Whole Foods

[KnappShack]

Surprised by folks here and the poll.The answer is NO. The gimmick will wear off within 2 years and I'd say it will be gone in 3-4yrs. People will get tired of paying higher prices for the same stuff as well as it is in a terrible location IMO.

I still say that if people cared about the money they spend on groceries Hy-Vee would have gone under long ago.

The shopping experience has to be taken into account also. HyVee has (at least had....been some time) clean stores that have multiple high quality services in a one stop shop.

I remember Aldi as being one step up from 3rd world when I was young. WF has good looking stores and good product. It is a strong and growing concept

 

[Angie]

Another reason why Whole Foods won't survive. How many single store "niche" supermarkets have made it for the long haul in the Des Moines market? Very, VERY few if any.

I'm not ready to call Trader Joe's a success yet. Let's see if it is still there in another 2-3 years.

Whole Foods will last, at most, 4-5 years IMO.

I see your point, but I think both TJs and WF have been really successful long-term in other markets. Iowa is a little slower for the organic craze to hit (for a multitude of reasons), but I think that it's going to be here for a while. Look at the popularity of farmer's markets (they're not usually organic, but the whole "natural" thing is analagous). Plus, a lot of people are willing to pay more for the name. You see pictures on TMZ of, say, Scarlett Johannsen shopping at TJs or WF, you're going to bet that some of the soccer moms are going to eat it up.

 

[JP4CY]

I'm shocked so many people think Trader Joes and Whole Foods won't make it. I not only believe they'll make it but I could see another one to two of those stores opening and surviving.
If anything I'm shocked that Dahl's has lasted this long. It's just a more expensive HyVee.

 

[gocubs2118]

i go to whole foods quite a bit, and its never for groceries or organic foods. they have a great meat section, excellent fruit, a great bakery with tons of good treats, gelato, and several dining options including a great bbq stand with brisket, pulled pork, chicken, ribs, etc. plus they have underground parking in the winter which you can't beat!

Exactly, if you go there to do your regular grocery shopping, you're going to end up spending a lot more money than you would at a regular grocery store. Most people, including myself, go there for their meat section, seafood and bakery. You have to know how to shop at grocery stores like Whole Foods.

 

[ianoconnor]

Where do people shop at to get better prices than HyVee? Mostly Fareway and Aldi?

I tend to just go to HyVee because it is close and has everything.

 

[3TrueFans]

The shopping experience has to be taken into account also. HyVee has (at least had....been some time) clean stores that have multiple high quality services in a one stop shop.

I remember Aldi as being one step up from 3rd world when I was young. WF has good looking stores and good product. It is a strong and growing concept

I guess I don't choose where to buy groceries based on the look of the building, but I understand I might be in the minority.

 

[3TrueFans]

I see your point, but I think both TJs and WF have been really successful long-term in other markets. Iowa is a little slower for the organic craze to hit (for a multitude of reasons), but I think that it's going to be here for a while. Look at the popularity of farmer's markets (they're not usually organic, but the whole "natural" thing is analagous). Plus, a lot of people are willing to pay more for the name. You see pictures on TMZ of, say, Scarlett Johannsen shopping at TJs or WF, you're going to bet that some of the soccer moms are going to eat it up.

To be fair, I'd shop at WF if ScarJo was there too.

 

[JP4CY]

Where do people shop at to get better prices than HyVee? Mostly Fareway and Aldi?

I tend to just go to HyVee because it is close and has everything.

For me, yes. I buy most of the house cleaner, detergent, toiletries, etc at Sams Club.

 

[3TrueFans]

Where do people shop at to get better prices than HyVee? Mostly Fareway and Aldi?

I tend to just go to HyVee because it is close and has everything.

Basically anywhere, except Dahl's maybe.

 

[Tri4Cy]

Where do people shop at to get better prices than HyVee? Mostly Fareway and Aldi?

I tend to just go to HyVee because it is close and has everything.

I've checked their prices against Target once and Target was quite a bit cheaper. It was about $5-10 cheaper(per weekly stop)...but then I had to go to Hy-Vee to grab some things Target didn't have (or not the type I wanted). I'm sure Wally world would be the same if not cheaper.

 

[Angie]

Basically anywhere, except Dahl's maybe.

The Ames Dahl's is kind of awful, IMO. If we're in Ankeny and on the north side of town, we'll occasionally stop at Dahl's on our way to a barbecue or something due to convenience. The big draw to Dahl's that I can see is that the interior of the store is nicer than some other grocery stores. That's not true with the one in Ames - they basically just slapped their name on the old warehouse-y Cub Foods and rearranged the aisles. Combine that with an inconvenient location for most, and high prices... I wonder how successful they are right now?

 

[3TrueFans]

The Ames Dahl's is kind of awful, IMO. If we're in Ankeny and on the north side of town, we'll occasionally stop at Dahl's on our way to a barbecue or something due to convenience. The big draw to Dahl's that I can see is that the interior of the store is nicer than some other grocery stores. That's not true with the one in Ames - they basically just slapped their name on the old warehouse-y Cub Foods and rearranged the aisles. Combine that with an inconvenient location for most, and high prices... I wonder how successful they are right now?

I drive by it fairly frequently and it seems empty all the time. Maybe the third supermarket in that location will succeed.

 

[JWIL4CY]

Where do people shop at to get better prices than HyVee? Mostly Fareway and Aldi?

I tend to just go to HyVee because it is close and has everything.

I get all my groceries at the Super Target in Urbandale. It is definitley cheaper than Hy-Vee. Also, I put everything on their credit card which automatically takes 5% off your bill.

I might stop by whole foods every once in a while, but I can't imagine shopping there for everything due to the price.

 

[Angie]

I drive by it fairly frequently and it seems empty all the time. Maybe the third supermarket in that location will succeed.

It has to just be a matter of time until they close. With the new Fareway up in Somerset, which has a nicer interior than most, I don't see any grocery stores succeeding in that location unless they do something really special.

Although, walking through the ghost town that is North Grand Mall, maybe there's not a ton of action up in the north Ames stores, anyway.

 

[Clonefan94]

Surprised by folks here and the poll.

The answer is NO. The gimmick will wear off within 2 years and I'd say it will be gone in 3-4yrs. People will get tired of paying higher prices for the same stuff as well as it is in a terrible location IMO.

I don't know about the location, so my answer really isn't to that, but if it's anything like it is here in the Burbs of Chicago, the store will thrive. Whole Foods has been around here for at least 10 years, probably pushing 15 years, my mind is just a little foggy as to when they started moving into the area for sure.

I used to service a water machine at one of their stores and everyone told me that it was a gimmick store with a bad model for survival. And that they didn't see the stores surviviing more than 5 years Yet, they keep growing. Not just a little bit either, they are growing by leaps and bounds here. Enough so that this gimmick store has become the go to place for a lot of people I know.

If the location is absolutely terrible, then there is nothing you can do about that. I do know though, that a lot of people here in schaumburg used to travel a solid 25 minute drive to get to the closest Whole Foods to shop, until they opened one here. Now, every time I drive by the store, the parking lot is packed. They attract a certain kind of customer. There is a market for this customer in Des Moines, I assure you. So, I would be really surprised if it doesn't just survive, but thrives.

 

[3TrueFans]

It has to just be a matter of time until they close. With the new Fareway up in Somerset, which has a nicer interior than most, I don't see any grocery stores succeeding in that location unless they do something really special.

Although, walking through the ghost town that is North Grand Mall, maybe there's not a ton of action up in the north Ames stores, anyway.

I live down the street from Fareway and just by looks it seems much more busy than Dahl's, only reason I'd ever go to Dahl's is if it were Sunday and I needed something before Monday.

 

[JP4CY]

I drive by it fairly frequently and it seems empty all the time. Maybe the third supermarket in that location will succeed.

I always thought it looked empty too.
With the New Sommerset Fareway (which is always busy) and now Walmart selling groceries, I can't see it lasting.

 

[3TrueFans]

I always thought it looked empty too.
With the New Sommerset Fareway (which is always busy) and now Walmart selling groceries, I can't see it lasting.

Yeah I forgot about that Walmart adding the grocery section, Dahls is probably in trouble, although that Walmart seems empty a lot as well ever since the new Walmart came in.

 

[jbindm]

Surprised by folks here and the poll.

The answer is NO. The gimmick will wear off within 2 years and I'd say it will be gone in 3-4yrs. People will get tired of paying higher prices for the same stuff as well as it is in a terrible location IMO.

I think you underestimate the general public's willingness to spend a little extra on high end, marketed as organic food. The way I see it, Whole Foods falls in the same category as places like Gateway Market, The Cheese Shop, and Vom Fass - suppliers of specialty foods that you can't get anywhere else that you pay a little extra for. Those places are thriving in this market, although Vom Fass has only been open for a month or so.

 

[balken]

Where do people shop at to get better prices than HyVee? Mostly Fareway and Aldi?.

Super Target and Super WalMart in addition to other grocery chains.