SFist: That Trader Joe's on Masonic is Just Too Darn Popular

RicardoSF

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 15:39:02 -0800

I know. The Sunnyside Neighborhood Association is up in arms about it. There's an Environmental Impact Report online somewhere buried in the City's Planning Department website, I have the link somewhere... Ah... here it is.... I already have a rolling shopping cart, for farmer's market excursions. Maybe this TJ's will be a walking shop excursion for us locals. But you're right, getting anywhere near there, the 280 onramp, or around City College onto Ocean will be a bummer. and you should come to the next Sunnyside Neighborhood Association meeting. Feb. 4 at St. Finn Barr's Church social hall on Edna Street, at Hearst. It won't do emailing them, the current president, Chris Coughlan, who hopefully will get voted out at the nex meeting, is basically not good for much... How about the "43 TJ Beeps Burgers"?

mariconsoy

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:32:36 -0800

Ricardo, That should be a real nightmare, as the existing student parking for city college on Phelan is going to be converted into a concert hall. The MUNI turnaround at Ocean Phelan gets smaller and moved closer to the firehouse. 350 units go where Kragen is, with little or no thought to traffic impact let alone parking. Phelan at rush student times is already a nightmare be ye on a bus or in a car or on foot. Ironically enough, the 43 will also stop at the new TJ on Ocean. Maybe we should rename it from "43 Marina" to "43 Trader Joe's?"

RicardoSF

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 20:59:03 -0800

Mariconsoy, you are so right. Speaking of SF being a transit city, and taking the bus ... we're getting the newest Trader Joe's right in our own backyard, as part of the Balboa Park Transit Center project.. That's right, our own little Sunnyside is getting a 10,000 square foot brand spanking new TJ's on Ocean & Phelan, where the Kragen Auto Parts is now. And a huge pedestrian 'mall' atop the Ocean/Geneva/280 overpass. Parking? Don't be silly.

Generic

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 18:07:03 -0800

Once Ron Paul is President you'll be able to ride your snowmobile to Trader Joe's. It's a natural consequence of the aarth's cooling crust, because by then Hell will have frozen over.

wsanders

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:48:31 -0800

Once Ron Paul is President and we can all carry AK47's with us wherever we go, the Trader Joe's parking situations everywhere will have a major effect in reducing overpopulation.

manys

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:13:40 -0800

Oh, and as for TJs, I hold little hope of any of their locations having better parking situations as long as they continue to attract customers with no sense of personal space. Countless are the times I've had to push a cart out of the way that had been randomly left in the middle of an aisle, in front of the deli meat, wherever the owner's attention is distracted. Not to mention the blindly gluttonous blobbing their fat asses around the free sample counter waiting for a(nother) fresh Dixie Cup's worth of ham 'n pineapple soup.

manys

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 12:08:58 -0800

murph: There's been a lot of talk about that site since Kroger has been unwinding themselves from it, who knows what it's gonna be. I think a lot of it is putting out feelers to the 'hood, but with the Real Food blight going into its umpteenth month Bevan Dufty might find it difficult to resist any grocery retailer who feels like punking him. Regardless, 90% of my shopping in the neighborhood is at the produce stores and Drewe's butcher, so Bell is only for boxed food or shopping after 9pm.

murphstahoe

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 10:50:27 -0800

if you think this is bad - the word on the street is that the shitty Cala Foods on 24th St in Noe Valley is going to become a Whole Foods. Right now, everyone in Noe is celebrating in anticipation (that Cala/DeLanos really really SUX) but 24th St will become an SUV parking lot.

mariconsoy

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:57:59 -0800

Air kissess to Suckafree. MMMMMMMMMMMWahhhhhha x2

suckafree

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 07:28:17 -0800

mariconsoy, your wish is my command!

davey k

Thu, 24 Jan 2008 03:23:07 -0800

That's nothing. Try getting gas at the Arco on Fell & Diviz...

mariconsoy

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:53:15 -0800

Suckafree, We want to see your personalized avatar. Come on...Courisity got the cat. Speaking of the cat: Brock, shouldn't the default Avatar be changed from the Panda to Taitania the tiger in her beloved loving memory?

suckafree

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:38:07 -0800

akit, can i make a friendly suggestion? use the standard avatar from sfist instead of your actual mug. i'm sure you are a wonderful person but i just can't get past that dmvesque photo of you whenever you post anything. ;)

zippy_monster

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:21:27 -0800

Eh, the 38's served me well enough for getting to/from the Geary TJ's. It's getting to Geary that's a pain. Bring back the 28 and 29. ::sigh:: Quite frankly, I think the stores themselves are busy enough before 7:30-8 that I'll avoid them before then. By 8pm, the 38 ain't that crowded... or I could spend the 10 minutes to drive to Westlake...

bluecanary

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:51:56 -0800

I guess TJ's is the Gavin Newsom of grocery stores. Purports to be green, but is coal-colored on the inside.

bluecanary

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:50:52 -0800

Can't get a whole week's worth of food for the family into your backpack? Ahh, reason 345,99,999,483,345,224,987 for being child-free. And I agree with a previous poster. No store that swaddles its produce in so much friggin' plastic can possibly be considered earth friendly.

milf

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:35:37 -0800

The traffic at T.J.'s is so insane it just makes me nuts. I'm moving to the burbs...

mariconsoy

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:45:27 -0800

TJs wanted to open one at Market and Sanchez but it got pulled. Was supposed to go in where DeLux paint store is now. I think the one opening in the Haight [?] is that initially planned for store.

Akit

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:42:49 -0800

TJ's at Stonestown at the old Tower Records? Oh my god, parking will get worse.

SFistJim

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:31:10 -0800

Wouldn't have posted the photo if the waiting time were always 2 mins. or less. But you drivers should time the wait and prove us wrong.

jacksevanroo

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:23:32 -0800

You are all crazy. That line never takes more than a couple minutes, and since it's first come, first served, there's never any fighting for a spot. Plus, if you get the right parking lot attendant, sometimes he gets so excited about directing traffic that he dances.

sagitta100

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:21:49 -0800

If I'm going to TJ's, it's definitely Westlake. From the Sunset it's not that bad (but not that good). Certainly better than fighting the traffic at Masonic. TJ's should open up a store in the Sunset. You'd have plenty of parking and the 70,000 residents here would flock to TJ's as an alternative to the only choice we have: Safeway.

mattymatt

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:03:17 -0800

Why Muni isn't a great solution for this TJ's: 1. The Masonic/Geary intersection is really unpleasant for pedestrians. Traffic comes from bazillions of directions. 2. The 43 and 38 are pretty unreliable. 3. It's the middle of the routes, so busses are always packed -- carrying big grocery bags would be awful. 4. If you're shopping for a family, you can't possibly carry all that food yourself. Again: I can't recommend City CarShare highly enough for using this TJ's. It's only $10/month and about $6ish per shopping trip; they pay for the gas, and you get to skip the line and park on the roof.

Generic

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:46:47 -0800

Damn, it its Joe O's! pwn3d!

delicatefleur

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:05:27 -0800

Even when the traffic is backed up all the way down the block, it's still usually only a 5 minute wait to get into the lot, which is not so bad. And because there's an attendant, it's truly first-come, first-served. The really awful one is the TJ's in the shopping plaza at 9th and Bryant where you can easily drive (or idle if traffic gets stuck) around for 20 minutes before lucking out on a spot.

mdnelson

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 15:00:28 -0800

This is the closest TJ's to where I live but I rarely go there unless it's early on Sunday morning. Too much hassle with the parking...although to be honest, the SoMA location isn't that much better. But at least you can drive in circles around the garage until a spot opens up...:-P

aj

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:59:19 -0800

You'd have to be crazy to open anything at all in the Haight. It's just not worth it to battle the anti chain store yahoos (e.g. Shoe Biz which has like 10 locations now). But ... rooftop parking?! That is too cool.

rahir

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:31:38 -0800

i normally take the bus to TJs, but the biggest problem is getting home via the 43. it comes so irregularly that by the time it appears, you've got 15 TJs shoppers and an already full-to-the-brim bus.

Greg

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:29:50 -0800

the ONLY way I'd go to that store anymore is on the (ugh) 43...just because driving there is such a colossal pain in the ass, and that parking lot is full of people who don't know how to park a car in a tight parking spot. that said, you can still get some decent bargains there, esp. if you don't have the time to go to Costco and are planning a party.

Rain

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:26:25 -0800

@APandaRollin: No grocery store that packages its tomatoes in plastic containers AND plastic wrap should be considered "eco-friendly."

deadbrother

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:21:56 -0800

it's Joe's O's actually.... also, there will be a TJ's opening in the old Tower Records space at the Stonestown Galleria in 2008 so hopefully all those moms nannies will go there instead.

RinconHillSF

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:21:32 -0800

Maybe we should re-think the anti-chain store mentality in consideration of the unintended environmental consequences of having 20 cars sitting and spewing CO2 into the air waiting for parking at the handful of Trader Joe's? Probably not ... I would be in favor of swapping out some Whole Foods (whole paycheck, I think we call it?) with Trader joe's to reflect the more difficult economic times we're approaching.

mariconsoy

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:00:57 -0800

BTW, is the store full of nannies and Executive Assistant types from the Marina and Presidio Heights?

mariconsoy

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:59:43 -0800

Take the bus. We're a transit first city you know. MUNI makes it easy to shop!

pdx6

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:53:08 -0800

Do any of the shoppers know that there is a 38, 38L, and 43 stop near by? Why drive? Do you really need that many groceries? A backpack and a hand bag can hold enough food to feed a small family for weeks! The car line really isn't that bad. Just queue up and as the post states and wait about 15 minutes. Otherwise, hit the SoMA or Marina TJ's. If you have a car, drive the extra 2 miles!

APandaRollin

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:50:03 -0800

Does anyone else see the irony in this situation? Seeing as TJ's is the 'eco-friendly' grocery store of choice, and so many people are driving to the point of traffic jams and idiling outside in a line to get a parking spot?

Akit

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:49:27 -0800

They should use the vacant Albertsons space on 32nd and Clement. Huge place, and lots of parking, including the roof.

SFistJim

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:49:22 -0800

TJ's looked into that Upper Haight location but lost interest when they found out it could take up to four years to get up and running. At least the rats and mice in the area have a home for now. SF, the "city that knows how" http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco

mattymatt

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:42:05 -0800

The rooftop parking is reserved for employees and for City CarShare members. That alone is an excellent reason to carshare. The long-term solution to this would probably be to build more TJs in San Francisco, since so many people want to shop at one. I wonder if anyone's considered putting one in the vacant lot at Haight/Stanyan?

Brock Keeling

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:39:34 -0800

"Trader Joe's is a smurfhole." Hee!

Generic

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:39:12 -0800

At Trader Joe's, I believe the brand name is "Toasted O's".

deadbrother

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:31:59 -0800

damn Ron, who poured two buck chuck in your cheerios?

Akit

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:29:45 -0800

That one is a really bad location. It used to be a paint store, but just the simple lack of parking is what ruins it. I go to the one in Westlake. Parking can be a little of a hassle, but not as bad as driving around the block six times to find a space on Irving on a Saturday.

RonAlbertson

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:25:00 -0800

Trader Joe's is a smurfhole. Bad wine, bad cheese, produce from Chernobyl... I don't know why people make such a big deal over that crap.

eventeven

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:24:09 -0800

the good thing about that wait to park is that it creates an artificial damn to keep the numbers of shoppers to a minimum, so its way less crowded inside. compare to the SOMA trader joes...

AlamedaAnnie

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:16:39 -0800

"Novitiate" is one of the levels of management. I don't remember the rankings, but another is "Merchant." The other obvious ones are Admiral, Captain, First, and Second Mate.

SFistJim

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:12:47 -0800

There IS parking on the roof, but it's not for the general shopping public. Can you imagine what Emerson would look like if shoppers could park on the roof? Lots and lots of cars that the residents wouldn't stand for, probably.

SFistJim

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:11:13 -0800

Probably see more cyclists going the other way on masonic. Some people just power up and over the hill like it's nothing at all. Lesser souls would find using Presdio a better alternative. The Joe's at the Wharf is viewed by many as a secret location.

bluecanary

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:10:46 -0800

There is no Trader Joe's on North Point. Pay no attention to Suckafree!!!!

PRBurkley

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:05:06 -0800

There's parking on the roof?!?!

Generic

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:57:59 -0800

Shut the hell up, suckafree! :)

suckafree

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:48:05 -0800

the trader joe's in north point on bay street is always easy to get in and out of. seems like a nice little secret spot.

DJTennessee

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:47:09 -0800

You sure that line isn't for the Lucky Penny diner?

Ciaran

Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:36:50 -0800

Cyclists learn to stay the hell away from that block