(Hilary Schleier/The Daily Campus)

Marc Vargas was in between jobs when his neighbor suggested he apply at Whole Foods Market Inc.

Vargas had been working as a baker for some time and was looking for something new.

He started out part-time, moved up to full-time and is now the lead concierge at the Highland Park Whole Foods Market.

One of the services he is in charge of is the Whole Foods’ Personal Shopping experience. The Personal Shopping offered at Whole Foods allows customers to send a grocery list to the concierge desk that they will later pick up or have delivered. Customers can do so via phone, email or in person.

“It just makes it a lot more accessible for everybody,” Vargas said.

The concierge service will ask for a specific grocery list, or you can send them what you like, your budget and how much time you have.

“To do this position you have to be a foodie, you have to know a lot about food, and you have to love it, Vargas said.

The Whole Foods in Highland Park has offered the Personal Shopping service for a little over five years, and Vargas says it has been a hit among their customers but he still believes that many people are unaware of it.

Whole Foods started in Austin, Texas and has spread to areas all over the United States, Canada and some in the United Kingdom. It prides itself on its commitment to the environment and its relationship with its customers.

Liz Burkhart started going to Whole Foods to study when she was in college.

She always loved the lifestyle brand and eventually came to work as one of its national media relation’s specialists.

She believes that Whole Foods owes part of its success to its values, shoppers and its quality standards for natural and organic products.

“It makes me feel proud to come to work everyday,” Burkhart said.

Even with the problems with the U.S. economy Whole Foods is still managing to earn a profit.

In their most recent quarterly report from July the company’s sales increased from $2,163,181 to $2,399,781. A difference of $236,600 and a percentage change of 10.9 percent.

Their operating income, which is the profit earned from their operations, increased by $25,055 and at a percentage change of 21.7 percent. The company as a whole is selling more and bringing in more money to run its business with.

Another way to look at how the company is doing is through a common size analysis of its cost of goods sold and the operating income.

Whole Foods change in cost from 2010 to 2011 was 64.9 percent to 64.6 percent, accordingly. The operating income from 2010 to 2011 went from 5.3 percent to 5.9 percent, respectively.

These numbers illustrate that a fraction of a change in the company’s cost of goods sold led to an increase in the change of operations.

“We are very proud of the consistency of our third quarter results which were once again near peak levels,” Walter Robb, co-CEO of Whole Foods, said in the online conference call.

The company’s net income increased by 34.6 percent and Robb said that because of the healthy cash balance, the company gave it the ability to accelerate growth plans, increase their dividend and repurchase stock.

The company’s loyal customers are a large reason why it has been so successful.

Amanda Hughes, a Dallas resident, has been shopping at Whole Foods for over eight years and she says she is a big fan of the company, especially their employees.

“[The employees] in the nutrition area are super knowledgeable, and the produce section is always great,” Hughes said.

Because Whole Foods takes great care to make sure the products they serve are all organic or reach their quality standards for natural products, the company’s prices can appear to be higher.

On Tuesday a pound of red grapes was $1.49 at Kroger and it was $2.59 at Whole Foods. A head of iceberg lettuces was $1.40 at Kroger and it was $1.99 at Whole Foods.

However, the company still manages to keep its customers coming and Vargas thinks that this is because of all the different specials and discounts they offer.

“If you shop on Wednesday you get both the weekly discount and the market discount at the same time,” Vargas said.

He also said that if you ask anyone in the store what the best sales are they will be able to help you find the best deals on all the products.

“There are major ways to save around the store,” Vargas said.

New programs, valued customers, great savings and quality of products have all contributed to the success of Whole Foods.