How I Feel About Whole Foods and Central Market

After reading the Whole Foods and Central Market articles, I realized even more that I am not a high-end, organic grocery store type of person. Maybe I’m just bitter because I’m a college student on a limited budget and I can’t afford much when I shop at these stores, but mostly I think it comes down to an intimidation factor. Stores like H-E-B and Randall’s carry brands that I am familiar with because I grew up grocery shopping with my mother in similar grocery store settings. When I step into Whole Foods or Central Market, suddenly my simple box of whole wheat pasta turns into Whole Wheat Organic Pasta Enriched with Bran and Wheat Fiber (I made that up), or “the life's work of an Italian "authentic food artisan" named Gino Girolomoni”. Without someone behind me telling me what the added benefits of such products are, and why these benefits are worth the added cost, I can’t say that I’d make the decision to purchase them. I was impressed to hear, however, that Central Market has an in-store foodie whose job is to walk around in the store all day to talk with customers about their cooking and eating habits and to give on-the-spot samples. It sounds like this woman would be the perfect person to stand behind me and tell me why I should buy the pasta with the crazy ingredients, but in my few attempts to maneuver the Central Market aisles I have not encountered such an employee.

I bet I could research some of the fancy products that are sold at Whole Foods and Central Market and could be convinced of their value to my health and well-being, but that brings me to another factor that makes shopping at these stores difficult for me – time. If I stumble upon information or hear from someone else that a certain product sold only at a Whole Foods or Central Market is superior to a product sold at H-E-B or Randall’s, I might toy with the idea of going to try that product, but in the end I probably wouldn’t go to the store and buy it. Again, maybe this is just because I am a college student with so many competing responsibilities, but I don’t have time to go pick up a couple of things at Whole Foods or Central Market and then finish my shopping trip at another grocery store that carries my everyday items. In this regard, it is nice that Central Market is owned by H-E-B, because some Central Market products have made their way into H-E-B stores. If I am convinced of a Central Market-esque product that I have to buy, there’s a chance I could find it on my one-stop weekly grocery shopping trip.

What I haven’t revealed thus far in this blog is that I do find myself at Whole Foods and Central Market a few times a month, but my purpose is never to grocery shop. Sometimes if I am in need of a quick, healthy and tasty meal I will visit the prepared food section at either one of the stores. What I have found is that certain items are quite affordable when compared to my other options. For example, I can build my own sandwich at Whole Foods for $7, which is probably pretty close to what I would pay for a sandwich from somewhere like Jimmy John’s. The difference is that a Jimmy John’s sandwich is not piled high with roasted red peppers, field greens, and portabella mushrooms. Not to mention, I enjoy the experience I have when I visit this section in these stores, especially at Whole Foods. Not only are the visual displays appealing, but each section has assigned employees to help ease me in my decisions.

It’s funny to me because the prepared food sections of these stores are just as intimidating as the grocery aisles because there are so many options and everything looks and smells so good. I also realize that the bread, roasted peppers, mushrooms and field greens that make up my sandwich are available for me to purchase in the store so I can make my favorite sandwich at home, but the thought of actually purchasing these items has never crossed my mind. The problem lies in the fact that I am in no way a cook or a foodie, and that there is a certain level of appreciation that one must have for the items sold in these stores that I just don’t have. Both of these articles seem to play up the “foodie” as their most frequent customer, whereas I am the type to let the foodies come up with the recipes and create them for me.

After piecing my thoughts together, I realize that what this comes down to is an issue of segmentation. An article I found online describes the Whole Foods shopper: “College educated, and post undergraduate degree-holders, are key. Upper income is a key demographic as well. Additionally, ethical consumers, "greens" and health conscious shoppers.” Where I stand currently in my life, I do not fit this mold, but it will be interesting to see if my opinions change after I settle into my post-graduate life and my career. Although the attention that Whole Foods and Central Market pay to customer experience might not be enough to draw me in just yet, I do appreciate the efforts that these stores make to offer customers a unique experience each time they shop.