Now Open: Trader Joe's is Wet and Wild

Within fifteen minutes of the ceremonial lei-cutting at the new Trader Joe's on Atlantic Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn, the place was mobbed with soaked shoppers trying to figure out where to put their umbrellas. Preternaturally friendly "crew members" handed out miniature bags of trail mix, cheese puffs, and crackers of both the animal and whole wheat variety. In a corner, the orange chicken stand was surprisingly crowded (and the chicken was surprisingly non-gross, despite the early hour). We were amazed how fast the scene went from an opening party to a functioning store— the bay of registers filled up almost immediately with people waiting to pay. The strollers didn't appear until about half an hour after opening, probably because nobody wants to wait in the rain for a supermarket to open with a toddler in tow. "Come on, let's go find the bruschetta," we heard one woman said to her little girl as we left.
· Live at the Trader Joe's Brooklyn Opening: Rainy Day Doesn't Deter Diehard Shoppers [Racked]For more stories from Racked, go to racked.com.