Just heard back from Whole Foods,these are the requirements for them to build a store: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company/realestate.php I did submit a request for a proposed store location though.
They would have to clear the other side of White Oak Road for an IKEA, but one could only hope! I would be in so much trouble, the 2.5 hour drive is my only excuse right now. It would be great to have a healthy grocery store, Fresh Market or Whole Foods.
White Oak Demographics SEC of US Hwy 70 & White Oak Rd. Rate: $30.00 per Sq.Ft. Size: 6,500 & 28,000 Sq. Ft. Demographics 5 mile 10 mile Trade Area Est. Population (2009) 72,626 154,945 379,741 Est. Daytime Population/ Employees (2009) 21,544 76,918 99,877 Est. Avg. HH Income (2009) $59,867 $57,146 $50,874 Traffic Counts US Hwy 70: +/- 29,000 cars per day (2007) White Oak Rd.: +/- 21,000 cars per day (2007) Interstate 40: +/- 93,000 cars per day (2007) compare this to whole foods requirements:
"Large number of college-educated residents" What does this have to do with a grocery store? I can understand the requirements for population and accessibility.
Maybe they don't trust that the local school system taught the population how to read and write? Just kidding...it sounds like snobbery to me but probably relates to studies they have done that look at who the majority of their current customers are.
It's not just a grocer, it's "Whole Foods" which is a grocer for the intelligent people. It's all about the "natural and organic" food that us regular dumb hicks can't appreciate. In short, it's Whole Foods for the yuppies and Piggly-Wiggly for the rednecks.
I love the Piggy Store! The newer ones are much nicer than most of the local stores here! I wish they would put one in this area! There's a great one down in Shallotte as well as in the south end of Myrtle Beach.
A: If you ever shopped at a Whole Foods you would know their prices are slightly higher than a typical grocery store. B: College educated for the most part earn more money than non college educated people, which means they can afford the groceries at a Whole Foods. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Educational_attainment_in_the_United_States. On a personal note. I enjoy going to Whole foods once in a while when I can afford it. But I have noticed some of the items they carry that may also be carried by Lowes foods or Krogers is usually higher and I would tend to go to the other stores to pick up the same item. I love getting the milk in glass at Whole foods. Also they have a black bean burrito that I like but its 5.99, whereas I could go to Trader Joe's and get a humus wrap for 2.49
When I first moved up to North Carolina in 1996 I was tooling around getting the lay of the land and found myself in Creedmore. I went right past a Piggly Wiggly and my first thought was of Driving Miss Daisy. I had to stop and go in just for grins and giggles. I couldn't believe they were still using a price gun to price all their items. And right across the street from it was the Police station. It was like a page out of the TV show 'In the heat of the night". It was a small brick police station and I was expecting to see chief Gillespie come walking out the front door. And I agree it would be nice to have a PIggly Wiggly or any other store to compete with a Super wally world or Food Lion.
My dad and stepmother just moved to Pawleys Plantation (Pawleys, SC - just south of Myrtle Beach before Georgetown) from Massachusetts and they love the Piggy store near them. They say they find alot of things there that aren't at other stores, Food Lion, Wallyworld, etc...
One supermarket chain I would like to see come up here is Publix. Use to love going to Publix when I lived in Florida http://www.publix.com/ http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/stories/2010/09/20/story1.html?page=all
I love the Giant stores that my Mom goes to in PA, LOVE them. So clean, great prices, coupon friendly, lots of variety.
