This guy is a total character and a fixture in Vancouver. I guess he's getting sued, yet again, by Trader Joe's.
This guy is a total character and a fixture in Vancouver. I guess he's getting sued, yet again, by Trader Joe's.
Thing is, he pays full retail in Washington state (or I guess now he has teams of secret shoppers 'cuz he got busted by TJs?), and unless his mark-up has gotten a lot higher, it's still competitive with any comparable grocery (obs not discount places like No Frills or Real Canadian Superstore) in Vancouver. It's latest location is a little out of the way but the hours are accessible, and he only brings in products that are legally allowed to cross the border.
Trader Joe's is seemingly never planning on opening in Canada, and they are so ok with people driving across the border to shop there that they have pre-printed lists of what it is and is not ok to take back across the border into Canada * . I'm sure they want to control the brand, but there are so many people in Vancouver without cars or a way to get all the way to Bellingham, at least not regularly to shop that Pirate Joe's has been there for years.
Oh, well. It's fun for however long it lasts.
* They do in Bellingham, WA, at least. There are always people shopping from Canada at the TJs in the Buffalo suburbs, but there are no helpful lists for them.
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37721795
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37721795
Thing is, he pays full retail in Washington state (or I guess now he has teams of secret shoppers 'cuz he got busted by TJs?), and unless his mark-up has gotten a lot higher, it's still competitive with any comparable grocery (obs not discount places like No Frills or Real Canadian Superstore) in Vancouver. It's latest location is a little out of the way but the hours are accessible, and he only brings in products that are legally allowed to cross the border.
Trader Joe's is seemingly never planning on opening in Canada, and they are so ok with people driving across the border to shop there that they have pre-printed lists of what it is and is not ok to take back across the border into Canada * . I'm sure they want to control the brand, but there are so many people in Vancouver without cars or a way to get all the way to Bellingham, at least not regularly to shop that Pirate Joe's has been there for years.
Oh, well. It's fun for however long it lasts.
* They do in Bellingham, WA, at least. There are always people shopping from Canada at the TJs in the Buffalo suburbs, but there are no helpful lists for them.
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37721795
http://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2016-37721795
I don't really understand their problem as he is paying full price at their store. He's building their customer base.
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