My GF and I have done a lot of shopping at the Chelsea store from the article. Funny the author pointed out "random Manhattan strangers" as I noticed this yesterday when we did our week shopping.
I think the Chelsea store opened a few weeks back, as someone from our office stumbled upon it and brought back peanut butter filled pretzels nuggets - which were awesome. Needless to say, once I heard they opened a TJ in the area, I had to stop by and experience it.
The Chelsea store is so much more open with high ceilings compared to the Union Square location. If you live in NYC, I recommend shopping in this location.