Why isn't there a Whole Foods, Sprouts,Trader Joes in South LA (Santa Monica: to rent, crime rate)

[hipcat]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

Sometimes I'm amazed by the level of naivety on City-Data. Or is it just a more insidious level of trolling than we're used to seeing?

Why don't they open a Whole Foods in South LA? ...Yes! and why don't they open a Vallarta supermercado in Beverly Hills while they're at it?

You ask a loaded question like this knowing full well the answer you'll get. And then the poor soul whose dumb enough to give you an honest answer will be called a "racist", "bigot", "classist" and any other trendy, leftist pejorative du jour to describe someone whose honest.

You're reading way too much into this. Its a legitimate question.

20 years ago. You could only find Starbucks in the upscale neighborhoods in LA, and now they are everywhere in this area. Its a general question to why there isn't anything like a Trader Joes or Whole Foods in South LA. The residents I know want something like these stores in their neighborhoods.

[kttam186290]

Originally Posted by hipcat

You're reading way too much into this. Its a legitimate question.

20 years ago. You could only find Starbucks in the upscale neighborhoods in LA, and now they are everywhere in this area. Its a general question to why there isn't anything like a Trader Joes or Whole Foods in South LA. The residents I know want something like these stores in their neighborhoods.

Want in one hand and **** in the other and see which one fills up faster...

Places like Whole Foods do an immense amount of research in an area before deciding to open a store.

Do you really want to know what makes Whole Foods scout and pick the locations they do?

Whole Foods, I can tell you for a fact, goes by the education level in a given neighborhood. If an area has a population with a large proportion of people holding bachelor's degrees, they are interested. If there's not, they aren't. That's what it comes down to.

People with bachelor's level degrees are more likely to give their health a priority, more likely to spend extra to do so and less likely to steal.

[jm1982]

Yeah and I think most people would be surprised that even Compton isn't that cheap .

[jm1982]

Yeah but isn't the bachelor degree the new high school degree?

I guess soon they will only be investing in areas with a high number of PhDs .

I also don't think op is a troll and I think it's a legit question. The Starbucks reference is a good point

I remember when magic Johnson's Starbucks near USC was a big deal.

Maybe he should get into the grocery business

Magic Markets Has a ring to it

[Marv101]

Those chains go where the money is, as evidenced by the fact that the Ralph's at 3rd & La Brea was one of only two grocery stores which used grossed a millions dollars a week once upon a time, the other being a Vons way out in Diamond Bar.

As someone who worked at the Vons in Harbor City from 1978-1985, there was never any discussion of expanding into that area (South LA, and especially after an employee at the Vons in South LA ( on El Segundo Blvd. east of the Harbor Freeway) was murdered during a robbery; that Harbor City store was sold to an Hispanic chain several years ago.

That's why Ralph's has Food For Lessoutlets in those areas of South LA where they won't build a store such as the Ralphs near Hawthorne & Imperial in Hawthorne.

[holdyourgod]

Damn at least they should have a walmart

[annonymous0381]

Moderate chains like Ralphs and Vons seem to be pulling out of low income areas. Where I live in the San Fernando valley stores like Gelsons,Ralphs,Vons/pavilions,whole foods and trader joes tend to in along or near the Ventura Blvd corridor or in Porter Ranch/chattsworth.

The central San Fernando valley(Reseda,Winnetka,Van Nuys,Canoga Park) is filled with Jons,Vallartas and Food 4 less.


The big question is why?? I live in Encino and have two Ralphs,trader joes,Vons in Sherman oaks and Tarzana,Gelsons in Encino and Tarzana,whole foods Tarzana and sherman oaks.

I'm curious as to why Van Nuys and Reseda have lousy options?

[majoun]

Originally Posted by kttam186290

Want in one hand and sh*t in the other and see which one fills up faster...

Places like Whole Foods do an immense amount of research in an area before deciding to open a store.

Do you really want to know what makes Whole Foods scout and pick the locations they do?

Whole Foods, I can tell you for a fact, goes by the education level in a given neighborhood. If an area has a population with a large proportion of people holding bachelor's degrees, they are interested. If there's not, they aren't. That's what it comes down to.

People with bachelor's level degrees are more likely to give their health a priority, more likely to spend extra to do so and less likely to steal.

Then why is there a Whole Foods in Vernon and none in Baldwin Hills?

[hipcat]

Originally Posted by holdyourgod

Damn at least they should have a walmart

There's a Walmart in the Baldwin Hills Mall. Been open for more than 5 years.

[ccm123]

It likely has to do with neighborhood demographics (median income, etc). These are pretty high end stores and if the demographics won't support it, the management won't open stores in these neighborhoods.