Prices at Whole Foods vs. Sunflower:

Shopping spree

Who knew grocery shopping could be so fun? But how will the new options affect your budget?

http://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/article-13391-shopping-spree.html

They're organic flies, so it's okay.

Anywhere that has exposed product like the WF salad bar and olive bar will have flies, and once they're there, it's really hard to get rid of them.

I have the android app for WF and the OKC store is in there with specials and everything.

Guess its just the iOS (apple) version hasn't updated yet

Why does Whole Foods OKC think it's a good idea to only offer bad Indian food at their prepared foods counter? Oh, and lasagna?

Seriously, though, if I'm in the mood for bad Indian food and lackluster lasagna, I have a bevy of choices in OKC.

Well obviously, they don't think it's bad or they wouldn't sell it. Guess they forgot to get soonerguru's approval.

Why does Whole Foods OKC think it's a good idea to only offer bad Indian food at their prepared foods counter? Oh, and lasagna?

Seriously, though, if I'm in the mood for bad Indian food and lackluster lasagna, I have a bevy of choices in OKC.

They do it with you in mind. ;-)

Prices at Whole Foods vs. Sunflower:

Shopping spree

Who knew grocery shopping could be so fun? But how will the new options affect your budget?

http://www.okgazette.com/oklahoma/article-13391-shopping-spree.html

Interesting read. However it is pretty funny how people are getting down right raped on the prices. Even with the stuff being organic and healthier, there are more budget friendly choices out there. Yeah it can cause you to make a trip to more than one store, but $154 to $162 for just the few items they listed is flat out stupid. Granted it includes items like Newman's Own Dog Food @ $36-40 each. No thanks. Toilet tissue for $3-4 for 4 rolls? Only for the stupid. Toothpaste for $7 a tube...I haven't paid for toothpaste in a year.

Guess I'm just frugal when it comes to groceries and understanding how far you can actually stretch a dollar on non-generic/non-bargain brands. Though there are people out there that don't have the time to focus on being organized when shopping and don't worry about the extra cash they throw away. To each their own. :-)

As far as i'm concerned, there isn't any good Indian food anywhere in the world. So it just depends on your personal tastes.

Finally shopped at Whole Foods OKC this weekend. It's better than the store in Tulsa, but we did get shorted compared to other cities. Pros: still offers a lot of items not found elsewhere (I was especially happy to find turkey pastrami since real pastrami became a no-no for me months ago!).
Not as impressed by the prepared foods section. In fact, I threw out the chili I bought there it tasted so bad. And the lay-out makes no sense - some soups to go on one side of the store, others on the other side of the store. Totally goofy. And the store is simply too small. I'm glad to see competition taking place with Homeland, Sunflower, Buy for Less, etc. It's time OKC gets some respect from retailers and not be treated as a Walmart company town.

but, but, these are WF flies! Not those icky lower class flies from the lesser regions. They only land on WF shoppers and WF items or WF surfaces. How could they possibly be a bad thing?

LOL!!!

Plus they are Organic! . . .
like, not made out of inorganic stuff like rocks and minerals and dirt . . .

[Belated Note: My deepest apolgies to the author of Post #1684.]

BTW: I think they lay out the store like that (e.g. widely separated soups) so that you get to enjoy The Total Experience and increase the opportunities for impulse buying.

we went friday night around 8pm... it ended up being the perfect time to go. as for the soups being in two different places, it appeared to me that all the soups near the fish section were (surprise) fish based while the typical selection of soups was by prepared foods. -M

the soups are seperated in the majority of the whole foods I have visited. I think they charge different prices for the soups as well.

Question: With the vast selection of organic soups--logically located within the shopping environment--how does Whole Foods justify taking up store space with fresh vegetables and whatnot (that would imply the need to do some actual prep and cooking one'sself?)

Maybe--after the thrill of valet shopping wears off--the next step is to have an On-Site cadre of former Food Truck operators to serve as "Home Chefs" . . . ? =)

How does any retailer justify anything on any shelf? $$$...

yes . . . but produce has a short shelf life.
lot's of waste/recyling
say!: Organic Local V-9 Juice!
(if you ever drove a haul-back produce truck to the loading docks in El Monte, CA . . . never mind.)

Traffic has stabilized per the check out girl. I was there from 4:30 - 6:00 studying the store products and activity was navigable. Awesome that they give you free ice to keep your fresh fish cold!

Went to Sunflower afterwards. Hard to beat their fresh $0.99 fresh French bread.

Yeah traffic definitely isn't bad in the afternoon at the store on weekdays. Cleared up faster than I expected.

Went to WF at 9:30 Sunday morning, only 7 cars in the lot, almost had the store to myself, left WF and went to Sunflower, was much more impressed with Sunflower than WF, will definitely shop Sunflower when in town (unless they build one at Lake Tenkiller)

From a blog in today's Journal Record:

"During a speech given today at the Oklahoma Creativity Forum in Norman, John Mackey, co-founder and co-chief executive of Whole Foods, said that the October 12 opening of their first Oklahoma City location in the new Classen Curve development was in the top 10 openings in terms of sales in the company’s history. That is pretty remarkable considering the healthy grocery store chain has 316 stores."

Even more amazing is that this is one of their smaller locations.

I bet they end up building a bigger store in the Edmond area at some point and hopefully one in Norman too.

I have not been to Whole Foods or Sunflower. The wife and I will probably check them out in the near future. One thing I will note, their arrivals to the OKC market has encouraged the other grocery stores to increase their produce selection. I have been to Homeland, Crest and Buy For Less, all three appear to have revamped their produce areas and meat counters.

I'm hoping that it's now clear that OKC shoppers aren't only in love with Wal-Mart and Sam's that Costco will start to consider the market.

I think Oklahomans would love to have an alternative and Costco is an incredibly impressive operation.

I'm hoping that it's now clear that OKC shoppers aren't only in love with Wal-Mart and Sam's that Costco will start to consider the market.

I think Oklahomans would love to have an alternative and Costco is an incredibly impressive operation.

I heard a commerical on the radio the other they and it was a local station (can't remember which one) and they were advertising a product and they said "sold at your local Costco market" and I just shook my head and said "only if they knew."

Went last night. This $19.99 lobster tail better taste good and better have been fed organic lobster food

Went to WF at 9:30 Sunday morning, only 7 cars in the lot, almost had the store to myself, left WF and went to Sunflower, was much more impressed with Sunflower than WF, will definitely shop Sunflower when in town (unless they build one at Lake Tenkiller)

Whole Foods' seafood is outstanding, and they have some other items that are better than Sunflower, but I do shop at Sunflower more frequently.

They finally announced that Tulsa is getting their second. We have known this for a while. It will be on the Southside, but they haven't closed the deal on the land yet.

They finally announced that Tulsa is getting their second. We have known this for a while. It will be on the Southside, but they haven't closed the deal on the land yet.

I've heard 91st & Yale where there is an empty piece of land surrounded by wealthy neighborhoods and within a half mile of a Creek Turnpike exit. Perfect location for a second Tulsa store IMO. I would imagine another OKC metro location is announced next year. They announce their next round of new stores each quarter.

Yes, 91st & Yale in south Tulsa is confirmed.

I'm not trying to be a jerk-off but wasn't that confirmed a month or 2 back?

Rumored.

Rumored.

Ohh. Lol

RE: the split soup comments. I had noticed something similar with the Buy 4 Le$$ at NW Expressway & Portland with their cut fresh fruits. More expensive containers are up front at the start of the produce section but much less expensive ($1/lb or more) are available on the other end in the Gourmet Grill/Deli area. The way some stores organize things is bewildering and I suppose someone somewhere thinks they have a reason for it...but sometimes it comes down to "here's an empty spot" LOL

I have a friend in the seafood dept. and I think I can shed some light on the soups. The reason there is a small soup section in front of seafood is because those soups are made by the seafood department. Whole Foods has a policy that instead of throwing out perfectly good fish when it gets to it's last couple of days (or hours) it is cooked and used as stock or meat for soups. The soups in that section are all made by that department and they are made from the same quality fish that are on sale at the counter. It's really very fresh and very yummy!

From their facebook:

"Tune in to the Ellen DeGeneres Show today for a special surprise in OKC!"

You can already watch the video on her website

From their facebook:

"Tune in to the Ellen DeGeneres Show today for a special surprise in OKC!"

You can already watch the video on her website

Here's the video: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2011/11/the_jensen_family_get_a_huge_surprise_1107.php

Very cool of Ellen and Whole Foods. I actually saw this family's story on a MTV show last year also. Good to see that they are getting some assistance.

Yeah, that's a really cool thing that Coach Jansen and his wife have been doing at PC West, and of course they did it just to help the students there and not for any sort of notoriety.

It's amazing to think that now at PC West 80-85% of the students there are on subsidized meal plans. That area of town has changed dramatically in just the last 10-15 years.

It's amazing to think that now at PC West 80-85% of the students there are on subsidized meal plans. That area of town has changed dramatically in just the last 10-15 years.

Wow really? You know it seems like all of the metro schools are going that way now. Is something going on here in the OKC area or is this a national trend?

Well, depending on ways to maesure it, poverty is one the rise nationally: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gaiqQgPVsR2HgihFPDDqrfJmUJ6Q?docId=d67b78cca 1194ec5aef937849704e98c

Here's the video: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2011/11/the_jensen_family_get_a_huge_surprise_1107.php

Very cool of Ellen and Whole Foods. I actually saw this family's story on a MTV show last year also. Good to see that they are getting some assistance.
Thanks for sharing that link, KT ... an amazing video clip ... my grandson Tyler plays on that PC West team and I'm sure that he'll want to see it, if he hasn't already.

Yeah, that's a really cool thing that Coach Jansen and his wife have been doing at PC West, and of course they did it just to help the students there and not for any sort of notoriety.

It's amazing to think that now at PC West 80-85% of the students there are on subsidized meal plans. That area of town has changed dramatically in just the last 10-15 years.
It is quite different than when I graduated from there (82) or my sister (94), she sees it quite a bit since she is a teacher in of the schools that feeds into West. My parents still live in the same house that we grew up in, that neighborhood has changed a great deal as well.

Here's the video: http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2011/11/the_jensen_family_get_a_huge_surprise_1107.php

Very cool of Ellen and Whole Foods. I actually saw this family's story on a MTV show last year also. Good to see that they are getting some assistance.

I absolutely love what Ellen and Whole Foods did for this family. They were so deserving of it; I commend them for they're graceful acts of "giving back" and to the family that started this. Beautiful.

$40/lb lobster tail is a bit much. Could not really tell that much of a difference from the normal grocery store stuff. $19.99 for an 8oz tail

$40/lb lobster tail is a bit much. Could not really tell that much of a difference from the normal grocery store stuff. $19.99 for an 8oz tail

But it's organic and natural so price is no object. LOL

Yeah, that's a really cool thing that Coach Jansen and his wife have been doing at PC West, and of course they did it just to help the students there and not for any sort of notoriety.

It's amazing to think that now at PC West 80-85% of the students there are on subsidized meal plans. That area of town has changed dramatically in just the last 10-15 years.

It's very sad, but it really has. The beginning of white flight reversal seems to have hit the far western side of the metro harder than practically anywhere. I'd love to know what retail occupancy rates are out there. It seems like a vast sea of abandoned shopping centers. There are still many beautifully maintained neighborhoods but some have become shockingly run down. I'd maybe even go out on a limb and say PC west's area may now include some of the most squalid poverty in the entire metro area. My company had temporary offices (after a fire) around Melrose and Council and on my drive back home (around 23rd and may) I was always amazed at the level of general decay that had developed in just the last 10 or so years. Glad to see people and businesses helping in any way they can.

It's amazing to think that now at PC West 80-85% of the students there are on subsidized meal plans. That area of town has changed dramatically in just the last 10-15 years.

What's even more amazing to me is that the district-wide reduced lunch rate is 58% for Putnam City. http://www.greatschools.org/cgi-bin/ok/district-profile/411#students

The reduced lunch rate for the state is 56%.

60% for Mid-Del schools
38% for Moore schools
31% for Yukon schools
31% for Mustang schools
38% for Bethany schools
42% for Norman schools

Their website is touting a Friday, 11/11/11 only sale of whole uncooked chickens for $1.29/pound.

Sorry, I'm not driving 30 miles round trip for a chicken.

Sorry, I'm not driving 30 miles round trip for a chicken.

No one asked you to. No need to apologize.

This thread has degenerated from a discussion about a commercial property development to saavy shopper reports.

Pete - about time for a thread lock?

No one asked you to. No need to apologize.

Hey, They're advertising the daily special......c'mon.

This thread has degenerated from a discussion about a commercial property development to saavy shopper reports.

Pete - about time for a thread lock?

Or maybe since the development has now ended it should be moved to the food threads for people who to comment about shopping issues at Whole Foods.

Went in for a second time today so I could actually look around. The produce section is smaaaaaallllllllll. I was pretty disappointed.

Does Whole Foods have fresh or packaged Fennel?
I hope so. I hope they can beat the Homeland price and availability.
I don't really care if the fennel is organic.
I just need fennel for an upcoming recipe.
I don't like being disappointed.
Fennel is good.
Not matter how you use it.
I'm hoping Whole Foods meets the cost/value balance regarding fennel.

Not to mention a being a place where one can take a leek.
(Not exactly "take" but pay for.)

Finally got around to visiting Whole Foods, this morning and enjoyed it. It was crowded, inside, but the parking lot was fine and we didn't even have a line to check out. It wouldn't be where I would shop, weekly, but nice to have a place to get some specialty stuff with company coming in for the holiday. We asked two different employees if they had an item and neither knew if they even carried it. We ended up finding it in a large end cap, prominently displayed for the Thanksgiving holiday. They don't seem to cross train between departments although both clerks were working within two aisles of where we found it (one was stocking the prepared food and the other was cutting through the frozen food). Pretty meat market. Lots of different kinds of bratz that caught my eye.

I went to WF this past weekend and it was packed,well atleast I thought it was,the Checker said it was average but I went to buy some Thanksgiving food.My favorite food is Sushi and I thought I'd try WF's out,I got the avacado/california roll and it was delicious and only 8$!I enjoy going to these specialty grocery stores alot more than WM or Crest,just alot better experience!

I was thinking the store would be bigger than it is. My old neighborhood wal-mart was bigger. Still, it looks like a great store.

Today's Wall Street Journal reports on a Whole Foods location being built in Detroit, and how the local demographics are entirely contrary to what WF typically targets:

Population change 2000-2010: -25%.
Race: Blacks 82.7%, whites 10.6%.
Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in population age 25+: 11.8%.
Homeownership: 54.5%.
Median household income: $28,357.
Retail sales per capita: $3,567.

Yes, government tax credits and grants are being paid to the site's developer, and yes, existing local grocers are complaining about it. On the other hand, "Whole Foods says it expects its prices will generally be lower than those of local supermarkets." This is something much needed by Detroit which does not have a single chain grocery store (http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/22/smallbusiness/detroit_grocery_stores.smb/).

Today's Wall Street Journal reports on a Whole Foods location being built in Detroit, and how the local demographics are entirely contrary to what WF typically targets:

Population change 2000-2010: -25%.
Race: Blacks 82.7%, whites 10.6%.
Education: Bachelor's degree or higher in population age 25+: 11.8%.
Homeownership: 54.5%.
Median household income: $28,357.
Retail sales per capita: $3,567.

Yes, government tax credits and grants are being paid to the site's developer, and yes, existing local grocers are complaining about it. On the other hand, "Whole Foods says it expects its prices will generally be lower than those of local supermarkets." This is something much needed by Detroit which does not have a single chain grocery store (http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/22/smallbusiness/detroit_grocery_stores.smb/).

Does the east side of OKC have a chain grocery store? South side of Dallas? The pattern here is clear - though we choose not to speak of it. Can you blame the chains though? Crime, crime and more crime - plus you have to have uniformed officers walk the aisles, all of that is big money to have to shell out.

Chicago has a big problem with food deserts too, especially on the south side.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_desert