Whole Foods just opened in our neighborhood, after being “on hold” for more than a year due to the economic downturn. The food ranges from glamorous to near-erotic. Prices are high. I have to unload my own cart. It is difficult to see what is being rung up.

Shopping at Whole Foods makes me feel slightly disloyal to my regular grocery store, Raley’s. Raley’s manages the shopping cart at the checkout stand. It seems so much more ergonomic and efficient. It is easy to read the checker’s screen, and the information is also available on the credit card screen. I like that they don’t charge extra for postage stamps. I like their prices and the quality of their conventional produce. I the low-turnover in personnel. They handle bananas better than anyone.

Will I be seduced away by the glamor of Whole Foods?