On Friday, the new Trader Joe's in Morgan Hill opened for business. Like most locals, I was ecstatic. We had been anticipating the arrival of the small grocery chain for more than two years. Constant rumors had sustained hopes, but physical proof of any truth to the rumors didn't appear until this fall, when a fully constructed building dropped from the sky and landed on the empty lot tucked behind Scrambl'z Diner (on Dunne, right off South 101).
With the store finally open, curiosity mandated a visit. So, on Saturday morning, we drove over and followed a steady stream of cars (a la Field of Dreams) into the parking lot. After finding a spot, I grabbed one of the nice, new red baskets (with black handles) and rushed inside with an exuberance more appropriate for a new game machine than a new food market.
The store was magnificent. Baked goods filled every sliding shelf, fresh produce overflowed every bin, and an abundance of store brand and organic products lined every aisle. The sight of it all sent me into a fit of hyperbole.
It's a glorious bounty, a heavenly harvest, I thought to myself as I surveyed the store. "It's also the exact same selection of food you could find at every other TJ's," said my internal voice of cynicism. The voice was right, of course, but I didn't let it spoil my enjoyment of the moment.
The mood of the store was also different. People weren't their usual grouchy grocery-shopping selves. This weekend, in this store, they were actually happy and smiling. It was an unusual sight.
"Look, Mom, now you can come here and shop whenever you want," I overheard one woman say to another woman I assumed was her mother. "You don't have to stockpile anymore." I saw people stroll down aisles and point out products to others as though it was a surprise to find those items on the shelf. Reflecting on it, the assorted scenes of joy were somewhat bizarre.
At one point, I stopped by the Tiki Hut in back where they were serving free coffee samples. The short, gray-haired woman behind the counter wore a green Trader Joe's sweatshirt with a pin that said, "I Love Morgan Hill." She was friendly and talkative and obviously affected by the mood in the store. She chattered away about coffee brewing and the store opening and I happily listened while sipping my sample.
Since we had to be going and wouldn't be returning to the house right away, we only bought a few snacks to get us through the rest of the day. We made a second visit that same evening to do some real shopping. At the checkout stand, the crew member (a.k.a. employee) pointed at a tall, narrow cylindrical box with white and red stripes. "Go ahead and take one of those. It's free," she said.
I'm not one to argue with people giving away free things, so I blindly obeyed and grabbed one. I only stopped to look at it after it was securely in my hands. The packaging indicated it contained peppermint chocolate cookies. As soon as we got home, I tried one and then tried (with some difficulty) to stop at just one.
And that sums up my first experience at the new grocery store in town.
