Marc, yes, pretty awesome day for Whole Foods. Keeping an eye on the stock, but my trip to my local WFM store today reminded me of why I have hesitated.
Half of the plastic bag dispensers in the produce department were empty, yet employees were present in the department, obstructing the aisle by engaging in horseplay. I had to say "excuse me" in order to pass by.
The open freezer containing "frozen" dinners, bread, and burritos, etc. was not freezing its contents. All palpable items yielded a bit to pressure on the outside. Several burritos now have my finger imprint. This is always the case here. This freezer problem has persisted for at least 5 years; while workers have admitted to me that the machine is defective, the management never responded to my written complaints in the "suggestion" box. Amy's-brand frozen products and others purchased here tend to be substandard because of long-term thawing. I think an opportunity to gain a larger customer base and make more sales has been lost here because of this particular quality problem.
Looking for a check out lane, I (and others) passed by two lanes that had no customers, but each had two persons at its end engaged in discussion. When a customer approached one of these lanes and asked if it was open, interrupting a discussion, a checker turned and confirmed he was open. This after at least three customers had already passed by, looking for an open lane with a short (or no) line.
Although I don't mind copious jewelry in the nose or elsewhere on the face, I wonder whether the fact that most employees working checkout have unconventional facial and/or mouth jewelry tends to turn off a large segment of the public that otherwise might consider shopping in the store.
Since I have not had the opportunity to visit other WFMI stores, I wonder how typical my observations are. Perhaps most of their stores are much better run, but personally I don't have a clue.
Regards, Gary |
