Health Food Stores
Health food stores have become very popular lately because of society’s concerns about poor diet and food quality. Health food stores used to be known only as a place to purchase vitamin and mineral supplements but that has all changed. The new health food stores are going back to selling what their name originally implied “health food.” Since not all health food stores are equal, here is a quality
checklist to help differentiate the great health food stores from the ones that are just so-so.
Health Food Store Staff
A quality health food store must have a helpful staff available to answer questions that inevitably arise from customers. That’s right; the staff should know what to do when they see customers wandering around the store looking dazed and confused. If the store does not stock a certain item, the staff should be willing to special order the item, suggest a comparable alternative, or simply tell you of another store that carries the item. The last option is considered to be very brave from the store’s perspective because of the potential to lose customers to competition, but in the long run the act will serve to inspire customer loyalty.
The store’s staff must be knowledgeable about good health and nutrition concepts. When staff members are enthusiastic about health and wellness, they usually seek continuous education on the subject and subsequently pass that knowledge on to customers. This type of health food store staff is usually well connected to the rest of the holistic health community and may provide contacts to the best natural healthcare practitioners in the local area (e.g. massage therapists, naturopathic doctors, chiropractors, and fitness professionals).
Health Food Store Selection
A great health food store stocks fresh, healthy food along with the supplements that are so prevalently marketed today. Healthy food often means organic, non-genetically modified food grown locally to ensure freshness. Health food stores often partner with local, small farms to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to consumers located within cities or suburban areas. It’s a great idea to support local, small farmers as they support the good health of consumers.
Most health food stores have no problem with vitamin & mineral supplement selection and availability. If the store’s owner and staff are pursuing continuing education in their field, they will know early about positive research results from innovative supplements. Good health food stores carry quality supplement brands with price points designed to fit any budget.
Many health food stores work with high quality supplement manufacturers to privately label their own brand of supplements. In those cases, the store owners have often heavily researched the manufacturer before they are willing to place their store’s brand name and reputation on the item. The consumer gets a high quality supplement often at a more reasonable price.
Community Wellness Education
Health food store owners and staff are not obligated to share their valuable information with the public. They spent time and money to gain certain knowledge. However, those who do share their knowledge set themselves and their store apart from the rest; they will most likely be blessed in other ways as well. Here are a few ways that health food stores may help spread the wealth of wellness to the community while increasing their business.
- Set up health navigator programs to gradually get people to adopt healthier lifestyles. These programs will help potential customers to establish a “good health game plan” for themselves.
- Don’t keep dirty little secrets! Make consumers aware of the difference between organic and conventional fruits and vegetables. Educate potential customers about the “dirty dozen” list of fruits and vegetables that absolutely should be purchased organic or not eaten at all. Provide information on the “clean” list of fruits and vegetables that do not have to be purchased organic if one’s budget does not permit.
- Get scientific about wellness. Partner with healthcare practitioners to conduct individual health assessments via blood tests; this service can be offered at the store on certain days as periodically scheduled. Naturopathic doctors are often able to assess vitamin, mineral, enzymatic, and other deficiencies within minutes of viewing the results of these simple blood tests.
- Make healthy living fun and easy with incentive programs for those achieving their good health goals. It’s simply a way that the health food store can encourage people to maintain the results achieved through the support of the health food store’s wellness programs.