They need some shelf help.
As Trader Joe’s reopened its Upper West Side location after a five-month renovation this past Saturday, long lines of shoppers stretched down Amsterdam Ave. waiting to see the new and improved space.
But “space” was all they got, as both floors of the specialty supermarket — dubbed “the busiest Trader Joe’s in the world” because of its upscale, family-friendly location — were barely stocked this weekend.
“It’s giving gulag,” grumbled one young shopper as she scoured the frozen food aisle for a single frozen package of gnocchi. “They don’t even have bags of salt,” said another frustrated spice seeker.
Also missing on Sunday afternoon: pantry staples like couscous, rice and orzo, most varieties of tomato sauce, all kinds of bacon and most kinds of raw chicken, including ground chicken, whole chicken thighs and whole chicken breasts.
Yogurt was limited to a few of the less popular flavors (mango, anyone?).
The frozen food section was missing Asian specialties like chicken shu mai and scallion pancakes, frozen Mexican dishes like beef, chicken and vegetarian tamales, every kind of frozen pizza and nearly every variety of mac and cheese.
Cookies were also in short supply, disappointing the Sesame Street set. “Long line for no cookies,” sighed a small girl as she trudged away, biscuit-less.
“There were some delayed shipments, unfortunately,” said a Trader Joe’s employee to hangry shoppers searching for tomato basil sauce. “But most of the new stuff is here.”
He recommended the new Chicken Florentine Lasagna as a favorite — though perhaps that’s because it was one of the only prepared pasta dishes they had. “It’s actually amazing.”
The store also had a robust pile of garlic shrimp chips, the hotly anticipated, Asian-inspired snack that has fully sold out at other New York City locations.
When asked, the famously cheery Trader Joe’s employees had no definitive timeline for when the store — which first opened its automatic doors in 2010 — would be fully stocked. “Definitely later this week,” they said.
Until then, perhaps hoard the strawberry gummy candy and pumpkin spice samosas (also sadly missing) from the Chelsea location until further notice.
