Amazon/WF 'update' NYTimes

[rotuts]

the NYTimes has an article on Amazon/WF in the paper:

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/01/technology/bit-by-bit-whole-foods-gets-an-amazon-touch.html

 

for review purposes a few snip its :

 

""  

Some signs are subtle, like the “Whole Foods + Amazon” one near the bananas. Others are more obvious, like the kiosk with Amazon devices for sale.

It has been six months since Amazon took over Whole Foods, a $13.4 billion deal that made the internet retailer a major player in the world of brick-and-mortar retailing. For the most part, the 470 stores are still the same upscale, expensive healthy food emporiums that they have always been.

Amazon has grander ambitions as well. The company’s executives are busy devising ways to connect its Prime membership program, which offers benefits like fast and free shipping and video streaming, with the stores.""

 

""  The company has said that Prime will eventually become the Whole Foods customer rewards program. It recently took a baby step in the direction of weaving together Prime and Whole Foods by giving Prime members 5 percent back on Whole Foods purchases made with an Amazon-branded Visa card. Whole Foods has signs about the offer all over its checkout stands.''

 

""  

A few days before Amazon completed its acquisition of Whole Foods, it announced a series of price cuts on grocery items, a move to change the perception of the chain as “Whole Paycheck.” It slashed the price of a dozen Organic Valley large brown eggs by 27 percent and cut the cost of a 16 ounce jar of 365 brand crunch almond butter by 13 percent. For Thanksgiving, it made turkeys cheaper, and for Valentine’s Day, it dropped the price on roses.

Still, much of the selection in Whole Foods stores still carries premium price tags. Studies by analysts have shown that overall prices on typical Whole Foods shopping expeditions have decreased only slightly. Whole Foods said there was more to come. “We’ve done quite a bit,” Brooke Buchanan, a spokeswoman for the market, said. “There’s still so much more we have planned.”  ""

 

of AMZN ( 

 

seems to be pushing its electronic gadgets :

 

""  

The most conspicuous sign of Amazon’s agenda inside Whole Foods is the kiosks containing Amazon electronics that now lurk near store aisles. Not far from the Honeycrisp apples and bulk bins of granola, shoppers can now pick up an Echo, a Fire TV or a Kindle.

In a handful of Whole Foods stores, including in Denver and Chicago, Amazon has opened big electronics stands called pop-up shops, which are staffed by Amazon employees who can answer questions about the devices. The pop-up shops, which are at dozens of shopping malls around the country, give shoppers an opportunity to try the devices in person, something they cannot do when they browse online.''

 

other than that , not really that much brand new in the article.

[rancho_gordo]

There are some other changes. They don't have a lot of what you need. 
I'm not a regular WF shopper but I went last week and was surprised how much wasn't there, just an empty slot. 
And the sale seasonal vegetables went down in price but twice on the same trip I had to mention the sale to the cashier. I feel weird being cheap but I wouldn't have bought the items if they weren't on sale. 

 

Amazon’s Changes to Whole Foods Mean Empty Shelves, Fewer Local Products

[rotuts]

@rancho_gordo

 

very good article

 

thanks for the ref.

 

Amazon wants to ' control '

 

remember the e-book pricing issues ?

 

but it really wants to ' cut the fat '

 

to use a cliche 

 

local ketchup  does not translate well to a spreadsheet.

[chromedome]

5 hours ago, rancho_gordo said:

There are some other changes. They don't have a lot of what you need. 
I'm not a regular WF shopper but I went last week and was surprised how much wasn't there, just an empty slot. 
And the sale seasonal vegetables went down in price but twice on the same trip I had to mention the sale to the cashier. I feel weird being cheap but I wouldn't have bought the items if they weren't on sale. 

 

Amazon’s Changes to Whole Foods Mean Empty Shelves, Fewer Local Products

A little while ago I read the Business Insider article that's cited here, and that article (and everyone interviewed in it) is very clear that the problem started before the Amazon acquisition. I guess it doesn't much matter, empty shelves are a bad thing no matter what. 

[lindag]

I stopped shopping at my nearby Walmart for that very reason.

i'd get to the store around 10AM or so and find half the shelves in produce empty.

It was a waste of my time to go there.  And, FCSOL*, if it's not on the shelves there's no sale!

 

*forchristsakeoutloud

[Toliver]

18 hours ago, lindag said:

i'd get to the store around 10AM or so and find half the shelves in produce empty.

I discovered that if I go to the local Walmart Neighborhood grocery store on Saturday before noon, the shelves are empty. So I started doing my shopping around 12:30pm or so and found everything restocked. Kinda weird but I make it work for me...

[rotuts]

I almost stopped at WF  , across the street from TJ's

 

im in no way a fan of WF , i.e. ' The Asparagus Water ' sysndrome

 

Im very interested in AMZN as a revolutionary business model.

 

now Im not a fan of them shilling for 2d to 3d rate electronic products at WF

 

Ive been told Im odd

 

Ive never contested it.

[weinoo]

I stopped in at the Whole Foods (Houston St.) in Manhattan, a store I rarely shop at any more.  It was a disaster area, definitely looking nothing like it did when it opened. And there the proffer is moving more and more towards ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook stuff, which doesn't interest me the least bit.

 

But the Whole Foods I regularly shop at (Gowanus) in Brooklyn, still seems just fine. 

 

Perhaps each store is being adjusted for its demographic?  The Brooklyn store is huge, with a big parking lot, and its customer base seems more and more family oriented, lots of parents, strollers, etc. People buying carts full of stuff (and don't get me started on the lazy bastards who can't seem to push their carts to the cart return area after unloading). The Manhattan stores tend to be used for less of a shopping expedition, more like what someone might be having for lunch or dinner.

 

 

Edited March 5, 2018 by weinoo (log)

[rotuts]

@weinoo

 

""   he Whole Foods I regularly shop at   ""

 

than's for letting me know.

 

Ill light a candle.

[chefmd]

2 hours ago, weinoo said:

I stopped in at the Whole Foods (Houston St.) in Manhattan, a store I rarely shop at any more.  It was a disaster area, definitely looking nothing like it did when it opened. And there the proffer is moving more and more towards ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook stuff, which doesn't interest me the least bit.

 

But the Whole Foods I regularly shop at (Gowanus) in Brooklyn, still seems just fine. 

 

Perhaps each store is being adjusted for its demographic?  The Brooklyn store is huge, with a big parking lot, and its customer base seems more and more family oriented, lots of parents, strollers, etc. People buying carts full of stuff (and don't get me started on the lazy bastards who can't seem to push their carts to the cart return area after unloading). The Manhattan stores tend to be used for less of a shopping expedition, more like what someone might be having for lunch or dinner.

 

 

 

WF in Pentagon City that I can walk to is also full of ready made food which is not what I am looking for.  WF in Clarendon has a lot more fish, meat, veggies, bulk food.  Both are in Arlington, VA.  

[rotuts]

Im wondering if AMZN is setting up its stores differently 

 

based on work-style of the environment

 

Manhattan  :  ready to eat  or ready to cook 

 

'Burbs   the usual 

 

wonder if the Manhattan store will be one of those Auto-Stores  

 

where you walk in and walk out but have to have a phone w an app on it for paying for the food.

[Toliver]

More news about WF/Amazon:

"Prime Members In San Francisco And Atlanta Get Free Whole Foods Delivery"

Quote

Adding to the sundry benefits of Prime, Amazon is launching free two-hour delivery of Whole Foods groceries in Atlanta and San Francisco through Prime Now. The service launched last month in four cities, and the company plans to expand the service this year, the company said in an announcement.

 

 

[Toliver]

Walmart tries to compete:

"In latest Amazon jab, Walmart to expand grocery delivery to more than 100 cities"

Quote

In another attempt to keep up the fight against Amazon, Walmart is expanding its grocery delivery service. The retailer announced today that it will expand the service, currently available in six markets, to more than 100 cities by the end of 2018. While the exact metro areas haven't been disclosed, Walmart claims the expansion will allow its delivery service to serve 40 percent of US households.

Customers can order groceries online through Walmart's website or through the company's dedicated grocery app. Walmart's network of personal shoppers then gather the items in each order and prep them for delivery. Walmart already employs 18,000 personal shoppers and plans to hire more to support the expansion of this program. The company uses crowdsourced delivery services, such as Uber, to deliver orders to customers. Each delivery order must reach Walmart's $30 minimum, and customers pay a $9.95-per-order fee as well.

 

And then I received  a Costco email touting their delivery service:

Quote

Same-Day (delivery):
All Groceries Including Fresh & Household Supplies 
Delivery in Most Metropolitan Areas 
Order Through Costco.com to Avoid Additional Delivery Fees. Minimum order is $35
You must be present for delivery.

 

2-Day (delivery):
Non-Perishable Food & Household Supplies 
Nationwide Delivery 
No Delivery Fee with Orders of $75 or More 
Not available in AK,HI, PR

The competition is heating up...

 

[kayb]

Another entrant into grocery delivery, at least on a limited basis: 

 

https://talkbusiness.net/2018/03/walmart-to-expand-online-grocery-delivery-to-40-of-u-s-homes/

 

[chromedome]

The main Canadian supermarket operator, Loblaw's, is beginning to offer delivery as well. It's being rolled out in a limited number of locations initially, and will presumably be available more widely once they've worked out the kinks. Online order/pickup service is available even here in New Brunswick now, so presumably that at least is currently national. 

[kayb]

Given WalMart's rural locations, I suspect the delivery options will be in population centers. Both WalMart and Kroger here in Jonesboro (population about 75,000) offer an order online and pick-it-up option, and given we're a trade center for the surrounding unincorporated area, I suspect we'll be one of the 800 stores. As a college town, we have a pretty decent market for it, I think.

 

[rotuts]

Wow AMZN !

 

Show me your French Veg !

 

any Pate w that ?  

 

Foire Gras ?

 

https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-casino-stocks/amazon-targets-french-grocery-market-with-monoprix-deal-idUKKBN1H31G5

[Toliver]

"Amazon Is Ending Whole Foods’ Loyalty Program Soon"

There's not much info in the article. "Soon" means in as little as just over a week away.