Whole Foods..

So I visited Whole Foods Market this weekend. I’ve got to say, that place can really stir up my appetite. It is also kinda expensive so that was a waste. Anyway, I walked around the whole store, read labels, checked prices, and admired the food. Whoever designs the displays is a genius. Who knew plain red apples could look so enticing. I think the display plays a huge role in persuading the customer to buy the products. Everything is stacked so neatly and the whole store is just so organized, that it is just impossible not to want to buy something. Another thing Whole Foods uses to lure customers into the trap (and I don’t know why I call it trap… but maybe it’s cause I’m used to paying .89 cents for celery instead of 3 dollars) is a jab at their heart. Well not literally but they rely on pathos as a method of persuasion. As I was walking around the produce section I saw that above the produce, they had little biographies of the farmers who grew the produce. There was one that talked about a couple who started making vegetables in their back yard. They said that they were just doing it as a hobby but apparently everyone liked their vegetables and they have been in business ever since. It was a cute little story that made me want to pay those three dollars for the celery. I also noticed that Whole Foods really likes to advertise the whole “organic” thing. I read one label that actually gave the definition of organic. I didn’t write it down but I do remember it saying stuff about their products being good for the earth. That’s where the logos lied. It’s kinda like “why would you buy something that is harmful to our beautiful planet?” Another way Whole Foods sells it’s products is through their friendly staff. They are all really friendly and happy and it actually seems as though they are concerned about your well being. It looks like they will go out of their way to make a customer happy, which is how it should be. My mother used to have a jewelry store where I worked since I was about twelve, and I really learned the significance of treating the customer with care. I went to their website to see if I could find some useful information and one of their motto’s was “Our Customers. They are our most important stakeholders in our business and the lifeblood of our business. Only by satisfying our customers first do we have the opportunity to satisfy the needs of our other stakeholders.” Like with everything, Whole Foods comes with a few not so awesome qualities. They had a few of those foods with the health claims. And if my memory serves correct, we decided in class that foods that make health claims aren’t exactly healthy. Although I don’t think I saw this at the actual store, I was reading up on the company online and it talked about all of the different stores all over the world. They have something like 280 stores or something. Well that was pretty impressive. It definitely establishes major ethos. I believe that Whole Foods is pretty much saying “Hey, our food is healthy, you want to be healthy, and its good for the planet. So be a good person and shop at our store today.” Although I don’t agree with all of their methods.. they’ve done a pretty good job of convincing me to shop there. And I think i hear that cheddar potato soup calling my name…

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