I
selected the article, Bag It, Trader
Joe’s Tells ‘Pirate’ Grocer In Canada, by Bill Chappell. The article
explores Canadian, Mark Hallatt’s recreation of a Trader Joe’s grocery store in
Vancouver. Because the city lacks a Trader Joe’s store, Hallatt has taken it
upon himself to drive across the U.S. border to find a Trader Joe’s location,
buy groceries and resell the items in his store called Pirate Joe’s. This has
resulted in a lawsuit that Hallatt finds ridiculous. Despite being asked to not
shop at a Trader Joe’s location, Hallatt’s store, now called _Irate Joe’s is
still going strong. After pointing out the fact that others have resold the
brand’s items, he feels that the company should either open a store in Canada
or leave the market alone.
The
article was written by an American and posted on NPR.org, so it can be assumed
that the author and publisher feel some allegiance to the American market and
might side with the California headquartered Trader Joe’s. It was posted on the
American website on August 30, 2013, and Trader Joe’s has been expanding
recently which makes this story especially valid. Before reading this, I had
been to a Trader Joe’s store but wasn’t aware of the Canadian, _Irate Joe’s.
Because I was familiar with the company, this made the idea of a replica store
more surprising. I believe that Chappell wrote this primarily for Americans
with a slightly negative influence in mind as he’s examining a direct knockoff
of a well-known establishment. In many ways I felt that this article was
pointing out how absurd the idea of a resale grocery store is, and was written
partly for humor’s sake. At the same time it was written to inform an audience
on an international economic and legal issue. The article should be important
to us because it is a direct example of the boundaries of the economy and
marketing. After reading the story I concluded that the Trader Joe’s
corporation might win the lawsuit because of its established name and the
obvious copying of their business model. While this article may not have the
same relevance as a story about foreign policy or stem cell research for
example, marketing and business makes up a large part of our everyday lives.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/08/30/217210915/bag-it-trader-joes-tells-pirate-grocer-in-canada
This story was surprising to read because I am also aware and familiar with the Trader Joe's store! I agree with you that the Trader Joe's corporation has higher chances of winning the lawsuit simply because they are a well known and established company, whereas "_Irate Joe's" is something fairly new. Great story!
ReplyDeleteI thought the name of the place was really funny, "Pirate Joe's." I'm a sucker for a good pun.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that Canada didn't have Trader Joe's shops, but I guess if there is such a demand for them in Canada, then they should make one. They would clearly do well there if _Irate Joe's is doing well.
Trader Joe's has a reason to want to sue, and I see why they would. Maybe they'll open a location in Canada, now! At least the owner of _irate Joe's caught their attention and displayed the want for that kind of store in the area.
ReplyDelete