Whole Foods Toronto stores saw bonkers lineups for closing sales

American grocery behemoth Whole Foods is majorly slashing its footprint in Toronto, closing down two of its three stores in the city in the coming days.

Employees at the company's Leaside and Yonge-Sheppard locations were given just one week's notice that their workplaces would be shuttering forever on August 22, and it looks like it's shaping up to be a hectic final week, at that, with massive clearout sales already in progress.

We know that Toronto absolutely loves a lineup and, in this economy especially, a good bargain. So, naturally, the crowds have already been ridiculous.

On the first day of the blowout event — which was Saturday, August 16, the day after news of the supermarket closures first broke — shoppers eagerly crowded outside the more northerly Whole Foods at Yonge-Sheppard's Hullmark Centre for the chance to nab some steep discounts on groceries.

People were apparently happy to wait for extended periods in 30+ C heat, with more and more gradually accumulating throughout the day in a lineup that snaked around the building.

Many came prepared with umbrellas to battle the direct sun, anticipating lengthy wait times for the widely-publicized last-minute sale.

Though Saturday's spate of customers got first dibs on the store's offerings, the deals only get better as we get closer to the stores' final days in operation.

As a spokesperson for the Texas-based, Amazon-owned grocery chain told blogTO on Friday, what started as a 50 per cent off sale on Saturday increased to 60 per cent off on Sunday, and has since dropped another 10 per cent.

From Monday, August 18 through to Friday, August 22, stock at both the 1860 Bayview Ave. and 4771 Yonge St. locations will be a whopping 70 per cent off in preparation for both stores to shut down.

Serving as the largest retailer focused on natural and organic eats, Whole Foods first entered the Canadian market in 2002 with a store in Toronto's Yorkville neighbourhood. It followed with its Yonge-Sheppard store in 2014 and Leaside in 2017.

But, "like any retail business, we regularly evaluate each of our stores and make decisions to position the company for long-term success," the brand's spokesperson told us.

On a more positive note, they added that a new outpost will be debuting on King Street West sometime next year, with more details on that still to come.

No additional stores are on the chopping block, either, so devotees can still head to the 87 Avenue Rd. location, as well as the Markham (3997 Hwy 7), Mississauga (155 Square One Dr.) and Oakville (301 Cornwall Rd.) Whole Foods stores.