« NYC Blogging Epidemic | Main | Chile Relleno, Brooklyn-Style »
March 23, 2005
Dear Whole Foods (Columbus Circle location),
You've taken the concept of the New York supermarket to new heights, accommodating New Yorkers' need to eat out for every meal and spend wads of money on "specialty" foods. The superior square footage and colorful visual displays of lunch options, produce, and organic products have transformed lunch and grocery shopping in the neighborhood. Given this success, and the wisdom of your marketing team, would you consider fixing two EGREGIOUS problems? Please?
1. The LINE
2. The location of the DRINKS
Countless Whole Foods customers are dazzled by the selection of lunch options upon entry, but end up wandering around with a bowl of Indian food for ages looking for a drink. The drinks, mysteriously, are tucked away in a corner of the store that these customers will not find until they've waited in line for 15 minutes.
Even if you know where the drinks are, the line moves just fast enough to prevent a quick side trip to grab a Naked juice on your way to the cash register. And since there's always a line extending beyond the soup station, no one has the time to make that detour before getting in line if they want to make it back to work before 5. Are your store designers playing a cruel little joke?
I promise I'll spend even more money if you put the Vitamin Water near the Cold Bar (I'm getting sick of drinking cranberry juice because it's the only drink not in the drinks section). Maybe the drinks can go in the refrigerators behind the coffee?
Now, about the line. I've heard that it can stretch back to the FROZEN FOODS. That's a half a mile at least. 300 people must have been in line. Yes, I understand that it moves quickly, but I could finish my lunch in the time it takes to purchase it on some days.
Seeing a long line snaking through the store also puts a damper on your happy, healthy, organic food shopping experience, no? Can you build in another switchback? Or add a self checkout? Allow payment of goods at different places throughout the store? I mean, the line is enough of a reason to deter customers from stopping by. I'm not THAT loyal.
Isn't it time to come up with a clever solution for these problems? I know you can. You're not just some evil money-mongering corporation that deliberately forces customers to spend more time in the store than they want to, right?
Thank you.
Posted by csageday at March 23, 2005 06:13 PM
Comments
Hiya. There's another beverage section at Whole Foods, though possibly not as extensive. Walking from the esc. to the grocery section, it's on your left -- just past produce.
Posted by: Laura at March 30, 2005 04:15 PM
True, true. The store has three drink sections. I always forget about that other one -- it's kind of out of the way. Thanks for the reminder. I still think it's poor planning, though. How will the tourists ever find it?? Thirsty Europeans will be forced to drink cranberry juice!
Posted by: Cindy at March 30, 2005 04:28 PM
Oh, it's definitely poor planning. And right on about the lines. Makes you feel like a sucker for waiting that long to give your money to someone.
Posted by: Laura at March 31, 2005 11:51 AM