Our Fresh Market was one of the ones that was shuttered last year. We have a plethora of grocery options in our area with at least 4 major chains and then some smaller ones in addition to WH and TJs. . I do enjoy the variety and it has been very good for consumer friendly prices I think. Whenever I travel elsewhere, I’m surprised by how much more expensive food shopping is.
How long ago was your prior visit to a full size Whole Foods? As I’ve mentioned (sorry to beat the dead horse), the WF nearest to me has taken a noticeable turn for the gross since Amazon bought it. It used to have produce that was a work of art, but those days are long gone. They also got rid of the roomier, open layout and brought in tall shelving; combined with the new, narrow aisles, it’s darker and a little claustrophobic - no longer an upscale feeling or looking store.
We have a TJs and a WF in close proximity, but I haven’t been into the WF but once, when the prices shocked me. I never went back, but I have friends who love it. I decided that for organics etc the local co-op is cheaper, and we have a really good local supermarket chain where I get most things. At TJs here, the berries are always good and cheap. We also buy organic apples, hand soaps, maple syrup, nuts, greeting cards, flowers, a few frozen things (pastas, taquitos, naan). I don’t love their chips and salsa, and my kids have never finished cookies when I’ve bought them there. I haven’t ever bought meat there. My husband likes some of their frozen meals for lunch at work.
Here are a few experiences I’ve had that explain my undying love for Trader Joe’s and these examples happened at two different stores:
Story 1: A few years after they opened a store in our area, my husband ran there one night to grab milk for my toddler son with a dairy allergy. Turned out there was some kind of outage affecting their cash registers so the store had closed early. When an employee came to the door and heard his sob story, he grabbed a carton of the non-dairy milk and gave it to my husband at no charge and told him not to worry about it.
Story 2: When visiting out of town friends, we stopped at the TJ near their house to pick up an orchid for them as a hostess gift. The one I liked didn’t have a price tag on it and the cashier directed me to the manager. That one orchid was different from all the other ones in the store (I chose it because it was the nicest one) so I was a bit disappointed when the manager couldn’t find the price and then told me she couldn’t sell it to me since she couldn’t determine what the price was. But her next words were that although she couldn’t sell it to me, she was happy to just give it to me!
They have the best employees and will stand behind all their products. If you don’t like anything you purchased, they are happy to refund your money. I know they are a chain store just like Safeway and Whole Foods but they feel more like a local mom and pop store in some ways. Even though I can’t fulfill all my grocery needs there,I will forever be a fan of TJs.
@milee30 , it has been awhile since I’ve been in a WF. Maybe there’s something to what you’re saying. The produce area I remember was stellar.
Still stellar at mine and with Amazon taking over produce is less pricey than it had been in my experience. The produce department (and the bakery) is what attracts me to WH occasionally although I don’t do the bulk of my shopping there. Things like pineapple and mango are so much better than elsewhere.
We have Whole Foods, Fresh Market, Sprouts and Trader Joe’s all a stone’s throw from each other. And so far, they all survive.
In our immediate area (5 min drive) we have a Ralph’s, Trade Joe’s, Pavilions, Smart and Final, Target (with grocery section), and a Walmart (with a grocery section). We have a Sprouts 10 mins away. And about 15 minutes away we have a Costco and Whole Foods. There are two other Whole Foods about 20 mins away…
All seem to do well, although the Pavilions is never very crowded at all…
We tend to frequent Trader Joe’s and Ralph’s since they’re very close by and we can get everything we like there. We sometimes go to Walmart and Target for cleaning supplies and paper goods, but these stores are always a madhouse…
We don’t go to Costco much except to get tires installed…if it was closer we might go more frequently.