Parking Lot Fights at Trader Joe's, Shelves Stripped Bare

The scene at Trader Joe's in Paramus was anything but tropical today.

If you're one of the millions of North Jersey residents who shop the Bergen County area and rely on the usually-wonderful Trader Joe's of Paramus, you may have been suprised by today's chaotic parking lot scene, especially long outdoor lines, and bare shelves.

Follow me to see more articles like this.

...

Follow

Hundreds of shoppers clamored for a limited number of parking spots today, resulting in angry interactions between drivers, long waits for spots, screaming matches, and middle fingers by mid-afternoon.

Trader Joe's Paramus

"I think we just have less spaces than usual because of the way the snow was plowed around here," one employee shared with News Break. "Maybe a dozen or more spots just disappeared into the giant snow piles the plows left, and between the Super Bowl, crazy storms of the last few days, weekend and beginning of the week shoppers? We have almost nothing left."

And if you managed to find a parking spot amidst the sea of scowls? Well, then you were met with a 15 or 20 minute line that wrapped around the exterior of the Trader Joe's building just to get a basket, and then eventually enter the store.

Trader Joe's Paramus

Some staples like bread, milk, and citrus were still readily available, but customer favorites and Trader Joe's exclusives like imported cheeses, kombucha, and frozen pre-packaged meals were stripped from store shelves by early Monday morning.

"I've been coming here every Monday for years," one shopper shared. "The only other time I really saw it this bad was right at the beginning of the pandemic when we were all scared of not having enough canned goods and toilet paper. I really can't understand why my favorite dried fruit is totally sold out, and all the really unique dairy products I come to Trader Joe's for instead of the local Shop Rite? Forget about it. They're just not here."

Trader Joe's Paramus

The frozen foods section was nearly empty, with only handfuls of popular items left and several skus completely gone. Bagged popcorn was still plentiful, while pretzels, chips, and other game-day favorites were impossible to find, and most varities of vegan-friendly entrees were also surprisingly unavailable. Other missing items included pantry staples like olive oil, popular salad dressings, several varities of honey and condiments, and breakfast cereal? Pssh. Good luck.

"We're going to restock," another employee told us. "It just doesn't happen overnight. You have to remember we're low on staff, and everyone is eating more than usual and we still have the best prices around, so we're in big demand. I wouldn't expect to come to the store and see the shelves perfect tomorrow or the next day, and we have more bad weather on the way. I think it's safe to say you can come here for all the staples, but don't be mad at us if you have to wait in line to get in the store and your one favorite European cheese is sold out."

Both employees offered the following tip for beating the lines and gaining access to the most popular items, though.

"Come early, like before 10 AM, and you probably won't see any line at all and we're all in the middle of fixing all the shelves and putting everything out. If you come in this week after about 11 AM, you're basically gambling to see if your favorite things are still on the shelves and if there's parking for you. And if you can avoid coming on the weekend? Do that. Weekdays are always quieter than Saturday or Sunday. Those are the days when we can guarantee you'll be fighting over the parking spots."

Love this story or have your own Trader Joe's story to tell? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below, or you can reach out to me on social media.