Hiring difficulties may be forcing a delay of opening Trade Joe’s new UES store under the historic Queensboro Bridge. Bridgemarket was expected to welcome shoppers in October, but all that happened was the hanging of a banner about hiring. And there it stood, all month. But it wasn’t alone.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Now Hiring Difficulties
A job search on Trader Joe’s website displays multiple openings at the 59th Street site. Hiring difficulties are also apparent with similar notices out at nearby stores in Turtle Bay and Chelsea. Although the eagerly awaited chain is tight-lipped about missing the expected opening, struggles at finding and training workers for even above-average paying jobs is apparent.
News reports call it a nationwide phenomenon.
At this point, the chain gives up only a “this year” pledge for opening, but who knows? Not only have their own struggles held them back so far, but they compete with numerous other New York businesses for the same pool of workers.
Because Trader Joe’s is so hesitant about sharing their woes, we’re speculating here, but the evidence is clear. And nothing else appears as a genuine obstacle to opening Bridgemarket.
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You Can’t Be All Three
April 9, 2026, during the full board meeting of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, Fay Christian said something that should have landed harder than it did. She wished RIOC were not responsible for the tram. Then she asked what it would look like if it were given to the MTA. That was not a passing comment.
