Whole Foods, FTC Ready to Lock Horns

• Wow, someone who thinks the government is right about something. Where do we start...the iraq war, the evidence leading up to the iraq war, the outing of a CIA agent....lots of lies and deception if you ask me. And you are going to trust them. Hmmm, after today, there is another one we can add to the list. Their attorney presents oral testimony in court that he didn't, or can't, back up with his written testimony. What a surprise? Or not. Pure corruption. Anyway, enough ranting. Whole Foods competes in the grocery industry with Safeway, Trader Joes, Kroger, and soon to be Wal-Mart. All of which offer organics or are trying to offer organic products. All of which are copying or in the process of copyin Whole Foods store layouts, atmosphere, and service. I'd say they know they are competing with Whole Foods. If anyone is a grocery shopper, you'd know.

• Those jabronies. I will be pissed if the Wild Oats on Ladue closes.

• If this merger does get approved, we might as well start taking bets on what goes into the retail hole that will be left when the Wild Oats on Ladue closes. Whole Foods CEO John Mackey (as himself and not as Rahodeb, I might add) recently stated in Fortune magazine that the closure of smaller and geographically redundant stores would be natural consequence of any approved merger. That's a 1-2 punch if ever there was one. I don't suppose Flotken's is interested in a comeback . . .

• It'll probably go through, even though the government's right about the two companies occupying the same market segment. It's a valid argument, but it's also increasingly weak as organics and the like become more popular. Were I in charge of the government organically-processed cheese, I'd kill the merger if they wanted it to happen today, and tell them to ask me again in three years.

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