Some of their staples are priced okay, but until they stop charging $6/lb for organic shallots . . . I just can't imagine.
I've only compared them out of state, and always been driven off by the outrageous produce prices.

The snack prices are decent and there are some good prices on other things but meat and veggies are VERY high. Lately I saw sale tags on certain items only to discover that the same price was underneath...that urked me.

I agree with guido and elle. I find their produce prices really high! Some items are on par with regular grocery stores and some things are even cheaper, but I can never buy all of my produce there. It will break the bank.

I wonder how geographically-specific the pricing strategy is.

The Business-Day survey doesn't mesh with the price comparisons (on branded products) I did between WholeFoods and TraderJoes when I lived in WashDC a few years ago.

Now (in PDX), I barely go into WholeFoods and I work right across the street from the only one (so far) in town. Maybe I'll take a closer look today.

To some extent, aren't ALL groceries in NYC overpriced? Being the cheapest groceries in NYC does not mean that they are inexpensive.

A quote from the article: "The reality is that they are not a higher- priced competitor," [Andrew Wolf, a longtime grocery industry analyst] said.

"However, if your store looks cleaner and your products are better, you can create a price image that is higher than reality," he added. "You are punished for being good."

I really question this in reference to Whole Foods. Yes, some isolated packaged items may be cheaper, but as stated above, their organic produce and organic meats, dairy, and fish are way more than conventional versions. If they compare organic to organic at other groceries, yes, they might have an edge. But if you are choosing organic over conventional, there is going to be that higher price and to say that Whole Foods is cheaper compared to the local grocery - my wallet and receipts are gonna say otherwise.

But when I go into Whole Foods, I also tend to buy luxury items, like cheese, wine, good coffee, and specialized things I wouldn't buy on a normal run to a grocery store. If people often do this, then I suppose those buying patterns have to be worked in too. If I only bought eggs, milk, bulk flour, produce and chicken at Whole Foods, I wonder how it would turn out. I still have a hunch it would be pricier, but whatever.

Their 360 brand (store brand) prices are decent, but in general, their prices are a bit higher than most other stores. Think it may be a result of the ingredients being a bit more wholesome than the junk you find in typical grocery stores.

I just noticed that there is also a really good article in the New Yorker right now about the whole organic dialogue, with quite a bit of emphasis on Michael Pollan

http://www.newyorker.com/critics/atlarge/articles/060515crat_atlarge

Faith, I think you've hit the answer. My experience has been that prices at Whole Foods are comparable to prices at my local Shaw's. (Now, the prices at my local Shaw's may also be very high, since it's an "inner city" grocery store with terrible meat departments and produce departments.) However, I tend to spend more money at Whole Foods because I'm more likely to buy organic, which is more expensive than non-organic, and more likely to buy specialty items like higher-priced cheese, Greek yogurt, specialty produce like kumquats or custard apples, or chocolates.

Whole Foods has products that are insanely expensive, but these are likely speciality items that other stores wouldn't carry. I saw ice cream and sorbet for $9 for the small, Hagez Das size container. If they are to make a go of this 'low price' campaign, they might have to stop selling $9 sorbet.

I don't know what everyone is making such a fuss over. In the posts above people are complaining about Whole Foods being much more expensive then going on about how they buy luxury goods.
I am a college student with more time than money and I have compared prices and products to the penny. Whole foods is definitly worth buying from... the cheapest way to buy is half at Whole Foods half at a regular supermarket.

Whole Foods has great sales on produce that's in season, I've even found apples as low as 99 cents/lb. Then, they have low priced frozed fish and meat. Their bulk grains are extremly low cost, and the deli meats and cheeses are a deal for the quality.

Regular Supermarkets have cheaper: milk, eggs, junk food, sodas, anything with corn syrup, and processed foods, and their produce while not nearly as good is cheaper at full price

Once you get into luxury goods - for the same quality Whole Foods usually has it cheaper.

A- I think I may not have expressed my point very clearly. My point was that I often walk out of Whole Foods going, huh... I just spent a lot of money, and all I have to show for it is this wee shopping bag of groceries (albeit a wee paper shopping bag with very nice handles).

But what I don't take into account, mentally, is that I didn't just buy regular groceries - I splurged and got more exclusive gourmet items, which Whole Foods is very good at offering.

So my point is that these comparisons are rather like oranges to apples: I tend to buy my (hormone-free) eggs and (organic) milk at the supermarket, while I buy my wine, Spanish cheese, dollar-apiece Odwalla breakfast bars and high-end chocolate at Whole Foods. So to compare what I spend between the two is just not a very statistically accurate exercise.

And you are absolutely right - their bulk section is fantastic, and it gives me nostalgic memories of going to the health co-op with my mom. (Although, they just discontinued bulk spices here, which I am totally bummed about - anyone else seeing this happen?)

faith... say it ain't so. there is ONE whole foods here in chicago with the bulk spices, and i would surely cry if they took it away from me.

Wherever you go...please bring your own bags. Thanks. And I believe Whole Foods is more expensive on lots and lots of things.

I've shopped at Whole Foods in 3 different states. They are expensive. But so are the other choices in big cities, at least and certainly where I now live. And they are cleaner. A&P Fresh seems to be trying to impersonate them because Whole Foods is reaching a wider audience. And I'm happier when I go home with good quality food which I don't find elsewhere. Reading labels, being aware, and eating before you go is always helpful!

For me, personally, I can't imagine living anywhere that doesn't have a Whole Foods. I don't think the food experience, whether its in a restaurant or a grocery store, is ever only about the food. Not for me, anyway.

for what it's worth, my two cents:

i view whole foods as a necessary evil in NYC. when i lived in brownstone brklyn, i belonged to the park slope food coop, which is a tremendous resource for wonderful, far more affordable produce and other organic items but is also a study in frustration in terms of how it's engineered architecturally etc. whole foods, especially on 14th street, has really nailed down an efficient system to serve thousands of nyorkers at a time, but i do find its prices a real bummer--not to mention its lack of bulk options totally hypocritical given the values it purports to uphold.

that said, if i lived in a place like portland, oregon, which has other options in terms of organic grocery stores that aren't seamy and claustrophobic (as many of the stores are in nyc), whole foods would lose my business faster than you could utter the words, "starbucks!"

I live about a block from both a whole foods and a local grocery chain (which are across the street from each other). They each carry some of the exact same items and I would say that sometimes Whole Foods is 20-30 cents more and sometimes it's 20-30 cents less.

However, if we're going to compare price, let's also compare a few other things. The chain store usually smells like dirty diapers (in the produce section, no less), is extremely slow to restock popular items, and employes cashiers who refuse to make eye contact, smile, or even mutter a word (other than "I said, CREDIT OR DEBIT"). The Whole Foods is clean, doesn't have an unpleasant smell, works hard to stock items that its customers ask for, and employes people who make eye contact, smile, and engage you in conversation.

So, maybe they make an extra 30 cents on my lactose-free milk, but if they are turning it around to create a pleasant atmosphere, treat their employees well, and support non-profit organizations in my city... I'm not going to complain.

I once bought a Nissan Sentra. It got me from point A to point B.

Later in life, I bought a nice topped-out Volvo. It also got me from point A to point B.

But I never compared the price of the Volvo to the price of the Pinto.

If you want good service, cleanliness, a wide selection of high quality organic food and to spend money with a company with good environmental practices, you're going to pay a little more for that premium.

It is that simple.

I'm willing, and apparently lots of other people are as well.

i only go there for special items. but i think they are concerned that wal mart is going to offer organic produce. it's business.

Forget about price comparison of individual items. When you leave Whole Foods with 4 bags of groceries, how much have you paid?

Whole Foods is all about showmanship and entertainment. For the American public, shopping is a form of entertainment. What burns me about Whole Foods is how much they charge for CONVENTIONALLY-grown produce. Their meat and fish people don't know that much about what they're selling. In fact, none of the people on the floor seem to know much about anything. I only shop there when someone else is footing the bill.

I can buy produce for 1/4 of the price at my local Korean or Mexican supermarkets. When was the last time you got 4 mangos for a dollar at Whole Foods? Sure, they're not organic, but neither is half the stuff at Whole Foods!

When I'm in the mood for organic, I shop at the Farmer's Market, where at least I can feel a little bit better knowing that I'm plunking down the big bucks for an actual person, not some corporation.

I buy fish at my local fishmonger, who charges the same as Whole Foods, except that he knows his stuff and his fish is much higher quality.

Finally, I get the bulk of my food at [god bless] Trader Joes.

I love Whole Foods. Not only do they have the CLEANEST grocery stores I've ever been in, the staff they hire is very knowledgeable about the products they oversee. Tell me you'd find that at your local Shop Rite (east coast boy here).

While I wouldn't think to buy ALL my groceries at Whole Foods, I certainly feel that the ones I do buy are of the highest quality (freshness, taste, ingredients, etc..).

As everyone has already stated, Whole Foods is expensive. However, you truly get what you pay for. If you didn't, why would you bother shopping there in the first place.

Happy Shopping!!

Whole Foods may carry items that are more expensive; you don't have to buy them. I have shopped at Whole Foods in numerous states and have worked with the company as a supplier on a corporate level; in both capacities I am thoroughly impressed.

Granted if you decide that you need an organic mango in the middle of winter, you will find it at WF and it will be expensive. Personally if I chose to eat an item so absurdly out of season, I'd rather pay for it. The cheap, non-organic corner store version will be pumped full of chemicals.

Yesterday I tried to buy a loaf of bread at Gristedes that was devoid of "enriched" flour (a grievous marketing statement that essentially means the opposite of enriched) and also high-fructose corn syrup. I looked at every loaf of bread and could not find one that met my criteria, so I went out of my way to Whole Foods later that day.

Not only does Whole Foods offer me good, nutritious choices in a clean and friendly environment, they are also an extraordinary company who is helping the organic movement greatly. Voted one of the "Top 100" companies to work for in Fortune magazine since 1998, Whole Foods offers their employees stock options, full medical and dental benefits, employee education (whoever had the bad service, must have gone to a bad store) and they give their employees 40 hours of paid time per year to do volunteer work. That's right, you get to volunteer for whomever you want for 40 hours a year and get paid.

Do Gristedes/Trader Joes/Zabars/Food Emporium/Safeway….do this?

If you are on a budget, show some restraint and only buy items that you can afford. If you have the luxury of time and proximity to a farmer's market, take advantage of it. But don't knock Whole Foods; thankfully we finally have some big business that is willing to be both profitable and responsible.

No, I do not nor have I ever worked for Whole Foods. I am just a fan who has been watching them for a few years.

my first job was working in the deli section at Whole Foods. (After you clean the chicken rotisserie, and handle 25lb. bags of mass-produced WF potato salad--even if it is all 'organic'--you don't want to shop there anymore.)

One thing that I hated about working at Whole Foods was that--although they stated in all their employee materials that they believed they "didn't need" unions because they "provided" for their workers--they exploit the hell out of their employees. The worst was hiring everyone but management as "part-time," and then requiring a 39 hour week, so that they would NOT have to pay health benefits for those part-time workers who really worked full-time, just not in name. Shifty.

The prices at WF are related, however subtly, to their entire business practice. Whole foods is as anti-union as Wal-mart. Local grocery stores, generally speaking, DO have unions. So even if the cashiers there are a little pissy and the produce looks less-than-gorgeous, you know that the workers receive decent benefits.

just my 2 cents.

Interesting to hear from someone loving WF writing a disclaimer about not working for them, and then someone that *did* work there who has a different viewpoint...

The cashier at Trader Joe's 14th St told me she has health insurance through the store.
The Park Slope Food Coop gives even part-time staff health insurance, and is consistently one of the cleanest stores in NYC, according to DOH inspections and tabloid tv.

Curbed.com is reporting that Fairways is opening in Red Hook Bklyn in a week or so . . .

kwj: that's odd, i have three friends who currently work for whole foods in California and none have these complaints. In fact two have worked for the company for over 5 years, one started as a cashier and is now a team leader of housewares making a very good salary.

Another thing: after working in any restaurant, deli, grocery store, you really start to think twice about what you are purchasing, it's all gross. I spent ten years working for a handful of restaurants and delis and they all have disgusting qualities.

Do you really think that Gristedes would be any better?

The worst was hiring everyone but management as "part-time," and then requiring a 39 hour week, so that they would NOT have to pay health benefits for those part-time workers who really worked full-time, just not in name. Shifty.

kwj, I totally agree with this retail practice. Sadly, it is just Whole Foods who do this. Every retail job I held did this as well. It is horrible.

What I find interesting about this new ad campaign is I read that Whole Foods only opens a store in neighborhoods that meet an average income requirement ($60k, I think). So I would think that your store is in a higher price point or else you would not have an average neighborhood income requirement.

molly - Whole Foods is not the only business who opens stores in decent income demographics, that's just good business.

There is an epidemic in low-income neighborhoods of not having ANY grocery stores. These neighborhoods tend to subsist on corner stores and fast food, which leads to higher diabetes rates, poor nutrition, which is thought to lead to low self-esteem, higher crime rates, lower test scores.

This is not about Whole Foods, this is about society.

i have to say, as a former organizer, it's very upsetting to hear about WF's 39-hour scam. sigh. maybe i should rejoin the PS food coop.

the whole foods that I worked at was in suburban Chicago. It was located right off of Greenbay Road--which leads northwards toward immensely wealthy towns like Kenilworth--but also within walking distance of a historically Black, lower middle class neighborhood.

it was rare to see ANY Black folks in the store. Although there were lots of rich white ladies there buying $8/lb rotisserie chicken. For their dogs.

sigh.

Food really matters to me. But so does economic justice for human beings. And ultimately, the ability of those human beings to buy good, sustainable, local food in their own communities. I don't think that WF is leading that charge.

WF may not be leading the charge but at least they are bringing organic into popular vernacular. 5 years ago it was nearly impossible to find organics outside of Northern California, your stinky health food market or a Farmers market. Whole Foods is singlehandedly responsible for making it trendy to buy sustainable.

This, like the concept of global warming, needs to become accepted on a worldwide level. We cannot continue to purchase, grow, consume, chemically infested and irresponsible food. It's all about babysteps towards a greater good.

If grocery stores in poor neighborhoods were not a problem, you would not have local interest groups such as, "Food Trust", whose sole interest is building healthy food in all communities.

All produce in NYC is overpriced. At least at Whole Foods, it's decent quality. It's always been a mystery to me that I can go to the Hudson Valley and get some truly amazing produce--but none of it seems to make it to the city.

In terms of other items, Whole Foods is, in my opinion, cheap. The 365 brand is cheaper than my local supermarket.

Sure, if you want gourmet cheese, it's expensive, but any gourmet cheese is expensive.

Just to add--
Many, many corporations do that hiring practice to not pay health insurance or benefits. Estee Lauder Companies (owns EL, Clinique, MAC, Stila at the moment, Bobbi Brown, Aveda, Origins, Rodan & Fields, La Mer, Prescriptives, etc, etc), my former employer, has 50% (!!!) of their headquarters workforce classified as "consultants" or "temporary workers" to get around this. It's a pretty despicable practice, since most of those employees are young and eager for experience. But if we boycotted every company that does this, we'd never shop again.

This is why the law in Massachussetts was passed. Be interesting to see what happens.

I am always amazed when I walk out of WF with a $50.00 bag of groceries, but I still shop there. I buy about half of my groceries from WF and half from the regular guys.

WF carries many healthy items I cannot get anywhere else, and as a caffeine addict, you can't beat the 365 French Roast at $9.95 for a pound and a half.

I think a lot has to do with where you live. When I lived in Seattle, I would have never gone to WF because there are boundless health food options that are less expensive along with regular grocery stores which have clued in to health food and have large natural foods sections. But here in Chicago, Co-op's are pretty much non-existant, regular grocery stores have a tiny selection, leaving WF's as virtualy your only option.

Little competition means that they can charge almost any price. They do, and I still go there.

Whole Foods is not cheaper than my other local specialty food store: HEB's Central Market. Generally, I can find "luxury items" like fancy cheese, free trade & organic coffee, organic produce, and bread at a cheaper price in Central Market.

I will concede though and mention that Whole Foods always, always has cheaper yogurt. And their North Austin location has really cheap pre-cut cantaloupe for some reason.

Let me just preface by saying that I've worked and shopped at Whole Foods for over 10 years....

BUT, I am still a price-conscious shopper, trying to cook and feed my family great food and believe wholeheartedly (no pun intended) that I can shop affordably at a Whole Foods... I just can't splurge on the luxury items everytime I load my basket.

Its really about having the choice.... do I want the $5.00 organic milk or will the $3.00 regular gallon suffice?

AND while I'm here, I wanted to set the record straight on one topic....how Whole Foods treats their employees... Based on feedback from the employees, Whole Foods Market has restructured the benefits system in the past couple of years to provide AFFORDABLE health insurance to all employees who work at least 20 hours a week.

I always buy my fruit at Whole Foods - while it may be slightly more expensive than Ralphs or Trader Joes, it is EDIBLE!! Most of the time when I buy fruit at Ralphs or Trader Joes, I end up throwing it away - I'd rather pay a little more to eat the fruit than throw it away.

Two days ago, I was at Whole Foods in Columbus Circle and was flabergasted at what I saw: Cherries for $19.99 (no, you read that right) per pound. And, they weren't even organic. Conventional cherries for $19.99 per pound. I know they're out of season, but let me repeat that again, cherries for $19.99 per pound. I'm done venting.

Here in San Francisco, Whole Foods is priced the same as or cheaper than its competitors (here, that would be Rainbow) on identical, commonly purchased items, like vinegar.

However, I've noticed that on items that are not identical - and that's a lotta items, Whole Foods is indeed Whole Paycheck.

Those Whole Foods people are smart.

That said, I love Whole Foods.

whole foods overcharges for organic stuff. they have an obscene margin. it's been documented in a philly city paper--forget the name of it. wild oats doesn't punish you for wanting organic. it's fairer. as far as how they treat their workers--it's probably as well as that other cult store that's always got employees out talking about how great it is to work there. they hire people they can get to drink their kool aid or who don't have other choices.

The coyly union-sympathetic "kwj" is full of it. WFM does NOT hire everyone but managers as part time. That is a bold faced lie. At WFM, full time is considered more than 30 hours per week. And, even part time employees are offered health insurance.

I worked there until not too long ago. I know this.

I usually do some of my shopping at Whole Foods and some at Trader Joe's - both in Union Square. Whole Foods definately has better quality and selection of produce/meat and just by the square footage, a bigger selection of overall products. But, for the products that cross over, Trader Joe's is usually a $1+ less. Rarely have I walked out of Whole Foods with two bags for less than $50. At Trader Joe's the same amount (and similar if not same) food will cost about 1/3 of that.

Neither can compare to the quality and freshness of the Union Square Farmer's market, though- can't forget about that. Which opens up another debate...

Aside from the food,
I've never heard of any chain store (nowadays) treating its workers as well as WF does. Maybe unions will save the world someday, but meanwhile I think WF's doing okay. And if a place hires people who don't have other choices, so much the better. Pass the kool aid.

That said, I've found the organic milk to be a decent deal. Organic beef always in stock; very nice prices on natural meats. Org OJ goes on sale alot. For any other organics I shop around. There are sucker buys to avoid.

The store brands are a good deal. "365" products: Awesome. Microwave meals without crazy chemicals. Fantastic organic jelly by "Whole Kids".

I haven't read all of the comments but a few but just wanted to reiterate what "Jen" stated a few posts earlier..

Packaged goods sold at both Trader Joes and Whole Foods are considerably cheaper at Trader Joes - it's just a fact that I have come to realize when visiting both stores in succession.. (well.. at least in Philadelphia..)

The comparison for me is not between Whole Foods and regular supermarkets (who wouldn't even be carrying any organic stuff if Whole Foods hadn't come on the scene, following the food coops). It's between Whole Foods and -- I'm in DC -- My Organic Market, out in the suburbs of Maryland and Virginia. These are wonderful stores with significantly cheaper prices than Whole Foods, but you definitely need a car to get there, which I choose not to have. Metro-DC denizens, definitely check it out.

And there are the Farmers' Markets. I go every Sunday to the Dupont Circle market and buy at the organic stands. How do the prices for that organic produce compare to other places? I don't know. I do know it's a critically high priority for me to shop organic and local whenever possible. This is an investment in health and in the environment. Also, the freshest produce tastes the best and the markets are a lovely way to create community.

The amount of money we choose to pay for different things reflect our differing priorities (except, of course, if one is poor and is limited in choices.) I do think generally Whole Foods=Whole Paycheck for me mostly because of the types of things I buy--I don't cook everything from scratch. I'm just too tired at the end of the day. But at this point, in combo with the Farmers' Markets and some limited use of regular grocery stores, its the only game in town.

True, true, packaged foods at Trader Joe's are much cheaper than Whole Foods but that's all they do. You can't buy everything that you need at TJ's and most people do not have the luxury of time to run around to multiple stores.

We, as a collective society, are addicted to cheap, fast convenience.

Cherries for $19.99/lb. ? Your cherries are being flown in from Chile, this is why they cost too much.

Have you looked at fuel costs lately?

I just researched plane tickets to California & Europe for two different trips, California was nearly $600 r/t and Vienna was $1300 r/t. These prices are three times what they were one year ago; all because of fuel charges.

I can't imagine the amount of waste (fuel, labor, produce) involved in getting cherries to Manhattan in early May.

This is irresponsible consumerism.

Concerning the comment about Whole Foods being scared of Walmart offering organic produce: have you SEEN the produce at Walmart?

at the flagship whole food here in austin, they offer 'classes' on shopping the store for bargains. i must admit i found a entire rack of wines priced under $6 the other day and bought a bottle that was pretty darn good...

Sadly, in New York City all other grocery options are so dismal I go to Whole Foods without even batting an eye. If you really buy "whole foods" (i.e. not packaged an prepared) and get a mix of organic and not organic, I don't find it to be that much more expensive than other stores here, and the shopping experience is exponentially better. I loved them in California and since they've opened in NYC I haven't looked back. Viva Whole Foods!!!

dear brian,
I don't know what is "coy" about my union sympathies. I am a proud union member--they take a percentage out of every paycheck. (and my mother was a wobbly! so there!)

Perhaps I should have prefaced my statements about having worked at WF--I worked there eight years ago. Maybe, and it'd be really great if it were true, labor practices at WF have changed.

I will still stand by my original (and experiential) misgivings about WF. Just because they sell organic granola DOES NOT mean that they are engaged in honorable labor practices. They capitalize on their crunchy image--in much the same way that McDonald's and Wal-mart capitalize on being populist--as a way to sell LOTS and LOTS of goods. But it's still about the goods. And not about the people.

And, for what it is worth, I belong to my local food co-op, which is member-owned and operated.

I find Whole Foods more expensive, but out here in the 'burbs of Philly, you can't beat their fruit! I buy the bulk of my groceries from the local Genuardis but it's fresh produce is the pits, so when I want some good quality stuff, to Whole Foods I head. A few weeks ago I was at the pre packaged fruit section in Whole Foods, only to be disappointed that they'd run out of papaya. The very nice lady mentioned they had fresh papaya available but I said, "I'm too lazy to peel and chop", knowing full well that half my fresh produce goes off due to sheer laziness. "How about if I give it you for free?" she responded. I walked away with a free papaya the size of my head! And as it turned out I wasn't too lazy to peel and chop it. Yum!

The recurring themes here are concluding in:

There are items at WF's that are comparably priced to regular supermarkets, but on the whole you are paying much more but usually getting better quality and atmosphere. If you can afford this, that's great! If not, you have to shop at different places and what you buy from WF's will be the things you will splurge on.

And, oh yeah, someone needs to stand up for their employees and call them on this scandal!

Elle-M,

Recent employees are saying that the labor accusations are not true. Someone who worked there 8 years ago is making the accusations.

I think perhaps some research is in order before people get all outraged about something that is probably not even true.

Sadly, there is some misinformation here. Whole Foods offers health insurance FREE OF CHARGE to every single one of its employees who works more than 30 hours per week (and if you work less than 30 hours, you can get it and pay for it yourself). And something like 90 percent of their employees are full-time, which is just the opposite of most grocers. The people who work at my local Whole Foods look like they're having fun and enjoying it.

They offer great food and screen out all of the garbage ingredients. For someone who values their health and what they put in their body, it saves a lot of time and energy in searching out the bread that doesn't have a list of 40 ingerdients at the average grocery store.

And I shop there on a budget. I don't need the cheese that is $30 per pound, but the Wisconsin cheddar that is 2.99/lb is just fine. The 365 staples are, for the most part, very tasty -- and all are free of GMOs (even when conventional). I don't mind paying a little more for peace of mind to a company that takes care of its employees and does the homework for me when it comes to ingredients.

About the health care - Whole Foods has become almost a required career phase for a lot of my friends here, some just out of college and needing a part-time transition spot that will give them good benefits and an upbeat place to work. Also, deep discounts on food, I've heard, which is unusual for grocery store employment. I have one friend who has worked for them for like three or four years, and he is the most quixotically conscientious person I know in the area of food, marketing, big business and all that.

So, while I am somewhat cynical about the corporate business of organic, I think that Whole Foods is doing what they can, within the limits of big business, to benefit their workers. Rather like Starbucks, actually - huge business with plenty of bitterness in its wake, but staunchly defended by all my LA friends who work there part time and get full healthcare.

health insurance for its employees notwithstanding--which was never my main beef anyways--Whole Foods does not allow union organizing on their premises.

For me, the right to organize is a human right. WF's business practice is, to me, unethical, because they deny their workers this right.

39 hours? Ugh. I'm glad WF has stopped doing that.

I hate it when companies try to get around hiring people by any means necessary. I'm an actual freelancer, and many of my clients now ask for extra documentation and an EIN to cover their butts in case someone does check to see if I'm an employee. I've had to miss out on projects because some more ethical/careful places now won't hire freelancers unless they're incorporated -- a d/b/a form isn't enough. It's actually relatively easy to incorporate -- $200 bucks and an online form -- but I can see the unethical ones requiring their employees to do that next step down the road.

I live near Union Square, and my local grocery stores are both unionised. What they aren't is well managed, stocked or clean, and I've had very bad experiences with the dairy section at both of them.

People in Trader Joes and Whole Foods have been very pleasant when I visit. At TJs, they're willing to chit-chat about the products even when I visit during rush hour -- I had the same check-out guy at Trader Joes twice and he recognised me first. I know it's only groceries, but I want a better experience than I was having. Since I have to pay through the nose for groceries in my neighborhood anyway, I'd like a little service, no tinny musak and a good selection of food.

Whole Foods can't legally stop their employees from organizing. Maybe the employees don't WANT to or need to. Maybe they're treated with respect and dignity. Maybe they're paid fair wages. Maybe they're given fair benefits and an empowering work environment. Maybe they're working for a company that walks its talk. Maybe they're working for a company that values the contributions of each individual employee.

Ah, Whole Foods, the land of the gold-plated produce.
Yes it's expensive, but I've never had less-than-stellar produce from there.

I feel I'm doomed to shop at WF, as I have multiple food allergies and even in the Greater Boston Area, finding "safe" food can be a challenge. They have products made in a gluten-free kitchen... Their 365 soda is free of corn syrup and 2 bucks for a 6 pack. After going without certain things for years, when you find something you can eat, you feel like a kid in a candy store. Imagine my joy when I found wheat-free, corn-free Chocolate Chip Cookies! Believe me, I was willing to shell out for 'em, even though they were about a dollar *each*. Of course, I don't get them very often. But they're damned good.

I do wonder how much of the differences are regional. At our local WF, the guy at the deli knows his stuff and will special order a cut they don't have if you ask for it. Even in the conventional supermarkets (Shaw's and Stop & Shop here) there's a difference in quality and inventory from store to store, so it doesn't surprise me that this may be true of WF as well.

So yeah, I end up putting too much time and energy into shopping for groceries & staples. It'a a balance between a local grocer (for others in the GBA: Russo's in watertown, which has amazingly good stuff) and WF, TJ's & Stop & Shop. But then, I eat a lot of homemade food out of necessity, since for the most part, anything wrapped in cellophane is off-limits.

Just yesterday I shopped at WFM here in the west suburbs of Chicago. I was very excited to be able to spend the time and money, both in the store and getting to and from the store. You see I had to drive, with the high cost of gas no less, an hour and a half to be able to purchase high quality, natural and organic products. I have no other outlet near me for such purchases as my local grocery stores carry a limited amount of these products. Usually the quality is very low and the prices are exorbitantly higher than what I find at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's. We usually shop both but the traffic was too, extreme to get to TJ's on our way home so we skipped it for this trip. While I usually stay away from the fresh produce I have found it to be well worth the trip to WF & TJ's to be able to have access those food items that will help to enable my family and me to have a healthier life. I think we forget it's all about choice. I didn't have to choose to drive three hours to shop three hours, but I did. My friend and I try to go every two weeks but this is the first time we have gone in 4 months. As far as a pleasant shopping experience goes, both stores do very well. We had someone in every single sectin of the store ask us if we needed help finding everything. The employees have always been friendly and helpful when we are there. The vitamin section employees offered their help at least 4 different times. The cashier was very pleasant, smiling, complimenting (I remembered my bags!) encouraging and helpful. He didn't seem to be sad about working there, No one did! I have had some shocking comments come out of the cashiers mouths in the past so it can happen anywhere. However, I would much rather shop at WF or TJ's than in my own back yard. People here at the Union Stores are Rude, Inconsiderate and no where close to being helpful. One of them is my neighbor. Instead of being thankful for having a job that pays well with a pleasant environment their just bothered because you're making them work for that thing called a pay check.
It is interesting to me that my local store had Kiefer for $3.99/bottle but at WF I paid $3.00. I know that was only one item but I can't buy Organic coffee anywhere near my home. I won't give up my morning cup of Jo and coffee is the single most chemically treated product on the market. I always try to buy some while I'm there and it is only about a $1.00 more for organic than the regular brand I drink when I can't get to WF. Yes, WFM is more expensive but you have to have balance in everything. If we lived closer we would probably buy 1/2 & 1/2.
As far as WF and how they treat their employees. Remember two things. 1)KWJ is only one former employee giving only her side of the employment history, there is another side. 2) WF is ranked one of the top 100 companies to work for in the U.S. (I believe by their employees) which speaks volumes.

Specifically...KWJ you have the right to voice your opinions. No one has stopped you today or in the past. However, your right to express your opinion is not more important than WF's to avoid unionization. You also have freedom of choice. If you don't approve of an employer's position and you can't align yourself with them then you should look elsewhere for employment. Every company is only as good as the employees they have working for them. My experience yesterday was first rate. It is obviously worth the trip and extra cost to my friend and I to go the extra miles necessary to spend those extra dollars on quality products with quality people.

Thank you Whole Foods for making my effort a pleasant adventure in healthy living. Viva La WF!

the problem with most commenter's comments are that you all seem to live in places where the ONLY WF competition is from LARGE CHAINS trying to get into the organic "business". These large CHAINS have terrible pricing so it will seem like WF's is fairly price competitive.

However, if you live in places where WFs has MORE EQUAL FOOTING COMPETITION (e.g. has true organic market competition like Wild Oats, etc), their prices ARE DEFINITELY HIGH across the board especially as some have said for produce and meats. Ironically, as an organic shopper, i'm mostly concerned about organic produce and WFs knows it and reams you for it with the gauging.

I live in boulder, CO and have 2-3 HONEST TO GOODNESS Organic competitors.. Wild Oats, Ideal Market and the best of them all is Vitamin Cottage. VITAMIN COTTAGE (a regional organic seller) ALWAYS beats WFs hands down. Ideal Market and usually Wild Oats always beats WFs on produce prices.

WFs capitalizes on LOTS OF marketing and clean / yuppie looking stores to help them create the illusion of the organic wave which convinces people to spend more money. If you don't believe that, look at where all of their stores are concentrated across the country. Highly educated and professional areas with lots of extra disposable income. Walk in the store and see who's walking around and check out the cars in the parking lot. Affluence. Essentially they target their markets like any other business and the affluent market they are targeting is willing to pay the high prices and feels they are doing something good for themselves by buying from the store.

Bottom line. Where WFs has no competition it gauges. And even where it does have HONEST competition (like where i live), it still gauges but to a lesser extent. Why people don't see the marketing genius and seek out the other places with better prices is beyond me.

We've compared prices between the flagship Whole Foods (hofu) store here in Austin with the other large gourmet market, HEB's Central Market (CM) and hofu has significantly higher pricing points on similar organic produce and meats as well as the same packaged products as offered from CM.

To quote David Ogilvy, 99% of advertising doesn't sell a thing. I will still shop at CM. But possibly due in large part to the fact that parking at the flagship hofu is a nightmare.

as someone who has worked for whole foods for 10+ years, who started out as a cashier and now makes 15x my starting wage, i can safely say that:
a) if team members want to unionize, they can and have in the past, like in madison, wi a few years back. whole foods will do what it can to address the issues that made the union attractive in the first place. fortunately, a year after the madison store was unionized, team members voted to get rid of the union.
b) 365 items are your best bet for every day purchases...they are usually other brands best sellers, with our name on them (hint: amy's and annie's)
c) produce: whole foods would much rather sell a great organic apple, than sell a mediocre conventional apple. if i were going to buy conventional produce, i would simply get it at any local grocery store.

thanks to all of you who shop at whole foods...

Here's the skinny on insurance, straight from the employee manual:

"...all Team Members who work at least 20 hours a week and have 400 or more service hours are eligible to purchase the WFM Enhanced PPO Medical Plan. Those Team Members who work at least 30 hours per week are eligible to receive the Plan at no cost once they have accumulated 800 service hours..."

Reading these comments confirms my belief in the ignorance of the masses. Some of you people have no clue.

Right on "in the know". I moved from Colorado and was really missing Vitamin Cottage - then I found their website. Offers everything in the store except meat and produce. When I plan ahead and get a big enough order, it's cheaper than Whole Foods even after shipping. www.naturalgrocers.com

As a grower deeply involved a farming comunity that sells organic produce to WF. I have to tell you WF is very busy trying to patch up relations with growers now that other markets are starting to carry organic produce. I think of WF as the masters of bait and switch, people believe that everything in a WF is somehow better that the conventional store down the block. Check the labels very carefully, there have been cases of the organic bin turning into the conventional bin overnight with just a small change in the sign. See that sign that says "organic brocolli not available" think again, the WF buyers are only waiting for the price to drop to conventional level before they buy, then they take the premium. How about those signs with the pictures of the farmers on them, in our area most those farmers were out of business, which WF played a part in. Those big apples are just a sizing thing, they are exactly the same apple that you can get down the street. When WF bought out the competition they also detroyed the alternative distribution network, they are the only distributor of organic produce in many areas of the country now. Making it even harder for your local natural food store to survive. From my perspective as a grower WF is much more of a problem to organic farmers than it is a help. Support your local growers, shop at a farmers market.

First of all, Trader Joe's has by far the cheapest prices, no contest and if they carry the item and I like the brand I but it there. It's where I buy most of my 'stock' items like rice, olive oil, frozen berries, wild salmon (my favorite steal at $7/pd!!!!), spices, soymilk and olives. That said, there are certain items they carry like hummus which I think is simply awful and way too salty. I shop at a local Whole Foods-like natural foods store for the remainder of my groceries and organic meat.

In the past, in shopping at Whole Foods I recall looking at my little bag of groceries (mostly meat and produce) and the total on the receipt in absolute open mouthed disbelief. This never happened at any other grocers. Could I really have just spent $75 on a couple pounds of meat and some veggies? One time I spent $10 on three tomatoes and this became a running joke with a friend. Or there was the $10 tiny little tub of potato salad from the deli. I trust the person here who claims to have done a price comparison for Whole Foods down to the penny and concluded that if you stick to the right items...the prices are comparable. The problem is it is all to easy to slip into luxury mode at WF...a few sausages from their yummy meat dept., a cold salad from their deli and some out-of-season pricey produce and it suddenly really is "whole paycheck". I have a feeling that if one truly does stick to one's usual purchases and focuses on the 365 store brand that Whole Foods is probably on par with any other natural foods grocery.

Not that this is a deciding factor for most people but the company is regularly featured on the Fortune 100 list for best companies to work for. Heck, they're the Nordstrom's of the food biz. :)

I know this is old, but I feel I have to respond.

I won't get into the WFM is too expensive debate, but want to set a couple of things straight. I have worked for Whole Foods Market since 1997. When I started, health insurance was available to ALL employees (and it still is, if you work at least 20 hrs/wk). 24 hrs/week was considered full time (this has since been changed to 30 hrs/wk). At the time I started, if you wanted to opt out of the health insurance plan (which I did), they gave you "flex dollars" that you could get partially paid out in cash, and the rest you could stash in a 401K. That's the reason I was able to start a 401K at age 19. I don't know what to think about the bizarre assertion of a 39 hr week with no benefits, as it is simply absolutely untrue.

As for this: "Check the labels very carefully, there have been cases of the organic bin turning into the conventional bin overnight with just a small change in the sign." That's absolutely ridiculous. I can't speak for every store, but in my store we are very proud of our Certified Organic Grocer status and would never do something so idiotic. I'm sure that most, if not all, other WFM stores take similar pride.

It's nice to see someone responded to this old post today because I've been reading it over and its making me crazy.

So WFs is expensive. As for the labor and health insurance issues, I believe WFs is at least now doing a decent job of this.

I find it interesting that there is such resistance to buying healthy tasty organic food regardless of price when most people on AT will think nothing of paying $3,000 for a piece of furniture that is the current rage without questioning what its made of (think of offgasing) or where it was actually made and by whom.

As for the $19.99 pound cherries, the person who commented on the cost of getting your Chilean cherries to you had a great point. No one NEEDS those cherries. They are a luxury item offered to you. Personal judgement is an exercise that works when you try it.

For me, living in Westchester County and working in NYC, and because of commute time, the alternatives I have for organic food other than at WFs are dirty, have inadequate employees, and there are few fresh items. At WF's I can buy what I want fresh and the store doesn't smell badly. Absolutely every employee I have ever had questions of has been well trained in their department and products. The fish guy at my WF's has taught me several ways to cook wild salmon.

And the coffee thing - you know, the chemicals - do some reseach and you might start buying organic coffee. Life is expensive everywhere in this country not just at WFs. All business have their negatives. People who live in big cities and tend to make larger salaries think nothing of dropping $75 at a Friday night bar and on that sofa I mentioned above, but everyone gets nuts when it comes to buying really, really good groceries.

Think about health instead of status and vanity and perhaps things will change.

Just my 2 cents and thank you May for posting current so I felt better about mine.

Oh, I forgot to ask this: Why does everyone pay a ransome amount for a Starbucks which is LOADED with crap but they won't buy decent coffee and teas at whole foods? Why is this. And talk about rude sales people. I should tip them when they don't even hand me the cup? I don't think so.

i don't know much about organic, but i am beginning to learn more about it and i wasn't going to say anything until i read this last comment, people pay for starbucks because they like it, if you want there organic coffee, ask them to do a french press, you'll have to wait 5 mins. but the will do it. if they tell you no, speak to a manager or write them. they do carry organic milk, soy milk, and reqular milk. and a main reason as to why they do not hand you the cup... its for your safety! do you want them to burn you with 200 degree coffee?