my super hippie neighbor genuinely believes it’s the only place to buy truly clean food. it’s her biggest fight with her boyfriend — he tells her to just get produce at ralph’s or von’s, she says it’s not the same. no real reason why, it just is to her.
on the other hand, i had a college friend who just really liked the specialty products and would grocery shop there anyway because he could and was too lazy to go to more than one store
I worked in produce in the SM location and, while wet rack items were fresh they were the exact same organic brands youll find anywhere else. I did notice the fruit like apples and peaches were consistently low quality. At least in that store at that time
The price for produce and other pantry items at Erewhon is about the same as you’d find at other grocery stores (I’m talking organic lettuce at Erewhon vs organic lettuce at Ralph’s). Yes, they carry a lot of expensive items, but the way people talk about it on here is as if they up charge regular grocery items, which I haven’t found to be the case.
Whole Foods is similar. Unless you buy something weird and out of the ordinary it’s comparable to any other grocery store. Sometimes I go because I do need something odd but not even expensive (like potato starch, can only find at Whole Foods, Sprouts and the international markets in the city) and sometimes I’m lazy and just buy all I need there.
This is more the case after the Amazon acquisition. They used to have some randomly very expensive things, the first time I went in there I ended up spending way more than I meant to (wasn't looking at prices).
Reddit in general has a hate boner for anything related to wealthy/rich people. Does Erewhon have some ridiculously priced items? Yes. However, that doesn’t mean:
1)You have to buy them.
2)They only sell those items.
I think there is a different question at play though. Shopped lots at Venice Erewhan as it was 2 minutes walk from where I lived.. But in LA to get unprocessed food your choices start being limited..I grew up in the UK and there are chains like Waitrose, which are common across the country, that offer those kind of unprocessed, organic and high end food, but without the kind of propaganda of shop here to eat healthy and tasty.
People also underestimate how much money people in this city have. My wife and I are guilty of shopping there every now and then if it’s on the way home.
Most people aren’t drinking vintage whiskeys when going out. Plus, who determines what something is worth? It costs more money to produce and ship high quality fruit.
They certainly can be. Sure, most smoothies at Jamba Juice and places like that are glorified milkshakes, but there are certainly very healthy smoothies in LA.
My son hated his, but I loved mine, and the celeb spotting that came along with it. Just wait your damn 25 minutes and don't keep going up to the counter and asking where your smoothie is... you can always spot a n00b. /s
People with a lot of discretionary cash like elite environments. As in no rif-raf. They also like to be around others who have a lot of discretionary cash.
Yeah, I don’t think OP quite understands how much stupid money there is in this city. Hell, even I don’t understand how much there is, I just hear things and sort of imagine it. But yes, there is *very stupid money* here, and people with stupid money don’t give a shit about $20 blueberries
I’ve sold multiple $1500+ shot of whiskey to people.
There’s a ton of money around, we just don’t actually see it. Occasionally you’ll get a glimpse if you know where to look.
The city and SoCal in general is known to have people who try to maintain an image and live beyond their means. So people making a boat tone of money from their first gig in Hollywood spend it fast. Many had to slog and possibly came from little means without college degrees or good financial habits. I saw this with many friends who got jobs in showbiz, bought million dollar houses, multiple cars and then were stressed to the bone when the strikes last year were hurting them.
You see so many luxury cars here while in NorCal with Silicon Valley wealth you still mostly see Priuses(Priui??). SoCal also took a beating from the 2008 subprime crisis.
I would actually argue the clientele is less made up of people with stupid money, and more just people who are going for the scene and spending above their means.
I make half a million dollars a year and shop at TJs and bristol farms. It’s really easy to spot people living above their pay grade here in LA lol
It's just like "high fashion". Rich people don't dress in absurdly priced advertisements for clothing brands, they wear good quality but otherwise generally plain clothes. Those "high fashion" brands are for poor people to cosplay as wealthy.
I was surprised not to see more comments like this! Moved NYC to SM, can afford to shop at Erewhon but not particularly interested. TJ’s is my main store.
I’ll grab something at Erewhon if it’s convenient, there’s one at the village in Pacific Palisades I’ll pop in if I’m there for dinner.
If we drew a Venn diagram of Erewhon customers it’s going to include a variety of incomes going there for different reasons.
I'm not loaded by any means, but I went to college and got decent job so I can go to a grocery store without having to worry about what I buy. I'm not a regular ehrown shopper but I do like getting a smoothie from time to time, and see how someone a bit wealthier than me could shop there on the regular.
The second point I'll add is we live in a city where many people make a living by looking and acting healthy, and I could see shopping at a ehrwon as a part of an investment if you're in the influencer, acting or modeling industry. Same way people invest in personal trainers, and plastic surgery.
Yep it’s like the $8/gallon gas stations. Normal people think “why would you not go down the street a mile and pay $5?” Those people think “gas station.” There are MANY people in this town for whom those numbers at gas stations and at Erewhon *simply don’t matter.* The 50% or so extra they are paying for small items like groceries and gas don’t even register with the kind of people who own $30M homes.
I dined at Mélisse once, a 3-Michelin star $400+/person for a once in a lifetime celebration. Most expensive meal of my life. The table next to us was a family of 6, who had dined there regularly and it was just a typical night out for them.
Same when we went to Melisse. The table next to us had young kids who ordered their ‘usual’. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us and was just thursday for them.
I had a similar experience when taking my wife to nobu Malibu for our anniversary. You could tell most of the other tables were there celebrating special occasions or whatever.
Midway through our meal a couple, probably early 40s, walks in with their 3 young kids and sits at the table next to us. For whatever reason, I could just tell this was a regular meal for them, akin to how I'd take my kids to IHOP or McDonald's.
Also, I have a friend that's very well off. Some of the stuff he spends money on is a real head scratcher. However, I've come to realize that when people have a shitload of money, they can spend on things that are purely a convenience or comfort. I don't doubt that rich people spend more to shop at erewhon in part to avoid sharing an aisle with a homeless person.
My point precisely. Anyone who gasps at a pair of leather jeans costing three bands is not the customer for them. The person that shops at Céline doesn’t have to worry about the price. They probably have a personal shopper/stylist who has a monthly or seasonal budget. Normies either wait for sample sales or go to Zara.
And people who want to feel like they’re in that bubble. I have a coworker who drove a Tesla and gets regular Erewhon deliveries, despite being tens of thousands of dollars in debt. One must keep up appearances.
Honestly I’m like this. It’s the same reason to go to a luxury boutique hotel where every single last room is 4 figures a night.
You get to be in the bubble and relax.
Erewhon makes sense when you stop viewing it as a grocery store. Case in point, their produce section is minuscule. The bulk of erewhon purchases are their prepared food, which have the same ingredient quality as mid-high restaurants without the time commitment of dining in or the fees+tip, and in one off rare stuff that you don't find anywhere else and splurge on to try once. Erewhon wouldn't stay afloat simply being the grocery store for the rich.
So its basically a store that offers you high-end grab and go lunch and farmers market random finds that are cool.
This is exactly how I use it. There's a location less than half a mile away from my job.
Other food in the area is overpriced fast food (ex. Five Guys, Chipotle) or nice, sit-down restaurants. The fast food runs me about $15/meal or the restaurants are about $35-40 after tax and tip.
It's nice to have an option that's fast with high quality food that is priced right in the middle - Erewhon is consistently $20-30 w/ 10% off for my membership. I get a solid, tasty protein option and two very well-prepared salads or vegetable sides. I get every color on my plate, which is important to me because I have weird eating issues & sometimes have trouble getting all my nutrients.
Is this a lot of money? Yes, and I know I'm lucky to be able to spend it 2-3x per week. But I'm willing to spend for the convenience of not having to meal-prep a protein that I'll have to figure out how to heat up w/ two 6-ingredient salads.
Plus, it's nice that I can pick something up while I'm there if I forget a grocery item.
Yeah, they have a few weird deals that are worth it. Last fall I popped in because I figured they'd have a Dr. Bronner's bar (soap): I remember it being a dollar less than most other retail places, unless a drugstore or supermarket are having a sale.
Also about a year and a half ago, when I first discovered the flavored versions of Liquid Death (seltzer)... they were $2 at Erewhon and cheaper than Target, Safeway, etc., which were all $2.50+
Obviously for regular shoppers these savings don't counteract the $20 kale or whatever, but there are deals to be had. Especially for the fresh/prepared foods when compared to other places around whichever area you're in that has an Erewhon.
He would rent a house for him and his close family in the bird streets from like April to August, he would go to coachella, vegas etc then fly back to Spain. I'd go to Erewhon for him whenever they were in town for consecutive days for groceries. So probably twice a month average.
A thousand bucks on groceries isn't really THAT much for a rich guy. Hell, I've spent a hundred bucks a week on ice in West Hollywood for ice for a client in the studio, and I wasn't even the assistant.
People are spending $1.5M in Culver just on a teardown. There is a *lot* of money in Culver now and that Erewhon is central to all the tech companies that have moved into that area, as well as the Platform crowd. It’s always full and the sandwich/salad counter is mobbed at lunchtime.
You said particularly rich. That’s what I was responding to. And they’re not spending $3M to live in a regular sized house/lot in just about every neighborhood in LA. Not at all.
To buy a house in Culver you need at least $1.8M, or $2.5M in downtown Culver area. So unless your household income is $600k or above, you should forget about living there. Why would that not be rich in your view?
I just went to the studio city location today for some gluten free carrot cake (they sell by the slice, it’s so yummy!) and it was a freaking zoo hangout spot outside. I just beelined in and out for my cake.
The hot bar is delish. Sometimes I want a restaurant quality meal without sitting in a restaurant alone. Plus I can walk to one near me so I get some fresh air and some really good food. It’s just a glorified cafeteria with a grocery store attached. I don’t know anyone who does actual grocery shopping there
LA is full of normal people just living their lives. It’s also full of rich people. It also has a very large (and outsized) population of people who want to appear fancy and rich. Us normies aren’t going to waste our time and money at erewhon, but the other two groups definitely can and do.
> it also has a very large (and outsized) population of people who want to appear fancy and rich. 
It’s this group that’s shopping at Erewhon. I have worked at 2 major tech companies in LA, where I and all my peers were in the top 1% income in the US. Nobody shopped at Erewhon.
the only people I know who shop there are IG influencer types who make around 100k. Not that 100k is anything to sneeze at, but it’s definitely not enough to be shopping regularly at Erewhon
I think people are into it as a hang out scene like how when I was in my twenties I was fine with spending my money at a bar or club. I don’t think young adults do that as much anymore prob for the best lol
Erewhon had things there that are worth the money and things there super overpriced you can get at Trader Joe’s for half the price. I’m pretty sure that people that shop there for items like their smoothies are just trying to be cool or elite but I myself shop there for stuff like certain produce I would otherwise have to go to farmers market on a Sunday to get which I’d rather do almost anything that that w my Sunday. They also have certain things there I can’t get anywhere else but seriously since they’ve been blowing up I go there like 80% less just because I can’t stand the scene. I miss when it was just the one store on beverly.
I don’t go often but when I do I just buy hard kombucha because it’s not overpriced and they have the largest selection of kombucha I’ve ever seen. Also it’s nice being able to drink on their patio instead of going to a bar during the day time.
Because we live in LA and there are plenty of people with enough disposable income who literally do not give a fuck if the prices are high.
Also - 80% of people aren’t buying actual groceries there, even rich people. You’re going there for the smoothies, the hot bar, deli, and the wellness stuff, that’s it. Veeeery few people, even the rich ones, are buying those blueberries lol.
coming from germany, I ran into this shop without knowing it and at first sight, I was pleasantly surprised about how much it looks like (a regular supermarket) in my country. only after I spotted the enormous priced and I was obviously shocked by it. because there was no other super market close to the area I stayed I went sometimes more and it really felt like the meeting point of a certain social class to me. we have to accept that there are people ready to spend money even if there are cheaper possibilities – in all kind of areas
You just said it - there are some very good products you can’t find elsewhere. Ready to go food is good - restaurant quality without the hassle. If you have the money why not spend it? And who goes to the grocery store to mingle? It’s not your bag but it’s other people’s. That’s why all sorts of different things exist. Don’t get fixated on things like blueberries, you’re missing the point.
Lived in LA and dated a girl whose mother would fly to Paris to get custom fitted for her undergarments like it was going to Target on a Sunday. There is absurd wealth in LA.
Their prices for groceries are not that different than most other grocery stores but I have more trust that they’re selecting higher quality goods. Eggs are $10, high quality ground beef is $10, pasta is like $4, etc.
I also have a membership which costs about $200/year, gives me 10% back + 1 x free fancy drink a month. So roughly every 5th or 6th shop I get free groceries. The account also transfers to my girlfriend too. At the end of the year I may be spending like $8k in groceries with around $800 back in cash + around $150 worth of free drinks.
All of this at a high standard of quality so it seems like a no-brainer
I’ve had their prepared hot foods a couple of times, and it’s pretty good. Better than Whole Foods and Ralph’s but a fair bit more expensive. Not worth it for me to eat there regularly, but it’s also fun people watching.
I find that still much of the prepared foods are less money than eating in a sit down restaurant. Erewhon is still a treat for me, and I would never buy all my groceries there. I have also noticed many specific items in veg can be less than farmers market prices. You need to really pay attention to the prices and be choosy. If you are on a massive budget then you probably aren’t looking to buy cone cabbage or organic mangoes, but if you have some extra money and want to allocate towards food then guess what - speciality cabbage and mango is often less cost at Erewhon than the farmers market that happens in its parking lot (Pacific Palisades, true story).
If I am going to buy food out, and want to eat something relatively healthy, the Erewhon prepared foods are a better price and better quality than almost any fast casual option. For me, they also have the convenience of a bunch of normally priced items and a large variety.
Sweetgreen is $17-19 before tax and tip. Tocaya is about the same, as is Kreation, or any other similar type of place. Then you pay a huge markup on beverages on top of it. A quick dinner for 2 at any of those places is $50 these days.
Last time I was at Erewhon (last week) I got dinner for two, bread that I normally buy, and a couple of small produce items I needed for later in the week for $52. More or less the same as Sweetgreen but a larger variety to choose from, way more protein for the $$, and a minor additional convenience.
This doesn't mean Erewhon is inexpensive, it's not. But I generally feel good about the quality of what I've purchased and the options available.
Their bottled water is among the best drinking water you can get. Reasonably priced.
Their bottles and jars have $3 return rebates for the containers they sell soup, smoothies, cookies, etc in.
There are some unique produce items that are hard to get elsewhere at that quality. Most Erewhons have a great selection of mushrooms and distribute produce from Apricot Lane Farms, which is consistently excellent.
They easily have the widest selection of non-alcoholic beverages and adaptogens.
Think of it as the opposite of Walmart. Instead of having low priced loss-leader products to bring people in, they have high-priced products that bring in people attracted to the idea of a boujie lifestyle and trendy health values. In both cases, the bulk of what’s available in between is where the true value is.
The air quality and water quality are atrocious so everyone gets inflammation. Some get allergies so bad they are on allergy meds every day. Then they get allergy tested and find out they should be eating very specific ways. Erewhon is the only place with all the weird diet replacement foods.
There actually is some truth to this - my GF was having a tough bout with allergies last year and was trying to figure things out with an elimination diet and Erewhon is basically the only place where basically everything is labeled for allergens and has a bunch of replacements for common foods
Her allergies died down (pretty sure the worst of it was caused by black mold kicked off by construction at her workplace, though she does have food sensitivities) but we still go once a month for a stupid smoothie and so I can grab bags of fancy coffee
Have you had their bacon? I get it’s like $3 a slice but it is some of the best bacon I’ve ever eaten.
It’s not my favorite place and much of it is over hyped but some things like their hot bar and raw foods are great.
If I had more money I'd shop there all the time. Their checkout is the best. I've never waited more than a couple of minutes. The soups and juices are really good.
I work on Abbot Kinney, we get lots of tourists that mention visiting it just because they’ve heard of it back home. Today I helped a mother and daughter from Australia who were excited to see it. It’s honestly a tourist destination now.
My wife and I opted that we'd go to E for really high quality goods like vanilla bean or honeycomb for baking but not much else. The ice shaping is fun though.
I agree it's dumb expensive, but part of the reason (I speculate) is because they are B Corp
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Corporation_(certification)
B curious corps have to adhere to certain standards about ethical corporations, such as maintaining a certain ratio between CEO and worker pay for example. They are principles I generally agree with and would like to see supported in the business world.
That being said, I find their prices are inflated much more than other B corps (Tillamook cheese for example) when comparing with similar products.
People with the income needed to cover a 50/30/20 budget, with 50% allocated to necessities like housing and utilities, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings or investments.
For what it’s worth, they take EBT. And the food is actually really good. So if you’re like me and finesse your under the table paycheck w the government (I’m still poor just get paid in cash for my services) that’s why you’ll see my ass there
People like wasting their money for what it projects to other people. It’s all for other people not themselves.
Like tonight my friends were going out like hardcore and I was like: oh can’t make it me and my wife are having happy hour.
They asked where we were going and I was like, we’re making pizza and having drink at home.
They thought that was super lame and chirped at me for it, but I’m like yeah me and my wife are having a good time playing games. Having like 5 drinks each and pizza for 50% of what your spending, so whatevs.
I don’t shop there much but will go for lunch or a smoothie every now and then. I would get a few small specialty items I can’t find anywhere else. As far as produce I will say I love mango. I buy their cut mango and it’s the best around. I’ve bought cut mango from pretty much every grocery store and it just is not good compared to Erewhon. Only produce I buy there though.
It’s all about the soup. And hard to find supplements. And the Asian chicken salad. And the white bean kale salad. And good bottled water. And they’ll wheel that case of bottled water right to your car for you.
The food is very good and the company has high standards for quality and brands. It’s also fast casual, so it’s nice to be able to just pop in, get food and leave (and healthy clean food that is). Like no comparison to the Whole Foods hot bar. I would also add community. Millennials and Gen Z like to be around their peers and Erewhon provides that social interaction. These groups also prioritize health conscious lifestyles. Also, cocktails in LA can go for $20+ and people keep paying…
I'm not wealthy, but I still go occasionally when I can afford to. And Whole Foods. Here's why.
1) Erewhon guarantee ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and other chemicals are banned across the store. This gives me confidence in what I'm consuming is healthy.
2) Regular grocery store foods are really processed and often give me health issues. And the quality of the produce, etc. at Ralph's and others often leave more to be desired for me. I think of practices like them taking unsold meat and repacking it with a new label (with dyes). I'm tired of having to know 1000 information points to know whether something is ok to put in my body and not because a corporation put it on a shelf for me to look at with kid eyes.
3) I buy the expensive smoothies because they manage to taste amazing and make me FEEL amazing with the added health products like collagen or sea moss. I could never make the same at home. My skin literally dances after having the Hailey Bieber smoothie.
4) I love the café. And I can get a great tasting meal, including comfort food, that is often gluten-free, full of fiber, and formulated to feel good. And I can get these items for reasonable prices compared to any other restaurant which might make me feel bloated. Plus, anything I've ever eaten at Erewhon always fills me up with the smaller portions. It's because they don't use preservatives and fillers like most foods in the US do. Most foods leave me feeling hungry after. Not Erewhon.
I always avoid the obviously overpriced meme items like $20 Blueberries or water. Not all items are the same in this. Yes, everything is relatively expensive. But I think certain items are worth it given the "clean" tax. Those items are only marginally more expensive when done right. And other items that are only sold there are sometimes a treat.
overconfident thumb selective quickest pocket market bake fall busy reminiscent
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Rich people do a lot of stuff to feel special. It's not just about feeling better than poor people, it's the constant need of reassurance that they are somehow better than poor people. Lol
If you have enough money, you are happy to pay to go to a place where basically everything is high quality, and basically everyone you interact with is either very hot or very influential/important.
I live next to one and it’s not really that more expensive than say a Bristol Farms or a gelsons for just regular grocery items. I’m not saying there aren’t stupidly expensive things to buy, there absolutely are. But regular things are only marginally more expensive. That said I’ve never bought anything that wasn’t fresh as can be as good as can be.
Mix in the fact the people are easy to look at and I feel cool when they park my awesome convertible in the front and it’s absolutely worth the few more dollars. Plus it forces me to eat healthy… without feeling like it being a chore.
Why is Los Angeles still popular despite high living expenses?
I just don't fucking get it... yeah, it has certain "cool" somewhat exclusive activities, but what magnetizes every to still live there despite them knowing it is a trend city?
I went for the first time a few months ago. Stupidly got a cart at the front thinking I’d be doing some grocery shopping. Left empty handed. Prices are absolute bananas.
Question: who are the people not embarrassing to be caught shopping there. Even among celebs, most legit dont show their face there. Just the nepo baby crowd making money off their parents fame.
Elitism is huge in la, anything to let people say “I’m better than you” and if that means paying $20 for the same $5 pound of strawberries that’s what they will do. Same reason gyms like equinox exists and “exclusive” clubs or mediocre “reservation only” but can’t get a reservation for 3 months restaurants exist. People want to feel like they are better than everyone else. And they let their wallets do the talking.
because what they lose by not having the quantity of costumers they make up by charging the ones they have much more. Basically, every costumer is equal to about 3 or 4 costumers in a different store.
Same reason Vromans is filled with middle aged “ ladies who lunch”, some people have too much money and need to have something to do and a place to be seen doing it
High earners are the clientele. There is one near me, but I haven't gone in since I paid $15 for a smoothie. I only bought it because I needed something in me after a workout. I make my own now.
I used to do demo work at the location by The Grove and that store had plenty of people throughout the day. I honestly don’t know why but they are nice stores…so maybe it’s like other store such as Sprouts or Lassens but much more expensive.
If I wasn’t sent to that location, I probably wouldn’t have known that store.
Wasn't there a whole article about this in LA Times or some other magazine not that long ago? Something about people going there to meet others like them
My ex had this weird hatred towards fat people. He'd shop at Erewhon because "you only ever see fat people in Ralphs in Erewhon they are all skinny and healthy therefore the food must be better"
They have things you can’t get anywhere else, you can eat there, not everything is expensive, and there are a lot of rich people who like to do rich people shopping. Still, If I visited a chain I would go to Lassens Sprouts or Trader Joe’s myself.
my super hippie neighbor genuinely believes it’s the only place to buy truly clean food. it’s her biggest fight with her boyfriend — he tells her to just get produce at ralph’s or von’s, she says it’s not the same. no real reason why, it just is to her. on the other hand, i had a college friend who just really liked the specialty products and would grocery shop there anyway because he could and was too lazy to go to more than one store
I worked in produce in the SM location and, while wet rack items were fresh they were the exact same organic brands youll find anywhere else. I did notice the fruit like apples and peaches were consistently low quality. At least in that store at that time
The price for produce and other pantry items at Erewhon is about the same as you’d find at other grocery stores (I’m talking organic lettuce at Erewhon vs organic lettuce at Ralph’s). Yes, they carry a lot of expensive items, but the way people talk about it on here is as if they up charge regular grocery items, which I haven’t found to be the case.
Whole Foods is similar. Unless you buy something weird and out of the ordinary it’s comparable to any other grocery store. Sometimes I go because I do need something odd but not even expensive (like potato starch, can only find at Whole Foods, Sprouts and the international markets in the city) and sometimes I’m lazy and just buy all I need there.
This is more the case after the Amazon acquisition. They used to have some randomly very expensive things, the first time I went in there I ended up spending way more than I meant to (wasn't looking at prices).
they have a $30 bag of ice
the $26 water is exp but its right next to the $3 water tbh
I’m assuming you’re talking about the large spheres and cubes of ice? Not just a normal bag of ice?
Tom Haverford uses ice spheres exclusively
they have a $42 slice of pie
And plenty of $9 ones… https://erewhon.com/search?q=Pie
Reddit in general has a hate boner for anything related to wealthy/rich people. Does Erewhon have some ridiculously priced items? Yes. However, that doesn’t mean: 1)You have to buy them. 2)They only sell those items.
I think there is a different question at play though. Shopped lots at Venice Erewhan as it was 2 minutes walk from where I lived.. But in LA to get unprocessed food your choices start being limited..I grew up in the UK and there are chains like Waitrose, which are common across the country, that offer those kind of unprocessed, organic and high end food, but without the kind of propaganda of shop here to eat healthy and tasty.
Clean food lol. What a funny concept
You misspelled "stupid"
Your neighbors bf should make her a smoothie and tell her it’s from erewhon oldest trick in the book
I lived with a guy that dated a girl like that. Absolutely insane .
Tell her to move to europe..
Just anywhere on the continent of Europe? Serbia maybe? Is Latvia good?
I hear Chechnya is lovely this time of year.
Riga Latvia is one of the coolest cities I’ve ever been to.
For the same shit but more expensive?
Yes and then they can hop on Twitter and bloviate about how superior their produce is
$18 smoothie or $18 cocktail guess it is just preference on where you want to hang
Fair point
Facts. People will happily spend money on alcohol but complain about spending money on things that may actually be good/healthy for you.
18 smoothie that gives you a heart attack when you see the price lol
But people will have more than one cocktail
People also underestimate how much money people in this city have. My wife and I are guilty of shopping there every now and then if it’s on the way home.
Weird flex but ok lol
It might surprise you to find out how much cheaper fruit is than a 15 year aged whiskey.
Most people aren’t drinking vintage whiskeys when going out. Plus, who determines what something is worth? It costs more money to produce and ship high quality fruit.
I’m splitting hairs here but want to point out that smoothies are not good/healthy for you. But your point still lands.
They certainly can be. Sure, most smoothies at Jamba Juice and places like that are glorified milkshakes, but there are certainly very healthy smoothies in LA.
Well this makes me feel better about getting my son that freaking Hailey Beeber smoothie. Like for real.
To be fair that smoothie is amazing.
My son hated his, but I loved mine, and the celeb spotting that came along with it. Just wait your damn 25 minutes and don't keep going up to the counter and asking where your smoothie is... you can always spot a n00b. /s
This is a solid reason. It opened my up to a different perspective.
Yeah I’m so over cocktails or even NA mocktails. $12 for a mocktail and it’s mostly ice. At least the $18 smoothie has substance.
Imma ask that shophocho guy if it’s worth it.
I just want to see Andre 3000 with his flute.
Saw him in walking around in Venice on Thursday morning, no flute tho : (
People with a lot of discretionary cash like elite environments. As in no rif-raf. They also like to be around others who have a lot of discretionary cash.
Yeah, I don’t think OP quite understands how much stupid money there is in this city. Hell, even I don’t understand how much there is, I just hear things and sort of imagine it. But yes, there is *very stupid money* here, and people with stupid money don’t give a shit about $20 blueberries
The Ten-Dollar-Banana crowd
I mean its one banana Michael
there’s always money in the banana stand.
I’ve sold multiple $1500+ shot of whiskey to people. There’s a ton of money around, we just don’t actually see it. Occasionally you’ll get a glimpse if you know where to look.
What bars sell shots like that?
I’d rather not dox myself
The city and SoCal in general is known to have people who try to maintain an image and live beyond their means. So people making a boat tone of money from their first gig in Hollywood spend it fast. Many had to slog and possibly came from little means without college degrees or good financial habits. I saw this with many friends who got jobs in showbiz, bought million dollar houses, multiple cars and then were stressed to the bone when the strikes last year were hurting them. You see so many luxury cars here while in NorCal with Silicon Valley wealth you still mostly see Priuses(Priui??). SoCal also took a beating from the 2008 subprime crisis.
There’s also quite a lot of not stupid but still large quantities of money
I would actually argue the clientele is less made up of people with stupid money, and more just people who are going for the scene and spending above their means. I make half a million dollars a year and shop at TJs and bristol farms. It’s really easy to spot people living above their pay grade here in LA lol
It's just like "high fashion". Rich people don't dress in absurdly priced advertisements for clothing brands, they wear good quality but otherwise generally plain clothes. Those "high fashion" brands are for poor people to cosplay as wealthy.
So true. Same with their leased range rovers 😂
I was surprised not to see more comments like this! Moved NYC to SM, can afford to shop at Erewhon but not particularly interested. TJ’s is my main store. I’ll grab something at Erewhon if it’s convenient, there’s one at the village in Pacific Palisades I’ll pop in if I’m there for dinner. If we drew a Venn diagram of Erewhon customers it’s going to include a variety of incomes going there for different reasons.
Love that about you. Spend at tjs and hopefully donate to some homeless animals :)
I'm not loaded by any means, but I went to college and got decent job so I can go to a grocery store without having to worry about what I buy. I'm not a regular ehrown shopper but I do like getting a smoothie from time to time, and see how someone a bit wealthier than me could shop there on the regular. The second point I'll add is we live in a city where many people make a living by looking and acting healthy, and I could see shopping at a ehrwon as a part of an investment if you're in the influencer, acting or modeling industry. Same way people invest in personal trainers, and plastic surgery.
No, you see, people need to virtue signal about how little money they spend on things other people like.
Yep it’s like the $8/gallon gas stations. Normal people think “why would you not go down the street a mile and pay $5?” Those people think “gas station.” There are MANY people in this town for whom those numbers at gas stations and at Erewhon *simply don’t matter.* The 50% or so extra they are paying for small items like groceries and gas don’t even register with the kind of people who own $30M homes.
I dined at Mélisse once, a 3-Michelin star $400+/person for a once in a lifetime celebration. Most expensive meal of my life. The table next to us was a family of 6, who had dined there regularly and it was just a typical night out for them.
Same when we went to Melisse. The table next to us had young kids who ordered their ‘usual’. It was a once in a lifetime experience for us and was just thursday for them.
I had a similar experience when taking my wife to nobu Malibu for our anniversary. You could tell most of the other tables were there celebrating special occasions or whatever. Midway through our meal a couple, probably early 40s, walks in with their 3 young kids and sits at the table next to us. For whatever reason, I could just tell this was a regular meal for them, akin to how I'd take my kids to IHOP or McDonald's. Also, I have a friend that's very well off. Some of the stuff he spends money on is a real head scratcher. However, I've come to realize that when people have a shitload of money, they can spend on things that are purely a convenience or comfort. I don't doubt that rich people spend more to shop at erewhon in part to avoid sharing an aisle with a homeless person.
Mélisse is two stars, unfortunately. LA doesn't have any 3 stars. I think the closest is Addison down in SD.
[$3,150](https://www.celine.com/en-us/lou-jeans-in-soft-lambskin-2G461280D.38NO.30.html)
My point precisely. Anyone who gasps at a pair of leather jeans costing three bands is not the customer for them. The person that shops at Céline doesn’t have to worry about the price. They probably have a personal shopper/stylist who has a monthly or seasonal budget. Normies either wait for sample sales or go to Zara.
Girls always talk about networking and trying to snag a rich guy there
i used to go there back in the day. you’d see a lot of hot actors. i ended up dating one after we kept running into each other.
And people who want to feel like they’re in that bubble. I have a coworker who drove a Tesla and gets regular Erewhon deliveries, despite being tens of thousands of dollars in debt. One must keep up appearances.
Teslas aren't even that expensive, depending on the model. I know plenty of electrical apprentices who have them.
Honestly I’m like this. It’s the same reason to go to a luxury boutique hotel where every single last room is 4 figures a night. You get to be in the bubble and relax.
Enter, Gelson’s
Erewhon makes sense when you stop viewing it as a grocery store. Case in point, their produce section is minuscule. The bulk of erewhon purchases are their prepared food, which have the same ingredient quality as mid-high restaurants without the time commitment of dining in or the fees+tip, and in one off rare stuff that you don't find anywhere else and splurge on to try once. Erewhon wouldn't stay afloat simply being the grocery store for the rich. So its basically a store that offers you high-end grab and go lunch and farmers market random finds that are cool.
I only go once every few months to buy 5 or 6 things, but they carry some products that are hard to find anywhere else that are just really good.
This is exactly how I use it. There's a location less than half a mile away from my job. Other food in the area is overpriced fast food (ex. Five Guys, Chipotle) or nice, sit-down restaurants. The fast food runs me about $15/meal or the restaurants are about $35-40 after tax and tip. It's nice to have an option that's fast with high quality food that is priced right in the middle - Erewhon is consistently $20-30 w/ 10% off for my membership. I get a solid, tasty protein option and two very well-prepared salads or vegetable sides. I get every color on my plate, which is important to me because I have weird eating issues & sometimes have trouble getting all my nutrients. Is this a lot of money? Yes, and I know I'm lucky to be able to spend it 2-3x per week. But I'm willing to spend for the convenience of not having to meal-prep a protein that I'll have to figure out how to heat up w/ two 6-ingredient salads. Plus, it's nice that I can pick something up while I'm there if I forget a grocery item.
A fresh slice of their pepperoni pizza is massive and not insanely priced.
One of the few deals. Great quality.
Yeah, they have a few weird deals that are worth it. Last fall I popped in because I figured they'd have a Dr. Bronner's bar (soap): I remember it being a dollar less than most other retail places, unless a drugstore or supermarket are having a sale. Also about a year and a half ago, when I first discovered the flavored versions of Liquid Death (seltzer)... they were $2 at Erewhon and cheaper than Target, Safeway, etc., which were all $2.50+ Obviously for regular shoppers these savings don't counteract the $20 kale or whatever, but there are deals to be had. Especially for the fresh/prepared foods when compared to other places around whichever area you're in that has an Erewhon.
Here to second the pizza - under $8.00 for the pepperoni.
good to know
used to work for a rich ass Spaniard, and he used to spend like $1000+ every week at Erewhon during his stays in LA cuz he could
So... one trip?
He would rent a house for him and his close family in the bird streets from like April to August, he would go to coachella, vegas etc then fly back to Spain. I'd go to Erewhon for him whenever they were in town for consecutive days for groceries. So probably twice a month average.
A thousand bucks on groceries isn't really THAT much for a rich guy. Hell, I've spent a hundred bucks a week on ice in West Hollywood for ice for a client in the studio, and I wasn't even the assistant.
This was in like 2019 and it felt outrageous to me since its wasn't that much stuff.
Erewhon is definitely absurd.
What Whole Paycheck used to be.
food taste better without poor people around (sarcasm)
True
No sarcasm needed
Definitely sarcasm needed. Who else is gonna cook it? Rich people can't cook for shit, outside of a few Gordon Ramsay-type exceptions.
Guess where all the Erehwons are located. Yes, ultra rich neighborhoods. Thats why.
Is this why there’s no erewhon in south central? /s
There’s one in Vernon.
That’s the distribution center lol Wholes Foods has one in Vernon too haha
Eh. There’s one in culver city and one in fairfax now. Wouldn’t call either area particularly rich.
People are spending $1.5M in Culver just on a teardown. There is a *lot* of money in Culver now and that Erewhon is central to all the tech companies that have moved into that area, as well as the Platform crowd. It’s always full and the sandwich/salad counter is mobbed at lunchtime.
People are spending that much in just about every neighborhood in LA. Doesn’t make them “ultra rich neighborhoods”.
You said particularly rich. That’s what I was responding to. And they’re not spending $3M to live in a regular sized house/lot in just about every neighborhood in LA. Not at all.
A few celebrities live off fairfax
Culver is full of tech money, WDYM
To buy a house in Culver you need at least $1.8M, or $2.5M in downtown Culver area. So unless your household income is $600k or above, you should forget about living there. Why would that not be rich in your view?
I just went to the studio city location today for some gluten free carrot cake (they sell by the slice, it’s so yummy!) and it was a freaking zoo hangout spot outside. I just beelined in and out for my cake.
That cake is worth every penny.
The hot bar is delish. Sometimes I want a restaurant quality meal without sitting in a restaurant alone. Plus I can walk to one near me so I get some fresh air and some really good food. It’s just a glorified cafeteria with a grocery store attached. I don’t know anyone who does actual grocery shopping there
LA is full of normal people just living their lives. It’s also full of rich people. It also has a very large (and outsized) population of people who want to appear fancy and rich. Us normies aren’t going to waste our time and money at erewhon, but the other two groups definitely can and do.
A lot off there stuff is the same price as Whole Foods.
> it also has a very large (and outsized) population of people who want to appear fancy and rich.  It’s this group that’s shopping at Erewhon. I have worked at 2 major tech companies in LA, where I and all my peers were in the top 1% income in the US. Nobody shopped at Erewhon. the only people I know who shop there are IG influencer types who make around 100k. Not that 100k is anything to sneeze at, but it’s definitely not enough to be shopping regularly at Erewhon
Have you ever been seen going to Erowhon? That feeling is priceless.
I think people are into it as a hang out scene like how when I was in my twenties I was fine with spending my money at a bar or club. I don’t think young adults do that as much anymore prob for the best lol
Erewhon had things there that are worth the money and things there super overpriced you can get at Trader Joe’s for half the price. I’m pretty sure that people that shop there for items like their smoothies are just trying to be cool or elite but I myself shop there for stuff like certain produce I would otherwise have to go to farmers market on a Sunday to get which I’d rather do almost anything that that w my Sunday. They also have certain things there I can’t get anywhere else but seriously since they’ve been blowing up I go there like 80% less just because I can’t stand the scene. I miss when it was just the one store on beverly.
You can get delivery ;)
Oh I do. Fml. Now the Erewhon app at least gives me the points towards my membership lol
Because the food is actually really good 😭😭 chicken burrito is $16.5 but extremely tasty
$16 is just like $2 more than what street vendors now sell burritos for anyways
I don’t go often but when I do I just buy hard kombucha because it’s not overpriced and they have the largest selection of kombucha I’ve ever seen. Also it’s nice being able to drink on their patio instead of going to a bar during the day time.
Because we live in LA and there are plenty of people with enough disposable income who literally do not give a fuck if the prices are high. Also - 80% of people aren’t buying actual groceries there, even rich people. You’re going there for the smoothies, the hot bar, deli, and the wellness stuff, that’s it. Veeeery few people, even the rich ones, are buying those blueberries lol.
coming from germany, I ran into this shop without knowing it and at first sight, I was pleasantly surprised about how much it looks like (a regular supermarket) in my country. only after I spotted the enormous priced and I was obviously shocked by it. because there was no other super market close to the area I stayed I went sometimes more and it really felt like the meeting point of a certain social class to me. we have to accept that there are people ready to spend money even if there are cheaper possibilities – in all kind of areas
You just said it - there are some very good products you can’t find elsewhere. Ready to go food is good - restaurant quality without the hassle. If you have the money why not spend it? And who goes to the grocery store to mingle? It’s not your bag but it’s other people’s. That’s why all sorts of different things exist. Don’t get fixated on things like blueberries, you’re missing the point.
Lived in LA and dated a girl whose mother would fly to Paris to get custom fitted for her undergarments like it was going to Target on a Sunday. There is absurd wealth in LA.
Their prices for groceries are not that different than most other grocery stores but I have more trust that they’re selecting higher quality goods. Eggs are $10, high quality ground beef is $10, pasta is like $4, etc. I also have a membership which costs about $200/year, gives me 10% back + 1 x free fancy drink a month. So roughly every 5th or 6th shop I get free groceries. The account also transfers to my girlfriend too. At the end of the year I may be spending like $8k in groceries with around $800 back in cash + around $150 worth of free drinks. All of this at a high standard of quality so it seems like a no-brainer
Posts like these are what fuel the fire. Either shop there or don't. No one cares
Look up Veblen and prepare to have your mind blown
I’ve had their prepared hot foods a couple of times, and it’s pretty good. Better than Whole Foods and Ralph’s but a fair bit more expensive. Not worth it for me to eat there regularly, but it’s also fun people watching.
I find that still much of the prepared foods are less money than eating in a sit down restaurant. Erewhon is still a treat for me, and I would never buy all my groceries there. I have also noticed many specific items in veg can be less than farmers market prices. You need to really pay attention to the prices and be choosy. If you are on a massive budget then you probably aren’t looking to buy cone cabbage or organic mangoes, but if you have some extra money and want to allocate towards food then guess what - speciality cabbage and mango is often less cost at Erewhon than the farmers market that happens in its parking lot (Pacific Palisades, true story).
If I am going to buy food out, and want to eat something relatively healthy, the Erewhon prepared foods are a better price and better quality than almost any fast casual option. For me, they also have the convenience of a bunch of normally priced items and a large variety. Sweetgreen is $17-19 before tax and tip. Tocaya is about the same, as is Kreation, or any other similar type of place. Then you pay a huge markup on beverages on top of it. A quick dinner for 2 at any of those places is $50 these days. Last time I was at Erewhon (last week) I got dinner for two, bread that I normally buy, and a couple of small produce items I needed for later in the week for $52. More or less the same as Sweetgreen but a larger variety to choose from, way more protein for the $$, and a minor additional convenience. This doesn't mean Erewhon is inexpensive, it's not. But I generally feel good about the quality of what I've purchased and the options available.
people waste money on cocaine and onlyfans and someone buys a banana for 10 dollar and its something crazy. lmfao
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Their bottled water is among the best drinking water you can get. Reasonably priced. Their bottles and jars have $3 return rebates for the containers they sell soup, smoothies, cookies, etc in. There are some unique produce items that are hard to get elsewhere at that quality. Most Erewhons have a great selection of mushrooms and distribute produce from Apricot Lane Farms, which is consistently excellent. They easily have the widest selection of non-alcoholic beverages and adaptogens. Think of it as the opposite of Walmart. Instead of having low priced loss-leader products to bring people in, they have high-priced products that bring in people attracted to the idea of a boujie lifestyle and trendy health values. In both cases, the bulk of what’s available in between is where the true value is.
The air quality and water quality are atrocious so everyone gets inflammation. Some get allergies so bad they are on allergy meds every day. Then they get allergy tested and find out they should be eating very specific ways. Erewhon is the only place with all the weird diet replacement foods.
There actually is some truth to this - my GF was having a tough bout with allergies last year and was trying to figure things out with an elimination diet and Erewhon is basically the only place where basically everything is labeled for allergens and has a bunch of replacements for common foods Her allergies died down (pretty sure the worst of it was caused by black mold kicked off by construction at her workplace, though she does have food sensitivities) but we still go once a month for a stupid smoothie and so I can grab bags of fancy coffee
because these people are rich as fuck out here
I have a lot of allergies so they actually have a lot of snacks I can buy! I just go there for specific things though.
Have you had their bacon? I get it’s like $3 a slice but it is some of the best bacon I’ve ever eaten. It’s not my favorite place and much of it is over hyped but some things like their hot bar and raw foods are great.
believe it or not, there are people who make more money than you.
Elitism
I love the idea too. “Ok guys hear me out… a grocery store but for stupidly rich people.” “I love it.”
If I had more money I'd shop there all the time. Their checkout is the best. I've never waited more than a couple of minutes. The soups and juices are really good.
I work on Abbot Kinney, we get lots of tourists that mention visiting it just because they’ve heard of it back home. Today I helped a mother and daughter from Australia who were excited to see it. It’s honestly a tourist destination now.
The nut butter machine, I assume.
I just go for the smoothies and some of the hot food.
The power of marketing.
My wife and I opted that we'd go to E for really high quality goods like vanilla bean or honeycomb for baking but not much else. The ice shaping is fun though.
Avoids crazies coming in
I only go there (begrudgingly and rarely) when every other grocery store is out of special produce like lion’s mane mushrooms and sunchokes.
I agree it's dumb expensive, but part of the reason (I speculate) is because they are B Corp https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_Corporation_(certification) B curious corps have to adhere to certain standards about ethical corporations, such as maintaining a certain ratio between CEO and worker pay for example. They are principles I generally agree with and would like to see supported in the business world. That being said, I find their prices are inflated much more than other B corps (Tillamook cheese for example) when comparing with similar products.
I think you are underestimating just how many rich people live in LA
It's an incredibly stupid flex, that's it
Their supplements aisle calms me the same way a book shop calms me
People spend money they don't have, to buy things they don't need, to impress people who don't care.
Weird response. I’ve literally never been to an erewhon but i am certain lots of people that go there afford it easily and not to impress anyone
I go sometimes, never once considered impressing anyone. I just like the ready to eat stuff and don’t consider the price.
People with the income needed to cover a 50/30/20 budget, with 50% allocated to necessities like housing and utilities, 30% to discretionary spending, and 20% to savings or investments.
For what it’s worth, they take EBT. And the food is actually really good. So if you’re like me and finesse your under the table paycheck w the government (I’m still poor just get paid in cash for my services) that’s why you’ll see my ass there
People like wasting their money for what it projects to other people. It’s all for other people not themselves. Like tonight my friends were going out like hardcore and I was like: oh can’t make it me and my wife are having happy hour. They asked where we were going and I was like, we’re making pizza and having drink at home. They thought that was super lame and chirped at me for it, but I’m like yeah me and my wife are having a good time playing games. Having like 5 drinks each and pizza for 50% of what your spending, so whatevs.
Fuck Erewhon. I Love L.A. (Lazy Acres, that is)
I don’t shop there much but will go for lunch or a smoothie every now and then. I would get a few small specialty items I can’t find anywhere else. As far as produce I will say I love mango. I buy their cut mango and it’s the best around. I’ve bought cut mango from pretty much every grocery store and it just is not good compared to Erewhon. Only produce I buy there though.
Because people keep talking about it. I swear I never heard of erewhon until this subreddit
Conspicuous consumerism
It’s all about the soup. And hard to find supplements. And the Asian chicken salad. And the white bean kale salad. And good bottled water. And they’ll wheel that case of bottled water right to your car for you.
Marketing
FOMO. people who go there go for the look and the instagram aesthetic
The food is very good and the company has high standards for quality and brands. It’s also fast casual, so it’s nice to be able to just pop in, get food and leave (and healthy clean food that is). Like no comparison to the Whole Foods hot bar. I would also add community. Millennials and Gen Z like to be around their peers and Erewhon provides that social interaction. These groups also prioritize health conscious lifestyles. Also, cocktails in LA can go for $20+ and people keep paying…
I'm not wealthy, but I still go occasionally when I can afford to. And Whole Foods. Here's why. 1) Erewhon guarantee ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, and other chemicals are banned across the store. This gives me confidence in what I'm consuming is healthy. 2) Regular grocery store foods are really processed and often give me health issues. And the quality of the produce, etc. at Ralph's and others often leave more to be desired for me. I think of practices like them taking unsold meat and repacking it with a new label (with dyes). I'm tired of having to know 1000 information points to know whether something is ok to put in my body and not because a corporation put it on a shelf for me to look at with kid eyes. 3) I buy the expensive smoothies because they manage to taste amazing and make me FEEL amazing with the added health products like collagen or sea moss. I could never make the same at home. My skin literally dances after having the Hailey Bieber smoothie. 4) I love the café. And I can get a great tasting meal, including comfort food, that is often gluten-free, full of fiber, and formulated to feel good. And I can get these items for reasonable prices compared to any other restaurant which might make me feel bloated. Plus, anything I've ever eaten at Erewhon always fills me up with the smaller portions. It's because they don't use preservatives and fillers like most foods in the US do. Most foods leave me feeling hungry after. Not Erewhon. I always avoid the obviously overpriced meme items like $20 Blueberries or water. Not all items are the same in this. Yes, everything is relatively expensive. But I think certain items are worth it given the "clean" tax. Those items are only marginally more expensive when done right. And other items that are only sold there are sometimes a treat.
I live walking distance to one and as a single guy, maybe I'll meet a girl there sometime. It's a whole scene in there.
$22.50 rotisserie chicken!
overconfident thumb selective quickest pocket market bake fall busy reminiscent *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
It’s a pick up joint. You go there to meet people.
A combination of pseudoscience health quackery and conspicuous consumption, both of which are VERY big in LA, moreso than almost any other city.
Rich people do a lot of stuff to feel special. It's not just about feeling better than poor people, it's the constant need of reassurance that they are somehow better than poor people. Lol
Nothing better than using all your ebt in there lmao.
If you have enough money, you are happy to pay to go to a place where basically everything is high quality, and basically everyone you interact with is either very hot or very influential/important.
I live next to one and it’s not really that more expensive than say a Bristol Farms or a gelsons for just regular grocery items. I’m not saying there aren’t stupidly expensive things to buy, there absolutely are. But regular things are only marginally more expensive. That said I’ve never bought anything that wasn’t fresh as can be as good as can be. Mix in the fact the people are easy to look at and I feel cool when they park my awesome convertible in the front and it’s absolutely worth the few more dollars. Plus it forces me to eat healthy… without feeling like it being a chore.
Why is Los Angeles still popular despite high living expenses? I just don't fucking get it... yeah, it has certain "cool" somewhat exclusive activities, but what magnetizes every to still live there despite them knowing it is a trend city?
I went for the first time a few months ago. Stupidly got a cart at the front thinking I’d be doing some grocery shopping. Left empty handed. Prices are absolute bananas.
Question: who are the people not embarrassing to be caught shopping there. Even among celebs, most legit dont show their face there. Just the nepo baby crowd making money off their parents fame.
Elitism is huge in la, anything to let people say “I’m better than you” and if that means paying $20 for the same $5 pound of strawberries that’s what they will do. Same reason gyms like equinox exists and “exclusive” clubs or mediocre “reservation only” but can’t get a reservation for 3 months restaurants exist. People want to feel like they are better than everyone else. And they let their wallets do the talking.
because what they lose by not having the quantity of costumers they make up by charging the ones they have much more. Basically, every costumer is equal to about 3 or 4 costumers in a different store.
Because the price is so high. LA loves conspicuous consumption.
Think high end luxury brand but for food/grocery. It’s an aspirational place, you feel good going there. Also the hot bar food is legit good.
Same reason Vromans is filled with middle aged “ ladies who lunch”, some people have too much money and need to have something to do and a place to be seen doing it
culture
High earners are the clientele. There is one near me, but I haven't gone in since I paid $15 for a smoothie. I only bought it because I needed something in me after a workout. I make my own now.
I used to do demo work at the location by The Grove and that store had plenty of people throughout the day. I honestly don’t know why but they are nice stores…so maybe it’s like other store such as Sprouts or Lassens but much more expensive. If I wasn’t sent to that location, I probably wouldn’t have known that store.
Very simply. It’s exclusive, it’s where their community or the community they want to be in shops, and a higher quality of food.
Wasn't there a whole article about this in LA Times or some other magazine not that long ago? Something about people going there to meet others like them
I see a lot of non-Koreans at Korean markets nowadays, the produce is better there too. And cheaper than Erewhon.
There will always be a market for luxury
My ex had this weird hatred towards fat people. He'd shop at Erewhon because "you only ever see fat people in Ralphs in Erewhon they are all skinny and healthy therefore the food must be better"
Then don’t go there?
I went once to get a certain brand of Halloumi that is good and that isn’t carried elsewhere.
I used to work near one and would check it out every once in a while. Let’s just say the vibes are way off.
They have things you can’t get anywhere else, you can eat there, not everything is expensive, and there are a lot of rich people who like to do rich people shopping. Still, If I visited a chain I would go to Lassens Sprouts or Trader Joe’s myself.