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Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
For the "speciality" meats, fruits and vegetable, have we forgotten CSAs and farmers markets? You won't find fresher, the quality is often better and the price is competitive. I sell grass fed angus beef direct from my small family ranch at about $8 a pound. I could charge more to join in the "organic" hype, but I feel it is more important to charge a fair price for a quality product. Your local farmers markets also believe in this concept.
Visit me at ShepherdsRanchAngusBeef if you would like to learn more, or go to your state department of agriculture site to find a local farmers market near you.
Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
As a former long time Wegmans shopper and employee who is now out in Portland (WF, TJ's, Safeway, Fred Meyers, local stores) I still weep whenever I shop in WF & TJ's. WF has lukewarm, hipper than thou service (the plague of Portland) but solid produce and meats. Anything in a cardboard box is bound to cost more and I'm often disappointed by their in house brands. TJ's is very overrated in many areas - does anyone actually read the ingredients on their products? Agreed they have great prices on chocolate and pasta and such, but their produce is usually way over-packaged. Why do I need a clamshell for 4 pears? I also commend Wegmans for having had a very strong 'buy local produce' for many years. It used to be a common practice to have department managers pick produce on a local farm at least once a year.
Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
Control really put it well; its a good store for me. The things I value and am willing to spend money on are prevalent at Whole Foods. I can find yogurt I like that meets my requirements, good quality seafood at reasonable prices (at least at my location in Virginia) a selection of organic produce, some bulk items, and a handful of unique pantry items, too. I also like their prepped sushi as a snack/light lunch sometimes. I wouldn't confuse it with going to a good sushi bar, but its a nice change of pace from the regular lunch options out in the world.
Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
I agree with control. I certainly shop on a budget, and I do a little over half of my shopping at Whole Foods. The layout of Whole Foods is also a plus. When I go to Fairway I feel so rushed and crowded, and at Whole Foods I can just chill and take my time.
Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
i've always noticed the competitive pricing since i've been shopping at my local Whole Foods
sure, a lot of the produce is more expensive, mostly because a majority of it is organic, and that's just the nature of the industry.. same goes for the meat, the meat at WF is held to a stricter, higher standard.. all-natural, all vegetarian diet, humane living conditions, no hormones/antibiotics, etc.. so even the non-organic meat is going to be more expensive, and i for one am more than willing to pay a premium to get food that i can trust in and know is safe and of high quality
but as for the grocery items, there are a ton of deals, especially on the private label 365 Everyday value line.. not only are those products also held to certain strict standards, but they're usually even cheaper than big name conventional brands, which often are comprised of lower quality ingredients
it's easy to go into a WF and see the expensive and exotic items, they simply offer more than conventional stores, but if you look beyond that and just go in with the same mindset you would have going into a conventional store - which is just to get what you need, nothing extravagent - then it's more than possible to get the same or even greater value
WF is just the perfect store for me.. their standards, not to mention the top notch customer service, is more than enough to keep me a happily devoted customer
Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
Whole Foods store-brand canned soda is dirt cheap, esp. when you consider they use pure cane sugar and not HFCS. Also, the Union Square branch sells milk and butter cheaper than the nearby Food Emporium.
Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
whole foods is as expensive as you want to make it. that's what they're saying with the value tour/image thing. there IS a way to eat good, real, minimally-processed food without spending over your budget. comparing items is great, but you've got to compare the same items. comparing fairway meat to wf's is like comparing apples to oranges; it's just NOT the same.
Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
@redzerostar: Thanks for the heads up! The entry has been corrected. In the future, the best way to let Serious Eats' editors know about copy errors is to email contact@seriouseats.com.Thanks!
Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
"12 ounces of storebrand bacon was $4.29 at Fairway versus $4.99 at Fairway"?
typo?
Is Whole Foods Becoming Costco with a Side Order of Trader Joe's?
I like Whole Foods, but they haven't opened their long-rumored Park Slope branch, yet, so I have to drag stuff home from Manhattan. I prefer Fairway (in Red Hook, the Manhattan stores ARE zoos), because it's never overly crowded, even if the parking lot is, and the lines are never more than 2 deep at checkout.
By the way, if you are going to compare Smucker's peanut butter to another brand at Whole Foods, you probably would have been better off comparing the pricing of the fresh/grind your own at the two stores. I believe they were both about $2.99/pound last I checked.
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For the "speciality" meats, fruits and vegetable, have we forgotten CSAs and farmers markets? You won't find fresher, the quality is often better and the price is competitive. I sell grass fed angus beef direct from my small family ranch at about $8 a pound. I could charge more to join in the "organic" hype, but I feel it is more important to charge a fair price for a quality product. Your local farmers markets also believe in this concept.
Visit me at ShepherdsRanchAngusBeef if you would like to learn more, or go to your state department of agriculture site to find a local farmers market near you.