Consumer Maven

Whole Foods, Whole Unpleasantness

I was just returning home from my dentist's office, located on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.  Having had a noon appointment, by the time I got out of their office I was famished, and decided to pick up something to eat at the Whole Foods Market on Huron.  I've had spotty experiences there.  There have been some visits where it was reasonably pleasant, but most often than not, I have found the personnel, particularly the cashiers, as very impersonal. 

My deli experience was good.  The gal there was pleasant and friendly.  I wish I could say the same thing for the check-out register.  I had a gift card which did not cover the amount of my purchase, so I asked the cashier if she would take the card, since I did not see a trash receptacle.  She gave me a defiant look and said she would not, that I should just keep it.  I said I didn't see a waste basket, didn't she have one under the counter??  She glared at me and said to just 'leave it on the counter, 'they'll' come clean it up later.  That was the beginning of a rather unpleasant and negative encounter. 

There used to be a time when I loved shopping at Whole Foods.  It was the darling of my consumer shopping experiences.  Now I only shop there out due to dietary requirements.  Instead, whenever possible, I go to Trader Joes or my local Jewel, both of which have FRIENDLY cashiers and employees.  Even when I use the automated check out at Jewel, there is always someone supervising the automated attendants who always makes eye contact and says "hello" or some other greeting.  Unlike at Whole Foods, where the "hellos" feel forced and mechanical, with the sincerity of con man, at Trader Joes and at Jewels the employees there connect to their customers on a more personal level, with open energy and an honest welcome. 

If I hadn't loved Whole Foods so much in the past, I wouldn't be writing about it yet again.  John Mackey has done some great things to lead WFM into the forefront of being a natural foods empire, and I would easily say that he could be credited for helping change the way many people in the mainstream now eat.  However, John Mackey is now in need of doing something to get rid of this robotic, dark energy that permeates his cashiers and much of his stores.  I have to admit that I'm a sensitive, so I do feel things many people do not.  However, in that spirit, I must say that because I feel it now, it is an excellent time to do something about it before everyone else, the non-sensitives, begin to feel it.  When that happens, it will be too late for Whole Foods.  Whole Foods needs a Spiritual Director, someone who can clean up this negativity and again make it into THE destination for those of us who not only value good food and social responsibility, but spiritual responsibility as well.  Right now, it feels like WFM is going into spiritual bankruptcy. 

EMF WiFi Protection: Love it and Use it wisely

I am part of a virtual organization, which means that the people I work with aren’t in the same office with me. Because almost everything we do requires a broadband connection, before WiFi I was tied to my residence and often felt isolated. WiFi has been amazing in that it has allowed me to literally take my show on the road. Armed with several wireless Internet Connections, I can go to one of several hotspots and use my notebook. Cell phone in hand, I can take care of my voice call requirements as well. Still, one must ask, are there any downsides to Wifi that we aren’t considering???

I am also what some would call ‘a sensitive.’ This has made being at home a huge plus, and being in WiFi environments a huge negative, until recently. My first encounter with WiFi was several years ago when I went to a networking event at a private business club. They were unveiling their newly installed wireless network. Both myself and another attendee found ourselves walking aimlessly and confused while trying to find our luncheon tables.  Being a foodie, normally finding a table to eat at is like a bird with a homing device for me.  I began to notice that other prolonged exposures in wireless environments left my brain feeling similarly twisted up and out of sync. I began to try to avoid them, because I found my brain would turn to mush and I’d go into a zombie like state.

I live in a three flat. After a friend of mine bought a new computer that came with WiFi card, she sent me her old one. Curious, I plugged mine in just to install it. Surprise!! The people above me had a wireless network. I called a friend of mine, who sells products to help protect people from the spiritual effects of environmental electromagnetic fields. It may sound way out there for those of you who don’t live in your spiritual bodies as much as your physical ones. For people like me, products like that speak to me. I told her about the network above me. A psychic, she tuned in. I was only covered 50%, so she upgraded her EMF protection devices. I felt the shift immediately. It also explained why, after the new tenants moved in, I had become increasingly disoriented at home. 

The upgrades left me feeling much more positive about WiFi networks, so positive in fact that I installed one in my place. Eeeee. I began to feel a little odd again. I called my friend. Apparently, by introducing another network (and a total of four computers in the same building on two networks), another upgrade was required. Enter hot, summer weather and a need to escape into air conditioning and have some company. I purchased a month of WiFi service so that I could use my computer at my local coffee shop. The first day there, I checked my WiFi card for available networks. Eeeeks. I was sitting in the middle of six different networks. I called my friend. She did more upgrades. Now that my EMF protection device has been super sized to cover me being in six networks, I’ve noticed that my time in the coffee shop feels so much better, my brain doesn’t feel fried and I can concentrate again.  For anyone interested in feeling better while enjoying the freedom of WiFi computing, her EMF and WiFi Protection devices are a must have!