Shortly after the announcement that Nashville was getting a Trader Joe's, I got an email from a friendly, yet envious, fellow named Jay Craven in Chattanooga lamenting the "grocery store desert" in which he lives. I suggested he start a petition.
Well, someone named Jason Kelley did and got more than 1000 signatures in a week! It's at 1447 as of this post. I signed just a few hours ago (my folks are from there) and I was number 1362.
I think his petition will have to end up being one of the top 25 petitions for petitiononline.com tomorrow because it is climbing really freakin fast.
Keep up the good work, Jason!
(My original post credited Jay with starting the petition, but he just contacted me about it).
Showing posts with label petition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label petition. Show all posts
Monday, May 5, 2008
Friday, April 4, 2008
Bring Trader Joe's to EAST Nashville!
OK, folks. The new EAST Nashville petition is up with a space for your zip and a space for comments.
You know what to do.
You know what to do.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
"It's like a courtship..."
"It's like a courtship," Roter said. "A smart company like Trader Joe's is not going to act impulsively. This is merely a process we're going to pursue over a period of time." That's what a fellow Trader Joe's fan who is trying to "woo" TJ's to Albany, New York through a letter writing campaign told the Business Review. I couldn't agree more.
I've been away from this project for a little while and dealing with more day to day stuff (and let's make it official that regular weekly posts are unlikely, although sometimes you can expect several in a week--look to the right and subscribe to my blog and then you won't miss a post!).
So when I did my standard "trader joe's nashville" google search last night to see what I've been missing, I was a little surprised by all the letters to the editor and comments in the Tennessean about feasibility. Everyone seems so certain of their position about the likelihood or lack thereof.
I suppose I am guilty of that, too. I am certain TJ's will open up shop here eventually. What I become less sure of is if I will care anymore by the time they decide to grace us with their presence. As I have reported here previously, other grocers are starting to wake up and recognize that they can do what TJ's does, too. While I am doubtful that these grocery retailers will do it with such panache, I do have to wonder if in 5 years or so we are going to have options that leave us somewhat underwhelmed when TJ's does finally come to town.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not abandoning the cause. I still think Trader Joe's is the best grocery shopping experience that I've ever had (allow me to reiterate that I have never been to a Wegman's, so you don't need to sing me those praises), but I do find myself wondering if I will always feel that way.
OK. So, this doesn't sound like the cheerleader post that I was aiming for originally. In that post, I wanted to convey that [1] no one expects things to change overnight; [2] we're going to keep pushing for a TJ's and hope that the effort will make them show up a bit faster than they would have otherwise; and [3] the only people who know for sure when or if TJ's is coming to town is TJ's and even then, you often get different information from different folks (although they have consistently said that we aren't in the 2 year plan, it becomes unclear after that with different reports from different corporate employees about whether we are in the 5 year plan).
But, I hope you'll recognize that this post is also meant to convey hope of another kind. There is a clamor in Nashville for the kind of shopping experience that Trader Joe's offers. Someone WILL answer that call. It's basic economics: supply and demand. So, please, if you haven't already demonstrated your demand for affordable, quality groceries in Nashville, please sign the Trader Joe's petition.
Based on the hits on this blog, I can guarantee you that they aren't the only grocery chain paying attention. And I mean, hey, if this is a courtship, maybe we will have to resort to a little hard-to-get action to get what we want. I didn’t just write that, did I?
I've been away from this project for a little while and dealing with more day to day stuff (and let's make it official that regular weekly posts are unlikely, although sometimes you can expect several in a week--look to the right and subscribe to my blog and then you won't miss a post!).
So when I did my standard "trader joe's nashville" google search last night to see what I've been missing, I was a little surprised by all the letters to the editor and comments in the Tennessean about feasibility. Everyone seems so certain of their position about the likelihood or lack thereof.
I suppose I am guilty of that, too. I am certain TJ's will open up shop here eventually. What I become less sure of is if I will care anymore by the time they decide to grace us with their presence. As I have reported here previously, other grocers are starting to wake up and recognize that they can do what TJ's does, too. While I am doubtful that these grocery retailers will do it with such panache, I do have to wonder if in 5 years or so we are going to have options that leave us somewhat underwhelmed when TJ's does finally come to town.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not abandoning the cause. I still think Trader Joe's is the best grocery shopping experience that I've ever had (allow me to reiterate that I have never been to a Wegman's, so you don't need to sing me those praises), but I do find myself wondering if I will always feel that way.
OK. So, this doesn't sound like the cheerleader post that I was aiming for originally. In that post, I wanted to convey that [1] no one expects things to change overnight; [2] we're going to keep pushing for a TJ's and hope that the effort will make them show up a bit faster than they would have otherwise; and [3] the only people who know for sure when or if TJ's is coming to town is TJ's and even then, you often get different information from different folks (although they have consistently said that we aren't in the 2 year plan, it becomes unclear after that with different reports from different corporate employees about whether we are in the 5 year plan).
But, I hope you'll recognize that this post is also meant to convey hope of another kind. There is a clamor in Nashville for the kind of shopping experience that Trader Joe's offers. Someone WILL answer that call. It's basic economics: supply and demand. So, please, if you haven't already demonstrated your demand for affordable, quality groceries in Nashville, please sign the Trader Joe's petition.
Based on the hits on this blog, I can guarantee you that they aren't the only grocery chain paying attention. And I mean, hey, if this is a courtship, maybe we will have to resort to a little hard-to-get action to get what we want. I didn’t just write that, did I?
Monday, October 1, 2007
Beat Austin? Check. What's the Next Move?
While I will feel a little more confident when the lead is more significant, WE DID IT. We have replaced Austin as the current online petition with the most signatures (as far as I can tell). So, what’s the next move? In the words of another TJ’s fan that contacted me last week, “Is there a great plan behind this?”
I don't have a grand plan, but I do have some ideas for next steps. I think we need to find some folks with commercial property for sale or lease that would be a good fit in terms of location and square footage and we need to get them involved in the process of “wooing” Trader Joe’s (that’s the company's language for it). Additionally, we need to make connections with individuals in the commercial real estate business to do some research on locations and demographics and contact the company with suggestions.
While I appreciate people throwing out potential locations, what we really need is for a few individuals to take action and contact the owner(s) of the locations that you think would be a good fit.
I also think that we need to use the petition to leverage local decision makers (elected officials, chamber of commerce, etc.) to reach out to Trader Joe's as well. If we can get some business folks and some politicians working on it, I think it will be a nice complement to the more grassroots people power approach.
Anyone want to join me in this phase? Send me an email. I’m not particularly connected when it comes to commercial real estate professionals or chamber folks. I could use your help!
Thanks, to everyone who helped us reach the small goal of beating Austin. With that success under our belt, let’s keep the ball rolling.
I don't have a grand plan, but I do have some ideas for next steps. I think we need to find some folks with commercial property for sale or lease that would be a good fit in terms of location and square footage and we need to get them involved in the process of “wooing” Trader Joe’s (that’s the company's language for it). Additionally, we need to make connections with individuals in the commercial real estate business to do some research on locations and demographics and contact the company with suggestions.
While I appreciate people throwing out potential locations, what we really need is for a few individuals to take action and contact the owner(s) of the locations that you think would be a good fit.
I also think that we need to use the petition to leverage local decision makers (elected officials, chamber of commerce, etc.) to reach out to Trader Joe's as well. If we can get some business folks and some politicians working on it, I think it will be a nice complement to the more grassroots people power approach.
Anyone want to join me in this phase? Send me an email. I’m not particularly connected when it comes to commercial real estate professionals or chamber folks. I could use your help!
Thanks, to everyone who helped us reach the small goal of beating Austin. With that success under our belt, let’s keep the ball rolling.
Friday, September 28, 2007
We're in the Top 25 Petitions, again!
Our petition is in the top 25 petitions at Petitions Online, again!
Also, I don't know if it means anything, but I thought it was interesting that the blog had a visitor from Germany this morning. For those who don't know, Trader Joe's is owned by The Aldi Group, which is based in Germany.
Might be nothing, but it is fun to speculate.
Also, I don't know if it means anything, but I thought it was interesting that the blog had a visitor from Germany this morning. For those who don't know, Trader Joe's is owned by The Aldi Group, which is based in Germany.
Might be nothing, but it is fun to speculate.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Austin--You Know You Want to Beat 'Em!
OK folks, we are SO CLOSE. We are less than 200 (update on 9/29/07: make that less than 30, now) signatures away from surpassing Austin in their petition gathering.
They have been gathering signatures since 2006. We have been doing this for 5 freakin weeks!
A big shout out to the Tennessean for helping us garner a TREMENDOUS number of signatures in a short time (over 400 today!) Having the link to the petition in the article was very helpful. THANK YOU!
They have been gathering signatures since 2006. We have been doing this for 5 freakin weeks!
A big shout out to the Tennessean for helping us garner a TREMENDOUS number of signatures in a short time (over 400 today!) Having the link to the petition in the article was very helpful. THANK YOU!
Nearing 2000!
Last night, I took a look at the petition and was like, "Hey, we are up to 1700. Cool."
This morning, I took a look and was like, "Whoa, we're over 1800. What happened?"
Then, I took a look at my email and my sister had written to let me know there was a screenshot of the petition on the front page of the Living section in the Tennessean. Having just gone to the website, we are also on the homepage of the online version.
[Update: As of the afternoon, it was moved to the the living section online.]
THANK YOU, TENNESSEAN!
Now, a few hours later, we are approaching 2000!
I was recently considering cancelling my subscription to save some bucks, since we get it at the office, too. You've just saved yourself at least one subscriber!
This morning, I took a look and was like, "Whoa, we're over 1800. What happened?"
Then, I took a look at my email and my sister had written to let me know there was a screenshot of the petition on the front page of the Living section in the Tennessean. Having just gone to the website, we are also on the homepage of the online version.
[Update: As of the afternoon, it was moved to the the living section online.]
THANK YOU, TENNESSEAN!
Now, a few hours later, we are approaching 2000!
I was recently considering cancelling my subscription to save some bucks, since we get it at the office, too. You've just saved yourself at least one subscriber!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Petition Stats
200 signatures in first 12 hours
300 signatures in first 24 hours
400 signatures in 4 days
500 signatures in 5 days
600 signatures in 6 days
1000 signatures in 9 days
1200 signatures in 2 weeks
1400 signatures in 4 weeks
(update on 9/26/07)
1700 signatures in 5 weeks
(Thank you for the bump, All the Rage!)
(update on 9/29/07)
2300 signatures in 39 days
(Thank you for the bump, Tennessean!)
300 signatures in first 24 hours
400 signatures in 4 days
500 signatures in 5 days
600 signatures in 6 days
1000 signatures in 9 days
1200 signatures in 2 weeks
1400 signatures in 4 weeks
(update on 9/26/07)
1700 signatures in 5 weeks
(Thank you for the bump, All the Rage!)
(update on 9/29/07)
2300 signatures in 39 days
(Thank you for the bump, Tennessean!)
Friday, September 21, 2007
All the Rage "breaks the story"
So, this petition is almost one month old now and I have to admit I have been pleasantly surprised at the results. I certainly never expected to get over 1450 signatures in one month.
I have been lame about promoting it. I never got around to writing a press release, but one reporter found me and did a little piece on it: Will Trader Joe's Pick Nashville?
I hope we can get some more coverage. Maybe, I'll get off my butt and write that press release. Maybe...
I have been lame about promoting it. I never got around to writing a press release, but one reporter found me and did a little piece on it: Will Trader Joe's Pick Nashville?
I hope we can get some more coverage. Maybe, I'll get off my butt and write that press release. Maybe...
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Woo-Hoo! 1000 signatures in 9 days!!
Nashville rocks more than I knew!
We just hit one thousand "signatures" a few minutes ago after only nine days!
I'll be calling Trader Joe's Corporate in the morning to let them know and to try to get the skinny on what they are thinking.
But we're not done yet! We still have to beat the pants off of Austin, so we're not even halfway yet. KEEP IT UP!
We just hit one thousand "signatures" a few minutes ago after only nine days!
I'll be calling Trader Joe's Corporate in the morning to let them know and to try to get the skinny on what they are thinking.
But we're not done yet! We still have to beat the pants off of Austin, so we're not even halfway yet. KEEP IT UP!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Let the Battle Begin: What Part of Town?
Yeah, I want it to come to East Nashville. But I what I NEED is for it to be close enough that I can dare to buy frozen foods. Holy smoke, I miss those little frozen quiches--Prelude to a Quiche, I think it was called--and they better still carry them WHEN (no, ifs here, buddy!) TJ's comes to Nashville!
Based on the way I have seen TJ's enter a market, they are likely to set up shop in the wealthier suburbs in a strip mall type location, often near an already existing competitor like Whole Foods or Wild Oats (or in our case, I would say that category includes Harris Teeter).
To me, this would suggest that the following areas are the most likely contenders: Cool Springs, Green Hills or Franklin.
There are some other possibilites such as Hillsboro Village, Brentwood, Belle Meade, and even Hendersonville, but I think they are second tier candidates.
I do think East Nashville could be in the running for a subsequent store. This effort started in East Nashville, and I think that says something.
But I don't know everything. What do you think?
Based on the way I have seen TJ's enter a market, they are likely to set up shop in the wealthier suburbs in a strip mall type location, often near an already existing competitor like Whole Foods or Wild Oats (or in our case, I would say that category includes Harris Teeter).
To me, this would suggest that the following areas are the most likely contenders: Cool Springs, Green Hills or Franklin.
There are some other possibilites such as Hillsboro Village, Brentwood, Belle Meade, and even Hendersonville, but I think they are second tier candidates.
I do think East Nashville could be in the running for a subsequent store. This effort started in East Nashville, and I think that says something.
But I don't know everything. What do you think?
Let's Kick Some Austin Butt!
It's funny that I didn't realize that Austin was doing the same thing on the same website when I created our petition. We even used the same language in the title. Creepy!
What's more, their effort has been going on since 2006. They had about 1200 signatures on July 31st of this year. Then an article came out http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070731/BIZ/707310322/1001 that discussed Whole Foods versus Trader Joe's (with regard to the proposed merger of Whole Foods and Wild Oats and the Whole Foods claim that Trader Joe's is the chain's most serious competition).
The article profiled the Austin petition because it just happens to be the home base for Whole Foods. Since the article came out, their petition has blossomed to over 2200 signatures.
Let's kick their butt!
What's more, their effort has been going on since 2006. They had about 1200 signatures on July 31st of this year. Then an article came out http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070731/BIZ/707310322/1001 that discussed Whole Foods versus Trader Joe's (with regard to the proposed merger of Whole Foods and Wild Oats and the Whole Foods claim that Trader Joe's is the chain's most serious competition).
The article profiled the Austin petition because it just happens to be the home base for Whole Foods. Since the article came out, their petition has blossomed to over 2200 signatures.
Let's kick their butt!
Where should we publicize this petition?
Let's make distribution of the Tear Off Posters and Palm Cards a priority. Where do you think they should go?
Over the course of the next week, I plan to saturate the East Nashville and Inglewood area businesses and the Vanderbilt Campus with these things. I've got general ideas like Green Hills and Hillsboro Village, but would love specific suggestions.
Where else should they go? I have lots of "propaganda" already printed and ready for distribution.
I would love to make contact with folks like those from Nissan that have lots of transplants to the area in order to help you spread the word at your respective locations.
I'd also love to touch base with folks in some of the outlying areas like Franklin, Cool Springs, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, etc. (please take no offense if your area wasn't listed!) to see if you could do some simple distribution in your area.
I'm also hoping to get a press release out this week. I've already touched base with a couple of reporters, so we'll see.
We've gotten over 600 signatures in 6 days. That's pretty cool!
Over the course of the next week, I plan to saturate the East Nashville and Inglewood area businesses and the Vanderbilt Campus with these things. I've got general ideas like Green Hills and Hillsboro Village, but would love specific suggestions.
Where else should they go? I have lots of "propaganda" already printed and ready for distribution.
I would love to make contact with folks like those from Nissan that have lots of transplants to the area in order to help you spread the word at your respective locations.
I'd also love to touch base with folks in some of the outlying areas like Franklin, Cool Springs, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, etc. (please take no offense if your area wasn't listed!) to see if you could do some simple distribution in your area.
I'm also hoping to get a press release out this week. I've already touched base with a couple of reporters, so we'll see.
We've gotten over 600 signatures in 6 days. That's pretty cool!
What YOU Can Do to Make IT Happen!
1. Sign the petition
2. Get family and friends to sign the petition
3. Forward the petition url to listservs you are on and other folks you know (think work, church, book group, neighborhood group, etc).
4. Print out and distribute the Tear Off Poster and Palm Cards (think work, coffee shop, restaurants, other grocery stores, bookstores, etc):
5. If you have a blog or website, help get the word out by adding a link to the petition or this blog.
6. Come back here once a week so that we can stay organized to take action. I promise to put up a new post every Friday (if not more often).
2. Get family and friends to sign the petition
3. Forward the petition url to listservs you are on and other folks you know (think work, church, book group, neighborhood group, etc).
4. Print out and distribute the Tear Off Poster and Palm Cards (think work, coffee shop, restaurants, other grocery stores, bookstores, etc):
5. If you have a blog or website, help get the word out by adding a link to the petition or this blog.
6. Come back here once a week so that we can stay organized to take action. I promise to put up a new post every Friday (if not more often).
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Welcome to my blog -- it's under construction
Greetings, fans of Trader Joe's. We unleashed a petition to get Trader Joe's to come to Nashville yesterday and we just hit 300 signatures already.
You can find that petition here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/tjsnash/petition.html
I hope we can use this site as an opportunity to spread the word, answer questions and share strategy ideas. I imagine we'll find other uses as we go along. I'm new to this whole blogging thing, so I welcome your advice and assistance and ask for your patience.
Thanks to the many folks who have offered their assistance to this effort and to everyone who signed the petition. Hopefully, we can increase the availability of affordable, quality groceries in Nashville in the near future.
If you don't know much about Trader Joe's, here are some websites and articles that may explain what all the fuss is about:
http://www.traderjoes.com/
http://www.traderjoesfan.com/
http://www.trackingtraderjoes.com/
http://www.slate.com/id/2138178/
http://cardhouse.com/a/joes.htm
http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/11/whole-foods-vs-trader-joes-battle-of-the-brands/
http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/channel-marketing/219840-1.html
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=6100
Well, that's enough for now...
Carol
You can find that petition here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/tjsnash/petition.html
I hope we can use this site as an opportunity to spread the word, answer questions and share strategy ideas. I imagine we'll find other uses as we go along. I'm new to this whole blogging thing, so I welcome your advice and assistance and ask for your patience.
Thanks to the many folks who have offered their assistance to this effort and to everyone who signed the petition. Hopefully, we can increase the availability of affordable, quality groceries in Nashville in the near future.
If you don't know much about Trader Joe's, here are some websites and articles that may explain what all the fuss is about:
http://www.traderjoes.com/
http://www.traderjoesfan.com/
http://www.trackingtraderjoes.com/
http://www.slate.com/id/2138178/
http://cardhouse.com/a/joes.htm
http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/04/11/whole-foods-vs-trader-joes-battle-of-the-brands/
http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/channel-marketing/219840-1.html
http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/view.php?id=6100
Well, that's enough for now...
Carol
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