Recently I stopped in at the Whole Foods located on the corner of 6th and Lamar. I had only been to this Whole Foods once in the past and I had recalled memories of the store before entering. The unique style of the building is an immediate eye catcher as one must double take, making sure that they really are entering a grocery store. The building immediately sends the message that this store is geared for the wealthier class is the architecture scoffs at the idea of being mistaken for an H-E-B. This store is the company’s largest and includes unnecessary objects such as stoned walk ways and a patio that allows customers to enjoy their groceries before they start their decent into the parking garage. Although these structures on the outside of the store may easily be viewed as excessive, they serve as a way to argue to customers to purchase their food at Whole Foods rather than another grocery store.
The structure itself establishes ethos as consumers are persuaded to believe that the store is thriving with business if it can afford to be that enormous. The red brick walls as well as the modern look are a much more appealing sight than that of the half stucco, half bird feces of the traditional H-E-B or Randall’s in Austin. This modern, updated look allows Whole Foods to argue to its clients that the store’s cleanliness is important. The positioning of the building also makes a statement in which it argues that the almighty, corporate officials are can shop there as it is only a few blocks from the center of downtown.
The building also argues the logos of the store as it has a plethora of shopping carts stationed outside the store as well as the underground, cement castle used for parking one’s vehicle. The shopping carts argue to the audience that the store is capable of hosting the entire city at once, while the decent down the parking garage conveys that everyone in the city is already there. The logos or facts presented in number of shopping carts and parking garage spaces is easily translated into an argument persuading its customers
These two argumentative appeals are easily noticeable when doing this rhetorical analysis however the pathos appeal is not as prevalent. The Whole Foods building is an argument in itself in which customers are possibly unaware of its persuasiveness. The building gives the company credibility and establishes a strong shopping atmosphere through its subtle, persuasive structures.
