Food & Drink

365 and New Seasons Up Seattle’s Grocery Game

More market options in Seattle? Truly super

By Jessica Yadegaran November 13, 2016

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This article originally appeared in the November 2016 issue of Seattle magazine.

We know Seattleites love their locally owned grocery stores—Metropolitan Market, PCC, Town & Country and Red Apple—the same way they love their neighborhood restaurants. But now, two new shops are joining our grocery landscape (plus an Amazon grocery pick-up location in Ballard and an Uwajimaya seafood and Asian grab-and-go outpost in South Lake Union are on the horizon), and they’re hoping to snag your loyalty. On November 10, Portland-based natural grocer New Seasons Market (which Portlandians worship) will open its first Puget Sound–area store in the former Albertsons location on Mercer Island, with a second store scheduled to open in Ballard (at 907 NW Ballard Way) next fall. In Bellevue, Whole Foods Market is hoping to shake its “Whole Paycheck” reputation with one of the country’s first 365 by Whole Foods Markets, a new, millennial-friendly concept focused on a larger selection of its wallet-friendly Everyday Value line of items (opened in September in a portion of the former JCPenney in Bellevue Square). Whole Foods plans to open about 10 more 365 stores in 2017. Shoppers hoping for Bellevue Square’s signature free parking can breathe easy. We’re already in love.

Shop New Seasons, Mercer Island, 2755 77th Ave. SE; 206.232.2577; newseasonsmarket.com

Vibe PCC meets QFC; about 25 percent of products from Oregon Washington, and northern California, plus “classic favorites” Diet Coke, Oreos and others

How organic? 75 percent of produce is natural or organically farmed; all meat and poultry are free of antibiotics and artificial hormones

Special selection Large selection of kosher foods; more than 150 new local vendors (rejoice, fans of Rusty’s Famous Cheesecake) 

Loyalty program No rewards card, but price breaks on seasonal items (such as local ice cream) and email newsletter with heads-up on sales and store events

On-site dining Eight beers on draft and Washington wines by the glass; Fire & Flame, a Latin-American rotisserie chicken station

Shop 365 by Whole Foods Bellevue, 10200 NE Fourth St., in former JCPenney at Bellevue Square; 365bywfm.com

Vibe  Like the original, but with a curated selection of new and familiar items from the 365 Everyday Value line, plus shopping-mall convenience

How organic? Same practices and standards as Whole Foods: no products with artificial dyes, nitrates or high fructose corn syrup 

Special selection 400 wines for less than $20 a bottle; new, fresh, Trader Joe’s–like (read: affordable) grab-and-go selections 

Loyalty program My 365 Rewards, a digital and personalized rewards card that gets you deals and discounts on items you buy frequently 

On-site dining The fast, casual Wild Ginger Kitchen (yes, that Wild Ginger), serving rice and noodle bowls for dine-in or takeout

 

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