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Whole Foods Market in Victoria


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#1 Gary H

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 04:02 PM

The Whole Foods tour...
 
SPOILER ALERT   :muching_out:
 
We biked there today and decided to lock our bikes at the Switch rest stop rather than look for an empty bike rack at Whole Foods.  It's a good thing, they only have two bike racks in front of the store.  First impressions - this place is huge, kind of Costco big but without the shelving.  Very well laid out, fully stocked (unlike Target) and the employees were helpful and friendly.
 
First, the right turn to Carey Rd. is finished:
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The Ravine Way entrance is done and the future dedicated bike lane is clearly visible:
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Plenty of railings offset the lack of enough bike racks:
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The outdoor seating is nice and was well used:
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A look inside:
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The pizzas looked good but the make your own burrito bowl was REALLY popular:
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The sushi/nigiri variety is huge and is made fresh daily by a couple of "real" sushi chefs:
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Like in the States, they have a huge "pack your own" buffet style pre-made section:
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Plenty of check-out with a four cashier Express check-out for 10-ish items or less:
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#2 Nparker

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 04:12 PM

Note to mods: Perhaps someone could move the applicable posts from the Uptown thread to this one for future and historical purposes. Thanks muchly in advance.  :)


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#3 AllseeingEye

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 04:20 PM

Personally I will wait for several weeks or even months for the initial "wowee" factor to die down; I was working out last Saturday at SNFW which is on the same level as WF, and for the first time in 18 months was really turned off by the parking chaos - and that was before WF had even opened. Looks interesting but we'll happily wait awhile before testing these waters......


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#4 sdwright.vic

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 06:08 PM

Went today. Some things were pricey (but the quality matched the price), some pretty standard. Really don't understand the Whole Paycheque thing.
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#5 JanionGuy

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 06:27 PM

 

 

The Whole Foods tour...
 

 

Thanks for that. I had planned to go for their opening days but am out of town.

 

This is a class act. Pulling off an opening of this scale, with so so so so many issues to attend to (staffing, food sourcing, food prep).  Looks like it went according to plan.

 

A regular person doesn't need to go to Whole Foods for their every-day shopping (in the U.S., some people do).  But for me, to have  more choice  -- while other local grocery retailers are cutting back -- that's the real benefit to having them in town.


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#6 Gary H

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 06:55 PM

...  But for me, to have  more choice...

 

Yeah, one of the things we like is frozen organic blueberries that are convenient to put in cereal.  Our go-to grocery store Save-On doesn't carry them so we usually get the one variety they sell at Market on Yates from Ruby Red Farms (Saanich).  At Whole Foods I saw several columns of organic blueberries in their huge frozen section.  It's the first place I've ever seen Bremner's organic blueberries (from Delta) and they have them in two sizes no less.  The smaller 300g size was on sale for $4.99 which was cheaper than the Ruby Red package at MoY.


Edited by Gary H, 03 November 2016 - 06:55 PM.


#7 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 06:59 PM

Yeah, one of the things we like is frozen organic blueberries that are convenient to put in cereal.  Our go-to grocery store Save-On doesn't carry them so we usually get the one variety they sell at Market on Yates from Ruby Red Farms (Saanich).  

 

First World problems!  Lol.


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#8 todd

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 07:13 PM

First World problems!  Lol.

 

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Edited by todd, 03 November 2016 - 07:19 PM.


#9 Gary H

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 07:57 PM

First World problems!  Lol.

 

If only frozen organic blueberries were the extent of our first world problems!   :mellow:

 

But back to Whole Foods, I was attempting to make two points:

 

1)  Whole Foods is known for having a massive selection of natural/organic/exotic items and you'll find stuff here, like I did, that you just can't get anywhere else.

 

2)  They have sales like everyone else and at least in this one infinitesimally small sample, their pricing seems competitive for what they sell. 


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#10 Mike K.

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 08:00 PM

I think Victorians will love it. It'll be a bustling grocery store in no time.
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#11 DavidSchell

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 08:08 PM

I think Victorians will love it. It'll be a bustling grocery store in no time.

 

My daughter who is a vegan thinks she will be able to reduce her food bill by 20% shopping at whole foods.

 

Looking forward to checking it out this Sunday.



#12 nagel

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 08:12 PM

Hope your bike was still there when you got back to it Gary. I found easy bike parking in front of the store. No comment on how many sidewalks I had to ride on to get there.

#13 UrbanRail

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 08:33 PM

OK, after looking at Gary's, I am definitely hooked in going.

#14 UrbanRail

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 08:35 PM

I think Victorians will love it. It'll be a bustling grocery store in no time.


Unlike Target.....

#15 Gary H

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 09:18 PM

Hope your bike was still there when you got back to it Gary. I found easy bike parking in front of the store. No comment on how many sidewalks I had to ride on to get there.


Still there! Magnum IV locks with cables through the front tires. :thumbsup:  

 

I wouldn't leave them there all day but for a couple of hours, yeah. Actually, there are so many bike racks all over Uptown that locking your bike there has never been a problem. Still, what we really need is the final phase completed along with the promised Goose access ramp.

 

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Edited by Gary H, 03 November 2016 - 09:19 PM.


#16 Midnightly

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 10:19 PM

Personally I will wait for several weeks or even months for the initial "wowee" factor to die down; I was working out last Saturday at SNFW which is on the same level as WF, and for the first time in 18 months was really turned off by the parking chaos - and that was before WF had even opened. Looks interesting but we'll happily wait awhile before testing these waters......

 

 

i can agree with you on that! the whole upper parking lot is a mess.. the side which has whole foods has a really odd layout with all the dividers and the multi way stop to get onto the exit ramp is just a mess.. you have traffic coming at it from atleast 4 different places it almost needs a permanent flagger there.. and one that is actually working and doing the flagging, unlike today, traffic was a complete mess, all backed up, and 4 flaggers were just sitting ledge chatting and watching the confusion


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#17 MarkoJ

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 10:57 PM

How much is the Pizza? 


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#18 dasmo

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Posted 03 November 2016 - 11:06 PM

If you already buy Organic etc it's probably cheaper than Save On. It looks fantastic!!!

#19 Sparky

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Posted 04 November 2016 - 05:41 AM

Excellent photo tour Gary. Thank you for that.

#20 Sparky

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Posted 04 November 2016 - 05:42 AM

Note to mods: Perhaps someone could move the applicable posts from the Uptown thread to this one for future and historical purposes. Thanks muchly in advance.  :)


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