Living in a Whole Foods world
A new Whole Foods opened up in my neighborhood late last year, and I have to say that shopping there is a lovely experience. It’s nowhere near as crowded as the one I used to go to (where you can’t see any sign of the registers from the back of the incredibly long lines), the butcher’s really nice, and they sell the cheapest milk for miles around.
But my frustration with the other location–and my glee when I can get out of there with only spending $20–speaks to a peculiar love-hate relationship that a lot of shoppers (not to mention a lot of health-food advocates) have with the store. The long but interesting New Yorker article on John Mackey, the CEO and co-founder, gets at part of it: Is the store a big business that happens to sell healthy foods, or a health-food store that happened to get big? The fact that so many of us even care is actually great news for whole foods (the actual food, if not the store), because I think the more we talk about the best ways to get healthy foods to people, the better. Do you shop at Whole Foods? What do you think of the selection and the experience? What’s the least (or most!) amount of money you’ve spent there? (My record: $8.43, for milk, butter, and some samosas from the hot bar. Yum.)
–Sarah, KIWI editorial director
7 comments
I also shop at Wholefoods, it has a great selection of items especially if you want to buy organic foods. It is very expensive though and for this reason I ahve been trying to discipline myself to driving further once a week and buying more there. I nearly always spend in excess of $150 a week on a family shop for 3. I am sure this is ridiculous and I really want to cut down. My husband has proclaimed me a “wholefoods” junky. I guess one reason I by there is that I feel like they are more ethical and make strides towards a better living and healthy lifestyle for all, I just have some doubts at times as to whether this is really fact or fiction. When you are busy working mom trying to do your best you don’t always have time to explore as many alternative options (ethically and financially) as you might like.
Sarah, I too have a love-hate relationship with Whole Paycheck (as I like to call it). I am thankful that Trader Joe’s is actually closer to my house as I can buy most of my necessities (organic fruits, veggies, milk, cereal, EVOO, pasta, etc) there. I do visit WFs when I’m looking for a specialty item (like vegan chocolate chips or healthier food coloring) as well as for some of their supplements and beauty products. Though for the supplements and beauty products I only buy the ones I can’t get at my local health food store.
I admit that I’m addicted to anything healthy and I often find myself at the checkout with so much more than I went in there for. My last visit added $100+ to my credit card. Ouch!
Why does being healthy have to cost more than not?
Although I think the store is beautiful and they have excellent products, I rarely shop there. I find I can get excellent organic foors and 7th Gen/Method cleaning products at my local Stop & Shop for less, and S&S is more convenient for me. I also find the gourmet cheeses at Trader Joe’s to be significantly cheaper (although the selection isn’t as big as that at WF). I do find it an excellent place for really special bakery desserts, and occasionally will splurge for sushi for lunch.
I have a lot of other organic grocery stores in my area and I can’t say I am all that impressed with Whole Foods. We have 3 within an hour drive, compared to probably at least 6 other local organic grocery store chains also within 30 to 45 minute drive. Whole Foods is always more expensive, the supplements section is lacking (compared to the smaller stores), and they are always crowded. I know the food I am buying at the local chains are LOCAL, not so all the time with Whole Foods. Or if it is local, it’s more than the other stores are selling it for and since I can compare, I feel rather ripped off. I can’t imagine what they were to charge if there was no competition around! The whole company puts a bad taste in my mouth, especially when everything they sell is more expensive even when I can get the same organic stuff at the REGULAR grocery store!
Oh…and I had to laugh when they were had a sign advertising LOCAL organic avocados….and they were all stamped with stickers from Mexico. I live on the east coast. They were $1.75 each. The other local organic store had them for .99.
I find that you do have to check prices everywhere. Whole Foods does have many competitively-priced products. I’ve learned not to assume that the supermarket has cheaper prices because that’s not always the case. And, the 365 Brand has good products that are priced less than the branded options. But best of all, for me, is that I can find all of the organic and natural products that my family likes in one spot without having to go from store-to-store. That convenience is worth a few extra dollars at checkout to me.
I have to agree with Sara Jo. Trader Joes beats Whole Foods hands down, and yet I’m still mysteriously drawn to Whole Foods. They don’t hand out free samples, there are never sales (at least not at any of the WF in my area), they are ridiculously expensive, but it is a joy to wander around their beautifully decorated stores with wide aisles, delicious food items beckoning at me from every shelf and knowledgeable sales staff. So I get my fix by tagging along with a friend who likes to shop there. We get a little time together chatting, have a coffee afterwards and my wallet is lighter only by the price of the cup of coffee.
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