Business & Tech

Whole Foods Hubbub Dominates Neighborhood Listserv

Whole Foods in Glover Park changed its checkout area about seven weeks ago and is under relatively new management.

Residents feel strongly about the new floor plan at the Glover Park Whole Foods, as evidenced by the 37 (and counting) posts on the topic that have dominated the Glover Park listserv since the first message appeared Tuesday.

The Whole Foods recently added express lane check out, similar to what you would find at the Foggy Bottom and P Street locations.

The original poster wrote:

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"There is a large dead space in the middle of the check outs and now one must go down to the 'cafe' and stand in line to go towards checkouts in either direction. So now we have two way traffic in a narrow space and its a mess and a safety hazard. A little girl got mowed down by a cart and was screaming her head off the other day."

And the responses started pouring in.

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"I am surprised I feel so strongly about how much I dislike the current plan," one woman wrote.

Some commenters said they have started shopping at the Tenleytown location in favor of dealing with the new arrangement in Glover Park.

Others said they did not like other changes that have been put in place, like many new staff members.

On the store's Facebook page, customer Rhea Vaflor listed a few of her concerns, including one about the fish monger.

"On Monday night, the new guy was super surly and gruff when I asked him if Arctic char was related to salmon. He huffed at me and practically threw the fish packet at me," she wrote.

A store team member responded to Vaflor's Facebook post and said they would be holding an open house in the cafe around 4 p.m. Saturday to address customer concerns.

"We’re just really trying to listen to all our customers to make sure they feel heard," Libba Letton, a Whole Foods media relations manager, told Patch in a phone interview.

Letton said the new pattern has been successful at other store locations and is supposed to make things move faster at checkout. She said the feedback they have received from Glover Park shoppers is similar to that which the company has received at other stores.

"We’ve heard pretty evenly from folks who like it folks, who don’t like it," Letton said.

But she emphasized that customers should feel comfortable speaking to managers and team members about their concerns at any time.

How do you feel about the new layout? Tell us in the comments.


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