Support NeoGAF

[Darryl M R]

Prime Now in Austin recently started offering delivery from Sprouts in addition to Amazon's products. Owning Whole Foods outright will give them a *substantial* inventory to add to Prime Now for every major city in the US and a strong distribution network for things they're currently not very deep in.

While Whole Foods has been struggling with competition in the organic supermarket space recently, they retain a *lot* of prime retail space, from their HQ acting as a cultural hub in downtown Austin, to Columbus Circle, a billion spots in the Bay Area and SoCal, to Central London even. Amazon could leverage this in all sorts of potential ways.

Also note that automated "walk out the store with your purchases and get charged automatically" no-checkout retail tech they've been showing off recently.

This is the future I want to live in. Especially once the AI controlled robot, designed to look like McCain, greets me and feigns interest in my day.

 

[besada]

Goozon is the future

Let the first Holy War begin, Goozon heretic!

 

[hanspampel]

One more step towards everything being amazon or google.

did you ever heard about this small companies called Microsoft, Apple and Facebook?

 

[hugocésar]

I've been using amazon fresh for the past three months on-and-off since I started eating more vegetarian type food, and I was actually planning on going to whole foods this sunday for the first time. Well then...

 

[Dreadnought]

That Amazon stock jump tho

 

[nature boy]

Wasn't Amazon the company that was planning a grocery store that was so smart you could just walk in, grab the food, and walk out without needing to pay? Maybe this is a move toward that.

Yes, but it's been problematic to fix all the issues, i.e., it's still not as smart as it should be.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

Goozon is the future

Amgle here to stay!

 

[Phoenix RISING]

I almost took the Lord's Name in vein when I read this.

I work for a (private) competitor in grocery supply chain, and we are currently in a regional war with Kroger. This news will impact my career in the long-term.

 

[Vostro]

Wow. This is a move to go against Walmart in the retail space.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Cause most people figure they are on the up and up.

How many times have you gotten something from the deli and come home to weigh it yourself? I've never done that shit.

Forbes - Whole Foods Caught With Their Thumb On The Scale And Their Hand In Your Pocket

I didn't read the article, but do you think they do that with their chicken and fish?

 

[Kickz]

The end we have reached it

 

[whitemex88]

whole foods was faking their products weights weren't they?

Yes and No. It amounts to a bunch of employees not deducting the weights of containers properly when packing the packages foods in store. Just employees not caring enough, not the company being malicious but you know, gotta get those clicks

Edit: little disclaimer, I work for Whole Foods

 

[Steel]

That Amazon stock jump tho

Eh. I mean it's nice, but I've had amazon stock long enough that it's more of a hiccup. Not to mention it's not at the all time high either.

 

[whitemex88]

That Amazon stock jump tho

The Whole Foods one is up 27% and it's probably not done

 

[Kthulhu]

Wasn't Amazon the company that was planning a grocery store that was so smart you could just walk in, grab the food, and walk out without needing to pay? Maybe this is a move toward that.

It'd certainly help with establishing a lot of what goes into a grocery chain.

 

[djplaeskool]

Amazon going in uncured no nitrates added black forest HAM on their grocery game.

Yup. Big stuff happening. Acquisition is the lede on Bloomberg.

 

[sikkinixx]

Would be nice if Amazon took all this money and know how they have and use it in countries outside the fucking US. Our prime in Canada JUST got same-day (for Vancouver and Toronto only) a bit ago and only just got video as well. Plus the selection of goods is pathetic compared to the US.

 

[Mysterious]

CNBC saying Best Buy is next.

Amazon going physical fam.

Where? I don't see it anywhere online.

 

[EviLore]

Target down 10%. Walmart down 6%. Costco down 7.5%. Kroger down 14%. Sprouts down 11.5%. Supervalu down 18%.

 

[jagowar]

Here's what going to happen. Amazon is going to implement Amazon Go at Whole Foods.

https://www.amazon.com/b?node=16008589011

Far easier to buy a mid-tier brand than opening up hundreds of Amazon Grocery store, and just install the service there.

Thats exactly what I see happening too... Whole foods has the distribution/relationship food producers and amazon has ordering process nailed down. Makes things like the "free" alexa dash wand much more intriguing.

 

[AP90]

So does this mean the amazon prime annual subscription will now increase to $150 from $100??

I am cry if so.

 

[Walter White Walker]

Amazon and Whole Foods stock up, Walmart, Target, and Kroger going down.

 

[gcubed]

Target down 10%. Walmart down 6%. Costco down 7.5%. Kroger down 14%. Sprouts down 11.5%. Supervalu down 18%.

Time to buy

 

[Khalifa Jayy]

Whole Foods has had a ton of issues.

Faking weight, selling expired things, passing non organic shit off as organic ect...

Yea, but their brand recognition is basically unmatched right now.

 

[Cymbal Head]

Let the first Holy War begin, Goozon heretic!

Guys, it'll be called Alphazon.

 

[djplaeskool]

Target down 10%. Walmart down 6%. Costco down 7.5%. Kroger down 14%. Sprouts down 11.5%. Supervalu down 18%.

Yikes.
Shots fired. Shots fired.

 

[Humidex]

I can imagine a scenario where Whole Foods outlets become Amazon Go stores. More so considering many WF stores are in metropolitan areas.

 

[GoldenEye 007]

Target down 10%. Walmart down 6%. Costco down 7.5%. Kroger down 14%. Sprouts down 11.5%. Supervalu down 18%.

Jesus. They'll probably recover, but damn.

 

[outunderthestars]

Beginning to get really worried about the long term impact of Amazon on our economy...

 

[djplaeskool]

Beginning to get really worried about the long term impact of Amazon on our economy...

In the future, there is only Amazon, and its dominance shalln't be questioned.

 

[whitemex88]

Beginning to get really worried about the long term impact of Amazon on our economy...

They are the economy

 

[Kthulhu]

Can we please stop freaking out about AI and start worrying about the ever-expanding control of a few tech companies over everything in our lives?

Why should I?

 

[GoldenEye 007]

I can imagine a scenario where Whole Foods outlets become Amazon Go stores. More so considering many WF stores are in metropolitan areas.

Yup. Order groceries and select products online or on the road, and ready within the hour. Pick up both at the same time.

 

[AyaisMUsikWhore]

This is scary. This is going to be for Amazons grocery stores right? Idk....I'm not sure if I'm feeling this at all

 

[JB2448]

Oh man. I hope they keep the HQ in Austin. There are a decent number of jobs there....

I'm worried Amazon is buying a name for their grocery delivery service.

This is scary. This is going to be for Amazons grocery stores right? Idk....I'm not sure if I'm feeling this at all

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2281414

Whole Foods Market will continue to operate stores under the Whole Foods Market brand and source from trusted vendors and partners around the world. John Mackey will remain as CEO of Whole Foods Market and Whole Foods Market's headquarters will stay in Austin, Texas.

 

[teruterubozu]

http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=176060&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2281414

All companies say that shit when they first buy 'em out.

 

[bionic77]

Beginning to get really worried about the long term impact of Amazon on our economy...

They are so far ahead of everyone else that it can seem troubling because they are just disrupting and wrecking everything.

Doesn't help that they are a horrible company to work for.

 

[ColdPizza]

Holy shit. Instant B&M presence.

I love it...it's all coming together.

Local news in Buffalo just announced yesterday that one of the suburbs is getting an Amazon Warehouse, and we're getting a new Whole Foods built in town.

Hoping this means we can get same day shipping.

 

[Woorloog]

In the future, there is only Amazon, and its dominance shalln't be questioned.

Amusingly, there is one science fiction book (The Risen Empire, very good book actually) where in backstory the first real planet-scale super-AI rose on Earth and was called Amazon.

 

[antibolo]

Amazon buying ALL OF THE FOODS

 

[chromatic9]

did you ever heard about this small companies called Microsoft, Apple and Facebook?

Yes?

 

[GoldenEye 007]

In the future, there is only Amazon, and its dominance shalln't be questioned.

Amazon and Taco Bell.

 

[whitemex88]

The only good thing I can see for this is Amazon upgrading every single part of Whole Foods operations. They're main distributior UNFI is a joke, constantly running out of product,sending the wrong stuff or not sending it entirely. And the ordering system us archaic as all fuck. They still have employees order manually increasing the human error aspect of it all.

 

[Timeaisis]

Wow, that's crazy.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Amazon and Chic Fil A.

FTFY

 

[kingslunk]

This good or bad?

Good for consumers. Bad for jobs/workers if they go to change all whole foods to amazon go

 

[J-Skee]

Prime is the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Aces&Eights]

I'm at the perfect age to throw myself to the corporate overlords of same day delivery and supreme search engines. I get to enjoy all the comforts for a couple more decades and when they finally come for our souls I'll be dead.

 

[SecretMoblin]

wow, stocks for B&M stores across the board are tanking

the market loves this

 

[One Eyed Willy]

Alexa, order me some kale.

haha nicely done.. I chuckled.

I don't shop at Whole Foods, even though there is one across the road from me. Its too pretentious and expensive but with an Amazon take-over I'm slightly perked as to what changes they may do the the brand, products and pricing.