Why Are Fancy Groceries Madhouses, But Regular Chains Humming Along As Usual? by David Marcus

Fancy grocery stores like Trader Joe’s in affluent neighborhoods have lines out the door, regular stores, not so much.

By David Marcus, The Federalist, March 13, 2020

David Marcus is the Federalist’s New York Correspondent.

Different types of people handle situations differently, especially when it comes to stuff like a pandemic of a deadly Wuhan virus. But in New York City and elsewhere, an interesting pattern is emerging in regard to fancy chain grocery stores like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods which have been picked over like a carcass and still have long lines. Meanwhile, regular neighborhood chain stores have a few shortages, but are operating pretty normally.

The evidence is anecdotal, but it’s reflected on social media as well. I went to my local grocery this morning and there were a few people hoarding, but it wasn’t packed, it was well stocked, and seemed to be humming along.

Over at Trader Joe’s, multiple news reports have made the popular millennial hot spot sound like a post apocalyptic hellscape.

Here is video of the line inside one Manhattan location.

There is probably more than one reason that these differences are occurring, but it seems highly likely that the dispositions and incomes of the two sets of customers are playing a role in the run on Trader Joe’s and the slow steady traffic of old school grocers. The former are almost all in affluent sections of the city, the latter more often in middle and lower middle class neighborhoods.  ….

Read more here:  https://thefederalist.com/2020/03/13/why-are-fancy-groceries-madhouses-but-regular-chains-humming-along-as-usual/