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Whole Foods Debases Itself With Social Media Flash Sales
By
Nell Casey
Published Aug 22, 2013
Modified Aug 22, 2013
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By
Nell Casey
Published Aug 22, 2013
Modified Aug 22, 2013
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Hoping to tweak their reputation as an exclusive organic food playground for yuppies, Whole Foods has begun a new marketing strategy involving (gasp) flash sales. The WSJ reports that the chain has begun Tweeting and Facebooking sales to its followers, offering things like a "five-hour buy-one-get-one-free deal on ice cream" and one-day sales on its products. They're also offering more "lowbrow" products like frozen meatballs to lure in customers who are absofuckinglutely not going to drop $29.99 a pound for filet mignon.
Chains like Kroger have begun offering specialty products to leech Whole Foods customer base, and it seems to be working. In recent years, other specialty food stores and conventional grocery stores have seen sizable growth on the market; the Journal notes that while Whole Foods' shares have reached an all-time high, its grown just 15.3% on the market compared with rival Kroger at 44%.
If the manic hordes in line at the Union Square outpost are any indication of the company's continued popularity, there's no cause for alarm—at least in Manhattan. Smaller markets—like a new store in Detroit and a forthcoming New Orleans location—might need more incentive to make the switch from the local grocer to the organic behemoth. Besides the social media pandering, keep in mind that the budget conscious can usually get stuff for free if they know how to ask.
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Whole Foods
Nell Casey
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