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i cant stand being in either one of them. im not going to pay ridiculous prices just because they have created some kind of phony image that means nothing to me.
i cant stand being in either one of them. im not going to pay ridiculous prices just because they have created some kind of phony image that means nothing to me.
wow, I have never found trader Joe's expensive for what they offer. I agree about the phony image and sometimes the people shopping at the variois T Joe's appear to have an attitude but I still love the store and the people who work there.
wow, I have never found trader Joe's expensive for what they offer. I agree about the phony image and sometimes the people shopping at the variois T Joe's appear to have an attitude but I still love the store and the people who work there.
Nita
i guess that depends on how much you value what they offer. am i seriously supposed to pay $3+ a pound for rolled oats when i can get them at costco for 73.5 cents a pound? the prices there are much higher than i can find elsewhere, often more than double. i dont value organic stuff or anything along those lines, so im not willing to pay more for that.
the customers are like manhattan types who manufacture ridiculous things to care about and they sip on lattes while driving their 3 series bmw's around town. but they are a better looking group than you see at aldi. i dont really care about them (some may say im not sooo different), im looking for value and i dont see any in either of those places.
It depends on how you are defining "Granola". Neither store is "granola" to me and both have things that the other doesnt so, depending on what I am looking for, I can go to either one.
Trader Joes' prices are great. Whole Foods' price are not so great, but they have things that really are IMO better quality and unavailable at other markets. Udos Choice Oil, best cuts of steaks/meats, my favorite cabernet, choice cheeses, fresh baked goods, fresh ground coffee, awesome deli - WHOLE FOODS IS KING. Frozen brown rice, almond butter, cheap two-buck chuck, apple/carrot juice for the 4 year old, frozen seafood - Trader Joes.
Both stores have employees who are super friendly and helpful. You usually see good looking people shopping at both, but you almost NEVER see any overweight or unattractive people at Whole Foods. Both places seem to have other shoppers who are so super friendly who always smile, say hello and often times strike up conversations with you. You dont get that at Ralphs.
Pavillions is another store that I really like as well.
Whole Foods Markets projected image doesn't hold up under close scrutiny.
Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said in a forum post, "I probably admire Wal-Mart more than any other company in the world (except for maybe Whole Foods!). What a great, great company!" (more...) (Daily Kos, 2007) He did this anonymously under a pseudonym, which was a scandal in and of itself. (NY Times, July 12, 2007) Daily Kos: "I love Wal-Mart!": Whole Foods union-busting online
Selling "organic" food that possibly isn't.
"Much of WF's private-label frozen fruits and vegetables come from China, where organics are completely unregulated. This means no government (theirs or ours) checks to make sure that the farms are actually using organic methods. It's a huge leap of faith to think that suppliers on the other side of the world are truly supplying organics when they know that know one is checking up on them, especially when China has had such a long list of manufacturing controversies about contaminated products. http://michaelbluejay.com/misc/wholefoods.html Under the heading Questionable products, number 7.
"Why would a company that claims to be contributing to the quality-of-life renaissance investigate employees?"
Whole Foods has a Request, Authorization and Consent (RAC) form that must be signed by employment applicants. Fairly standard, it says the applicant agrees to have his or her references checked, etc. It's the etc. that's interesting. "I further understand that an investigative consumer report concerning me may include information about my character, general reputation, personal characteristics and mode of living." What does this mean? Is it devious? The point will be explored later." Coastal Post Article - Whole Foods And The Union
"Another heading on the Whole Foods banner says "Help the Small Farmer." "Buying organic," it states, "supports the small, family farmers that make up a large percentage of organic food producers." This is semantic sleight of hand. As one small family farmer in Connecticut told me recently, "Almost all the organic food in this country comes out of California. And five or six big California farms dominate the whole industry." There's a widespread misperception in this country—one that organic growers, no matter how giant, happily encourage—that "organic" means "small family farmer." That hasn't been the case for years, certainly not since 1990," .... The dark secrets of Whole Foods - Slate Magazine
I shop at both TJ and WF and where I am they are not hippy at all more like Yuppy /hipsters / fashionistahs.
I like both stores but most of TJ food is private label and lets say there pop corn tortillas and chips are Doritos with a TJ package, your basically buying designer food. They do not support local farmers and a lot of there merch is made in other contries and majority of the fruit and veggies are also from other countries. I like to support local if not AMERICAN. I also do not know what goes on in other ****ires when it comes to spraying fruits and veggies there is a LOT we do not know. Speaking of which how llong has pink smile been in our meat an we are just learning about this .
i guess that depends on how much you value what they offer. am i seriously supposed to pay $3+ a pound for rolled oats when i can get them at costco for 73.5 cents a pound? the prices there are much higher than i can find elsewhere, often more than double. i dont value organic stuff or anything along those lines, so im not willing to pay more for that.
the customers are like manhattan types who manufacture ridiculous things to care about and they sip on lattes while driving their 3 series bmw's around town. but they are a better looking group than you see at aldi. i dont really care about them (some may say im not sooo different), im looking for value and i dont see any in either of those places.
Well this is a debate that could go on forever I guess. It is like saying, one should support the local grrocery store instead of WalMart or Sams. All this depends on what you are purchasing.
I would never buy rolled oats at a specialty store. We spread our shopping out: paper products for instance we get at big box stores: cereal and some non parishables at WalMart (though I shop ther rarely) meats at our local grocery store. Their prices are competitive and they sell top quality. I went to Trader Jo's when we lived near one for, some produce, speicaly cheeses and spreads, they have very good hollandaise sause at a great price, their breads are top quaality and much less than similar breads in the grocery store and of course, I pick up wine.
Nita
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