I walked into Whole Foods Market this morning around 11a.m., with two objectives in mind. One: to get a few notes and analyze the store for my blog. Two: to get my hands on those delicious samples they serve on Sundays. I have to admit that I’m a sucker for the healthy gimmicks that are endlessly promoted by Whole Foods. Eating an organic Pink Lady apple helps me alleviate the guilt from the late night Taco Cabana at 2a.m. Saturday morning. I frequently shop at Whole Foods, but I’ve never really taken the time to thoroughly analyze the store and figure out exactly what the surroundings do to draw me into wanting to adopt a super healthy lifestyle every now and then.
Austin Whole Foods on Lamar is an incredibly large store, so I decided to focus on the produce section. I was immediately drawn to the produce by the vivid display of colors overwhelming my eyes. There were signs galore identifying each and every different type of fruit and vegetable and informing the customer of the country where it is grown and the dishes it’s best used for. Along with all of the signs, the boxes that contained the produce displayed the statement that Whole Foods is a supporter of the local farming community. There were also huge signs towering over various vegetables proclaiming that Whole Foods is the BEST at seeking out exceptional organic and conventional produce, and didn’t forget to mention that they are, once again, a supporter of local farms.
Many of the prices for popular fruits like apples and bananas were a bit outrageous but there were more signs accompanying the fruits stating that they were a “smart buy.” Advertising for the pricey bananas also used pathos to convince customers to spend those extras pennies. There was a sign next with a picture of a child placed next to the produce explaining that the bananas were part of a program called Earth University bananas, which is aimed at supporting education and entrepreneurship. I’m a big nerd and always support education, so my emotions were definitely touched a bit by the sign, but I just couldn’t convince myself to splurge on bananas that I probably wouldn’t eat anyway.
Before I left the produce section I also noticed large signs hanging from the ceiling with short quotes from farming couples. One couple’s quote told a short story of how they accidentally started a farm because people liked their veggies so much and that lead them to expand. Oddly enough, I noticed that the picture that accompanied this quote and every other local farmer quote all showed beaming middle aged Caucasian couples, and not a minority in sight. This seemed to be a reflection of the type of consumer that Whole Foods aims at and apparently does seem to attract. After making many rounds throughout the entire store (while tasting sample, of course), I noticed that there were only two minority families in the entire store on this busy Sunday.
My analysis confirmed to me that Whole Foods makes its argument to purchase pricey foods primarily through informative signs repeatedly placed all over the products. They are trying to target those who favor a healthy lifestyle, support locally grown produce, and give a slight indication that this category is mostly Caucasian middle aged individuals. Whole Foods focuses on arguing the point that they are the best choice for providing you with fresh organic produce and are true supporters of the community we live in.
