In the 5 years I was with the company it changed dramatically. I lost any hope of growing with the company (despite consistently advancing in the ranks) because I realized that it was becoming just another grocery chain as fast as possible while attempting to retain the cache of good will and exclusivity it had rightly gathered.
There had been some intellectually dishonest junk coming down from on high for a couple of years before I left, which is why I stopped caring about the company. I still worked hard for my people, but I saw that the shareholders were jntent on sucking the integrity out of the company for the sake of bigger dividends.
I saw this coming and it isn't the first thing like this since the 2008 cut either. WFM is not what it was, and it never will be. I guess we can look forward to the next market disruptor, but one that actually cares about its employees over marginally improved margins.