"And if this were Tiffany's, I might see the point of the WFMI neo-conservative approach to its employees' sartorial selections."

buyandsellandprofit, I've put a challenge out to you but you haven't taken it up yet. Name another multiple store food retailer anywhere in the United States which has a more liberal dress code than Whole Foods does? Name another Fortune 1000 company (Whole Foods is #537) which has a more liberal dress code than Whole Foods does? Your sloppy use of language and obvious exaggerations don't serve your argument well.

"I remain to be convinced that the dress code thing was in response to any complaining on the part of customers (even pre-dress code, I never saw anyone in any of the WFMI stores dressed so outlandishly that they would provoke complaints on the part of the casually <ahem> dressed patrons."

I don't believe Whole Foods management has a responsibility to convince you of anything. They don't report to you. I have stated that I believe the motivation of their management for tightening Madison's dress code was undoubtedly due to their perception that it would be good for their business. You dispute this, but offer no alternative explanations. If Whole Foods didn't tighten the dress code on behalf of their customers then what was their motivation? Do you have an alternative explanation to explain this decision?

"I never saw anyone in any of the WFMI stores dressed so outlandishly that they would provoke complaints on the part of the casually <ahem> dressed patrons."

I don't believe this decision is yours to make. Do you think Whole Foods management has a responsibility to forward all their customer phone calls and letters to you to justify their decisions?

"Mister Nathans may be, as you say, anti-WFMI, but unless he's making up facts out of whole cloth, the dress code is a new phenomenon."

Yes, I believe Mister Nathans is making stuff up. Whole Foods has always had a dress code. Ask any employee who works for the company. They have always had a dress code and it is more liberal and open than almost any other large company I'm aware of.