NYC's 'Busiest Trader Joe's In The World' Is Temporarily Closing Down — Here's What To Know

If you've ever been to a Trader Joe's before, you've probably experienced it on some pretty busy days. The parking situation, with those tiny little lots, is a perpetual nightmare, and when a hot new item is on sale (like those beloved Irish Garlic Butter potato chips) it can feel like a race to fill your cart. But until you've been to the Trader Joe's in Manhattan's Upper West Side, reputed to be the busiest Trader Joe's in the world, you have not known true adversity. Maybe that's why, starting May 17th, it will be closed for renovations.

A sign set up outside the Trader Joe's location on 72nd Street was posted by the local New York publication West Side Rag. Although no specific date was given for reopening, the sign says, "We promise not to be gone too long & will reopen as soon as we can!" A Trader Joe's spokesperson speaking to People magazine stated that the aim of the renovations was to "improve the shopping experience for customers and the working experience for our Crew Members." The spokesperson likewise didn't provide a specific date for reopening, but said that the renovations were expected to take "several months to complete."

It's unclear exactly what improvements will be made to the 72nd Street Trader Joe's, but whatever they are they'll certainly be welcome. Being the busiest Trader Joe's in the world sounds pretty good for bragging rights, but in practice it's been a mess for plenty of customers. It serves the most densely populated location in the city, and its layout (spread across three cramped floors linked by escalators and elevators) is winding and unintuitive, with lines galore.

While the announcement was met with some disappointment from those with a disrupted shopping routine, everyone understood why it was being done. "This is long overdue," remarked one Redditor. "The store is a cramped mess and the elevators and escalators barely work." Another Redditor expressed hope that they make it "one level with wide aisles," but were skeptical that much would change: "I don't know how they can make it manageable." Still, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step — even if every one of those thousand miles is walked inside the 72nd Street Trader Joe's in search of a Danish kringle.