Well, my poll went in a different direction than I thought. But, were I to vote, I would have voted both. Driving by this place sent off both red flags and hopefulness.
Fresh Market....sounds so, well fresh, doesn't it?
I drove by this place 2 weeks ago. The sign had replaced the Albertson's sign that used to be there. For a moment, my heart was a flutter. Could this be my new shopping haven? After all, my nearest 'natural grocery store' was a half hour away no matter whether it was Whole Foods, Good Earth or Sunflower. Everything was inconvenient and required me to plan a whole day of outings around going there. So I had some hopes of this being my solution.
When I was finally able to check it out, I went with the thought that I would be okay if this store was not what the logo was trying to make me believe it was. When I got out of my MAV (Mormon Attack Vehicle for all you late comer's) and started walking towards the door, I paused as I looked up.
"Pharmacy"
Okay, what health food grocery store has a pharmacy, eh? Big sigh. Immediately I shook my head, but proceeded forward on the off chance this was some sort of 'hybrid' store. Then I looked at the products being peddled by the front door. Snow shovels and chimney sweep logs. Not exactly evoking anything resembling a health food store. Just go in Amy, maybe SOMETHING is worth looking in to.
And then I stepped inside. It was Alberstons. Not in name, but it was the same layout, same signage for the sales, same brands, same everything.
What wasn't the same? My respect. Not towards Albertson's. See, some of their stores were bought out by Associated Food Stores, hence this location is now a Fresh Market. But my respect for the directions grocery stores were going. As I walked up and down the aisles (I was there anyway, might as well look around a bit, plus I needed OJ) my annoyance and disappointment grew. I kept on saying to the oldest, "Man, this makes me mad".
The deception had reached mass scale. No longer is it the subtle, minute deceptions of - I don't know - Tropicana trying to make it's 50/50 juice look healthy, or even domestic (I don't want my oranges from Brazil, thank you). It's not even the more laughable attempts like 7 Up marketing itself as "all natural" as if it were a superfood juice product that is good for you. It's now big, bold, loud and plain insulting.
These big food stores know what they are doing. They don't want to fail. They hire plenty of graphic artists, market specialists and they know what sells. The organics industry grows by leaps and bounds every year, even in the depressed economy, organics are capturing more and more of the market place. They know if they make themselves look more appealing in terms of health, they will get more customers. But they have no real commitment to health, only to their bottom line, and their lack of change shows it.
It's a slap in the face to all of us who are committed to this lifestyle and frankly it's deceptive marketing and a lie. While I'm not suggesting they change their name to "The Store That Will Sacrifice Your Health In Order To Make The Largest Profit We Can", I am saying, don't try to be something your not. The name 'Albertsons' told me exactly what I needed to know, thank you. You were likely founded by a man with the last name of Albertson, and you're probably a typical grocery store that I won't be able to find everything I need at. I can respect that. I don't like it, but I can respect it, and am even willing to buy a thing or two there without feeling insulted.
Hey Fresh Market, us granola types value honesty more than cute logos. We enjoy being looked at as more than a robotic consumer. You don't know it (yet), but we have brains. Do you?
