So when The Springfield News-Leader, a newspaper that serves Springfield, Mo., reported that Trader Joe’s planned to open a store there with a quote from a company statement, it was noticed.
“I’m happy to confirm we have plans to open a new store in Springfield,” the Trader Joe’s spokeswoman had written, according to the newspaper.
But “Springfield” proved not descriptive enough. There’s Springfield, Fla., Springfield, Mass., Springfield, Ill., Springfield, N.J., Springfield, Ohio, Springfield, Ore., Springfield, Pa., Springfield, Vt., Springfield, Tenn., and Springfield, Va.
Springfield is also where “The Simpsons” takes place. The show’s creator, Matt Groening, who acknowledged in recent years that the city in his home state of Oregon was the inspiration for the town in the show, has said: “Springfield was one of the most common names for a city in the U.S. In anticipation of the success of the show, I thought, ‘This will be cool; everyone will think it’s their Springfield.’ And they do.”
Minutes after the Springfield, Mo., newspaper published the Trader Joe’s news, the company’s spokeswoman said she had made a mistake, the newspaper wrote. “I realized this morning that The Springfield News-Leader is in Missouri. Unfortunately, I thought you were speaking of Springfield, Va.,” she said.
