Paul M.
Yelp
EDIT 2-2016: Well they basically have a monopoly here, so I go. They now have more items that I did want, but took away others, deceased quality, & keep inc. $$$$$!
EDIT Dec. 2015: PRICES INCREASE EXPONENTIALLY as QUANTITY/QUALITY takes A DUMP! LOSE ANOTHER STAR! SLO RESIDENTS NOTICE & ARE NOT STUPID!
I was first to review the difficult "sell-out"/transition from New Frontiers to Whole Foods Market....(Solvang's New Frontiers is too far!)
I was a loyal customer of NF before this "friendly" coup. In the past, I went to superior Bay Area Whole Foods to use up my "Whole Paycheck". Now that every Tom, Dick, & Hairy Superdupermart tries to out do WF, the denizens of Wall Street think WF is overvalued & needs to adapt, otherwise they will lose consumers that will go elsewhere. The former local NF, which had many great virtues, was never cheap, nor perfect, but they
DID NOT RIP US OFF, like your company has, with the "Weight-Gate"!
Anyway, you need to differentiate yourself from the "Organic-Gluten-Free-Everything-Free" pack.
In the news & per the old NF employees (NOW mostly GONE), WF was suppose to honor commitments to local farmers, staff, & the public.
WHAT BS!
Corporate lacky's, DO NOT ask for customer feedback, and remove from the shelves &/or increase prices on everything from my King City
LOCAL WONDERFUL DUCK EGGS!
(Hey, if you discontinue carrying a local product...have the
DECENCY
to ASK
the customer's opinion first,
& then, if there is still not enough profit (or demand) then post the farmer's contact info. )
[Those poor unemployed LOCAL DUCKS :) ]
to the
RAW MILK
which their lawyers think is a liability...like most LOCAL foods!
~
Corporate makes it crappier for more $, and adds more TRUCKED IN unhealthy crap like:
FUNGUS PRONE OLD PIES,
a pathetic cookie bar, & other sweet junk food...in ever shrinking portions!
They finally have more 365 WF brands,
BUT KEEP JACKING UP THE OVERALL PRICES, WHILE MAKING PORTIONS TINIER! Proscuitto at $32/lb.?
Is HQ MANAGEMENT on
CRACK?
Some former NFers suggested to me, to provide some details to management of what I thought would be good stuff to add/ change/ stock via the suggestion box, talk, or in my Yelp review Few happen in 2 yrs.
Newer suggestions, plus new grips:
1) Add (the "Belly", Sushi grade): more TUNA VENTRESCA.
Note: Finally stock only 1 brand now, but for more $ than in SF.
2) HEY execs, Many LOCAL Farmers CANNOT meet your expensive regulations, so you dump them.
3) Dining Area: RETURN Cheap Sea-Salt & Pepper SHAKERs on each dinning table & dump
the CRAP TAKE-OUT packets. RETURN CONDIMENTS! Lose the revolving plastic utensil wheel from Hell. Bring back metal utensils, & the enjoyment of eating over-price stuff from the hot or cold bars. I keep asking managers about the damned Shakers & they all wonder where they went/or have no clue. I have even offered to buy it for them, if HQ is too cheap. This is NOT McD's, I am paying $10-20 for a meal from the bar (plus a chicken at times), so why can't they do at least what NF did before. Even hospital Cafeterias are better.
4) Over-priced, often Defrosted FISH (at Copper River Salmon prices)
They First IMPROVED the station, but now back-slided to a NOW TINY Fish selection,
& NOW added
FARM RAISED DISEASED PRONE CRAP!
-They keep
JACKING-UP the $, while QUALITY of both the FOOD &
Fracking brittle CONTAINERS suffer! The cashier puts a rubber band around them since they fall apart!
& LOST MOST of the GREAT NF STAFF, the ones that remain are super-nice & are honest to me about the ridiculous ongoing changes that are usually for the worse!
5) REWARD your nice staff, so they stay...and say goodbye to the nasty ones.
6) STOP ripping us off on the damn cookies...most are now bland & the price went up. The got No tongs & cheap bags ruin the cookies. I have to get a tiny clear plastic container & grab tongs from the Deli area.
7) STOP selling us the same stuff that we can get in supermarkets for 2-4x the $'s.
8) Please bring in MORE good stuff from the Bay Area WF's, such as: more 365 branded cheaper items (e.g. everything from Shampoo to Cereal); reduce LOCAL Wine prices; expand this WF's tiny EURO-beer selection to match other WFs. I know you have the room since you keep shrinking formerly "cheaper" selections/sections (from Granola to Lemon Juice)!
9) STOP YOUR DAMNED COST CUTTING, WHILE RAISING PRICES & SHRINKING SIZE/QUALITY! STOP ruining the Bulk Food section.
10)Add LOCAL FRESH veges ON SALE...& please keep
the LOCAL MORRO BAY ORANGES
...that farm supports a kind little old lady!
11) Improve your crappy vege, fruit, Deli sections; which
REALLY BITES; for mucho $'s too! Your Tomatoes & such
look worse than Ralph's!
12) If you do NOT listen to your customers,
you will LOSE them,
like the good NF STAFF
...duh.
13) GET RID of your prepackaged soup, sandwiches, & other "factory" made old crap
for +$$$!
We WANT more FRESH,
made in house foods!