Trader Joe's To End Grocery Delivery In Manhattan

NEW YORK, NY — New Yorkers who shop at Trader Joe's should stock up on their favorite items while shopping this month as the grocery chain moves to cut delivery service in Manhattan.

Starting March 1, Trader Joe's shoppers will no longer have the option of having their groceries delivered to their doors. Signs announcing the decision recently started to pop up in locations around the borough.

The eight Manhattan locations of Trader Joe's were the company's only stores to offer delivery. Shoppers at outer-borough locations in Brooklyn Heights and Forrest Hills, Queens won't see changes at their local stores.

Cutting delivery was prompted by the rising costs associated with the practice, a company spokeswoman told Patch. Instead of passing the cost of delivery onto customers, Trader Joe's opted to cut the service in order to maintain its low prices.

"Because of escalating service costs, how our stores are set up and our relentless commitment to providing our customers value, continuing to offer delivery in the manner we have, no longer makes sense," Trader Joe's spokeswoman Kenya Friend-Daniel said in a statement.

"We recognize that this may represent a challenge to customers who have been using the service. We want to assure them that we are always evaluating how we do things, with them, our customers, being top of mind."

Friend-Daniel added that Trader Joe's is considering ways other than delivery to support customers' ability to shop at the store.

Many Manhattanites may find shopping at Trader Joe's difficult following March 1. Most of the company's stores are located in dense residential areas with little access to nearby parking.

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