Also known as Whole Paycheck... a hilarious nickname that is very accurate! The main complaint that Whole Foods gets is that it is very expensive. It is so easy to only buy a handful of items yet spend $50+. You are always shocked at the total (unless you are the kind of rich person who just grabs whatever they want and barely looks at the price... probably none of us here, right?! lol) One thing I appreciate about WF is their effort to bring in a lot of produce and meat from local farms. You will see signs on lots of produce saying "from XYZ farm, [1-100] miles away". But, you could get most of this stuff from the farmers market, cutting out the middleman, though this is less convenient as farmers markets only happen once a week usually. Everything is across the board more expensive, so it would be highly impractical to buy everything you need there, unless, again, if you are rich and don't care. I think for most people it is only for buying a few specialty items you can't find at other stores. Our family doesn't shop there any more because there isn't anything fancy we need and we felt we were wasting money there. The main thing we were buying was the meats which cost a fortune. It is my goal to eventually only buy pastured & grassfed meats, but when I do this I plan to deal with a farm directly instead of going to Whole Foods; I will probably get a better deal. My experience with the Whole Foods staff has been hit and miss. Most of them are decently nice but some are standoffish. And let's talk about the stereotypical Whole Foods shopper, lol... they can be so obnoxious and snobby! I actually applied there to be a cashier there a few months ago. I don't know what I was thinking, because my first job was in a grocery store and I hated it, and always said I'd never work in a grocery store again. I'm sure the Whole Foods demographic would be even more demanding and rude than a regular grocery store. The interview went well and they said they'd call me soon... Well the next day I decided I didn't want to work there and would decline if they called; I would just continue looking elsewhere. I never heard a word from them. I hate when interviewers are so fake and act interested and promise to let you know the decision either way, then just blow you off! So rude! Anyway... Have you ever shopped at Whole Foods? What do you think about it in general? I wonder what their impact has been on local communities.
OH my. I can't afford whole foods. I am not even sure there is one around here. For in season produce we go to the pig farm like 3 miles away, thus cutting out the middleman. They are open 365 days a year from sunup to sundown. They have pick them yourself fresh herbs too. They also have wonderful meat but the meat is a very rare treat for me because it is expensive. I love it there, they even have an honor box to put the money or check in for your purchases.
I shop almost exclusively at Whole Foods and it is very expensive, but as I'm a vegetarian my weekly shop amounts to about $20.00, which is completely reasonable for a single person. I do buy bulk items, like legumes, grains and nuts. My biggest expenditure would be organic olive oil which costs about 8.99 a bottle, but once bought I don't repurchase for another couple of months. So basically I'm spending about $15 on veggies, the other $5 on other stuff. (And then obviously I have to replenish my spices every now and then, so that would be a $30 total instead of $20, every 3 months or so) Whole Food shoppers on the whole(no pun intended) are absolutely appalling, I had a run-in with some busy- body, who should have been minding his own business, he basically objected to me looking through a package of Cherries to weed out the bad ones( I do this with all my produce)...anyway I basically told him to go fornicate himself, you're not the Cherry Police, sad pathetic man, unfortunately not a rarity at Whole Foods.
I like whole foods because they have a wide variety of organic brands to choose from. A lot of things can be over priced, though. I regularly shop at a couple of grocery stores so I have a good handle on what to buy where. A lot of meat and produce at WF are unnecessarily marked up but sometimes they have good deals. There are some foods I like that I can only get there like specific types of cheese. My favorite part of whole foods is their bulk section. I buy most of my spices and nuts that way and it saves me a lot of money. I also love their olive bar. Mmm.
I enjoy the rare occasions that I go to Whole Foods because it has a nice atmosphere, good produce, and a really nice selection of incense and scented candles. The bakery is also great. But I don't do my regular shopping there, it's too expensive. I visit there and buy a few boxes of incense and some organic coffee, the way that someone visits a gift shop or tourist shop. I'm an occasional visitor to Whole Foods but I can't afford to shop there every week. It is a lovely store though and it smells good.
Full disclosure: I have a very good friend who works as a store manager at Whole Foods. He works far enough away from where I live that I would never shop at his story, but I have a personal connection. That said, I quite like Whole Foods. I've had especially good experiences with the customer service staff. I've had precious few problems, and the ones that I have run into were handled swiftly and without issue. All the store's staff does a good job at putting the customer experience first, starting with clean facilities and working up from there. Very pleasant shopping experience, in my limited times there. That said, it's a little bit too expensive for me to shop with any kind of consistency.
I like wholefoods, but can't justify shopping there all the time. In the US it is cheaper than the UK and has more specials and fresh food options. I can treat myself there for items or a take out snack, but not for all my grocery shopping. They have some great products and brands, but eating healthy should not be that expensive.
I wish I could afford to shop at Whole Foods regularly. My brother works there, and is able to do most of his shopping there because of his discount. The company treats their employees well for a national grocery store chain. It is a test of patience to deal with persnickety customers, though.
Went to Whole Foods today, scored some beauty samples, body lotion, face moisturizer and such, also if you happen to be in there during rush hour you often get to sample different foods, lots of different vendors will have their wares out because they know the bulk of Whole Food customers shop straight from work.
I love the place, but I've never found it to be that much more expensive than other stores. It could be due to the fact that I only buy certain meats and produce from them, so to me, it's worth the price as I'm very particular about what I eat in regards to those categories. I've also always been the type to shop at multiple stores, so I would never feel locked into Whole Foods.
Yes, spacetimecontinuum, the samples are fantastic! You could almost make a meal. The pizza is half price after a certain hour, too. I believe it is the last two hours the store is open. Their store brand is also affordable and usually high quality. I love the 365 yogurts and tortilla chips.
I have a love hate relationship with Whole Foods. They have excellent produce. The quality is second to none. Most of the store is outrageously priced. Occasionally I buy produce there. Whole Foods also has a great supplement section. They carry my favorite herbs for a good price. I stay away from everything else.
Whole paycheck lol. Of all of the people that I have spoken to concerning Whole Foods and prices, every person has said that the prices are ridiculously high. But then they continue to go back there and shop, and so you have to wonder what is drawing them back. Why are they complaining about the price that much, but still regularly gong back and spending a lot of money there. Food quality would seem to be the obvious answer. But since I have never shopped at Whole Foods, I wouldn't know. I have just seen and heard about the prices and supposed 'quality.'
I like whole foods because they offer a wide variety of healthy food. It is a pleasure to shop there. I believe their products are much more nutritious and healthy to our bodies. However, they are too expensive to me and I cannot afford it on a regular basis. I manage to buy from time to time. Hopefully, I can find a better substitute so that I can cut my dining expenses.
I'm definitely a fan of Whole Foods. I don't go there often but when I do I always enjoy the experience. Love their selection of groceries and food. Very healthy selections for the most part. I am also a fan of their complimentary wi-fi. They have a very good salad bar and buffet as well. It's definitely a store that is a big pricey, but it's worth it in my opinion.
Well, it is definitely out of my budget most of the time and so it's a rare treat when I do get to go there. I think the nickname is a little exaggerated- but only a little. It takes some effort and patience to get out of there with a decent amount of things without spending an arm and a leg, and almost no effort at all to grab less than 10 things and spend $50+. I do love going there, though, and if I had more money that is something I'd love to do frequently. I love all of the healthy options, the staff are very friendly and usually have something for you to sample. I am also a fan of having local produce and farming utilized....I think it's a great way to support the local agricultural community and eating closer to home is better for you as well, so money aside it is a win-win. I like that they make a good effort to label things, too, as to whether they're gluten free/dairy free/etc. Some stores don't put a lot of effort into that and I think it makes a substantial difference to the shopping experience.
Years ago wen I was in high school we parked at the Whole Foods parking garage when I went to piano events across the street from it. We would then buy one or two items to get out parking validated. It was a really, really expensive place. My mom found they had a good deal on EmergenC but everything else was way over priced. I kind of felt like it was a store for the wealthy elite and like they had this attitude of privilege because they had the ability to buy all this.
I think it's despicable that they were overcharging for their deli food by their pound. A container of potato salad shouldn't be $20. That scandal has really hurt their image. I'm glad that I stopped shopping there a long time ago.
I love Whole Foods!! I think it's expensive and not a supermarket for day to day grocery shopping,but they have different stuff and I also really love the whole environment. I feel good shopping there!
I don't have a Whole Foods nearby, but if I did, I would probably stop in on occasion, which is what I used to do when I lived in the city. They have really good produce, and I like picking up their organic baked goods occasionally. They also have the best selection of pumpkins around Halloween, which I love.
