If you think you're the only one who goes insane in a Trader Joe's parking lot, think again. The tiny parking lot is their thing.
I I buy one item at Trader Joe's. Charles Shaw Chardonnay. Or "Two Buck Chuck." It's now over five dollars a bottle but still a fantastic buy and the only wine that doesn't have the potential to make me sick. So, thumbs up on both counts. Right?
Well, not exactly. I went to to get my six months supply on Monday but after 30 minutes I gave up on finding a parking place. The lot was super jammed because it was Veterans Day.
Everything Trader Joe's does is purposeful and consistent in every store.. That includes small parking lots in dense areas. Also they don't sell their products on line. Period. Their unique brands, like the most popular this year, Chili and Lime Flavored Rolled Corn Tortilla Chips, can be found only by navigating the tiny lot.
Before we had a Trader Joe's in Winter Park, Florida, I shopped at the one in my then boyfriend David's city, Edina, Minnesota. It was much the same. Only they had parking attendants. This looked like a life or death job for sure.
I'm thinking all Trader Joe's employees are home schooled. Despite all the chaos in the parking lot and inside the store it's self, they are cheerful, helpful and a tiny bit condescending. Absolutely nothing throws them.
I live in Central Florida, one of the entertainment capitals of the world. I lived here prior to Disney. But two of the most highly anticipated brands to hit our area have been Trader Joe's and Ikea.
I went back on Tuesday and got the job done.
***