Run, Gun, and Have Fun -- Whole Foods Market style

“Whole Foods is more like a fast-breaking basketball team. We’re driving down the court, but we don’t exactly know how the play is going to evolve.” -- John Mackey, Point Guard forWHOLE FOODS MARKET

Ya know … as a former bench player for Whole Foods Market, that’s probably the best way to describe the playing style of the company. Whole Foods fast break style is indeed frenetic, focused, and fabulous.

You can find more compelling candor from John Mackey, Whole Foods Market co-founder and CEO, in this liberated Texas Monthly interview (.doc). And when you read this interview, you’ll learn Mackey refuses to shop at Central Market, Whole Food’s biggest competitor in Texas.

Interesting. I wonder if he shops at Trader Joe’s ???

If not, he should. Trader Joe’s is positioning itself nicely to compete against the Whole Foods Market juggernaut.

Comments

[chronicler]

I have always viewed Whole Foods as the Southwest Airlines of the Grocery Industry. They are exactly how you describe them - Run, Gun and Have fun! I worked at the competition Central Market back in the early 90s. The north Lamar location. One thing that always surprised me was how the two stores were alike yet so very different.

Each of them stole ideas from the other. The defections were viewed as tantamount to treason! Interesting that he mentioned 'stealing' an idea from Central and it ending up in Chicago. One of me very best friends defected to Whole Foods Chicago. LOL.

The only thing I found that Central did better was customer service. John Campbell instilled in each of us how important our customers were. We were taught to walk the talk and their customer service is still the best there can be.

Oh and on the TJs question? There are none in Texas. Maybe he stops in when he's in California. Like they say, you gotta know your competition. Where TJs does better than WF? In the 'neighborhood' effect they have. Their prices are about the same but TJs projects the 'we're your neighbor' feel much better.

[Thomas]

Mackey's comments are interesting and entertaining. Sounds like a fun place to work. I have concerns though. It seems as though he believes they have created a new category, and they have not. They are claiming a piece of an existing one, and that can work if there is a new twist or great timing. But it alarms me when I see that it is considered treason to shop at the competitor's place. Big red flag if his staff follows suit. Reminds me of the Boeing Senior Manager I sat next to on a flight years ago. He had his whole team of managers with him, and went on and on proudly about how he forbids his team from ever EVER flying on an Airbus. I told him I thought he should, because Airbus was taking his business, and that their planes were quieter and better appointed. I really thought the guy was going to kill me for saying that in front of his beaten-down over-bred lemmings. Airbus is kicking Boeing's arse now. Insularity is never a good thing, and it can kill over time, even though appears to be "good breeding of a superior gene pool" in the short term. Still, sounds fun, I want to visit one of the stores.

[Shawn Struck]

Hmm.

I've always considered Central Market to be the more pleasant, spacious, customer oriented and "must" location to shop at when my fiancée have the money.

It was still a very interesting an illuminating interview. Thanks for liberating it. ;)