Amazon buys Whole Foods

[JerrySpringer]

We've shopped at Whole Foods for the past 20 years. Interesting to see them get bought up by Amazon. Maybe, just maybe, those CoinStar vouchers good for Amazon will be useable for Whole Foods eventually. No more hitting up the bank coin counters to deposit coins as much. I can walk into the local Shaws or Hannaford at 9 PM at night and get a voucher good for 100% of the coins I need to get rid of.

[68Camaro]

The attractive feature of WF is some otherwise hard to find products; otherwise I call them "expensive foods". They just built a new store nearer to us and they are now more convenient to include in our shopping circle, and we do go there for things we can't easily get elsewhere - and they have shuttered one of the locations of a smaller local high-end specialty grocer who lost sales to them - but for us they are still a minority player.

However, in the post-boomer market, WF seems to have a cult-like following. Not sure about the price paid/value, but I think the buy strategy was brilliant. I just wouldn't have thought they would have put themselves up for sale, but it just goes to show that everyone has a price.

[johnbrickner]

Agreed, expensive foods. We don't do Whole Foods.

This summer we opted in to a local CSA (community supported agriculture) pay as you go with nothing up front. Pick up is about 1/4 mile from our house or the regional farmers market about 2 miles away. A share for two people of produce ($24) is a week's abundance for a family of four with two teens. No middle men, grower direct, local community employed. The money stays local and studies I've read (all research can be skewed) show almost 90% of local farmers' outlay is spent local and not to corporate headquarters located god knows where.

The only thing I can think of that's better is homegrown.

I'm sure Treetop has additional details on this subject thru his expert eyes.

[DTEJD1997]

Hey all:

I think AMZN buying WFM is largely "much ado about nothing". In my neck of the woods, there are a few WFM. There are a lot more Trader Joes. Trader Joes, Aldi, Kroger, Costco and a few locals is where I shop. It has been over a year since I've been to a WFM. WFM does a good job, good service, excellent products, silly prices though. It also used to be that WFM had VERY hard to find items....now? Not so much. Kroger has a LOT of what I went to WFM for. Trader Joe's has most everything else at maybe 60% of the price...

NOBODY in my social circle OR family shops at WFM more than 1 time per year....many of them never.

I've seen studies showing that WFM maybe has 1% of the food market...it could be, but I very much doubt that.

Also consider that their competitors are NOT standing still...none of them. Lidl is also now in the USA market. If WFM(AMZN) wants market share, they are going to have to fight for it.