I kind of doubt that Whole Foods plans on making real money from this.
Records are now a cipher, a sort of statement as to what kind of store they are and what kind of customer they are targeting. I'm seeing records used all over in various kinds of businesses now, in restaurants, bars, clothing stores etc - they just have them visible as badge of honor or whatever. Tons of these places will just have a crate of records on a ledge or in a corner somewhere even though they have no turntable.
And 95% of people shopping at WF are going to be well-heeled. So impulse buying a $35 anything doesn't seem that strange.
That's an interesting number. In my neighborhood plenty of people who aren't "well heeled" shop there, including myself. Pretty sure it depends on the neighborhood, not that it's Whole Foods.
I kind of doubt that Whole Foods plans on making real money from this.
Records are now a cipher, a sort of statement as to what kind of store they are and what kind of customer they are targeting. I'm seeing records used all over in various kinds of businesses now, in restaurants, bars, clothing stores etc - they just have them visible as badge of honor or whatever. Tons of these places will just have a crate of records on a ledge or in a corner somewhere even though they have no turntable.
Truly.
New vinyl has a 30% mark up +/-.
Slightly better than groceries.
What makes WF so profitable is prepared foods and gift items, candles, fancy dish towels...
As the man says, they are there as a statement.
Most people who buy and listen to records are not as snotty about where they find them as we are.
If WF shoppers wanted it cheaper they would shop at Walmart.
And 95% of people shopping at WF are going to be well-heeled. So impulse buying a $35 anything doesn't seem that strange.
That's an interesting number. In my neighbourhood plenty of people who aren't "well heeled" shop there, including myself. Pretty sure it depends on the neighborhood, not that it's Whole Foods.
Sorry, my bad. The Whole Foods in Toronto and LA that I've lived near are super expensive compared to the other spots. I can't imagine doing my regular groceries there. Hell, the one in Toronto (the only one in Canada for a whole, I think) is in Yorkville which is, like, Gucci Time non-stop.
Come on Harv, they are just trying to be "respectful" of the community.
Like Starbucks selling cd's?
except that starbucks did it in a credible way that spoke to to the tastes and desires of a wide swath of their clientele. this whole foods venture into records smacks of pure exploitation and i am going to guess that anyone who actually buys records will feel supremely patronized by it. 180g fleetwood mac rumours for 35 plus tax, that sort of thing..
if they opened up a real, curated record boutique in the store that could actually stand a chance of being something other than a half-hearted concession to some fashion trend ("a wall adorned with records!") that could be a clever move to draw in certain customers who might not otherwise shop for groceries there....
Yeah, the music is 'on-brand' as far as Starbucks punters are concerned and they've created a pretty effective platform which gives them exclusive in-house playlists and some not bad revenue from a tepid but popular catalogue. I gather the Starbucks deals are pretty horrible for all the the very biggest artists and the choice of music seems mostly about what the label partners need to push at any given moment but the Whole Foods venture is pure hipster bandwagonism in comparison....
a few years ago they found new strains of venereal disease in the gowanus creek
YAY LETS PUT THE STORE RIGHT ON TOP OF TEH NEW VD's
I'm saying. shit is a superfund site.
oh wait, this is the one they're opening on the Gowanus?
Some time ago I used to hear stories about a group of people who lived in a houseboat on the Gowanus, for some reason a lot of people I knew would end up at parties there. The city eventually told them to go dock their home elsewhere and some of my friends were a bit outraged that their buddies had been evicted, but I couldn't really sympathize. I figured the city had correctly kicked them out of there for health reasons but, no, they had to make way for a Whole Foods.
That boat was on the Newtown Creek. Small waterway that separates Brooklyn and Queens. Equally as polluted, but far less strollers parked nearby.
Fred Meyers had one rack of records back then. Norman Connors, Parliament, Debbie Taylor, others, every week it would get refreshed with the same records. $1, I would buy them all every week.
haha thats awesome, dan. they probably thought you were autistic.
"did he buy the same shit AGAIN?"
"yup, same shit again. probably lives with his mother"
Comments
Records are now a cipher, a sort of statement as to what kind of store they are and what kind of customer they are targeting. I'm seeing records used all over in various kinds of businesses now, in restaurants, bars, clothing stores etc - they just have them visible as badge of honor or whatever. Tons of these places will just have a crate of records on a ledge or in a corner somewhere even though they have no turntable.
"Honey I'm off to WF to cop some soba noodles, u need anything?"
"Yes, baby???pick up some more dog food and 180 gram The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths!"
That's an interesting number. In my neighborhood plenty of people who aren't "well heeled" shop there, including myself. Pretty sure it depends on the neighborhood, not that it's Whole Foods.
Truly.
New vinyl has a 30% mark up +/-.
Slightly better than groceries.
What makes WF so profitable is prepared foods and gift items, candles, fancy dish towels...
As the man says, they are there as a statement.
Most people who buy and listen to records are not as snotty about where they find them as we are.
If WF shoppers wanted it cheaper they would shop at Walmart.
I appreciate the savings of shopping elsewhere.
Sorry, my bad. The Whole Foods in Toronto and LA that I've lived near are super expensive compared to the other spots. I can't imagine doing my regular groceries there. Hell, the one in Toronto (the only one in Canada for a whole, I think) is in Yorkville which is, like, Gucci Time non-stop.
b/w
It was a hyperbolic guesstimation.
That's how they are in general. There's a reason that store is nicknamed "Whole Paycheck".
Yeah, the music is 'on-brand' as far as Starbucks punters are concerned and they've created a pretty effective platform which gives them exclusive in-house playlists and some not bad revenue from a tepid but popular catalogue. I gather the Starbucks deals are pretty horrible for all the the very biggest artists and the choice of music seems mostly about what the label partners need to push at any given moment but the Whole Foods venture is pure hipster bandwagonism in comparison....
"And baby... take my bag with you"
That boat was on the Newtown Creek. Small waterway that separates Brooklyn and Queens. Equally as polluted, but far less strollers parked nearby.
nah, the one I'm talking about was definitely on the Gowanus. This was 7-8 years ago, it's possible they relocated to Newtown Creek after that.
haha thats awesome, dan. they probably thought you were autistic.
"did he buy the same shit AGAIN?"
"yup, same shit again. probably lives with his mother"