Bad News For Whole Foods Market

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I walked through the Whole Foods in Virginia Beach *once*. I didn't think anything was worth what they were charging. There's a reason why they're nicknamed Whole Paycheck :LOL:
 
My memory of WF when I was visiting my brother was buying a salad from the salad bar. "That will be $18, please." I about passed out. I even forgot my wallet up at the checkout counter, I was so discombobulated.
 
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We have a Whole Foods on the way down to DH's
doctor across town, almost an hour away,
so we stop there ever so often to have lunch on the way home.
The salad/hot entree bar is $8.99/lb
but it gives us an opportunity to try something different.
The last time we had lunch out at WFM, we tried some
vegetarian Indian dishes and different veggies I'd never
bought before but wanted to try first.
I had Farro and it was delicious, so I bought a small package
of it at my local grocery for half the cost of "Whole Paycheck".
I think both of our lunches totaled about $18 and then I
went over to the bakery section and bought some
Italian cookies, small tarts and macaroons, now that
was even more expensive, I think it totaled close to $20,
but we had a lovely lunch. Oh, and our WFM has a wine bar too,
so of course I have a glass with lunch.
We went to a WFM in a suburb of Denver once that had a
cooked-to-order pasta bar AND a wine bar, now that was wonderful,
and well worth it.
 
I'd rather go to a restaurant for a nice meal with a glass of wine. There are lots of ways to try something new that have a reasonable price and a nicer atmosphere than a grocery store.
 
Our local Hy-Vee sells similar salads for $4.99. And a wine bar too!
 
My memory of WF when I was visiting my brother was buying a salad from the salad bar. "That will be $18, please." I about passed out. I even forgot my wallet up at the checkout counter, I was so discombobulated.

I'm with you there Dawg...the same experience with me. There was a cartoon around about a $5.00 gift certificate from Whole Food's bought a lovely apple. Sometimes I wonder how stupid people can actually be.
 
The only reason we go there any more is for items we can't find anywhere else. Before we got the kaffir lime tree, they where the only place to get frozen, whole leaves. Besides Fresh Market, they are the only other place we have found blood oranges.
 
I love the place! I don't begrudge spending a bit more on organic products since I am not keen on pesticides and also find it has more flavour. In particular I really like their artisan breads and interesting mixture of salads. Brilliant!

Quality overrides any concern about their profit margin to me. I will continue to support them.
 
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There's a couple of kinds of cheeses we get there too. Only other place we've found them is at the Cheese Course and they are just as expensive, if not more.

I'm with Kay and Dawg about the salad bar. Went there 1 time to get some lunch for me and Craig when we were away from home. He wasn't feeling well and thought he might like some pasta salad. I got 3 different kinds so he'd have a choice. It was almost $50. Nearly had a heart attack standing there at the register when cashier totaled. :ohmy: Didn't even think 2 of them were that good.
 
I love the place! I don't begrudge spending a bit more on organic products since I am not keen on pesticides and also find it has more flavour. In particular I really like their artisan breads and interesting mixture of salads. Brilliant!

Quality overrides any concern about their profit margin to me. I will continue to support them.
I don't know how it is in England, but we can buy organic products at nearly every food store around here. Whole Foods isn't the only place that sells certified organics. The quality is on par with what WF offers, too. The prices are more reasonable, though.

It also seems like most of the food recalls around by us have been by Whole Foods lately. Since they emphasis their attention to offering wholesome products, you would think they would be much more attentive to what their suppliers are providing to them, right? ;)
 
They have their niche, I suppose. There's a Whole Foods right across the street from my office. I go over there a couple times a week to get a salad for lunch, mostly because it's quick and convenient. I don't think I've ever spent more than $4-5. But I'll also add that if I have the time, I prefer to drive 3 blocks further to the plain old Cub Foods, where I can get the same salad for $2-3.

Contrary to popular belief, I do see some decent sales at WF every once in a while. I recently bought a large bottle of California EVOO for $3.99, and just last week they had imported Cotswald cheese for $6.99/lb. Salmon is another item I see on sale often.

Also, like others have mentioned, sometimes they have items that you just can't find at other stores. For example, it's the only place in town where I've been able to find sugar-free bacon or the buffalo mozzarella I really like.
 
There was one thing that they used to carry, of course its gone, pomegranate chocolate chip sorbet. I do not like ice cream or anything similar. That stuff was so good I could finish the whole pint myself.

That was the only thing worth buying there. Our organic co-op has better prices and better products


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I drive past one of the largest WF in the US on my way to and from work, so I pop in a lot. In a few hours, in fact.

Things they are good for: produce; hard to find items, especially ethnic; certain beans and grains; spices in very small amounts; fish; eggs; meat; cheese.

I buy fish, produce, poultry and eggs there because I am more concerned about sourcing these days.

I also buy stuff from the salad bar pretty regularly and I can't imagine what people bought for lunch that it cost $18 or $50. I got out of there with enough salad for my lunch, a small amount of rice and beans and a warm roll for less than $5 last week. Most of their prepared foods are sort of bland, so I don't usually buy them.
 
I don't know how it is in England, but we can buy organic products at nearly every food store around here. Whole Foods isn't the only place that sells certified organics. The quality is on par with what WF offers, too. The prices are more reasonable, though.

It also seems like most of the food recalls around by us have been by Whole Foods lately. Since they emphasis their attention to offering wholesome products, you would think they would be much more attentive to what their suppliers are providing to them, right? ;)
Over here Wholefoods is fairly unique since it is one of the few outlets that not only stocks organic food products but combines this with the facility to consume the food there i.e. self service restaurant/snack outlet. I love it!

That they are now on the skids and/or having to rethink their marketing can be good news for the consumer. :)
 
If "Whole Foods' own customers don't think the products are worth the price", then why the heck do they continue to shop there?
 
If "Whole Foods' own customers don't think the products are worth the price", then why the heck do they continue to shop there?
Many people may purchase items that they consider overpriced because there may not be cheaper alternatives of the same quality (of the organic product) elsewhere or readily available/accessible.

I realise the food is quite pricey but, since I can't buy their interesting mixtures of salads elsewhere (and mix and match them the way I like to), I don't begrudge the price. Also their artisan breads are not available in most health shops here in UK. I am more focused on quality.

Ultimately the shake up may result in more reasonably priced goods!
 
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A different take on Whole Foods... While they are expensive, they also force nearby stores to up their game. A few years ago we had a similar "fresh market" move into the area and in fairly short order every other store had much better looking produce and an improved selection of wine. A little competition can be a good thing. :)
 
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