Otherwise, this week went pretty well – other than being hot. I did get more items to list on eBay, some of which have already sold. I also signed up for iWriter, a place for freelance writers to find work; the reviews for this website are mixed, but it seems like a good way to get some general experience, as well as a greater variety of sample work. I’ve written about half a dozen short articles for clients on there, and so far, so good; I’ve been rated 5 stars for all my work.
This article is actually pretty hilarious, because this is
really old news. Back when I wrote
Trader Joe’s versus Whole Foods Market, I read industry reports discussing how
warehouse stores were creeping into the specialty grocery industry. What’s interesting about this article,
however, is the point that Costco’s fresh food offerings are what its using to
compete against Whole Foods; I’m more inclined to think that it’s Costco’s
increasing selection of natural food brands, as well as its private brand
products, many of which are also organic or “all natural”. I’ve always considered that Costco’s main
specialty grocery competitor is actually Trader Joe’s; the private brand
offerings are very similar. Costco,
Whole Foods, and Trader Joe’s all have very similar target markets. Looking at demographics, the customers are
very similar; older, married, educated, well-heeled, and interested in
quality. Whole Foods’ customers are more
interested in saving the environment, while Costco and TJ’s customers are more
interested in saving a buck.
Whole Foods will continue to have convenience, specialty
products, and the nice eatery area over Costco.
When you walk into Whole Foods, the store is large, but still not as
large as a Costco, and checkout is pretty fast all the time (oh my goodness,
the lines at Costco sometimes!). Whole
Foods still has specialty items that are difficult to get anywhere in-person,
though that number will dwindle as pharmacies, discount retailers, and
conventional grocery stores stock more of these items. The number one thing that Whole Foods offers
is the feel of the place; the stores feel special, like heading to a local
market. Unfortunately, that specialness is
expensive to produce. Whole Foods needs
customers who aren’t price sensitive, which has been difficult for them to
achieve – this is why the company has added coupons, sales and specials in
recent years. I don’t know how effective
that strategy has been for them, but I really think that it undermines the
charm of the stores.
What I would like to see is smaller Whole Foods stores with
a tighter selection of in-demand items.
This would lower overhead while increasing profit per square foot -- Trader Joe's manages to have a better profit per square foot, and, as you can see above, their stores are much smaller than a conventional Whole Foods. I think that sizing down would be an
effective strategy for the company, especially in that it would allow them to
develop stores in more areas, especially in big cities where space is at a
premium.
Look! A llama in a
minivan! It reminds me of my youth – our
alpacas used to ride in the back of our minivan. I was one of the kids that sat in the back with them, and I can
safely say that they had terrible breath.
Shopping: Kokeshi Dolls via Amazon
While I was looking for craft ideas to do with the kids, I
came across these adorable kokeshi doll erasers on Amazon. Kokeshi are Japanese dolls that are
distinctive in that they always lack legs, and usually lack arms. Most kokeshi that I found were kind of
expensive, but these erasers are pretty cheap, and very cute.
Until next week!
(images via twitter.com, thechive.com, amazon.com)
