With the frenetic demands of living in New York City, a long line at the grocery store is the last thing frazzled New Yorkers want to deal with.
Lineup outside Trader Joe's in Union Square. Photo courtesy Robyn Lee.
Trader Joe’s, in particular, seems to attract lines that wrap around the aisles and snake out past the door, despite the countless grocery stores and farm markets peppered around the city.
The popularity of Trader Joe’s stems from its offering of organic products at prices substantially less than other organic markets, like Whole Foods.
But with stories to file, loved ones to get home to and pets to feed, many of us can’t spare 15 minutes to dawdle in a grocery store line.
If the dreaded lines at Trader Joe’s, or any grocery store for that matter, are deterring you from your weekly food shopping, here are some tips to make the wait more bearable:
1) Shop with two people. Approach this weekly errand like a commando operation by sending one person out on reconnaissance to gather groceries, and another to stand in line.
2) Buy two (or more) weeks worth of food in one visit. A readily stocked fridge and pantry means less trips to the grocery store and less time wasted in the lineups.
3) Avoid peak hours. Go earlier in the day if you can, or late at night. If you wait until the afternoon, you’ll run into the lunch-break and after-work traffic.
4) Shop online. FreshDirect delivers organic food and locally grown items around New York City at competitive prices.
5) If you have no choice but to brave the queues, chat up the person next to you. Conversation will help pass the time, and you just might leave the grocery store with a new person to ‘friend’ on Facebook!