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Walking
down Bowery last evening to the new über-Whole Foods, musing that while I’ve been to many a restaurant
opening, I realized this would be my first grocery store party. I’d planned to arrive
promptly to avoid the crush of the 1200 guests, but was delayed by a stop into Patricia Field. I addition to a couple of items I must re-visit to try and buy,
I discovered the world’s largest cache of Members Only jackets. There were racks
and racks of them, many still shrouded in plastic newness, a rainbow of colors
and sizes. The sheer quantity was breath taking, indicating there must be
demand. But I
digress…

The 71,000
square-foot store is impressive. There are new service additions like the
in-house smoked meats, a cooking studio, the cheese relaxation room  (where the fromage can rest and ripen while listening to the soothing sounds of the mini-water fall), and the hemp leisurewear with
inspirational slogans like "live green." Said guests (likely the highest number
of suits the store will ever see, the LES is decidedly not navy blazer country) were served via free-sample type stations and ‘team members’
passing hors d’oeuvre. To wit, one woman remarked "Did you see how hot the staff is? I wonder if
they only hired good-looking people?" In surveying the shining glory of the
almost, fully racked shelves, I heard many a party-goer exclaim how great everything looked, "It’s like Christmas morning!" And how much they’d love to
take that imported olive oil/vitamin/chocolate box home. As it’s my first store opening, I’m not sure about the protocol, but is shop-lifting to be expected?
The retail term for theft is shrink and yes, a certain
amount of shrinkage was planned into the evening. I learned that most of the
vendors with product in the store had stocked the shelves gratis for the
opening, it’s called first fronting. 

I realized on
the walk home that my Whole Foods (the original on
7^th Avenue were I shop almost
daily) is now wholly inadequate. Are we in Chelsea not deserving of a pomme frites bar too?