“The new Whole Foods Market in San Francisco shows with meticulous precision why upscale grocery stores are coveted by communities that want to see themselves as fully rounded or on the map.
In the process, it also shows the design gap between mainstream America’s stylish retail environments and the boilerplate architecture that surrounds them.”
∙ John King: Place: San Francisco’s new Whole Foods [SFGate]
Aisle.
[Editor’s Note: We make mistakes all the time. But in this case, we were simply trying to be a little too punny.]
Maybe things will calm down a bit, but after having visited Whole Foods there on Saturday afternoon it confirmed for me that living in an apartment right next to a supermarket might not be such a bright idea.
Great store, but glad I’m not living next door to it. Aside from the heavy traffic and noise, I would go broke if I shopped there on a regular basis. I have to say, it’s nice to see a Whole Foods w/ a more diverse wine selection and the pastry bar looked very tempting.
pica1986: totally agree. Was in there with my wife on Sunday and without a short list of stuff that you really really really can’t buy anywhere else, you’re > $100 in a sneeze. Gorgeous store, however.
My challenge is to go into Whole Foods and buy the basics for a dinner for two and then compare the total cost at the check out to going out to a better restaurant instead. I went in and bought wild coho salmon, rice, salad ingredients, etc. and it came to $135. I can go out to Zuni for cheaper. Still, I keep going back to Whole Foods and would find it impossible to switch back to a Safeway.
Not sure how you got to $135 for one dinner? Wild coho is $14/pound (I just bought some last night). Even if you eat a pound each(!) that leaves $100 to buy salad, rice, and ingredients, and presumably some of those ingredients will last more then one meal.
We just spent $220 on four meals for three, but that includes $40 for 2 bottles of L’otomne pinot (yum!), and a bunch of dry goods and snacks. Whole Foods is definately pricier, but the food quality and the service are correspondingly better as well, so I don’t feel ripped off like I do when I go to Safeway. Either way, let’s be realistic: it’s not more expensive then dinner at Zuni. That’s just silly.
Plus you’re still hungry after eating at Zuni.
Sounds like the shopper is similar to my wife. She can easily go to Whole Foods on California and spend $150 on dinner for two. I guess it depends on what you are picking. Last time I checked I thought Coho was over $20 a pound (wild, not farm raised). I think wine should be included in the $135 price btw.
I go into Whole Foods w/ every intention of buying my favorite cheese and a pound of Pleasant Morning Buzz Coffee beans. Somehow I can’t seem to leave that way. This new store is even more dangerous as they have really scattered some things about so you have to go searching, thus increasing the pressure on my laughably flimsy willpower. I do feel sorry for the residents of the Potrero though, it looks like the Marina inhabitants have invaded the area to shop there…it was like a J.Crew nightmare the day I was there.
“…it was like a J.Crew nightmare the day I was there”
AMEN!
The cars in the parking area were a bit of a suprise to me as well. I saw more BMW’s than when I drive by the BMW store in Marin next to the 101.
it sounds like the problem is the wife, not the store.
As a single male, i rarely sepnd over $80 at WHole Fooods for a week’s worth of food, and ai do cook