Whole Foods Market

Reviews 6

JA

James Douglas

Wow! Such negative comments for this little store! Let me start off by stating that Im from the Chicago area and am accustomed to MUCH larger stores (complete with wine sections, gelato bars, and coffee shop) however I have been proud to call this tiny store my local grocer for close to a decade now. For those expecting a decent sized Whole Foods, try out the Minnetonka, Minneapolis, or Edina store, as those are much more accommodating of customers expecting a more leisurely experience during the busier times of day and weekends. After reading some comments, I headed back to my tiny Whole Foods on my daily trip and decided to ask some questions regarding the things Ive read. First off, the cashiers have always been upbeat and extremely friendly (although perhaps a bit more "efficient" during their lunch and dinner rushes), and Ive never had a rude experience. As far as unloading your own basket, it is something Whole Foods asks you to do to cut down on the frequency of repetitive stress injuries for the cashiers (Google it, its a very real issue.) These people are doing the same task (quite well, I might add) close to 40 hours a week while providing friendly service AND bagging your groceries. Is this really whats going to make or break an overall good experience? Take the good with the bad and keep rolling along. The cashier also pointed out two signs at every register asking you to please unload your own basket. The cashier shouldnt have had to ask in the first place, although Im sure they were more respectful than previously reported. The thing to remember is that this is possibly the only real "neighborhood" Whole Foods in the Twin Cities. It was the first of its kind and is still sitting there 17+ years later. Say what you wish, but theyre clearly doing something right. Even if Im fighting through the throngs of customers that crowd this popular St. Paul grocer, Ive still been coming here for years and will continue to do so as long as Im stationed in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Try taking the time to converse with the staff next time, theyre actually very personable and speedy. Perhaps theyre just doing a good job.

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AL

Alexander Dixon

This new whole foods fully embraces the corporate strategy! Higher prices. Lower quality. No personal responsibility or ownership. Mass sales and production. Specifically, the bread which used to be pretty good when it was a frozen to bake product was consistent with good flavor and firm crumb. The baguette I purchased today was mis-shapened, the crumb was that of wonder bread, the flavor was about the same as a baguette from Cub foods, and it was VERY over-proofed. I would suggest that they stop spending money on labor and return to the frozen to bake product they had before. Consistency and in turn customer loyalty would both be improved. Who ever is running the bakery is completely out of touch with the artisanal concept and very in touch with mass production techniques. If the product I got today wasnt what their standard and was an anomaly then they should not have sold it or put it in the shelf. Further the selection of general products is narrowing to the broader market consumer and quality specialty products are no longer available. "Local products" are coming from as far away as Chicago. At these prices I can get truly local and a much better selection of organics at the Mississippi Market or Wedge. I will not be returning to Whole Foods anytime soon. It is a waste of my hard earned money wrapped up in a very pretty wrapper.

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BI

Bilal Masood

Whole Foods is a wonderful grocery store. Like the Mississippi Coop, I love buying fruit and veg, and meats here. And thats it. Like most other chains, the desserts are saccharine sweet, overladen with sugar (organic, self righteous sugar, of course). Not recommended. Apart from food it would be foolhardy to purchase anything else here. The chocolate selection is terrible, with all sorts of no name brands (but organic and self righteous). I had the opportunity to try their in-house restaurant. I had the black bean burger, and it was terrible. Dry, crumbly, insipid. I thought Id be self righteous and order it to please the vegetarian gods and the cow god slapped me right in the face! Thank you! I let them know what o thought of the burger. They were not amused. In terms of self righteous, artisan bs, its definitely a step up from Mississippi Coop. There, as soon as you enter, you expect the Waltons to come out with the pigs and cows. Followed by a ginger bearded artisan who just baked a loaf of bread thats going to save the world. Long story short, good grocery store with an awful restaurant. Gordon Ramsey, where are you when we truly need you, you hot mess of a chef.

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JO

John Wilson

Whole Foods Market moved in 2016 from an older, undersized store to this state-of-the-art store at one of the busiest intersections in St. Paul. Certainly it isnt WFMs flagship, but it is a flagship-ish experience. With an in-store bar & grill, juice bar, extensive deli islands, personal care, and more, its more than just a grocery store. While there are swaths of the store that dont interest me (Im clearly not their target), I go out of my way to purchase a few products at WFM. One example is chicken--good product, attractively priced. The move to the dramatically larger facility came with plenty of changes. There is a much larger selection now. Ironically, many of the things that used to draw me to the smaller store (my favorite coffee beans in bulk, organic eggs, store-baked breads, special orders) are no longer a draw for one reason or another. Some of the changes are positive. Ive been to WFM stores in Austin, London, and elsewhere. This is the most up-to-date. Its fitted with energy saving fixtures, and cold cases lighted with LEDs. Lights in the covered parking lot come on as they detect movement. And the store is on the A-Line.

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JU

Judah Johansen

Very helpful when I had to do returns. A good selection for their size (they will eventually move into a larger location I am told). Produce is always stacked and displayed perfectly. The butchers and fish counter are always extra helpful. They also keep their customer comment section up to date. I dont like the small, cramped parking lot, but that cant be fixed! I wish they would re-tool their selection of Asian foods, as there are sometimes two or three kinds of some ingredients at the expense of missing key Japanese, Korean, Thai and Indian ingredients. You could not cook most ethnic foods from many nations from their world-foods section. Which is strange, considering how diverse the tastes are of the clientele. Overall, definitely a 5-stars. They put hard work into this place and have a lot of heart.

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LI

Little Nicky

I do not want to come across as racist. Although I am a Caucasian woman both my cousin and my niece are married to wonderful African American individuals. But I was groped by an African American person at this store. He turned out to be an employee here! I did not realize this at first because his appearance was so unkempt. When my boyfriend spoke with the manager about it later the same day, he was stonewalled. We contacted the main company and had them launch an investigation. They followed up to inform us that they could not get a confession out of this person, and the interview / interrogation was difficult, because he has a history of mental problems! Not sure what the Whole Foods internal procedure is supposed to be here. But I cannot recommend or return to this store.

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