Sentinel staffer gives Whole Foods high marks

Food has become an extremely important part of my life. From eating nothing but Cheerios to consuming an extreme amount of pasta for every meal – to the point where I was nicknamed “Carbo Katie” – to now living solely on peanut butter, I have developed quite a relationship with it.

In addition to food itself, the places in which I shop for food have played a memorable role. I’ve been dragged unwillingly to Costco, Target, Safeway, Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, and every other grocery store you can name. I dreaded each one, until I walked into the new Whole Foods in the updated Encina Grande Shopping Center on Ygnacio Valley Boulevard.

The Encina Shopping Center has undergone an enormous transformation since May of last year. It received a face-lift, parking lot remodel, and new stores, including Whole Foods that took the place of Safeway and Walgreens. Walgreens relocated down to the Oak Grove Road corner of the shopping center and Safeway moved across Ygnacio into the Orchards Shopping Center. Whole Foods opened and started to change lives on Nov. 2, 2016.

I toured Whole Foods on Dec. 17, feeling like an undercover shopper and critic, with six crucial factors that make a grocery store in mind: the price, variety, accessibility/ cleanliness, personnel/ mood, in store benefits, and the variety of unique items. Below is my review and rating:

Pricing: 3 stars

Because Whole Foods is known for its fresh quality items, it isn’t the cheapest grocery store. However, for such organic and healthy options, the price is extremely fair. It really depends on what you’re buying. For example, if you wanted to purchase a two liter bottle of watermelon lemonade, it was around $2.50, but for a smaller bottle of pineapple juice, it was $7. Overall, it gets my vote of 3 stars.

Variety: 5 stars

Whole Foods’ item variety is exquisite- in fact, it is my favorite grocery store to go to for healthy, organic, quality, and interesting items. I could spend 30 minutes in the soap area alone. This isn’t just a store for food; Whole Foods has flowers, lotions, hair care products, and the largest cheese selection I’ve ever seen. For this reason, it gets my vote of 5 stars.

Accessibility and Cleanliness: 4.5 stars

Whole Foods felt like a breath of fresh air. Wonderful aromas of pizza, organic perfumes, and blooming flowers wafted into my nose as soon as I entered. In terms of accessibility, it took me a bit of time to find the items I needed, but I assume that that is because it was my first

time there and I was in a more relaxed mood. However, the words on the signs of the aisle are pretty small, so I could see that as being an issue for some. Clean, clean, clean. Therefore, it has my vote of 4.5 stars.

Personnel Mood: 3 stars

This is the one area that I believe needs work. First of all, I was not greeted by the employee that I made eye contact with when I walked in, so I was a little hurt. Second of all, the atmosphere has a hint of snobbiness in it, being an organic store in the middle of Walnut Creek, so I most definitely would feel uncomfortable wearing my pajamas to grab a pint of ice cream on a Sunday here, which I admit, I do occasionally. My cashier was nice enough, though a little quiet. Overall, it has my vote of 3 stars.

Unique Variety: 4 stars

I was delighted by the selection of strange items at Whole Foods. For starters, this is the first grocery store in which I’ve seen a mochi ice cream refrigerator filled with all sorts of flavors. They really have everything you could hope for and more. If I’m in the need for a pick-me-up, I could just head over and grab some organic raw cacao golgi energy bars. If I’m in the mood for an exotic snack, I can buy Thai Coconut Curry Popcorn there. This is the only store that carries the hair cream I use (Kinky Curls Curling Custard-quite a name), so that is a huge plus. The only complaint I have is that they don’t sell figs, which could be horrific news for the fig lovers of Walnut Creek. Overall, this category has my vote of 4 stars.

In-store Amenities: 5 stars

Whole Foods was built with one goal in mind: to make its customers happy. For this reason, you will find trail mix bars, salad bars, sandwich and pizza bars, and an actual bar for the pleasure of the shopper. While touring the store, I realized that Whole Foods would make a very decent place to live in all honesty. The sandwich and pizza cafe was somewhat quick and had tons of options, the salad bar looked delicious, the trail mix bar blew my mind, and there are tables and chairs and a couple of TVs around this area. I was extremely pleased with these additions, so it has my vote of 5 stars.