Whole Foods, an American supermarket that kicks arse!
Whole Foods in 2011 was my example of the USA being more than fast food and big discount stores. On a tour, I showed the range, prepared food and service I’d experienced myself.
The video is from 2011. The description is my experience of the shop back then.
Whole Foods in 2011 showed another side of American food
I was enthusiastic about the idea of freshness, organic food, local products and animal welfare. It was different from the notion that American food was only fast food and huge quantities.
On the tour, I showed fruit and vegetables, fish, meat, cheeses, olives and wine, among other things. There were also areas with sushi, cakes, pizza and other prepared food to take home.
An employee tracked me down with the fish
On an earlier visit, I’d asked for some fish that was frozen. The employee offered to thaw it and asked me to come back after about twenty minutes.
After around ten minutes, he found me elsewhere in the shop and brought it over. It was a small example of service I remembered and told others about.
Could a similar concept work in Denmark?
It wasn’t a cheap shop, and I also said I didn’t think creating something similar would be easy. But I could imagine room for the concept in a larger Danish city.
My point was that there was quality and interesting retail concepts in the USA too. A supermarket could make people want to look around, try something new and get more out of shopping than simply filling a trolley.
Also read my experience of customer service in Lake Tahoe.
So if you think the USA is only fast food, think again. And surely Denmark has room for a couple of places like this?
Whole Foods in 2011: The USA has fresh food and quality too
If you think the USA is only fast food, bad food, pancakes for breakfast, Walmart and huge quantities, think again. And if you also see Denmark as the great organic mecca, I’d like to show you something.
I take the camera into Whole Foods. It’s a large grocery chain that shows a completely different side of American food.
In the video, I describe the concept as I understood it at the time: Food should primarily come from the local area, which I describe as within six hours of the supermarket. I joke that six hours can obviously be a long way in a jet, but the idea is to save transport and fuel.
I also talk about organic food, freshness and animal welfare. Organic products wherever possible, no caged hens and locally caught fish, as I recount the idea. That’s my description on the tour, not an examination of every product’s origin.
Fruit, vegetables and prepared food that looks delicious
First I pass some special offers and head towards the fruit and vegetable section. It’s displayed rather nicely.
There’s cut fruit if you don’t want to do it yourself. There are berries, granola and lots of other things. I continue through the shop and return to some sections along the way.
Then I reach the gourmet section with prepared food. You can buy sushi here, and there are normally sushi chefs making it. There’s also a patisserie with cakes I describe as organic and delicious.
Of course it’s also relatively expensive to shop here. But it looks inviting.
I show pizza, fish soup and chowder, and other prepared dishes. Food you can take home if you don’t want to cook it yourself.
The chef isn’t at the sushi area when I’m filming. At first, I think it’s probably because we’re close to closing time. Later in the tour, I say it’s around six and there are probably still a couple of hours left. In any case, we’re outside the busy period.
The fishmonger found me elsewhere in the shop
When I reach the fish section, I greet the people behind the counter. Then I tell a story from an earlier visit.
I’d asked for some fish that was frozen at the time. The employee said he’d thaw some and I could come back after twenty minutes.
After ten minutes, I was walking around elsewhere in the shop. Then the fishmonger came and found me with the fish, so I didn’t have to go back for it myself.
That’s bloody decent service. That’s the kind of thing I remember. I discuss my own experiences of good service and people in businesses in Min vej som leder.
On the tour, I also show fresh fish, more prepared food and the butcher’s section with steaks.
Wine, cheese, olives and all the everyday things
I continue to the wine section. We’re in Napa right now, so it’s really nice. Along the way, I also compare it with our local Whole Foods in Florida.
There are cheeses, olives and various other groceries. And of course the more ordinary products too.
I show ice cream, including Häagen-Dazs and Ben & Jerry’s. There are soft drinks, organic products, crisps and all sorts of other things.
There are also cosmetics I describe as animal-friendly and a pet section with organic pet food. Finally, I head towards the checkouts.
It’s only a quick tour. You could spend an hour here and keep finding new, interesting products. There are also samples and more activity if you come at a busier time than when I’m filming.
Could we do something similar in Denmark?
If you work in groceries in Denmark and you’re watching, I believe there could be room for a concept like this here too.
I’m thinking of Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus or Aalborg. A larger city where there might be customers for that experience and range.
I’m not saying it would be easy. That’s not my point at all. But I think this kicks arse, and it makes me want to consider what we could take inspiration from.
The USA isn’t only Walmart. There’s also a great deal of quality. That’s what I wanted to show you with this tour.
Best wishes, Martin. PS: And yes, Thomas Rosenstand has mentioned it too 🙂
Det ser sgu godt ud 🙂
I Danmark går supermarkederne reelt set kun op i at være dem der kan sælge billigst muligt.
Service skal du ikke regne med, men til gengæld kan du få din makrelsalat presset så langt ned i pris som overhovedet muligt.
Det er også fint at nogle supermarkeder kun konkurrerer på prisen,
for det går rigtig mennesker op i, (garanteret også i USA), men jeg kan godt savne supermarkeder i Danmark, hvor vægten ligger på andre steder end selve prisen.
Irma er vel det nærmeste vi kommer på sådan noget herhjemme.