Wow, I'd never heard of Recyclebank. Looks like a great resource. Thanks for the tip, Danny!

Aaaannnd....... Just crashed the Recyclebank servers.

Tip 5 is basically "don't shoplift". Anyone who does this should be ashamed (and punished) - any "good" they feel they are doing by shopp(lift)ing organic is worthless.

Semantics, but filling your bag with organic and paying for non-organic is stealing, not lying. It's unfortunate that this tip can't go without saying.

Great tips! Thanks for sharing

Wow, between these tips and the Living Social deal I bought for Whole Foods yesterday ($10 for $20 worth of groceries), I'll be saving some major bucks! thanks!

Yup, definitely crashed Recyclebank's servers. Nicely done kitchn readers! :)

What?!?! He said nothing of the bulk section. You'll save like 3 bucks on Granola just because it doesn't have a box. Don't get me started on the savings on rice, beans, and other grains and legumes.

I always think about item #5, people that are trying to beat the system. I always worry that the Giant near my home will stop selling organic for that very reason.

Stacey ann Dolenti

For the merchandise I buy, Whole Foods has the best price/value ratio. They have the best prices on many things I buy and I use their coupons all the time. I also love the good wine discount and the case discount on ANYTHING. We shop at the farmer's market first, swing by WF second, and fill in at Trader Joes during the week. We only visit a conventional grocery store every few months and I am always outraged at the pricing.

AAAARGH why did no one tell me about the LS deal!!!!!!

Finally, mislabeling produce to pay non-organic is simply theft.

I agree with all of these tips. I regularly shop at Whole Foods and spend no more money than I would at a conventional grocery store. I buy mostly... whole foods... as opposed to processed, packaged things and that's the key. If you go to Whole Foods and buy a bunch of crackers, cheese, and prepared foods from the deli, you are going to pay a lot. But in season fruit and vegetables, which often go on sale, and specials for meat and seafood are very reasonable. In fact, for organics, Whole Foods is generally slightly cheaper than the other chains near me.

The tip for the store brand is also essential: sure, they have really expensive olive oil made by French nuns and Pope-blessed olives, but the 365 brand is fairly priced and great quality for day to day use.

And don't get me started on the people who come to my local farmer's market, GORGE themselves on samples, and never buy ANYTHING.

He should offer a tip for those of us who can find no use of coupons, since these are almost always for boxed food items that people who buy fresh food don't buy. Or perhaps there isn't a way to save on fresh organic food.

Oh, and just because it's Whole Food's generic brand, doesn't mean it's any healtheir than generic. A lot of their stuff still has hfcs and their mints and gums have artificial sweeteners in them. I always read the label whenever my coworkers leave around their Whole Foods purchases like iced teas, mints, etc. around the work space.

"Since all brands have to follow the same guidelines from the United States Department of Agriculture to earn the organic mark, it's a guarantee that it's healthy"

Since when does organic mean healthy?

Who does that? I've never even considered swapping conventional for organic...my mind just doesn't work that way. Great tips! Thank you!

@SF Cole Thanks for the reminder about the bulk sections!!

Just to clarify ... that a product is USDA Certified Organic is not a guarantee that it's "healthy". Organic ice cream is still ice cream. Ditto organic pop. They may contain fewer scary ingredients, taste better and be better for the environment (in some cases), but they're still junk food.

i work near a whole foods and it tends to be the most convenient for quick lunches from the salad/hot bar and i often pick up other items to keep at work for breakfasts & snacks or bring home to add to the kitchen.
i found that earlier on when i'd make a list of the things i want, i'd end up spending too much, so now i'm much more flexible - i give myself a few minutes to wander around and see what's on sale, and often simply add things up in my head until i get to a limit of $10 or $20. works for me.

Another tip for Whole Foods discounts: see if there is anyone conducting marketing research in your area. They frequently need "secret shoppers" to interview the staff at Whole Foods, and will reward you with a $50 gift certificate. I did this, and although it took me about an hour to ask the questions, and more to write up the report, I found myself getting into it, and enjoying the experience. Then I blew the fifty bucks on cheese and expensive olive oil.

Also, for those of us who live in smaller towns without Whole Foods, it's worthwhile to check the website of your local organic grocery store (if you're lucky enough to get one), and sign up for deals. We've got Earthfare here, and they frequently email you with coupons for free produce. And don't forget to shop at farmer's markets, join CSAs, and check out your town or city's organic co-ops. There's one around the corner of me that awards up to a 20% discount for volunteering just 2-3 hours a week. It's a great way to meet your neighbors and become part of a larger, greener community.

I used to have an apartment that was right around the corner from a Whole Foods. By going there all too often I discovered that they seem to have better deals on Tuesday and Wednesday. I think the day with the most sales was Tuesday. (At least at the P Street market in DC a few years ago.)

@ Anita83--I agree. Coupons are mostly worthless to me because they're still for name brand boxed/canned/packaged items--in other words, NOT whole foods!
As for #5, totally stealing. I bought some organic bulk almonds the other day. The cashier said to me, "I can tell you're an honest person because you wrote the organic bulk code and not the conventional. We sell tons of conventional almonds and almost no organic ones, yet we always seem to be filling up the organic bin."

I am totally with SF Cole. I expected the bulk tip to be first on the list! Bulk foods are not only cheaper but often (depending on the store) fresher. Bulk, organic herbs and spices are the deal of the century and you don't have to buy a whole jar of something you only use occasionally.

SHAME on the ones that print cheeper labels and eat all the samples and not buy. Why can't people be HONEST and pay fair share like everybody else. Come on people, your better than that.

I know I'm being naive, but why in the world would anybody fake the code for conventional vs. organic? Karma will bite back! The older I get, the less fraud and foolery make sense.

I just want to point out that coupons are not just for boxed junk food. Whole Foods offers coupons on natural cleaning products, paper products (toilet paper), etc. Check the web, e-mails, etc, and not just your Sunday paper.

If you like particular natural products, visit their website. 90% of the time if you click around, you can get great coupons.

Also, to add, just because something says "organic" doesn't mean it's "natural". Plenty of organic things can easily be synthesized.

I like to dream about eating organic. However, where I live eating organically (unless it's summer and you can grow vegetables), is too expensive.
It could just be my location that makes organic more pricey, since I live in northern British Columbia (plus adding a %12 tax onto food makes organic produce and goods even more expensive). I noticed while I was in Florida for the summer the organic food was nearly equivalent in price to conventional foods. I was both shocked and pleased.

AWESOME tips!

anita 83 can you be specific-- I do buy a lot of Whole Foods house brands, and I read the labels, and I've never seen high fructose corn syrup used in any of the things I've bought. What WF often does is see which main-label organic brand sells well, then mimics it under the 365 label. But I've seen them stick to high quality ingredients with their house brands.

Another vote for the bulk bins! Many items like grains are cheaper in bulk at Whole Foods than bagged at the grocery store.

Not just from the bins, when you buy in bulk. Stores near us offer case discounts on just about anything. Farmers will give you a price break for volume purchasing, too. I'll go in with friends on a bushel of peaches, tomatoes, sweet peppers, etc., from local organic farms. Look for a locavore group in your area - they may have sources for cooperative buying. (You'll save money on great food, even if it isn't technically saving at the grocer's.)

PS - an observation about bulk bins: they are not always more economical than the prepackaged stuff. For instance, we discovered that a package of arrowroot powder was a LOT less expensive by weight than arrowroot powder in the bulk bin. Go figure why, but I'm glad we checked!

Tip #5 is a complete waste of time. These aren't 10yo people. They know it's stealing. They just don't care. And they still won't care now that you've made it a 'tip'.

But along the same lines, I've had issues where organic and conventional are misplaced/mislabeled and if I'm not careful I'll pick up and pay for the one I don't want. Seen it several times.

I thought I read somewhere that Whole Foods doesn't use HFCS in any of the products it sells, so I had to double check...came across this article: http://newhope360.com/food/whole-foods-drops-products-high-fructose-corn-syrup-kind - so they stopped as of Jan. 2011. Hope it's true!

The thing with bulk bins - sometimes I worry that those bins have more germs, in case people decide to try the stuff and take things with their hands, like nuts or dried fruit, does that ever cross your mind?

And tip #5, wow, really?? I can't believe you would even post it...I'm sure that there are people out there that haven't even thought about it & after reading your "tip", will actually do it (instead of not doing!!!) I'd vote to remove that last tip!!! Like some other people said, we're not 10 year olds!!! If anyone is doing it, they KNOW it is wrong to do!!! But they keep doing it!!! It just gives ideas for those people that haven't thought about doing it.

I worked at Whole Foods and shopping in the middle of the week does help, a list helps and the 365 brand, esp the olive oil, rocks. We are always pleased with the wine specials and if something is "off" or not up to standards, bring it back and get the refund. Check out the pet food, can and bag. It's not from China. Shop careful and mindfully and you can have very nice meals. The bulk bins rock, esp for flour and other things you may be trying for the first time, you can purchase just what you need to find out if that recipe needs to go into regular rotation for your family.

It is simply untrue that Whole Foods private label uses HFCS.

"To wear any of our labels, an item must meet the highest standards for quality and taste, so we search the world for the most flavorful foods that are free of artificial flavorings, colorings, sweeteners, preservatives and hydrogenated fats."

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/products/private-label.php

And the vast majority of the products they carry do not use it either. I check ever label, on every product, I buy. I've never seen a label that has it but I know it is in theory in the story.

Add my voice to those shocked by #5. Never even crossed my mind and I've never noticed anyone doing it. I will of course be suspiciously eying my fellow shoppers from now on!

I LOVE the bulk bins. Right now I'm doing the Hunger Challenge (eating on $33.04 for the week), and for under four dollars I got enough brown rice, dried black beans, and dried chickpeas to get me through my entire week of dinners.

(A fellow Challenger is subsisting on ramen, margarine, 15% juice drink, and hot dogs -- to each his own, I guess.)

agree with serendipitwaddle: for some reason, a good number of bulk items are actually MORE expensive from the bins than packaged bulk (for example, a 5-lb. bag of rice). do the math in order to get real savings!

That's a Harris Teeter if I've ever seen one.

My youngest sister worked at a fancy grocery store throughout high school and college, and the (mostly wealthy) customers would come in and wrench the stems off the portobello mushrooms before bagging them. Talk about cheap and petty. I agree with previous comments; let's call stealing stealing.

I tried coupon clipping for a year, but gave it up because I found it was a lot of clipping for very little payoff. Often, the price of the coupon item was still more expensive than the store brand. Tofu in CT was a great example: a local no-name brand of tofu was much cheaper than Nosoyu with a coupon.

I also find that coupons are typically for processed food. I'll use them if I have them for Clif bars (which I eat on crazy mornings and very long bike rides) but for the most part, there's no coupons for fresh veggies and bulk bin items, which is most of my cart.

That being said, I can (if I'm careful) feed two people for a week on $60 or $70, shopping mostly from the edge of the store.