Amazon buys Whole Foods

[JoNorvelleWalker]

3 hours ago, rotuts said:

Amazon is cutting back all its costs.

 

Employees  first it seems.

 

In this case the delivery folks are contractors, not amazon employees.

 

[rotuts]

thats part of the financial Plan

 

as far as I can tell

 

working for Amazon in a non-ofice job , or even that sort of job

 

is not the same as working in the Silicon Valley 

 

[ ed : I grew up there be for silicon , but with Apricot Orchards ]

 

free  gourmet lunch , best free sushi etc

 

the fulfill meant centers offer better than average local pay

 

but a grueling work place 

 

Amazon has upped the minimum wage

 

but cut back on options and benefits

 

JeffBezos is very much a bottom line guy.

 

[weedy]

On 10/15/2018 at 11:37 PM, JoNorvelleWalker said:

....  Then a couple days ago there appeared a large orange, officious looking sign:  

 

 

Officious?

so the sign was “meddlesome”

[JoNorvelleWalker]

5 hours ago, weedy said:

 

Officious?

so the sign was “meddlesome”

 

Officious adjective:  "assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, especially with regard to petty or trivial matters."

 

--- Google

 

 

As of this afternoon, no hint of construction activity yet however.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Well I took the plunge.  Not without some problems.  The primenow website seemed OK but I wanted to try the iPad app.  Search as I might I could not find it.  I called customer service and was told to search as I had been searching: "amazon prime now app" (in almost every permutation).

 

What finally worked was searching the iOS app store for "amzn mobile llc".  In hopes this information may assist some other poor desperate, hungry soul.  However the app is designed for a phone sized screen so I went back to using the primenow website.

 

Then I spent several happy hours meal planning and shopping!  All was well until I went to check out.  The checkout process froze.  After repeating this several times I called customer service.  The representative suggested I check out with the app.  Once I got the app configured and myself signed in I was able to check out easily.  I was relieved and delighted that my shopping cart from the PC appeared in the app.

 

Within about 15 minutes I got a notification that someone was working on my order.  Another 15-20 minutes and I learned my order had been filled.  But it's been over an hour since then and the order is still sitting in the store.  At least I've had no further notifications from Whole Foods.  The order includes two containers of ice cream.  I shall be most interested to see how they arrive.  Ice cream, I figure, is pretty much the acid test.

 

I am still troubled by the idea of tips on amazon.  The suggested tip for my order was $9.00.  I chose not to include a tip.  If my ice cream actually makes it here still frozen I may be inclined to change my mind.

 

Not related to Whole Foods as such, but on the subject of amazon and groceries -- yesterday I purchased a bottle of Dawn dish detergent from the shelf of my local Shoprite.  When I next logged on to amazon they were recommending Dawn to me.  Pretty scary.  I fear most of us have drunk the Kool-Aid.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

My delivery person is Katherine and I can track her progress in real time.  My ice cream is now about four miles from here.  This is exciting.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Here's the deal:  Katherine arrived here promptly and my ice cream was rock hard.  I amended my order to include a tip.  But all was not beer and skittles.  For one thing all but three figs were missing from my little box of figs.  I was charged $5.52 for 0.79 "actual" pounds.  I measured the figs as 0.15 pounds.  I don't believe my scale is that far off.  But that was just as well because the sour cream I intended to serve with the figs was out of stock.

 

Also out of stock was the duck.

 

And then there was the broccoli that they sent in place of "baby broccoli".  It wasn't even a replacement.  I think someone who had not been studying @liuzhou's vegetable thread carelessly grabbed the wrong brassica.  And on that subject, the Brussel's sprouts were not ones I would have chosen in a store.  Although they had been suspiciously inexpensive I must say.

 

But that aside everything else was perfect and well packed.  And the ice cream was rock hard.

 

[BeeZee]

@JoNorvelleWalker, is there an option to select “no substitutions if item is out of stock” or something like that? And I would definitely complain to customer service about the incorrect weight charge on those figs. Strangely enough, one time when I stopped in WF near my office around 8:30 am, there was something from the produce dept that they hadn’t gotten coded in yet so the cashier gave it to me at no charge.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

42 minutes ago, BeeZee said:

@JoNorvelleWalker, is there an option to select “no substitutions if item is out of stock” or something like that? And I would definitely complain to customer service about the incorrect weight charge on those figs. Strangely enough, one time when I stopped in WF near my office around 8:30 am, there was something from the produce dept that they hadn’t gotten coded in yet so the cashier gave it to me at no charge.

 

Yes, there is such an option.  I specified no substitutions for all items except the Brussel's sprouts.  I notified them immediately of the problems.

 

Is your Whole Foods the one on Route 1 south of Princeton?  For many things (OK, some things for which I remembered) I noticed WF prices were less than Shoprite's.  The one exception was pomegranates but then pomegranates are Shoprite's loss leader for the week.

 

I just wish they had had the duck.  Seriously there should be some way of verifying what's actually in stock before the order is finalized.  Prime Now is not yet quite like amazon.  And now I have to get myself to Shoprite tomorrow after all.  Dinner was supposed to be duck with orange pomegranate sauce, wild rice, and Brussel's sprouts.

 

[BeeZee]

I go to Whole Foods in Cherry Hill on weekdays as it is close to my office. Rt. 1 location is close to home. It is disappointing to order online with no way of knowing an item is out of stock, they obv don’t have a robust POS software since most online retailers for clothing, for example, will know as soon as you select your size whether the item is available. I have wondered if the convenience of online grocery shopping offsets the drawbacks. Since you would be otherwise unable to shop at WF, certainly it provides a great service. Whether they do a better job with your intended purchases in the future is the question.

[lemniscate]

13 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

Yes, there is such an option.  I specified no substitutions for all items except the Brussel's sprouts.  I notified them immediately of the problems.

 

 

Not trying to hijack a WF thread, but I had this exact issue with a WalMart Grocery order.  I don't normally shop WM but they had something I wanted to try.  I put in "no substitutions" on the order, and.......I received substitutions.   I wonder if it is an issue with either apps or algorithms.   I did not feed it back through the customer service portal since I had probably decided to not use online ordering for WM anymore.   It was just an experiment.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

WF through Prime Now is certainly convenient.  It is hard to believe they can fill an order and deliver so quickly, without even using drones.  It may be difficult to keep track of stock if customers are pulling things off the shelf at the same time I am purchasing online.  I know in the library biz we have the same problem.

 

Though I somehow find it hard to believe someone scored the last duck just as I hit the order button.

 

[kayb]

I've used Kroger click list a few times, not a lot as I live near the store and find it easier to just drop in and grab what I need for that night. Have to say they've been good about subs, and the one time they had an issue with my order (they lost it entirely, and it wasn't ready when I came to get it), they gave me $20 off a $60 order. Can't complain at that.

 

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Today's paper had a bit of news.  Whole Foods is going to be opening here.  The local government has given all the approvals.  Personally I'm much happier with the prospect of a Whole Foods in walking distance than an HQ2.

 

[rancho_gordo]

I went to the Napa WF yesterday and wondered, Where's the food? 
All the lettuces are in bags or clear boxes. The produce was abysmal and the things that are We sale for Prime members is confusing. 
The only good thing is it inspires me to join a CSA. 
 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

2 hours ago, rancho_gordo said:

I went to the Napa WF yesterday and wondered, Where's the food? 
All the lettuces are in bags or clear boxes. The produce was abysmal and the things that are We sale for Prime members is confusing. 
The only good thing is it inspires me to join a CSA. 
 

 

I don't have experience with Whole Foods produce (other than so far a single order from Prime Now) but I was rather looking forward to Whole Foods as a local alternative.  Could the lettuce situation have to do with the recent recall?  At Shoprite two days ago the lettuce shelves were mostly bare, as they have been for quite some while.

 

However I will say I have been disappointed by the Prime Now selection compared with what I used to be able to get with much missed amazon Fresh.

 

[Smithy]

5 hours ago, rancho_gordo said:

I went to the Napa WF yesterday and wondered, Where's the food? 
All the lettuces are in bags or clear boxes. The produce was abysmal and the things that are We sale for Prime members is confusing. 
The only good thing is it inspires me to join a CSA. 
 

 

3 hours ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

 

....Could the lettuce situation have to do with the recent recall?  At Shoprite two days ago the lettuce shelves were mostly bare, as they have been for quite some while.

 

 

I suspect the scarcity is due to the recall and the packaging is due to the new requirements. The recall is being lifted, but FDA says growers need to have their romaine lettuce clearly labeled as to source and harvest date. For more information, see here.

 

(and yes, I think it's an additional reason to go to the small local farmers whenever possible.)

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Interestingly searching for lettuce on Prime Now gives no hits.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Tonight I gave Prime Now another try.  The goods are packed impeccably and delivered promptly.  But once again I gnash my teeth (which ones I have left) that the main dish was out of stock.  Last time it was the duck.  This time it was the chicken.  If something is out of stock they are supposed to notify you about a substitution.  They don't.

 

Either they send you something else that you don't want (when you specify "no substitution") or you are out of luck.

 

Charitably I suspect that since the Prime Now service here is so new they are having teething pains.  Nonetheless that does not help with my dinner.

 

[BeeZee]

Sheesh, being out of stock on chicken doesn’t sound plausible, assuming garden variety chicken and not some exotic type. I go to a different WF location from the one you are ordering from (probably 1-2x a week) and they are certainly not out of stock on proteins. I was in fact admiring some of the fresh fish yesterday, both whole and fillet. Have you tried calling the Princeton store to complain?

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, BeeZee said:

Sheesh, being out of stock on chicken doesn’t sound plausible, assuming garden variety chicken and not some exotic type. I go to a different WF location from the one you are ordering from (probably 1-2x a week) and they are certainly not out of stock on proteins. I was in fact admiring some of the fresh fish yesterday, both whole and fillet. Have you tried calling the Princeton store to complain?

 Unfortunately it is all too plausible.   If you are shopping in person you can quickly decide how to replace your chosen protein but when you’re ordering online such an option is not available.   I was stunned the first time I discovered that I could not buy chicken thighs because they were out of stock online!  Sheesh. 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, BeeZee said:

Sheesh, being out of stock on chicken doesn’t sound plausible, assuming garden variety chicken and not some exotic type. I go to a different WF location from the one you are ordering from (probably 1-2x a week) and they are certainly not out of stock on proteins. I was in fact admiring some of the fresh fish yesterday, both whole and fillet. Have you tried calling the Princeton store to complain?

 

I never thought about calling the store directly but that's a thought.  What I wanted was Bell & Evens thighs in a small package.  They had been out of stock over the weekend but yesterday the showed up in stock, which is the reason I placed my order.

 

Had they notified me that the small package was out of stock I would have asked for the larger package (which is of course is in stock).  The problem is they don't notify me, which at least as I understand they are supposed to do.

 

[BeeZee]

Aha, flaw in the system. You request small package of chicken thighs (let's say 1 lbs). All they have is a 2 lb pack...so they say "out of stock" and the system isn't programmed with the logic to search different package sizes as alternates.

[lemniscate]

Now this is a "special" I can get behind.  I'll admit, the cheese selection pre-Amazon Whole Foods changed quite markedly post-Amazon.  But there is still enough variety to keep me interested, so I'll be checking the daily offering.

 

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/whole-foods-cheese-sale-12-days-2018?fbclid=IwAR2rzqRRxHB5mycEZhPZr0X9k8UdvldTkMMtOjqBB0KV8GPWPMjVM-J6lOI

[blue_dolphin]

35 minutes ago, lemniscate said:

Now this is a "special" I can get behind.  I'll admit, the cheese selection pre-Amazon Whole Foods changed quite markedly post-Amazon.  But there is still enough variety to keep me interested, so I'll be checking the daily offering.

 

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/whole-foods-cheese-sale-12-days-2018?fbclid=IwAR2rzqRRxHB5mycEZhPZr0X9k8UdvldTkMMtOjqBB0KV8GPWPMjVM-J6lOI

 

Half price Humboldt Fog always sounds good to me, as so some of the others!