Whole Foods Is Eating Up the Competition

According to an article in the Austin Business Journal (Store openings eat into Whole Foods' profit,Austin Business Journal - 10:05 AM CDT Thursday, May 10, 2007),
Whole Foods Market is thinking of buy up one of it's competitors, Wild Oats Market. I used to be a Whole Foods Market Fan until they built that new mammoth store on Lamar that's like some sort of amusement park ride to get in and out of. Now they are gobbling up their competition like some giant monster. Really, this store gives organic foods a bad name. At least in Austin we still have Wheatsville Co-op and Sun Harvest as well as the more main stream Central Market to shop in, instead of Whole Foods. I think I am through with the Whole Foods Market industry. I can remember when Whole Foods first started in Austin in a small little store north on Lamar from where they are now located. It was like a neighborhood store. Business practices aside, Whole Foods stores have become too big and unruly to shop in if you go to the bigger markets. The Austin Business Journal also mentioned that profits were down some this quarter for Whole Foods due to their investment in several new stores. Is it the age old story of too much growth too quickly?