Whole Foods

Will Whole Foods still be around in 5 years


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balken

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Apr 14, 2006
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If you compare the organic creamy tomato soup at Aldi and Trader Joes, the packaging is almost identical, just a different name, nutritionals are identical, ingrediants identical, 10 cents less at Aldi

If you were to actually consume said soup in addition to looking at the labels, this would be an act of masochism illegal in several states.
 

Angie

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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.

That's usually the reason we go to Hy-Vee, if we put off groceries until Sunday and Fareway is closed. Our Fareway is a smaller one, though, so we do also have to go to Hy-Vee for some foods we can't get there. I don't see anything spectacular about Dahl's selection over the other stores.
 

3TrueFans

Just a Happily Married Man
Sep 10, 2009
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I bet we save $30-40 a week shopping at Aldi compared to even Fareway depending on what we buy that week, more like $50 compared to Hy-Vee probably. Some things we still have to swing by Super Walmart on the way home to get. For some reason I don't like Aldi bread so I still buy that at Super Walmart, and things like Diet Coke or laundry detergent.
 

SuperTrooper

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Mar 26, 2012
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I'm certain there are more than enough idiots to keep it up and running.

This. I don't know why people want to pay more for a similar nutritional product. All I know is that as of 9am the average price people pay for milk in the metro went up.
 

cyclonesurveyor

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Jan 26, 2009
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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 work near the Ankeny Dahl's and it is always a ghost town inside (FYI don't eat their deli broasted chicken, ugh) but i live near the new Ingersoll Ave Dahls and its always packed.

i do most of our grocery shopping and try to go to the South Ankeny Fareway for the big trips, or the hy-vee for a quick stop (good beer selection).

supposedly the new hy-vee at State and Oralabor Road may finally get construction going next year.
 

Knownothing

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Nov 22, 2006
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Yeah I want to go spend more money for food because hippies grew it without machines and stuff that kills nasty insects on it. When I buy meat I go to the butcher. B@B grocery store. They have way better meat than any whole food in the United States. I watch them cut it before they give it to me.
 

agrabes

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Oct 25, 2006
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I always go to Hy-Vee. As a single guy who doesn't buy in bulk, I don't feel that I would significantly save by going to other stores. I admit it, I prefer to shop in a store that is clean and doesn't feel like a warehouse. After getting married, having kids, etc and needing more food I will probably consider moving to the discount stores.

In some products, there is a difference between the brands. For example at Hy-Vee there is the "name brand", the "hy-vee brand", and "country fair". There's not a huge amount of difference between name brand and hy-vee brand in most cases, but going down to "country fair" is a significant dip in quality and only a 10-15 cent savings. If I buy 20 cans of beans a year, I would save $2-3 per year by buying the rock bottom brand. Not worth it to me.
 

Angie

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i work near the Ankeny Dahl's and it is always a ghost town inside (FYI don't eat their deli broasted chicken, ugh) but i live near the new Ingersoll Ave Dahls and its always packed.

i do most of our grocery shopping and try to go to the South Ankeny Fareway for the big trips, or the hy-vee for a quick stop (good beer selection).

supposedly the new hy-vee at State and Oralabor Road may finally get construction going next year.

Yeah, there's usually maybe two other families in the Ankeny Dahl's besides us if we go. I always figured that was a byproduct of the fact that we're usually stopping during a holiday on our way to a barbecue, but it sounds like it's just desolate.
 

JP4CY

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Yeah, there's usually maybe two other families in the Ankeny Dahl's besides us if we go. I always figured that was a byproduct of the fact that we're usually stopping during a holiday on our way to a barbecue, but it sounds like it's just desolate.

We don't live too far away either and it does always look empty. I can understand people wanting a cleaner store and paying a small premium for it, but why on earth a grocery store needs a huge glass atrium/roof on a decent portion of it is beyond me.
I'm sure there is some light savings, but this looks like it was for pure architectural reasons instead of strategically placed skylights like Walmart does.
 

Acylum

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Nov 18, 2006
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I don't get all the hate for Hy Vee. My only other choice is my small town grocery store so Hy Vee seems awesome by comparison in terms of both price and selection. I would strongly disagree with the posters saying Super Target is less expensive than Hy Vee.

Edit: I just noticed I'm an All -Star! Thanks for your votes everybody.
 
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jdoggivjc

Well-Known Member
Sep 27, 2006
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Macomb, MI
Whole Foods will survive easily in the West Des Moines/Clive area. Those areas were built on people who have the ability to buy premium, or they probably wouldn't be living in WDM/Clive in the first place. Never underestimate the power of people willing to pay premium for premium.

As for my family's shopping, it's usually either Wal-Mart or Meijer (which is essentially a Wal-Mart type store with more name brands).
 

Cycl1

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Mar 14, 2012
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If Trader Joe's can make it then Whole Foods will too. WF does have some high quality items. This board seems pretty anti-organic, but WF is worth trying.

I still have no idea how Trader Joe's does well. Two Buck Chuck really enough to keep that place growing? Seems like just a lot of off brand food to me like a higher end Aldi
Yes.:yes:
 

dmclone

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Oct 20, 2006
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Here is what I can tell you about prices. This is coming from someone who was in the grocery business for a few years and I even did price comparisons with other stores in the Des Moines metro.

#1 Using coupons will save you the most money regardless of where you shop.

#2 If you stick to the straight grocery aisles and buy the same products at each store the prices will be a wash in the end. These are apples to apples comparisons not Del Monte at Hy-Vee and some generic at Aldi's. In reality you really have to throw Aldi's out of the comparison because they carry very few brand name items. There is no doubt they are cheap. If I selected $200 worth of these items all 3 stores (Hy-Vee, Dahl's, and Fareway). Fareway has weird pricing, sometimes they would be dirt cheap on a few items and then all of a sudden they would make up for it on one product. Hy-Vee and Dahls would always be pretty close but there was even a difference when you went from Hy-Vee to another Hy-Vee. SuperTarget is a lot like Fareway in their pricing, all over the map and the one time I did a price comparison they were actually the most expensive in Des Moines. This was before they got big into groceries though.

#3 I think the big reason people think places like Hy-Vee/Dahls are so expensive is because of their total bill is usually higher. Hy-Vee/Dahls have a lot of departments and selection that Fareway just doesn't have. You're more likely to spend more in these other departments. It's kind of like comparing a Chevy, Buick, and Cadillac. They all 4 have engines and 4 wheels but that's not the whole story. If you have 35K you can buy a car from each but it's a lot easier to spend more with a Cadillac.

#4 I don't think Whole Foods will do any damage to any of the grocery stores in Des Moines since I don't think most people will use them as their grocery store. I do think they will do a little damage to Gateway Market but they are far enough apart and are a good enough store that they'll be fine.

#5 Comparing Whole Foods and Trader Joes is no comparison. Completely different concept.
 
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dmclone

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BTW-When the Hy-Vee in Urbandale opens next month it's probably going to be the most impressive in the metro.
 

aeroclone

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Oct 30, 2006
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I always go to Hy-Vee. As a single guy who doesn't buy in bulk, I don't feel that I would significantly save by going to other stores. I admit it, I prefer to shop in a store that is clean and doesn't feel like a warehouse. After getting married, having kids, etc and needing more food I will probably consider moving to the discount stores.

In some products, there is a difference between the brands. For example at Hy-Vee there is the "name brand", the "hy-vee brand", and "country fair". There's not a huge amount of difference between name brand and hy-vee brand in most cases, but going down to "country fair" is a significant dip in quality and only a 10-15 cent savings. If I buy 20 cans of beans a year, I would save $2-3 per year by buying the rock bottom brand. Not worth it to me.

As a single guy, you have also likely noticed the clientele at a place like Hy-Vee or Super Target is at a different level as well. You don't just give up a clean store and good customer service when you go slumming at Wally World or Fareway. Just like real estate, your can charge a premium if you can provide good views.
 

HFCS

Well-Known Member
Aug 13, 2010
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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.

It's not "the same stuff". If you ever try the meat or seafood that's where it's staggeringly different than nearly any other grocery store.

It's higher quality food at a higher price. I know some people want to think they can spend very little and still get the absolute best. That's not true of hardly any product, why is food different?
 

Hawkeye11en1

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Apr 22, 2011
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Whole Foods is awesome. I don't shop there often, but when I want some good steaks or especially seafood, that is where I go. We do sushi at home, and their sashimi grade fish is outstanding. Also, try their BBQ pizza. It is tasty.
 

Hawkeye11en1

Well-Known Member
Apr 22, 2011
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Colorado
It's not "the same stuff". If you ever try the meat or seafood that's where it's staggeringly different than nearly any other grocery store.

It's higher quality food at a higher price. I know some people want to think they can spend very little and still get the absolute best. That's not true of hardly any product, why is food different?

Exactly. It is higher quality whether people want to admit it or not. Seafood especially. They have stuff that is on a different level than most grocery stores.
 

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