Whole Foods vs Central Market (San Antonio, Blanco: appointed, buying, organic)

[meridional]

Which one do you prefer and why?

[Pancho-Villa]

Not SA related

[Bo]

Originally Posted by meridional

Which one do you prefer and why?

They're both a more expensive option for groceries than almost any other grocery store in town. Whole Foods has 2 locations and CM has one.

I live closer to Whole Foods, so if those are the only two choices, I'm going with the one that is closer.

I also find that there's nothing exclusively available at CM that is worth the drive to CM. Many CM items are available at my nearest 2 HEB stores, so I really have no reason to go to CM. But YMMV.

If you like CM and Whole Foods, you should consider checking out Sprouts and Trader Joe's.

[robinita]

Central Market due to their baked goods. Also they have a nice floral dept.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by Pancho-Villa

Not SA related

It is San Antonio related:

Whole Foods Market
255 E Basse Rd #130
San Antonio, TX

Whole Foods Market
18403 Blanco Rd
San Antonio, TX

H-E-B Central Market
4821 Broadway St
San Antonio, TX

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by meridional

Which one do you prefer and why?

IME, CM offers better quality produce than WF and far superior than HEB. Other, packaged items at HEB and CM are the same, but they buy from different sources for produce. It's also the *only* thing that is different in price, otherwise the same item will cost the same at HEB and CM - packaged, not like flour vs flour, but only when it's the same brand. CM offers more "speciality" brands and therefore more expensive. For example, if you want whole wheat flour, you have more options at CM and they'll cost more. But if you want all-purpose bleached flour, the brand at CM and HEB is the same and the same price. But CM may not offer some of the cheaper-end staples.

WF offers more vegan options - so I go there for some speciality items I can't get anywhere else. I don't like the WF brand (usually chock full of sugar), and I find their produce to be lower quality than CM. Their grains are good, mostly, but are often infested with bugs (I guess that makes them more organic and natural...)
There are 2-3 things I need about once every 6-8 weeks that I can only get at WF. I don't buy meat and rarely buy fish, so can't really comment on the quality at any of the stores.


CM offers more options than pretty much any of the HEBs in reasonable distance, including Lincoln Heights. They have a variety of flours and grains that most HEBs that I've been to don't offer (and of course, produce). Their wine selection is also better. For the most part, they offer more vegetarian and vegan options than most of the HEBs in reasonable driving distance. Some of the more distant ones to me, like Wurzbach and DeZavala, for example, are big, but still offer very little of the items I buy at CM.

The downtown HEB offers some of the CM products (like their tortillas and bread - these are different at the other HEBs), their produce is so-so. HEB offers *some* items I can't get at HEB, so I go there for those items.

So, in sum CM >> WF/HEB. I put HEB and WF on the same level, though they offer different things so depends upon what you want. And I go to all three, depending on what I need, but CM is my "usual" with the downtown HEB my place to stock up on a few staples.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Bo

If you like CM and Whole Foods, you should consider checking out Sprouts and Trader Joe's.

Trader Joe's really isn't in the same league as CM. They have good party type food, but their staples are low quality and their produce is really not good. I loved TJ when I lived in CA 25 years ago - mainly for their "interesting" foods like cheeses and packaged items. But they're not really an alternative to CM for staples. They're really set up for the single person who wants individual items pre-packaged. They're big on frozen foods and packaged items. Their selection of staples (produce, grains, etc) is really weak, IMO. For party snack-type foods or one-off items, maybe.

Sprouts I love, but not convenient. I still think CM has better produce, but Sprouts is a good alternative.

It really comes down to *what* you regularly buy and how you cook. As vegetarians who tend to avoid processed food (not entirely, but packaged meals are a rarity), high quality staples and produce really matter. But when I want interesting flavored popcorn for a party, TJ's is the place to be (I find their wine to be more expensive/not what I want than CM, but again, depends what you're buying).

[flashfearless]

I usually refer to Whole Foods as Whole Paycheck. I only go there if we're having guests that I like and I'm looking for an outstanding cut of meat.

[Azure110]

Sprouts is great for a lot of items but I have always been disappointed with their produce. It is almost as bad as Target produce.

CM or Whole Foods will never be my "usual" store. I prefer to save my money for other things because HEB is almost the same depending on which store you go to.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Azure110

Sprouts is great for a lot of items but I have always been disappointed with their produce. It is almost as bad as Target produce.

CM or Whole Foods will never be my "usual" store. I prefer to save my money for other things because HEB is almost the same depending on which store you go to.

HEB and CM have the same packaged foods for the same price, including HEB's own brand. Only difference is that CM also offers a lot of extras at more expensive prices. People tend to think it's expensive because when they go, they buy all the "treats" they wouldn't normally buy. When it's your usual store, it's easier to ignore all that stuff.

The exception is the produce, which is more expensive but also significantly different in quality. I spend far less now that CM is my usual store with the occasional trip to HEB for the few items I can't get at CM, than I did when HEB was my usual with the occasional trips to CM.

but again, depends a lot on what your "usual" items are.