Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It is astonishing how some people cannot comprehend that many people's food expenses is just hardly a sliver of their overall income. Many people do not live paycheck to paycheck, nor does an increase of 25% over shopping at Walmart going to impact them in any way at all.
Additionally, many people do not do 100% of all of their shopping at Whole Foods, Whole Foods offers many things not found at any other store, quality of food is much more consistent and often better, and as for price, it is not across the board more expensive, there are many items that cost the same or cheaper than other grocery stores in the area, and this is not counting the many sales they have going on all of the time.
Want to bash something? Bash this; why is it my pack of boneless chicken breasts from Walmart at 3.99/lbs when boiled, has all this yellow foam floating up on top when the ones from whole foods at 5.99/lbs does not? Why is it when I bake the chicken, the Walmart ones lose about 25% of its weight while the Whole Foods ones lose about 10% of its weight? Why is it on the boneless chicken thighs from Walmart at 2.99/lbs, I am removing a ton of fat and still lose weight from cooking, while the ones from Whole Foods at 3.99/lbs has hardly any fat or loss of weight? Why can I buy blueberries at Walmart and I better eat them within two days or they start to go bad, while ones from Whole Foods always without fail last much, much longer (add bananas and every other fruit and most veggies)
And reverse, why is it the Tazo tea at Whole Foods cost a dollar more than at Walmart, for the exact same box? Why does the same craft beer costs 1-2 dollars more at Whole Foods?
Location: In a little house on the prairie - literally
10,202 posts, read 7,867,483 times
Reputation: 4559
Quote:
Originally Posted by boxus
Oh wow, another Whole Foods bashing thread.
It is astonishing how some people cannot comprehend that many people's food expenses is just hardly a sliver of their overall income. Many people do not live paycheck to paycheck, nor does an increase of 25% over shopping at Walmart going to impact them in any way at all.
Additionally, many people do not do 100% of all of their shopping at Whole Foods, Whole Foods offers many things not found at any other store, quality of food is much more consistent and often better, and as for price, it is not across the board more expensive, there are many items that cost the same or cheaper than other grocery stores in the area, and this is not counting the many sales they have going on all of the time.
Want to bash something? Bash this; why is it my pack of boneless chicken breasts from Walmart at 3.99/lbs when boiled, has all this yellow foam floating up on top when the ones from whole foods at 5.99/lbs does not? Why is it when I bake the chicken, the Walmart ones lose about 25% of its weight while the Whole Foods ones lose about 10% of its weight? Why is it on the boneless chicken thighs from Walmart at 2.99/lbs, I am removing a ton of fat and still lose weight from cooking, while the ones from Whole Foods at 3.99/lbs has hardly any fat or loss of weight? Why can I buy blueberries at Walmart and I better eat them within two days or they start to go bad, while ones from Whole Foods always without fail last much, much longer (add bananas and every other fruit and most veggies)
And reverse, why is it the Tazo tea at Whole Foods cost a dollar more than at Walmart, for the exact same box? Why does the same craft beer costs 1-2 dollars more at Whole Foods?
As I mentioned earlier, Aldi's often has better packaged foods, with less additive chemicals, often without GMOs, less fat, less sugar and less salt added then what one gets in the "upscale" stores. I'm pretty sure the dozen eggs I just bought at Aldi's for .99 are no better (or worse) than the same at Whole Foods for 3.29. But I guess I can't find asparagus water at Aldi's.
But of course, image is always important to many, and the need to "treat oneself". Superficiality doesn't wear well on most people.
I'd tell you to stop buying chicken at Wal-Mart. And for God's sake don't boil it no matter where you get it.
Now to be serious. The reason you see that is likely because the chicken at Wal-Mart has more fat, which free range birds (likely at Whole Foods) don't have as much of.
I have a relative who is well-to-do who does a lot of shopping at a Whole Foods in her very wealthy suburb. When I've been there with her, I see a crowd of people similar to her, fashionably dressed, professionally groomed. Men and women who look as if they're on the way home from their gym or yoga class. They're all parking expensive automobiles in the lot and if they're pushing a stroller it's the $500 variety. I do think they pay a certain amount of attention to each other and if their eyes spot someone who is out of sync with the ways of their tribe (me, for instance) I think they notice right away and could possibly be obvious in their reaction.
I think it depends on WHERE the Whole Foods outlet is located, though. I've been in one in Pittsburgh that's in a gentrifying neighborhood. There's even a bus stop in front of the store. It seems to cater more to the granola crowd. People who seek "organic" foods and/or who have vegan or anti-gluten diets. In appearance, they are a more low-keyed bunch than the shoppers who use the suburban store I've been to. They still have to have money, though. I have seen few things in Whole Foods that couldn't be purchased for less in a regular supermarket since most of them today label gluten-free items and have a lot of products from the better known "health or whole foods" companies.
I think regular "supermarkets" attract a lot broader base of the population and the people shopping there are less judgmental about their fellow shoppers. Unless, of course, they take a full cart into the quick serve line!
Yup!
While I would certainly not do all of my shopping at Whole Foods, I do purchase certain items there, and those items are cheaper than what is charged at either Trader Joe's (in the case of some items) or Shop-Rite (in the case of other items). And, the produce at WF is second to none.
The people who claim that Whole Foods' prices are extremely high are either focusing on the prepared items--which are very expensive, or--more likely--haven't shopped at Whole Foods for a very long time.
And, as to the shoppers at WF being "weird", all I can say is that the crowd at all of the Whole Foods stores that I have patronized must look and/or act very differently from the ones in the OP's neck of the woods. If you want to talk about shoppers who look and/or act weird, you should visit Wal-Mart. There are a lot of folks there who are barely human, IMHO.
Comparing two extremes like Whole Foods and WalMart will never work..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.