Saturday, August 31, 2013

Sam Schwall- Bag It, Trader Joe's Tells 'Pirate Grocer' In Canada

 
            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

3 comments:

  1. 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!

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  2. I thought the name of the place was really funny, "Pirate Joe's." I'm a sucker for a good pun.
    I 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.

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  3. 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.

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