BOULDER -- The single aisle in front of frozen foods was jammed up. The search for the free jug of juice with your coupon was frantic. And outside, cars prowled the parking lot for spaces like a Sunday Broncos game.
Today's opening day for Boulder's newest natural foods grocery, Sprouts Farmers Market, was pretty much a mad house all morning. But the new employees kept on smiling, answering everyone's questions as clerks loaded up groceries into new, free bright green recyclable Sprouts grocery bags. After all, the name on your carrying bag in Boulder shows where your loyalty starts -- King Soopers, Whole Foods, Safeway, Lucky's, Sunflower Farmers' Market?
The freebies on opening day weren't quite as good as even a normal shopping day at Whole Foods, but customers seemed to be smiling at the prices. Located in the Williams Village Shops on Baseline Road in the former space of 24-Hour Fitness, the Arizona-based chain has picked a pretty good location to serve the south end of the city.
Wild Oats, bought and renamed by Whole Foods, in the Basemar Center also on Baseline, was pretty much the only natural foods-style grocer in this part of town until King Soopers in the Table Mesa Shopping Center modernized its store and added a large natural products and vitamins section as well as a much larger selection of organic products.
Recently there's been talk that Whole Foods will sell its smaller store in South Boulder, and a rumored bidder might be Lucky's, the independent but very popular North Boulder grocery.
On my opening day visit, the store has the look and feel of the Sunflower Farmers' Market in the Village Shopping Center near McGuckin's. If I had to guess, I'd say Sprouts -- if they can continue to keep some prices low and offer regular weekly specials -- will do a pretty good job of denting the market for the smaller Wholes Foods on Baseline and Sunflower.
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