Monday, May 17, 2010

Whole Foods Darien: Good Stuff, Traffic

I can cheerfully predict that Whole Foods Darien will continue the traffic tradition of Whole Foods Greenwich. At the sneak peek I attended tonight at 5:20 pm, traffic was backed all the way up onto Route 1. Whatever. Whole Foods just means traffic, and we need to accept it. (I was at Whole Foods Columbus Circle in NYC in Saturday, and that was a wreck too. We got Brownie Bites, though, so it was all good.)

Anyway, the baby and I, along with a boatload of other mothers with kids aged 8 and under, perused the Whole Foods Darien, which opens officially on Wednesday. I was most interested in the baby items, since that's my latest obsession. I was happy to see that WFD carries two of my favorite Skip Hop items: the Pronto and the Wipes Case, which is the best wipes case you will EVER lay your hands on. I bought another one today, so now I own two. This way, I don't have to keep switching it from my fancy diaper bag to my Skip Hop backpack when I need a different diaper bag for my different outing purpose (look cute or be hands free). I cannot risk forgetting wipes, because while I CAN wipe snot and food off the kid with my sweater, I certainly do not want to try and change a poopy diaper like that.

If you go check out WFD, so be sure to leave lots of time, so you are not grumpy when you encounter crowds. The parking lot was completely full when I left just before 6pm this evening. All I can say is, they should have built a slightly bigger lot. It is gonna be a mess. I mean that in the nicest way possible.

The event tonight was fun but crowded. I got some freebies on the way out the door, but I'm too tired to post about them. I also ran into two fellow bloggers, which is always awesome.

See more photos after the jump.


One side of deli area.


Check out area.



Wide open area in back of store.



The "Whole Body" aisle.

13 comments:

Poems in Search of Pictures said...

Very cool! Thanks for all the insight!

Streets of Stamford said...

Putting aside that we should have our own Whole Foods (wonder why we don't...?), I can't wait to check this one out. Even if the parking is a mess, it still has to be better than the lot at the Greenwich location, where you're invisible to the housewives in their SUVs.

Chris Preovolos said...

The New Yorker said it best (of the Greenwich Whole Food parking lot):

"...preparation, perhaps, for the real-life Whole Foods parking lot, a notorious battleground of eight-cylinder automobiles piloted with near-comical rage but over-cafeintaed women and over compensated men. If money buys anything here, it's impatience."

Still waiting for Fairway. That's where I'll shop.

Chris Preovolos said...

Oh yeah, and shameless plug: If you are going to Whole Foods Darien, you should check out Espresso NEAT, since it's around the corner.

Streets of Stamford said...

Hilarious - gotta love the New Yorker!

Oh yeah, how could I forget about Fairway?? That place is going to be the crown jewel of Stamford.

262mom said...

Love WF! Didn't know they have all the baby prods. Apparently we are missing out on Fairway.?.

Enjoy!!!

After Words said...

I'll be in walking distance of Whole Foods...wondering if that's going to be a better option than taking the car. At least it'll limit impulse purchases!

Stamford Talk said...

The parking lot is def. better than Greenwich Whole Foods!

I don't get the New Yorker quote. What is the "real-life" Whole Foods parking lot, and how is the GWF parking lot preparation for the GWF parking lot. No comprendo.

irenesbooks said...

It was a mob indeed! Looked for you after I saw you walking in, but too big a crowd. Did you get your free light bulb and basil plant?

I think though the parking will be adequate. I think the lot is larger than even in Westport.

Going shopping first thing in the morning!

irenesbooks said...

Yes, NEAT is really neat!

Streets of Stamford said...

Oddly enough, the Whole Foods website still lists Stamford under "Stores in Development." Hmm...

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/newstores.php#CT

Meg/FairfieldCountyChild.com said...

A corporate Whole Foods employee told me at the Darien opening that there is a Whole Foods opening in Stamford within the year. Just in case we don't have enough traffic here.

Anonymous said...

I hate traffic and the amount of time it takes to get in and out of the grocery store, I would rather order from Fresh Direct who started delivering in Stamford, Greenwich this may.
I used to use them when I was in NYC but since I moved t Stamford, couldn't use them because they were not delivering to Stamford but now they have started delivering to Stamford, Greenwich and westchester county.

It is so convenient and you can just order your groceries over the Internet or through your iPhone because they have a supercool iPhone app. It was a blessing to have fresh direct in new yoork city.