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having tried different liberte flavors- I have something slightly blasphemous to add: I might prefer Liberte's yogurt over most ice creams.

My 2 cents about all the people who mentioned high employee wages as a factor in the WF costs- my sister worked at WF for a long time, and she would regularly run in to coworkers doing her shopping at the inexpensive grocery store across the street. They may pay more than your average grocery store, but it's still not enough for the line-level employees to be able to afford to shop there!

Its been a while since this thread has been refreshed, but I would just like to add my two cents...

While reading many of the previous posts to the OP, I noticed that people were comparing Whole Foods to other grocers like Wegermans, TJ's, Fresh Market, etc. IMO, these are all "high-end" grocery stores: Grocers that offer high-quality artisan products and an aesthetically pleasing decor. In a nutshell, they are selling more than just groceries: they are selling a shopping experience. The classical music, the distinct aromas in the store, helpful staff, samples.... In business, this is called "branding". I think we all recognize, know (and love!) the Whole Foods brand, just as by comparison we know and recognize the Wal-mart brand as well.

But when you compare two high-end grocer's to one another, I would say its more of an apples-to-apples comparison than, say, comparing any one of those high-end grocers to a Safeway or Albertson's. Prices between grocers like New Seasons, Wild Oats, or Whole Foods are all going to be roughly the same because they all are targeting the same demographic with similar brands.

I think the reason some people are offended by Whole Foods is that they already are used to the prices at their "go-to" grocers. Like many people have said, items (even "staple" items) are typically 2-3 times more expensive than other grocers, and some people have a hard time justifying why anyone in their right mind would want to spend that much money on, for example, pasta or flour .... even if their is a good reason for it (organic, free-trade, sustainable, local, etc.).

Now, I love places like Whole Foods: Like many have said, they offer high-quality products, many of them organic, and a lot of stuff that I just can't find anywhere else. (I have recently read "The Omnivore's Dilemma", and it has really gotten me thinking about the health benefits of buying organic .... There really is a big difference, and not just in taste!). I was never a big "cheese" person, but I am always impressed by their charcuterie, and beer and wine selection.

The problem is that I just can't afford to do all of my shopping there. I would love if I could buy all of my groceries there, because I do see the difference in quality that these kinds of stores offer. But when balancing the checkbook with things I need to buy and things I would like to buy, I wish I could say groceries were a higher priority for me. When I grocery shop, I still tend to buy mostly staples: bulk items, produce, meat, etc. I try and not to buy any processed or frozen foods, limited canned or packaged items .... this has helped me stretch my food budget. But when even staple items are usually 3-4 times more expensive than my local WinCo, its hard to justify the expenses, ESPECIALLY now that "times are tough" (or so I'm told by the news everyday).

My parents who grew up with hummus as basically a food group swear that Sabra is the only store-bought that really hits the spot.

Sabra Original Hummus with Tahini and Sabra or Tribe Jalapeno Hummus.

She's a hack and a snake-oil salesman. Sometimes her "russipees" do have potential, but then she'll add something ridiculous to them, making them sickeningly inedible.

But I have to watch. I don't hate her per se - I just see her for what she is and watch her for the snark value. That's pretty much all her show is worth.

I agree 100% with Jerzee--when there is Wegmans, there is no need for Whole Foods.

But I think the OP was getting at something that does really annoy me--I get it about shopping at Wegmans, too--for example, Wegmans has AWESOME deals but it also has expensive imported and natural goods that are not at bargain-basement prices. So sometimes people have the attitude 'omg! How can you shop there! Clotted cream from England is so expensive/organic flour costs more than regular.' To which I am like: 'omg! Don't buy it!'

It's like some people are offended by the sight of expensive food, even if there is a reason for it being expensive, like if it is imported or organic.

That said, I think WF gets guff because unlike Wegmans, it has no 'off brand' stuff that is cheap--like I can get generic swiffer replacements at Wegmans, but WF doesn't stock it because it's not green enough, and ditto other cleaning products I use, dog toys that aren't high-end, and so forth.

If I didn't have Wegmans I would definitely use WF but I would have to supplement it with another shopping trip to a less expensive store for paper towels and such.

i like it all -- whole foods, tjs, farmers market, wherever. i definitely wouldn't say trader joes' quality is "so low" -- i would choose TJs over any other supermaket in an instant. yes, whole foods has more artisan and organic products and more selection, which i think is why it tends to be more expensive. if i was making a special meal, i would definitely choose to get everything from whole foods because i know they will have top quality food. but just on anecdotal evidence, i'm often shocked when i see the total price of my groceries at whole foods, and mentally going through what i bought to see how it could possibly add up to that total (red bell peppers for $9.99 a lb?!). and i simply don't have the extra income to be worry about groceries on top of all of my other financial woes. but i'm not hating on whole foods -- i love it there!!

You are 100% right about Liberte! Plum/walnut and peach/passionfruit are my favorites. Also, mocha -- I couldn't find it anywhere and actually emailed the company but they said they weren't selling it in NYC! Never found dulce de leche but would love to try. Emmi is also great: I like grapefruit (great flavor for yogurt -- who knew?) and black cherry.

I am not a big yogurt fan - makes me think of my childhood - sweet syrupy stuff on the bottom with bland yogurt on the top, not so appealing... I tried Greek yogurt for the first time this past weekend (needed it for a recipe) and it was quite tasty. If anyone has any suggestions for good yogurt, let me know :)

I love Liberte. I like their plain as well as their fruit on the bottom yogurts. The passion fruit, and the plum(?) and walnut versions are fruity in a pleasant non saccharine kind of way. I also love Browncow's cream on the top yogurt. Their low fat version is disgusting, but oh man..cream on the top is fantastic.

Yes Liberte plum walnut, but please search out Butterworks Farm whole Jersey milk yogurt. It's like a craft yogurt, totally badass organic family farm in northern Vermont that grows their own feed/pasture for their localized herd of Jersey cows. The yogurt is Golden colored because the milk is so lovely from these cows!
butterworksfarm.com