunch at Geoff's on South Main Friday and neither day did the intersection seem any worse than normal.

On Friday night it did look bad, but I think the construction crew mistakenly closed (or hadn't yet opened) the sidewalk so everyone was walking in the road where the safety fence already encroaches. Or people are just dumb and missed the sidewalk and decided walking in the road was the best option rather than figuring out the alternative.

I don't go to Trader Joes often as it really isn't a grocery store in the sense that I can walk in with a list and walk out with everything. Same is true for Aldi. I go on occasion for their snacks and neat frozen meals. They have a good cheese selection also.

Of course, it's great to have a Trader Joe's but the parking under the covered area is crazy cramped. There are going to be a ton of accidents there.

I’m not bothered by the curation part. Having 1 instead of 20 items is fine. My issue was I can’t reliably find one thing in a category sometimes. The produce selection leaves a lot to be desired, for example. I still go to TJ’s and find good things, I just have to plan to go to another store afterwards to get the rest, that’s all.

Went the day after it opened and it wasn’t crowded at all. Parking was easy. This location is an “average-sized” TJ. The one in Warwick feels a bit bigger? But great location - once the construction is done around that area it will be even better.

Went on Saturday to pick up a couple things. It was beyond busy, and people just STOP in the middle of the aisle with no spatial awareness or concern for other people. It was like construction on 95 every aisle, a complete clusterfuck.

After unsuccessfully trying to find what I was looking for due to shelves that looked like communist era Soviet times (picked clean) I left, marveled at how unaware people are of their surroundings.

TL/DR don't go on a Saturday 😂

It's because the walk lights at that intersection do not work. The light is green, but it still says do not walk. So even though you're right in the middle of a dense city, you're forced to scurry across the street like a rat. I often walk from near the Hot Club to Wickenden, and it's so goddamn stressful and dangerous.

In general I think there is a monotony of convenience.

15 years ago when Trader Joe's was first coming anywhere close to RI it was pretty exciting because if you were a fan you didn't have to drive to Needham or Framingham to go. But in a way needing to make that trip made it feel worth more and be special in some way, and then you would have some Trader Joe's specific stuff in your pantry that you think fondly of because you are holding it for six months until your next trip or whatever.

With it just being there, it can pale in comparison to your regular old grocery store, though for footprint, I actually do think it is possible to make it a one stop regular grocery but requires some compromise - if you like fresh fish you are almost completely out of luck. If you have brand specific tastes, like in potato chips or yogurt, you are out of luck.

I'm wondering if this same thing would happen with other popular bigger box stores people are craving like a local Costco or IKEA or whatever else.

Trader Joe's isn't really supposed to be a place where you get all your grocery shopping done. It's supposed to supplement a larger grocery store. It's also very geared toward giving you ideas. So if you're sitting at home thinking, "What do I want to eat this week?" and you make a grocery list, you probably won't be able to buy everything at Trader Joe's. But if you just show up with no idea what you're going to eat this week, you're supposed to think, "Oh, that would be great, I'm going to do that."

It's right down the street from me, so I'm ecstatic to have affordable groceries (and flowers!) nearby!!

Very true. TJ’s is more like a once a month for me, not every week.

It was around 6:30 PM

I've heard from people who work there that if you go right after they open it's a ghost town for a while. Only works if you have morning availability but that way it's nice a stocked up too!

I wonder if that's just the daily cycle of things: I see that at the Foxboro store, too, when I am up there.

Plus also, it's new, and folks are curious!

But if that persists past the first month, it would change the way I plan trips there.

It’s open?? That was fast

I had the day off for Election Day and went around 9am. Not super crowded. Store has a great flow. They had all my favorites. Will be back for sure.

No Bread and Milk?

Good point! I have been shopping at the TJ's in Cranston (too much) and a lot of it is very processed food, particularly the frozen dinners. But certain things they sell, such as olives, cheeses, and salsas, are quite good and relatively inexpensive.

Weird—I went during rush hour on Friday and there was no traffic at all on the off ramp. Some in the left lane turning into the site but none is you stayed in the right lane to go straight. I live nearby and I have passed a few times—never any traffic. When were you there?

They have a great cheese selection for sure! Interesting dipping sauces too.

Same!

I agree. TJ has a few gems but for general shopping I prefer Shaw's. Although NOTHING beats TJ's dark chocolate peanut butter cups!!!

Lol come on. It’s a parking garage, there isn’t one in the country that isn’t cramped.

Before it opened everyone declared it was gonna be a nightmare to get there, the traffic 🤯🤯, not enough parking…..now that none of that actually happened, there’s going to be a ton of accidents in the parking spaces.

This is how PVD programs them. It’s beyond stupid.

The parking situation isn’t horrific and not worth people freaking out for the past year.

Not this 💀💀 y’all better move I need my tater tot’s 😂

Love it! The parking lot entrance is a little sketchy, but fuck it! I’ll take it :)

I go by here 3 days a week at 8:30 and 5…have not noticed any back up because of it or difference since it opened. And that’s still with one lane closed cause of construction on Water.

they have bread and milk. I went Sunday.

As a city dweller this is such a huge development! Inexpensive good quality food within walking distance is awesome. Rory grocery store is gorgeous, but expensive as hell. Serendipity is great especially the sandwiches and hot food, but not really too much else.

I love living in the city and will only get in KY car when forced to, so we will see if I can live on just TJ

i work in the area so i walked down to grab some stuff. It was busy for later in the day and there was very limited parking. good selections for frozen items, lifesavers for a college student. everything was also fairly cheap and i got a free bag. worth it to check out for some light shopping

I’ve been like four times lol. It’s super tiny, but it’s fantastic.

The first weekend was crazy, but I’ve noticed it’s significantly slower and better-stocked Monday and Tuesday. I can finally walk from work to buy a basic-but-tasty salad for $5! 🙂

I went Thursday, opening day, at 1pm and it was much like you describe. People with carriages just standing in the middle of nowhere literally looking up, not even looking at or for food. People turned sideways in the aisle like they’re the main character in this video game. 😂

It’s been significantly slower the last couple days I’ve gone, and less hectic, but I’ve been going before noon to make sure I have a decent selection of prepared foods.

I will say this: even when the line is long, it’s been extremely fast (and friendly) check-out!

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OH THATS WHY EAST SIDE WAS SO EMPTY I totally forgot lol

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Great flow? Any other cliches?

Or what have you

Went yesterday mid-day and it wasn’t busy. The parking lot is big and way less chaotic than Warwick. It is laid out the same as Warwick which is also nice. I couldn’t find two products I normally get in Warwick (frozen lemon bars and the frozen macarons), not sure if they were just out or they don’t carry it.

I think check-our was organized a bit better than Warwick and it went really fast. Employees were nice as usual. I’m probably more likely to go to TJs more often since it is less of hassle than going from the east bay to Warwick.

I enjoyed reading this very much because i saw the same effing thing when i went. Some of the standing around seemed like college students thinking they were in a school cafeteria or something. Hopefully it isnt always like that!

Lol 😂

The parking lot made me anxious but there were actually a lot more free spots further along the loop than I expected. Checkout was super swift.

It stresses me out as a driver when the walk signal turns on as my light turns green. Why??

Amazing

In most cities that’s the norm for pedestrians.

Trader Joe’s is a nutritional dirty bomb. We love a lot of the flavors, but there is a ton of junk food to avoid. The prepared frozen foods are loaded with sugar, sodium, and nasty food additives. A real Mecca for a nation of obese people. They should be selling insulin in every aisle. Lots of unsustainable packaging too. Oh, yeah, and that location? Who the hell approved that? Traffic nightmare ahead.

I agree with what you said about there being a lot of bad food at TJ’s but my first thought was that that’s the case in every grocery store (not including small specialty health food stores). I mean Whole Foods, Stop and Shop, Shaws, East Side Marketplace, etc. I’m curious if you think Trader Joe’s is worse than all these other stores. I eat healthy and have no problem doing so by shopping at Trader Joe’s.

TJ's is basically upscale Aldi's for me, as I go for a set supply of things I want and leave the rest of daily shopping elsewhere.

Most of the offerings at TJ’s are their own brand. So they clearly aren’t applying much pressure on vendor’s to curb nutritional abuse or broaden more nutritious offerings. Of course not everything is bad, but I have high blood pressure (a common condition) and am concerned about sodium in prepared and frozen foods. I like fresh fish, but they are limited to farmed Atlantic salmon. Most of their beef is marinated in sauces high in sodium, and “low fat” offerings are few and far between. Packaging, which THEY control, aggressively uses hard shell plastic containers. They ship their re-usable grocery bags here from Vietnam. Fresh vegetables are a joke there - with virtually every green packed in plastic. Can you buy grains there? I don’t think so. I love some of the trail mix of nuts, seeds, and fruit, but there is 7 grams of added sugar in a 1/4 cup serving! My point is, they sell primarily prepared foods - with little concern for healthy recipes, so they are pedaling obesity and metabolic disorders to people who are not mindful. There is a lot to resist buying there.

They're founded by the same parent company as Aldi, so this comparison is apt.

Saying "communist Era Soviet" is redundant and the idea that people were constantly struggling to get enough to eat is propaganda. The greatest decline in quality of life there was when the union fell and capitalist shock therapy began