Whole Foods

[rcjunkie]

You just have to remember that you pay for what you get. Whole Foods is more expensive and you can't go there to buy Cheerios and Dr. Pepper. It's a different type of store with different brands and is probably 20-40% more expensive than regular stores.

You also have to remember that you can't find/buy things at Walmart, Target, Homeland, or Crest that you can find/buy at Whole Foods. And as for being "more expensive", you get what you pay for, not just in quantity but quality.

[mugofbeer]

You also have to remember that you can't find/buy things at Walmart, Target, Homeland, or Crest that you can find/buy at Whole Foods. And as for being "more expensive", you get what you pay for, not just in quantity but quality.

You are right but the difference is what Oklahoma Citians, in general, are used to. When they see the prices and the "organic" products, will they buy there in sufficient numbers?

[foodiefan]

You betcha, Red Ryder!! We're salivating in anticipation!!

[metro]

You are right but the difference is what Oklahoma Citians, in general, are used to. When they see the prices and the "organic" products, will they buy there in sufficient numbers?

Absolutely! Heck, many already do at the Super Targets and other places. I'm tired of driving 6-10 times a year to WF in Dallas and Tulsa. We don't have anywhere that has a "Bulk Food" section, I guess Forward Foods sort of does but you have to drive to Norman until the one on N. Western opens up. Many items aren't any more than you'd pay elsewhere as others stated, other products you will pay quite a bit more. The average grocery bill ends up being about $50 higher at WF than Walmart SuperCenter, the majority of the difference on meats.

[mugofbeer]

Going to Denver this weekend. I may have to drop by Whole Foods and see if there's anything I can bring home!

[Lord Helmet]

Going to Denver this weekend. I may have to drop by Whole Foods and see if there's anything I can bring home!

We moved to Denver from Edmond 2 months ago. There are 3 Whole Foods within 10 minutes of our house. I can't begin to tell you the difference in our eating habits since we moved somewhere with a decent food selection. I have yet to set foot in a Wal Mart since we got here. The quality and selection at WF (or King Soopers for that matter) makes Wal Mart look like the McDonalds of grocery shopping. It's a shame that OKC is relegated to crappy grocery stores.

[FritterGirl]

We moved to Denver from Edmond 2 months ago. There are 3 Whole Foods within 10 minutes of our house. I can't begin to tell you the difference in our eating habits since we moved somewhere with a decent food selection. I have yet to set foot in a Wal Mart since we got here. The quality and selection at WF (or King Soopers for that matter) makes Wal Mart look like the McDonalds of grocery shopping. It's a shame that OKC is relegated to crappy grocery stores.

Just rub it in why don'cha? Bad enough I have to see yours and Sh****a's tweets about the mountains, great cafes and Whole Foods. Now you have to go and rub it in here!

[mugofbeer]

We moved to Denver from Edmond 2 months ago. There are 3 Whole Foods within 10 minutes of our house. I can't begin to tell you the difference in our eating habits since we moved somewhere with a decent food selection. I have yet to set foot in a Wal Mart since we got here. The quality and selection at WF (or King Soopers for that matter) makes Wal Mart look like the McDonalds of grocery shopping. It's a shame that OKC is relegated to crappy grocery stores.

Yep, they were far better there. What part of town?

[metro]

We moved to Denver from Edmond 2 months ago. There are 3 Whole Foods within 10 minutes of our house. I can't begin to tell you the difference in our eating habits since we moved somewhere with a decent food selection. I have yet to set foot in a Wal Mart since we got here. The quality and selection at WF (or King Soopers for that matter) makes Wal Mart look like the McDonalds of grocery shopping. It's a shame that OKC is relegated to crappy grocery stores.

What? King Soopers sucks... I'd take Walmart over KS anyday. Now WF is another story though. I'd give up all our Walmarts for one WF.

[FritterGirl]

What? King Soopers sucks... I'd take Walmart over KS anyday. Now WF is another story though. I'd give up all our Walmarts for one WF.

I'd give up one WalMart for one Whole Foods. Heck, I'd just take a Whole Foods. Everyone else can keep WalMart. I refuse to shop there anyway unless I'm really really desparate and don't feel like trekking the full 3 miles to Crest.

[mugofbeer]

What? King Soopers sucks... I'd take Walmart over KS anyday. Now WF is another story though. I'd give up all our Walmarts for one WF.

Nope, I gotta disagree. I lived in Denver for several years until recently and found the King Soopers stores near our house in the south metro were all far nicer than any Wal Mart. They were a bit more expensive and I had a problem with KS about trying to insinuate certain items were on sale when, in fact, they weren't but overall the stores were very nice.

[Lord Helmet]

Yep, they were far better there. What part of town?

Congress Park. We've only been here a couple of months but we love it so far. OKC will always be home though

[metro]

KS doesn't know what it wants to be. It reminds me of Big Lots trying to do a grocery store. Selection isn't any better than a Walmart or Homeland, the middle of their stores is like a CVS or Big Lots with random crap. The only plus they have going for them is they have a small hot bar and olive bar, etc. in which 99% of OKC grocery stores do not.

[fuzzytoad]

I'd give up one WalMart for one Whole Foods. Heck, I'd just take a Whole Foods. Everyone else can keep WalMart. I refuse to shop there anyway unless I'm really really desparate and don't feel like trekking the full 3 miles to Crest.

I must be the only person in OKC who can find about 20 alternatives to Walmart Grocery shopping(that doesn't include homeland, crest or super Target).

[mugofbeer]

Congress Park. We've only been here a couple of months but we love it so far. OKC will always be home though

Nice old neighborhood. Good luck to you there. If you are an OU fan, they meet at Jackson Sports bar next to the baseball stadium downtown and televise all the football games. There have been some that 200+ have attended. Its fun to yell at the TV with everyone else and a bunch of nice people - a good place to meet some new folks.

[bluedogok]

Recently visited a large HEB store in San Antonio followed by a visit to Whole Foods.

The HEB reminded me of Wal-Mart although with significantly more food choices. Plenty of checkouts but long line in each. Not a lot of help in finding things. Crowded and huge.

Was that a HEB Plus store? That is their Supercenter concept, so it is more like a Wal Mart Supercenter than a typical HEB store. They have quite a few of them scattered around here, the closest to us is in Kyle.

KS doesn't know what it wants to be. It reminds me of Big Lots trying to do a grocery store. Selection isn't any better than a Walmart or Homeland, the middle of their stores is like a CVS or Big Lots with random crap. The only plus they have going for them is they have a small hot bar and olive bar, etc. in which 99% of OKC grocery stores do not.

KS is a Kroger chain, the ones that I have been to in Denver aren't that much different than the Kroger's in Dallas or Little Rock that I have been to. Just like with most of them, there are some junky ones and some nice ones, usually depending upon how old they are. The smaller ones always feel junky.

[flintysooner]

Was that a HEB Plus store? That is their Supercenter concept, so it is more like a Wal Mart Supercenter than a typical HEB store. They have quite a few of them scattered around here, the closest to us is in Kyle.

Yes, H-E-B Plus near 281 and Evans. I thought it was about the size of a Super Target or Wal-mart Super Center.

It had a good selection of organic foods and a nice, large produce section. There was a bakery and deli and several other things. There was even a crawdad table. Parking lot was very busy and this was about noon on a Friday. But I understand H-E-B has more than 60% of the market there.

It was more the facility size and number of people that reminded me of Wal-mart. Probably if I lived there I'd drive 2 miles to a Super Target just to avoid the crowds for normal shopping.

What impressed me so much about the Whole Foods was the level of service. I'd shop it for that reason alone.

[bluedogok]

We pretty much shop at HEB or Central Market about 90% of the time, they are significantly cheaper than Randall's (owned by Safeway, known as Tom Thumb in DFW) or Super Target. We also have the Wal Mart Supercenters but no WM Neighborhood Markets, all the Albertson's closed around here a few years ago. We do have a more Hispanic oriented large grocery store named Fiesta, I think there are two locations, one on North I-35 not too far from the UT campus and one on South I-35 a few miles east of us. The Newflower and Sprout's opened up not too long ago but we still go to Central Market more often than those new stores. The closest Whole Foods is the Downtown location, I drive by the current North location on the way home from work but it is a small store and a hassle to get in/out of, they had a new one planned in The Domain (where my office is located) but it was put on hold along with the rest of that phase (along with the new Nordstrom's and a Sak's relocation). I may have been to the MGH/Beacon Hill Whole Foods in Boston more than the ones here, it is right by where we stay when going to Boston.

I know my dad wishes that HEB would open up in OKC after going to the ones around here. The Plus concept was only open up in Round Rock at that time, I still haven't been in one yet.

[flintysooner]

This has nothing really to do with Whole Foods or H-E-B but I was amazed at the amount of traffic and the obvious population growth in San Antonio and even more in Austin. It had been nearly 30 years since I'd visited San Antonio and about 12 since being in Austin.

In fact I was surprised by the traffic all the way down I-35. I used to stop at Salado when my kids were small and eat at the restaurant behind the Stagecoach Inn. Sometimes we'd stop in Georgetown and I remember it being a kind of sleepy little place.

The Whole Foods in San Antonio was in an upper scale center that I thought was really hard to get in and out of because of traffic. But after driving around in San Antonio a while I decided it was just normal traffic now.

Really astonishing population growth to me.

[bluedogok]

The growth in just the past seven years since I moved to Austin from OKC has been exceptional, the increase in traffic has been there as well. Six years ago I was commuting to Dallas (up on Mondays, back on Thursdays) and the traffic on I-35 was just horrible, it is worse now, sometimes when we head up to OKC on Fridays we take 281/I-44 just to avoid the traffic on 35.

There used to be a gap between Georgetown and Round Rock, that is gone it reminds me of the changes in Dallas from the time that I lived that until I moved back to OKC in 1993. Most of that area in the burbs of North Dallas was nothing but open fields and two lane roads (like 121) back then. I also did an office building in San Antonio five years ago on 1604 just west of 281 and it was somewhat out by itself, the strip center that was part of the same development was one of the few things in the area. I went down to our San Antonio office last year in that area and 1604 has been built up so much.

The WF in San Antonio is in Alamo Quarry, I have heard that it can be difficult to get in/out of. THat is the only SA location.

[progressiveboy]

I have not been yet, however WF just had their grand opening yesterday in Dallas for another new store located at Park Lane and 75 (Central Expressway). It showed it on the local news here in Dallas where shoppers will be able to purchase a glass of wine while doing their shopping. It also offers an escalator where you will be able to put your basket on it and it will move your cart down when your finished shopping. This store has underground parking so this is why they have the escalator. Located east side of Central very near Northpark Mall.

[circuitboard]

I have not been yet, however WF just had their grand opening yesterday in Dallas for another new store located at Park Lane and 75 (Central Expressway). It showed it on the local news here in Dallas where shoppers will be able to purchase a glass of wine while doing their shopping. It also offers an escalator where you will be able to put your basket on it and it will move your cart down when your finished shopping. This store has underground parking so this is why they have the escalator. Located east side of Central very near Northpark Mall.

The booze will be helpful, I spend more when I am drinking. That $10 cheese won't sound so bad when I am buzzed. LOL

[JerzeeGrlinOKC]

Going to Denver this weekend. I may have to drop by Whole Foods and see if there's anything I can bring home!

I'm in Denver all week. As Lord Helmet pointed out, there are 3 frickin' Whole Foods in about a 10 mile radius, about 7 total throughout the metro area (not counting the 4 in Boulder that I saw). Boulder is tiny! 4???? Absolutely ludicrous. I know I know, everyone up there is granola, yada yada. Just went food shopping, I'm eating well this week :-)

Why lord, why why why????? Just ONE in OKC. One! We don't ask for much. <points angry fists at sky>

[Dustin]

I'm in Denver all week. As Lord Helmet pointed out, there are 3 frickin' Whole Foods in about a 10 mile radius, about 7 total throughout the metro area (not counting the 4 in Boulder that I saw). Boulder is tiny! 4???? Absolutely ludicrous. I know I know, everyone up there is granola, yada yada. Just went food shopping, I'm eating well this week :-)

Why lord, why why why????? Just ONE in OKC. One! We don't ask for much. <points angry fists at sky>

No wonder they're the healthiest state in the country!! They have QUALITY grocery stores..

[gamecock]

I'm in Denver all week. As Lord Helmet pointed out, there are 3 frickin' Whole Foods in about a 10 mile radius, about 7 total throughout the metro area (not counting the 4 in Boulder that I saw). Boulder is tiny! 4???? Absolutely ludicrous. I know I know, everyone up there is granola, yada yada. Just went food shopping, I'm eating well this week :-)

Why lord, why why why????? Just ONE in OKC. One! We don't ask for much. <points angry fists at sky>

This is the hardest thing to understand . . . how other areas of the country can have 3 or 4 of these right nearby and yet we can't get just one here. Again, based on my trip to Tulsa a few weeks ago, that Whole Foods store appears to be doing great business, so the support seems to be there. We were in Dallas this past weekend and stopped at Central Market. How long will we have to wait here for something like this?