Did the Detroit Whole Food store conquer ?

[O3H]

Walter Robb, co-CEO of upscale grocer Whole Foods
wanted the Detroit store to take down elitism and racism.
Did it succeed and conquer in those areas ?

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...n_3185204.html

Keep in mind - The store received more than $4 million in tax incentives to open in what is called Midtown, tucked between a low-rise condo building and a medical school.

The Chicago Tribune reported - Officials with Whole Foods wouldn't release figures on how profitable the Detroit store has been................

The Detroit store tries to pay special attention to pricing. It stocks more of the company's lower priced private label items. It tends to place those items more prominently than in other Whole Foods stores.

For Comparison - a bar with 24 beers on tap and spirits available......
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article/20171010/news/641656/whole-foods-set-to-open-birmingham-store-oct-25

[Bigdd]

Hard to even know what they're talking about. I have a college degree,.. but it was in business,.. not 9 years of liberal arts,.. so the question doesn't even make sense to me.

Does Range Rover driving women being able to buy lobsters with Bridge Cards affect elitism and racism? Does a store getting massive amounts of welfare affect those things [[$4 million in tax incentives AND forcing tax payers to buy really expensive luxury foods through the Bridge Card program)?

It's all bunk until each group stands on it's own legs. When others are footing much of the bill against their will,.. any perceived positive results are meaningless. IMO


As of a year ago that store was in really bad shape. Loosing money hand over fist and laying off lots of employees. No idea how it's doing now. I heard a little better.


But Detroit needs grocery stores like nobody's business. Hard to move downtown when you have to drive to the burbs for food. The Whole Foods and later the Meijer at State Fair have been a big help.

[O3H]

Any links to the fact - loosing money & let employees go ???

[Bigdd]

NO,.. you never see anything in print. But I knew some people there and customers of mine had family members that worked there.

Initially [[late '14 or whatever) I didn't imagine the place could be successful. tBut after shopping there 4 times or so in late '15 and early '16,... and seeing it packed [[especially around lunch time when you'd see 50 people in hospital scrubs packed around the hot-food and salad bar islands),.. I figured I was wrong and it was going to be a raving success.

So it came as a shock to hear about layoffs and it not doing so hot.

My observations are highly unscientific however,.. as I was never down there at 7 pm or 10 pm. Grocery stores need customers all the time,.. not just at lunch. I have no idea how their business was at other times.

[O3H]

Some will say Whole Foods is on the way down.
Traditional grocers have been offering "good enough" alternatives
to Whole Foods, and the company has watched its sales decline as a result

http://www.businessinsider.com/whole...stomers-2017-3

Kroger's sales of organic and natural food totalled $16 billion
in the past year, compared to $15.8 billion at Whole Foods,
according to Barclays.

Whole Foods is closing stores, slowing growth, etc., etc.
http://www.businessinsider.com/list-...closing-2017-2

Grocery is changing, quickly, radically
http://fortune.com/2017/09/14/top-food-companies-ceos/

[mikehamm45]

When I was at Karmanos, Whole Foods was crazy busy, I used to be surprised, there was no parking, long lines, and no seating. Not sure how reflective that is of the full day/night. But my experience there was that it was always busy between 9-5.

Seems unfair that Ye old butcher shop closed, I am sure they could have gone further if they were given $4million.

[Nero]

Does Range Rover driving women being able to buy lobsters with Bridge Cards affect elitism and racism? Does a store getting massive amounts of welfare affect those things [[$4 million in tax incentives AND forcing tax payers to buy really expensive luxury foods through the Bridge Card program)?

• $4 per day per individual bridge card recipient.
• $16.99 per pound is the current price of lobster in Detroit.

How are all these people legally buying lobster with their bridge cards? Do they only eat once a month? They must REALLY love lobster.

[O3H]

What's your point NERO ? Bridge cards should be censored somehow ?
Why should anyone care what exactly someone buys on their allotment ?

[archfan]

This whole thread is like listening to my uncles at Christmas.

[Nero]

What's your point NERO ? Bridge cards should be censored somehow ?
Why should anyone care what exactly someone buys on their allotment ?

NO!!!!!! Then Nero will not get Nero's monthly lobster.

Nero's point is that Nero is probably the ONLY one who would do this. A rampant problem among women driving Range Rovers at Whole Foods it is not.

[Bigb23]

Hard to even know what they're talking about. I have a college degree,.. but it was in business,.. not 9 years of liberal arts,.. so the question doesn't even make sense to me.

Does Range Rover driving women being able to buy lobsters with Bridge Cards affect elitism and racism? Does a store getting massive amounts of welfare affect those things [[$4 million in tax incentives AND forcing tax payers to buy really expensive luxury foods through the Bridge Card program)?

It's all bunk until each group stands on it's own legs. When others are footing much of the bill against their will,.. any perceived positive results are meaningless. IMO


As of a year ago that store was in really bad shape. Loosing money hand over fist and laying off lots of employees. No idea how it's doing now. I heard a little better.


But Detroit needs grocery stores like nobody's business. Hard to move downtown when you have to drive to the burbs for food. The Whole Foods and later the Meijer at State Fair have been a big help.

Despite the close name, that is NOT me. My lobster budget was $16 a month, and I lost that during the last SS COLA to the tune of 38 cents a month. Where is my land rover? Maybe in you're drive way?
You are the most crass of this forum.

[dtowncitylover]

This whole thread is like listening to my uncles at Christmas.

'Tis the season?

[Wesley Mouch]

What's your point NERO ? Bridge cards should be censored somehow ?
Why should anyone care what exactly someone buys on their allotment ?

I don't believe in 'censoring' what people purchase with social assistance.

I do believe that as taxpayers, we all have a responsibility to understand the programs we fund, and to decide if its the right way to assist those less fortunate. So I think everyone should care, understand, respect, and engage.

Or is it your belief that taxpayer-funded lobster is a human right? Why not!

[Shai_Hulud]

This whole thread is like listening to my uncles at Christmas.

There should be a reward system for biggest failures of reading comprehension, most egregious logical fallacy, etc.

[O3H]

A person who is UNemployed can't celebrate a birthday, anniversary, etc ?
I don't care if they splurge a bit for a special occasion .
They know darn well what is left on the card for other items.

Some UAW shops get almost 3 weeks off between 12/24 - 1/16
Many will file for UNemployment benefits from Michigan
If they bought something "nice" at the downtown Detroit Whole Foods
- should that create social outrage on a forum ?

Subsidizing Whole Foods - oh yeah with public tax money
The 21,000-square-foot project to get $1.5 million
in local and community foundation funds,
$1.2 million in federal tax credits under the New Market program
and $1.5 million in state incentives.
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ole-foods-deal

[Richard]

While it is not uncommon to subsidize affordable grocery stores in depressed neighborhoods,why Whole Foods,unless it was targeting a specific clientele,who does not use bridge cards to begin with.

Most have been large chains who could absorb the losses in other locations,if they want to shut down then they sell to another chain who is not required to abide by the original grant holder obligations,then that new owner can claim losses and shut it down.

Some have been over $5 million in outright grants and employment wage split of 50% if they employ within a certain radius,Wal-Mart seems to be the only large chain that is willing to set up like that.

Funny I kept trying to type Wal-Mart but auto correct kept changing it to Wal-Mary.

[O3H]

No one addressed original question directly
Did it take down elitism and racism, as Walter Robb expected it would.

[Bigdd]

No one addressed original question directly
Did it take down elitism and racism, as Walter Robb expected it would.

The answer is,... OF COURSE it didn't.

Elitism,. the concept that highly educated and successful people have a much greater influence on society than the poor and lesser educated is,.. well,... DUH ! An no grocery store is going to change that, nor should it.

And who knows what the guy means by "taking down racism" ? How would a grocery store affect that? Perhaps he thinks if people see blacks buying organic salads, instead of fried chicken from Church's that it will end all black stereotypes? And therefor stamp out racism? No clue.

BUT,.. what it did do was help the downtown and new-center areas with their comeback. A re-birth like what has been going on down there is always a chicken or the egg kind of deal.

People don't want to buy expensive condos if there aren't restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, dry-cleaners, etc, in the area.

But those businesses can't survive on just lunch crowds. They need to have people actually living in the area.

So who goes out on a limb first and builds,.. knowing it will be years if ever before they make a profit?

So glad W.F. did it. The players downtown owe them a big thank-you. I wouldn't have had the nerve.

[gnome]

Whole Foods is a piece of the resurgent Detroit if too pricey for my wallet.

I am glad they are here, and I am glad they have deep enough pockets, coupled with a growing customer base, to stay and prosper.

The tax credit thing is a whole different issue.

[Wesley Mouch]

The answer is,... OF COURSE it didn't.

But it probably is a small step in the right direction. Mr. Robb is mostly virtue signalling. That he's doing so in downtown Detroit, is progress that will help race relations.

Elitism,. the concept that highly educated and successful people have a much greater influence on society than the poor and lesser educated is,.. well,... DUH ! An no grocery store is going to change that, nor should it.

Whole Foods is hardly elitism, whatever that means

And who knows what the guy means by "taking down racism" ? How would a grocery store affect that? Perhaps he thinks if people see blacks buying organic salads, instead of fried chicken from Church's that it will end all black stereotypes? And therefor stamp out racism? No clue.

BUT,.. what it did do was help the downtown and new-center areas with their comeback. A re-birth like what has been going on down there is always a chicken or the egg kind of deal.

People don't want to buy expensive condos if there aren't restaurants, grocery stores, coffee shops, dry-cleaners, etc, in the area.

But those businesses can't survive on just lunch crowds. They need to have people actually living in the area.

So who goes out on a limb first and builds,.. knowing it will be years if ever before they make a profit?

So glad W.F. did it. The players downtown owe them a big thank-you. I wouldn't have had the nerve.

They did! Should be much appreciated. And note that with the Amazon purchase of Whole Foods, they've reduced prices significantly. WF will slowly become more than just a grocery, but Amazon brick and mortar for our town,.

[O3H]

A quote from a Miami Herald article

Amazon is taking away the one thing Whole Foods shoppers loved most
— prohibitively expensive food that made them feel morally superior.

CNBC claims its a ploy :
They're going to try to make more store shoppers Prime members,
and then bring more Prime members into stores."
Amazon Prime costs $99 a year.

[Wesley Mouch]

A quote from a Miami Herald article

Amazon is taking away the one thing Whole Foods shoppers loved most
— prohibitively expensive food that made them feel morally superior.

CNBC claims its a ploy :
They're going to try to make more store shoppers Prime members,
and then bring more Prime members into stores."
Amazon Prime costs $99 a year.

Of course its a 'ploy'. Everything a business does to get customers except pricing is a 'ploy'.

This 'ploy' gets me free shipping on a ton of stuff for an entire year. I listen to Amazon Music. I watch Amazon Video [[Transparent, Marvellous Mrs. Maisel). And I get other discounts that net me products at my door cheaper than I can buy at the market. Ploy me up.

I haven't been to WFM since the purchase. Are savings over their 'elite' prices only available to 'Prime' members?

Regardless, seems like things are better for the average consumer. Ploy = win.

[O3H]

I'm not fond of the ploy, at the common everyday taxpayers expense.
WE are funding the Detroit store, and continue to do so, for a long while.

If I wanted to donate to a charity giving people good food
there are plenty I could choose from.
I had zero choice in the WF startup.

No wonder there was backlash from the Independent Grocers in the D.
http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...ole-foods-deal

[O3H]

Pay Up Suckers - now you'll have to support the store with real money

Whole Foods is raising prices

https://www.wsj.com/articles/higher-...d=hp_lead_pos2

Prime promotions were the top reason 1,168 shoppers surveyed
by data firm Numerator last fall - gave for visiting Whole Foods more often.

Remember when Michigan taxpayers emptied out the lint and coins
from their pockets, coats, gloves and purses ?

Subsidizing Whole Foods - oh yeah with public tax money
The 21,000-square-foot project to get $1.5 million
in local and community foundation funds,
$1.2 million in federal tax credits under the New Market program
and $1.5 million in state incentives.

[Zacha341]

I feel the store has settled into its share of new, core, and occasional shoppers [[my level). Have Ammy Prime and like the 10% extra on sale items and the option of having some of my Amazon items shipped to the onsite mail bins.

But I don't dwell there often. Costly to the point of over-priced too much. But lately I've been enjoying their specialty non gluten free cookies!