Amazon buying Whole Foods

[ponyo]

Question is, can Whole Foods itself be fixed, to the point where they can recapture market share lost to competitors? Sprouts is a good example. They're less than half the size of Whole Foods, cater to many of the same customers, yet their prices totally blow Whole Foods out of the water.

I've been in Sprouts couple of times since there's one less than 2 miles from my house but I found the prices high just like Whole Foods. All these stores like Sprouts, Fresh Market, and Whole Foods are all the same. Sprouts and Fresh Market store sizes are much smaller space wise than Whole Foods and that's the trend in today's grocery retail. Whole Foods time has passed.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I've been in Sprouts couple of times since there's one less than 2 miles from my house but I found the prices high just like Whole Foods.

The two Sprouts we have in town here have the largest selection _and_ the cheapest prices for produce around. Their meat department prices are comparable, with sale prices as good as any large grocer in town. Their bulk food prices are the best in town. I couldn't say about their packaged goods, frozen foods or dairy, but I buy those elsewhere.

 

[IronWing]

I hope Google follows suit. I'd love me some alphabet soup.

 

[ponyo]

The two Sprouts we have in town here have the largest selection _and_ the cheapest prices for produce around. Their meat department prices are comparable, with sale prices as good as any large grocer in town. Their bulk food prices are the best in town. I couldn't say about their packaged goods, frozen foods or dairy, but I buy those elsewhere.

I just looked over their weekly online sales flyer and you're right, some of the prices are good. I'm going to have to check them out again later this evening. I'm going to Aldi to pickup couple of things so I'll stop by Sprouts as well. Aldi, Sprouts, and Kroger are all next to each other in my area. I don't shop at Kroger because of high prices.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I scout the sales flyers online, plus the digital coupons (which are awesome, btw) for the three stores nearby - Sprouts, King Soopers (Kroger), Safeway. I make a shopping list, hit them in turn. Then usually over to Walmart to shop the middle of the store for anything that wasn't on sale elsewhere.

We also have a Trader Joe's but I've yet to shop there. And I don't bother with either Whole Foods or Target. Super Target just seems to be trying to out-Walmart Walmart. Nicer store, but all the same products and I've never seen one item there that was any cheaper than elsewhere. There are no Aldis here.

 

[Rumpltzer]

I can't afford it now because cancer is expensive but I really liked Amazon Fresh, the produce was amazing & they often had sales on things we use. Being able to have almond milk on my doorstep at 6am was wonderful.I should probably try to scare up $300 & buy a membership. Btw, that price also includes the other Prime benefits.

I avoid shopping at Walmart because I don't like how they treat their workers

I thought that Amazon is pretty well-known for being horrible to their distribution center folks.

I can understand that ATOT is full of juvenile hate and bluster, but with all of the Internet millionaires on the forum, it would seem that there would be more people willing to make it rain at Whole Foods.

I'm in the Los Angeles area, and there are three Whole Foods, a Sprouts, and two Trader Joe's within 5 miles of where I stand. I don't shop at any of them, but my relatives go to Sprouts for all of their vegetable and ground pork (non-ground pork meats come from Costco) needs when they're in town. Years of being disappointed by the local Asian markets culminated into a late night visit to Sprouts (half a mile from my place), and they were immediate converts. It's not even about the Asian markets; the Ralphs and Vons and Albertsons situation with produce is miserable. So I don't mind paying the money to make my relatives happy as they're here with their high-produce diets.

I think that this Amazon-Whole Foods union is great. It would make me more inclined to go into a Whole Foods again or to be so lazy as to try out Amazon Fresh. I don't think it would stick for a person like me, but it would make me more open-minded to try it out. I think that the folks shopping at Whole Foods are the same types who would want to use Amazon Fresh. So, good for them. I hope it goes well.