Could the Memphis area support more than 1 Whole Foods? (Germantown: 2013, neighborhoods)

[jmjordan]

Originally Posted by ColliervilleMom

What Fresh Market do you shop at? The one in Germantown is horrible, the 'bakery' items full of preservatives, and the produce is often spoiled. Let me know if there is a better run one!

As far as Fresh Market, I get what you're saying,they are expensive, but they have great store brands!

I go to the one on Poplar in East Memphis and have never had a problem. I don't really buy produce from there because I can't justify 3-5X on a pepper that I'm just going to dice up anyway. But, they do have nice produce.

I work near SouthWind and live downtown so it's considerably out of my way, but worth it for the more specialty items that they have that I enjoy (such as the fresh made bake at home pizzas!)


And, I'm not an organic Belieber, in case that matters here. But, I do have a good understanding of and interest in food.

[eastmemphisguy]

I like the East Memphis FM also. The produce at Kroger is very hit or miss and is usually very underripe, so they're a nice alternative. Their meat, especially the seafood, also looks much fresher. And the desserts are beautiful and tasty, even if they're not truly fresh. Maybe this will change after construction, but I find the Poplar Whole Foods to be a stressful environment. Noisy, crowded, and busy. The FM, in contrast, feels more relaxing and easy going with a more inviting atmosphere and very fast checkouts. If I'm paying for premium, I want a good shopping experience too.

[jabogitlu]

My experiences have been just the opposite - Fresh Market produce is usually overripe, the meat department had a general air of bad smell, and the desserts -- well let's just say I'm probably jaded, since I saw them all come in frozen, get thawed and put in the display cases. The 'bakers' put the cookies and the breads into the ovens.

I agree about Whole Foods though. I completely avoided it because it was a harrowing experience. Maybe the reno will make it better.

[ColliervilleMom]

I meant to say Whole Foods has great store brands, their 365 brands are somewhat affordable.

I'm glad to see I'm not alone in NOT worshipping at the Fresh Market altar, some people think it's the bomb. I grew up with Wegmans, so my expectations are high, and nothing around Memphis compares.

I go to the Farmer's markets when they're around, shop at Costco and the Winchester Farmers Market, and stock up at Trader Joe's in Nashville around once a month.

[jabogitlu]

Our shopping sounds similar, except I go to the Cordova Farmers Market instead of Winchester. I think they're owned by the same group. I do buy produce at Poplar Plaza Kroger though. I have figured out their rotation/stock schedule I think so I always hit the freshest days.

[tigerphan]

The East Memphis Whole Foods is a cluster.

I used to live near there and I would avoid it even then. I hate using Poplar or Mendenhall in that area because of all the traffic, and I didn't care for the store itself. It was too busy, the parking lot was a mess with that move theater nearby, and they have almost no seating if you buy their prepared foods.

Since we moved to Collierville, I pretty much never go anymore...instead picking up what I need at Kroger (who doesn't even try) or the Fresh Market at Johnson/Poplar. We make a Costco run once a month and either go to Trader Joe's in St Louis every few months or get my relatives to pick up some items for us when they come to visit.

This new store in Germantown will be a blessing....I'm just worried that it ends up being a stressful place to shop like the one in east Memphis.

[wakka092]

I live near the Fresh Market on White Station, and I NEVER go there. The produce looks old, I've seen shrink-wrapped meat float around in a pool of water in the mobile display cases where ice used to be, and the prepared food is as expensive as Whole Foods's and is nowhere near is good. All packaged foods are charged basically retail. $3+ for a Ritter Sport bar? insane.

I prefer Whole Foods for the few times I need something better than what Kroger can provide.

[tigerphan]

Hope you mid towners appreciate Fresh Market more than the Collierville and East Memphis posters.

A Fresh Market is opening at 2145 Union where Ike's is now.

[jabogitlu]

When I read the article on MDN I had to laugh at: "The Fresh Market specializes in all-natural, organic and specialty products." Yeah, right. Maybe specialty (read: $$$).

[tigerphan]

I would have expected mid town to support an indie grocer like an IGA or AG store.

They can usually fit in smaller places than a Kroger. Seems like it would be ideal for south main or mid town. South Louisiana has tons of little stores like that...and most are serviced via co-op so their prices are reasonable.

Of course the trade off with a smaller size is less selection....