Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Retail is not in a death spiral, retail stores are...
And I'm not even sure retail stores are. There have long been drastic adjustments to retail. When I was growing up, you usually went to Sears to buy their Craftsman tools. We didn't have Lowes and Home Depot. It was several decades ago that Montgomery Wards went out of business, and that had nothing to do with online. As you also mentioned in your post, there are an awfully lot of specialty stores out there that are in direct competition, and while the choice is nice for the customer, I'm not sure the financial model works for (literally) too many stores.
In markets where organic is well entrenched (like California) and WF has been around awhile, they took a big hit when their loyal customers found out their foods weren't all so healthy and organic as claimed. People who are very serious about their food left in droves and felt betrayed by this company. We had a WF store open about two years ago in a very upscale gentrified neighborhood...very walkable, lots of millennials, young couples with babystrollers, lots of retirees too...and this store failed and has closed. It became almost not cool at all to shop at WF, it had lost its appeal and became too mainstream. The new hip place to shop organic, vegan, etc etc is Lazy Acres. It's just as expensive and always packed!
In markets where organic is well entrenched (like California) and WF has been around awhile, they took a big hit when their loyal customers found out their foods weren't all so healthy and organic as claimed. People who are very serious about their food left in droves and felt betrayed by this company. We had a WF store open about two years ago in a very upscale gentrified neighborhood...very walkable, lots of millennials, young couples with babystrollers, lots of retirees too...and this store failed and has closed. It became almost not cool at all to shop at WF, it had lost its appeal and became too mainstream. The new hip place to shop organic, vegan, etc etc is Lazy Acres. It's just as expensive and always packed!
If there is a flock to be shorn, the shears will appear.
In markets where organic is well entrenched (like California) and WF has been around awhile, they took a big hit when their loyal customers found out their foods weren't all so healthy and organic as claimed. People who are very serious about their food left in droves and felt betrayed by this company. We had a WF store open about two years ago in a very upscale gentrified neighborhood...very walkable, lots of millennials, young couples with babystrollers, lots of retirees too...and this store failed and has closed. It became almost not cool at all to shop at WF, it had lost its appeal and became too mainstream. The new hip place to shop organic, vegan, etc etc is Lazy Acres. It's just as expensive and always packed!
whole foods have been over hyped since they opened.....
the religion of organics ..has also been over hyped.....
organics only represent 5% of food sales...
the organic folks have been trying to food shame the conventional foods to justify such high prices,,,,and many refuse to pay such high prices..
since whole foods customers arent motivated on price,,,,amazon is taking the gamble..that more people will buy online....
ive surveyed my family,,,,and most said they already researched amazon grocery prices online and did not see any better prices.....than at a local store...
but they did say delivery to the house would be convenient is pregnant or injured
We had a WF store open about two years ago in a very upscale gentrified neighborhood...this store failed and has closed.
OMG! Where will all the Priuses and Teslas park?
Quote:
Originally Posted by loveautumn
It became almost not cool at all to shop at WF, it had lost its appeal and became too mainstream. The new hip place to shop organic, vegan, etc etc is Lazy Acres. It's just as expensive and always packed!
After spending an exhausting afternoon at Whole foods looking for the perfect organically grown apple, they can't get in their Volvo XC90 hybrid SUV and drive down the street to Starbucks for the perfect cup of coffee.
The number of people who are bedridden, too disabled to go to the grocery store, or live too far away to walk, cannot possibly support an Amazon-size grocery delivery business.
Let's face the truth here... they are counting on LAZINESS to make this work!
If you're too lazy to shop for your own groceries, then why bother at all? Just go out to eat! You'll have just as much control over produce/meat selection (i.e., zero), and you can be much more lazy than just getting groceries delivered. Someone else cooks your meal and cleans up after you. You'll also be supporting a lot more jobs -- local jobs too, as a bonus.
Much of the empty retail space sitting out there can easily be converted to restaurants. No need to build a huge warehouse with workers toiling away under Jeff Bezos' greedy thumb.
I have mixed feelings: if they can bring down Whole Food prices a bit, that might be a good thing. However, I give this about a year and I think WH will cease to exist. They were good when they started but now they are too expensive and other places (like Fresh Thyme) are really giving them a run for their money.
Fresh Thyme sounds interesting, but no locations in CA. Nor east coast (for kicks and giggles).
.
While I can see myself going back to Whole Foods (big attraction being their hot foods bar/buffet), most other times, I just do Trader Joes. Even though the latter closes at 9pm vs. 10pm, they do have more locations, and their price-to-value ratio is superior.
.
Also, on a related note, I was shocked to learn years ago that even Detroit got a WF, and that's after they hot their slump!
A other step which takes the buyer further away from the source of the food.
I purchase alot of my meat from local farmers. When vegetables and fruits are in season, local too.
And local honey: ) yum
CSA will deliver and its locally grown. Beats Amazon and you are supporting local jobs.
You are not their target demographic. There are million places to go buy food from, they are targeting a specific group. Just as Lexus could build cars and sell for $15,000, but that is not the demographic group they are going after.
Quote:
Originally Posted by phetaroi
And I'm not even sure retail stores are. There have long been drastic adjustments to retail. When I was growing up, you usually went to Sears to buy their Craftsman tools. We didn't have Lowes and Home Depot. It was several decades ago that Montgomery Wards went out of business, and that had nothing to do with online. As you also mentioned in your post, there are an awfully lot of specialty stores out there that are in direct competition, and while the choice is nice for the customer, I'm not sure the financial model works for (literally) too many stores.
No, retail is just contracting to sane levels. It has been spoken about for a long time about the abundance of retail space, now we are seeing a correction. In the end, there still will be retail stores and malls, it is just instead of ten minutes away, it might be 30.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mainebrokerman
whole foods have been over hyped since they opened.....
the religion of organics ..has also been over hyped.....
organics only represent 5% of food sales...
the organic folks have been trying to food shame the conventional foods to justify such high prices,,,,and many refuse to pay such high prices..
since whole foods customers arent motivated on price,,,,amazon is taking the gamble..that more people will buy online....
ive surveyed my family,,,,and most said they already researched amazon grocery prices online and did not see any better prices.....than at a local store...
but they did say delivery to the house would be convenient is pregnant or injured
WF sells more than organic items, also, I do not care about the organic thing, but WF always has the best produce and bread. I also do not find their prices all that much different than Publix. Sure, WF has stupidly expensive things, but they also have a lot of equally priced and even lower priced items, and a great beer selection.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alonso Gil
The number of people who are bedridden, too disabled to go to the grocery store, or live too far away to walk, cannot possibly support an Amazon-size grocery delivery business.
Let's face the truth here... they are counting on LAZINESS to make this work!
If you're too lazy to shop for your own groceries, then why bother at all? Just go out to eat! You'll have just as much control over produce/meat selection (i.e., zero), and you can be much more lazy than just getting groceries delivered. Someone else cooks your meal and cleans up after you. You'll also be supporting a lot more jobs -- local jobs too, as a bonus.
Much of the empty retail space sitting out there can easily be converted to restaurants. No need to build a huge warehouse with workers toiling away under Jeff Bezos' greedy thumb.
Laziness? It is just delivery, hell, they use to deliver milk back in the day. The food delivery business is not new, they had it back in the 80's at least because a few neighbors of mine use to get food delivered from Swansons? or something place like that.
The local job thing is overrated, I owe nothing to your business just because you are located near me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
