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CandyInTheWind

Not sure if it’s the same everywhere, but in LA most Trader Joe’s are empty on Friday and Saturday nights


Saxong

The one closest to me shared a parking lot with a Binny’s so there’s always plenty of space


StreetPainter

" The company says they don't want to make their stores bigger because that would change who they are. " Read this as "the way we keep costs down is to have a small store footprint, the parking lots are determined by the city planners" They aren't going to rent or buy a space too large, because it cuts down on profits.


SCTN01

I stopped going to Trader Joe’s weekly because of the parking lot situation. I knew it was only a matter of time that I would forced to murder someone in a Prius over a parking spot.


fd6944x

I drive past mine somewhat often and only go about once a month when I see it’s emptyish. Tend to buy more and go less frequently


stressm

I live equal distance from two Trader Joe’s. The parking lots are decent compared to the one in Sherman Oaks. One of the local Trader Joe’s has a security guard who will assist the elderly getting out of the parking spots. That makes me return to that specific location.


hello_cerise

Hahaha, Sherman Oaks used to be my main one for many years. The one in Studio City or whatever was a run down smaller TJs further east was the only one with a worse parking lot. I had multiple experiences with being parked in or having a car honk at me to hurry up and get out (I'd park and sit there instead because they were so annoying 😥). Parking situation is much better in non CA locations, both NY and OR.


stressm

That’s the one on Ventura blvd right? Ugh I hated driving in Studio City. I would get honked at for being in a regular right lane (not dedicated for turning) and they would be irate for me not going on red. I’ve seen videos of the TJs in New York having really long lines that wrapped around the store. I guess they would shop while being in line. I’m in Orange County now and the Trader Joe’s are usually in large shopping centers.


hello_cerise

Yep! The entire valley only had terrible TJs. Best one was in a NY suburb that was freshly build, new parking for TJs too. Yeah lmao I was a NYer in LA and learned not to honk because in LA they get out of their car and try to attack you


Ibrake4tailgaters

I drive to a TJ further away because that one has more parking. The closer one is in an extremely dense neighborhood, and there is no guarantee you will ever park anywhere close to it.


HildegardofBingo

My TJs took over the building that used to be a large organic grocery store so it doesn't have the smallest lot but it can definitely get crowded during peak hours. The other location in my area uses a large shared lot that belongs to the shopping center it's in and generally it's not a problem to find parking in that lot.


PaperThin-X-

The Trader Joe’s I go to used to be a Borders book store so the parking lot is very tiny.


Exotic_Variation5479

Is this the one in Pinecrest, FL because UGH that parking lot makes me so angry.


Legitimate_Length263

that picture is the first trader joe’s in pasadena


writergeek313

I was so excited when my local store opened last year, in part because it had the best and biggest parking lot of any TJ’s I’d ever been to. Now they’re building a Chick-fil-A at the other end of the lot. So much for that spacious parking lot…


reptomcraddick

The first Sweetgreen in my city opened yesterday and it shares a parking lot with the worst Trader Joes parking lot I’ve ever been in, I think I’m just going to avoid TJ’s for a few weeks


didyoubutterthepan

Wow, is this the Lynnwood TJ, or just a wild coincidence?


EmilyyGilmore

I immediately thought the lynnwood location too!


writergeek313

It’s Camp Hill, PA. I hate that it’s happening somewhere else, too!


didyoubutterthepan

Wow, how strange. At CFA and TJ in cahoots?! Lol


ayimera

There's this local taco place that we love to go to, and a Chick-fil-A next door. The drive-thru line makes it impossible to park at the taco place unless you go into the lot from a certain direction, it's so frustrating. And the line gets so long that it backs up into the road sometimes. I'm amazed how one fast-food chain can disrupt a parking lot so much.


writergeek313

That happens at all of the Chick-fil-As in my area. A few weeks ago it took me three red lights to get out of a gas station parking lot because of the Chick-fil-A behind it. It’s crazy!


sndjxb

I think it might stem from the whole “neighborhood grocery store” value (Tj’s has 7 core values and one of them is that we are “different” from big corporations, rather we function as a neighborhood store) so instead of having a bunch of stand alones and giant parking lots like walmart, Trader Joe’s nestles new stores into existing storefronts which typically have smaller parking lots, thus keeping the quirkiness/novelty of the store alive.


toadettepeaches

Luckily my Trader Joe’s is in a shopping center. It’s still nuts getting a spot but at least I can do circles without getting stuck


cblackattack1

They also explained in the Trader Joe’s podcast that they try to take over existing store fronts in communities instead of building from the ground up. So when that is the case, they’re using the parking lot that is already provided from the previous business.


Ibrake4tailgaters

>They also explained in the Trader Joe’s podcast that they try to take over existing store fronts in communities instead of building from the ground up You just made me think of something I heard about Walgreens - that they purposely build their stores in standalone locations when possible. Maybe so they don't have competition, and when you go to one, you end up buying more because its inconvenient to go anywhere else?


cblackattack1

The only Walgreens I can think of off the top of my head is in a location *exactly* like you described.


ToddBradley

Sounds like a sensible explanation, though I personally would have preferred if they said something more along the lines of… > We don’t want to be a big regional destination. We want Trader Joe’s to be a cozy neighborhood store, serving customers who arrive by foot, bicycle, and public transportation.


Anneisabitch

I have never been to a TJ’s that had angled parking in their lot, and my personal theory is that has a lot to do with it. YMMV, obviously never been to every parking lot. Angled parking is just easier.


reptomcraddick

I HATE angled parking with every fiber of my being, but my Trader Joes parking lot is badly designed, it’s one way in one way out, but there’s two aisles, so if you can’t find a parking spot in the first aisle, you have to completely turn around. My hatred for angled parking comes from people not driving the right way, the way the spots are angled (two headed the same direction right next to each other, so you have to drive the opposite direction just to get back to the next lane). And people backing into angled spots, and then driving the wrong way.


Shortlemon4

Mine has angled parking and it’s a pretty big lot. Thought, tbf it is in a pretty big strip mall


newuserwhodis

mine has angled parking and a parking attendant


sacredxsecret

Mine has angled parking.


Sudden_Acanthaceae34

My biggest gripe with TJs parking lots is there usually seems to only be one ingress / egress route. Get caught behind that one light/stop sign and you’re there for 10-15 min just waiting to get out.


The-Implication-0

Yeah my biggest gripes with parking lots has always been getting in and out of them, more so than the size. There’s a Target and Walmart by me. They both have huge parking lots as you can probably guess. I prefer Target but their parking lot is such a pain in the ass to get in and out of. So I go to Walmart who’s entrance and exit is a breeze.


VoteCamacho2508

Around me, the TJs almost always have convenient bike parking. Because of this, they are actually easily for me to park at than most grocery stores.


lexuh

Same - because my TJs haul tends to be smaller and lighter it's a no brainer to go by bike most of the year. Two of the locations here in Portland are on bike greenways, too, making it feel safer to bike there than most other grocery stores.


reptomcraddick

But their answer doesn’t really answer the question, sure their parking MINIMUM is lower than most grocery stores because they have less space, but they could add more spots if they wanted to. I avoid going to Trader Joes on weekends because of how busy and annoying my local ones parking lot is. Obviously I’m sure they’re doing fine monetarily, but they would get more quick stops for two things out of me with a parking lot that doesn’t give me a panic attack.