Emerald Forest Health Foods

I recently convinced a friend who couldn't find her favorite deodorant to try the crystal kind made of nothing but mineral salts. "You can get it anywhere," I told her. But I was wrong. So I stopped in at the Emerald Forest during lunch one day. I was pretty sure this local health food and supplement store would carry it.They did have mineral salts deodorant -- two varieties in fact. The health and beauty section was probably the best-stocked part of the store, so I browsed around in the toothpastes, soaps and lotions for awhile. Every product I picked up was cruelty-free, and most were organic too. I made my way through the rest of the store more quickly because unlike the health and beauty aides, the other sections weren't quite as well-stocked, that is until I reached the vitamins and supplements. Emerald Forest's selection rivals GNC in this area, which must be their bread and butter. If you're used to the robust offerings at Whole Foods you won't be impressed by Emerald Forest. But if you just need the odd jar of amino acids or a big bottle of multi-vitamin and mineral supplements with whole food concentrates, they can hook you right up.

Emerald Forest Health Foods over in Lenexa appears to be the little "engine that could" but without much else. When stacked against giants like Whole Foods, you have to come in expecting that merchandise would be on the low side but here it's almost non-existent. I stopped counting the empty produce bins and shelves early on. Selection was scarce for many of my usual staples - cereals/granola, yogurt and pizzas. Their selection of herbal teas weren't bad with a full line of Celestial Seasonings, Yogi and Stash teas.Unfortunately, I have had the pleasure of experiencing Trader Joe's and that makes me almost shy away from any other place because their selection, pricing and service always outshine the rest, including Whole Foods or Wild Oats. For small shops, I always look for quality, selection and the friendliness of the workers, all of which were lacking substantially at Emerald. Not my kind of jewel.

I bought a product that ended up being expired by a year -- unfortunately not discovered until I got home. When I returned the product, I was treated in a quite a rude manner. I was certainly treated as if they did not care about my business. They should; considering they're selling expired product, it's obviously not flying out the door. There was no apology or "sorry about your inconvenience". I have decided to not make further purchases here. This individual was not customer friendly by any stretch. If you shop here, check the expiration date before you leave the premises! By the way, most of these products can be found for much less money, many other places.I shop at small and family-owned businesses because of their superior customer service. When that's missing, why bother?

I have shopped at Emerald Forest for years now, even at their old location across the parking lot. I went there today looking for weight loss stuff Dr. Oz recommended on a recent show. I had been to GNC, just because there is one closer to where I live, but they were out of everything. I should have just stuck with the store I know I like because they had everything I was looking for in stock. If you are looking for the weight loss and energy stuff from the Dr. Oz show, and live in the Kansas City area, go to Emerald Forest. It's just off of I-35 and 95th. And no, I am not affiliated with the store in any way. :-)

Emerald Forest may seem like a tiny hole in the wall to most people, but the minute you have a kid w/ severe allergies you see it's value. Emerald Forest has far and away the best selection of gluten free, dairy free mixes, flours, and snacks that I've found in the metro area. Sure whole foods has a GF section, 3 rows on a shelf, and some of their GF products have milk products in them Emerald Forest has dedicated about 1/3 of their grocery shelf space to the low allergen food products.Emerald Forest also has excellent customer service. The staff has even given me "doorway" service (bringing me what I need to the front door.) The kicker. If you can find what you want somewhere else, it will almost always be cheaper. So it depends on what you value, the absolute lowest price or great selection of a gluten free dairy free foods w/ great customer service.