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Whole Foods has, as one of its many pet names, the moniker "Whole Paycheck." And indeed, it's not the cheapest of grocery emporiums. But, yum. Evidently the Whole Foods management got together and decided they needed to address the perception that their shoppers wouldn't have money left over for rent after picking up their delish produce and deli foods.
Only the company spokesman they had on Unwrapped last night was not, exactly, convincing. First, he let drop that Whole Foods stores expect you to buy at least 50% impulse buys. And then he addressed the issue of the priciness of organic foods. "Organic is not... in every case... way more expensive," he said. Ahhh... that makes me feel so much better.
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10-05-2005 @8:35AM Chuck said... Whole Foods may be more expensive, but I've got a friend who works there with a good salary and health insurance. Also, they source foods that are ethically raised. The way I see it, I can't afford to not shop there.
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10-05-2005 @9:02AM Maris said... Whole foods began with a very interesting notion. Service would be their product and everyone who works for them would be in sales. I go to whole foods to impulse shop, not to buy groceries!It is social entainment and yummy treats to beat. New flowers, orchids on the cheap and a different cheese every trip. The shoppers are nice too1
M3
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10-05-2005 @10:20AM Maka said... I work for a small independent health food store and I'm glad there's no Whole Foods nearby to compete. But I can tell you that the store itself (whether WF or a small place like ours) has nothing to do with the expense of organic foods. Organics are more expensive, period. Some of the reasons include the cost of being certified organic, more labor, more expense in the production of crops, and a lower crop yield than industrial farming (both because organic farms tend to be smaller and because genetic modification and chemical additives cause freakisly high produce yield). Consider that multiple studies have shown that organically grown foods have more nutrients as well as less toxins. Most people will, without giving it a second thought, pay more money for clothing, cars, shoes...well, *EVERYTHING* really...based on the quality of the product and maybe even the name on the label. Why would we balk at paying more for a food that is produced ethically and sustainably, and that is more nourishing and less dangerous?
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10-06-2005 @9:39AM Myron said... Whole Foods meat, fish and produce are remarkably better than any of the other 4 grocery chains around me. And you pay for it. Boy do you ever. But they get my money. I'm happy to have the choice.
I do wish the other grocery stores weren't so terrible. But I'm in a small minority of food snobs. Come out to suburbia and marvel at the vast sea of crappy restaurants and grocery stores. Most people can't tell good food from bad. (Did I mention I'm a food snob)
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10-05-2005 @10:57AM Cynthia said... I think you misunderstood the post - no one argues that Whole Foods rocks, but the rep on the Food Network actually tried to say that Whole Foods was NOT more expensive than other grocery stores. I agree that you get what you pay for, but Whole foods IS unbelievably expensive - for many reasons.
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10-05-2005 @12:24PM Justin H. said... Which products are you comparing? "Organic" chicken is much cheaper at the meat counter of the local WF than in the small section at my local big-chain supermarket. IMO, you can't compare the price of supermarket beef to the price of WF beef since they are really two different products (actually, even then WF has the same price in some cases - ground beef, for example). Organic produce at WF either the same price or cheaper than the supermarket - and they actually have sales on organic produce which is never seen at the supermarket.
On some products that they both sell (whole wheat flour, dried beans, tofu) WF actually has the lower prices - and their versions are organic!
The key to not spending your Whole Paycheck is to not to fulfill your corn chip, ice cream, and beer urges at Whole Foods.
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10-05-2005 @2:09PM r said... The key is to be a smart shopper and not buy everything at Whole Foods. Plus, they have great customer service; I've never had to wait in a long line to pay.
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10-05-2005 @1:57PM sarah gilbert said... thanks Cynthia - that IS what I was saying, basically. I adore Whole Foods and (in fact) have spent lots of money there back when my paycheck was big enough so that it would have been outrageous to spend all of it. now, I only shop there when I'm in the mood to splurge.
but, as some of the rest of you pointed out - many items at Whole Foods are actually reasonably priced, especially meats and seafoods. And their 365 line is priced comparably with many products at Trader Joe's. but.. I thought it was REALLY funny how badly the Whole Foods people did at convincing me that they were not WAY more expensive. it just made me laugh...
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10-05-2005 @4:01PM Sir Not Appearing in this Blog said... Maka sez: "Why would we balk at paying more for a food that is produced ethically and sustainably, and that is more nourishing and less dangerous?"
Well, THERE'S an unbiased question!
Let me take this apart. How is organic food more ethical? What's unethical about producing a larger, more robust crop in less space than an organic crop? What's ethical about producing a smaller, more expensive crop which requires more land to produce?
And what's more sustainable about organic farming? Conventional farming allows the same land to be used year after year. And crop rotation allows for the natural reintroduction of nutrients into the soil. This is as true for conventional farming as it is for organic.
Would you care to point me in the direction of the studies which have proven that organic food is more nutritious than conventionally raised crops?
And as for danger, there's a greater risk to the consumer from organic foods because the fertilisers used (basically, manure) contain lots of unpleasent creepy-crawlies. We've been eating GMOs for literally decades and I have yet to hear of anything bad happening to people who eat them.
And anyway, I like Trader Joe's better than Whole Foods. They don't have the same variety as WF but they're a LOT less expensive.
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10-06-2005 @11:47AM Blue Balloon said... I like H.E.B.'s Central Market, it's giant supermaket that fill tons of good organic food to cook in mexican food. yummy.
http://www.centralmarket.com
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10-06-2005 @4:02PM Finished.Law.School said... That company spokesman should be fired.
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