Columbia Trader Joe’s to open Oct. 30; 77 people hired at store
Erika McGuire
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The new Trader Joe’s in Columbia will open Thursday, Oct. 30, the company confirmed Wednesday in a press release.
The store is located at 201 North Stadium Blvd at The Shoppes where a number of businesses including Men’s Warehouse, Five Below and other stores are located.
The grocery chain offers a variety of products including fresh produce, frozen meals, and alcohol.
“I truly believe the community all I have heard since I got into town is how excited the community is that we are going to be here,” Store Captain Pamela Volk said. “I’m not saying other communities aren’t as excited but the people, the people will make this unique,”
The opening has been in the works for nearly a year and employees are working on the final touches before the doors open to shoppers.
“We’re doing training, we’re doing stocking, we’re doing facing cleaning just getting the store prepped and ready for open,” Volk said.
The store has hired 77 employees, according to Volk, and are looking to hire at least 10 more. She said the pay range is between $14-$17 an hour. Paper application are available at the store or applications can be found online, Volk said.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 moments before the store officially opens, the release says.
Volk said the company came to the Columbia area because it’s what the community wanted.
“Trader Joe’s is also looking to expand where we put our stores. I know they are always looking for a great location and I think that our customers have really put that bug in their ear. We look at this community and we listen,” Volk added.
Trader Joe’s will be open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Traffic is an area of concern as the area is known for congestion with Home Goods, and Chick-Fil-A nearby.
Shopper Emily Smith said she expects the area to be packed like other Trader Joe’s locations.
“I think it will be different for sure I mean Trader Joe’s are known to be congested and busy and lots of people coming in and out,” Smith said.
However, Volk is optimistic about parking in the area.
“Good flow there just isn’t one ways and spaces are really wide and the isles are really wide so it should be just find in the first couple months,” Volk added.
But, shoppers like Kaitlyn Weigand says Trader Joe’s is worth the wait.
i”Ill sit through the traffic for trader joe’s I love it,” Weigand said.
Volk said employees will park further away from the store or in the back of the building.
The City of Columbia said in an email back in June that Trader Joe’s did not “necessitate”, as part of the permitting process, a traffic study be performed to identify potential upgrades.
In a statement the city said: “It should be noted that the city will be watching traffic volumes and impacts on the adjacent street network following the opening of these businesses to become aware of any adjustments that might need to be made to the signal timing at Worley and the Mall signal or any signage or striping that might be necessary on the surrounding streets. “
ABC 17 News reached out to Kroenke Group, who owns the Shoppes At Stadium to see how they plan to handle increased traffic but did not hear back.