Can Whole Foods shed it's 'over-priced' image?

[Jenise]

Should they even try? Granted their stuff's expensive. But the selection and quality, any place I've lived, are unbeatable for the range of high-end food exotica all under one roof, and I've always been willing to pay. And most of the stores are even a great place to have lunch while you're out.

But apparently they're trying not willing to rest on that laurel and are trying to convince the public they're also a good place for value, according to this article in the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/business/02food.html?pagewanted=2&em

Last resort. Expensive, and I don't find the quality to be all that terrific (though I don't buy meat or seafood, so maybe that's what the hype is about). No, they have a model which depends on the sustainability of high prices, and they'll have to live or die by that.

[Robin Garr]

I like Whole Foods a little less since it first came to town (relatively recently, two or three years ago), mostly I guess because of all the publicity about their wacky CEO and his virulent anti-union attitude. It also seems that they started up with everything buffed and ripped, and have let it slip just a little (still good, just not perfect) in the ensuing years.

That said, I shop there fairly often, I do trust their commitment to quality product, and to be honest, given that I'm willing to pay extra for natural/organic/free-range/hormone-free/yadayada anyway, when I can't buy locally - which I usually can - then I'll go to Whole Foods without complaint, and I don't really find it significantly more expensive than my other sources.

We rarely buy much from supermarkets, though, and never meat, poultry or fish, so I'm probably not comparing our costs against an "average consumer's" shopping basket.

Should they even try? Granted their stuff's expensive. But the selection and quality, any place I've lived, are unbeatable for the range of high-end food exotica all under one roof, and I've always been willing to pay. And most of the stores are even a great place to have lunch while you're out.

But apparently they're trying not willing to rest on that laurel and are trying to convince the public they're also a good place for value, according to this article in the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/02/business/02food.html?pagewanted=2&em

Other than some speciality items that we can't find elsewhere, we mainly pick up produce and wine. The produce is expensive but much more varied than we can normally find. The wine, as I've posted on recently, is a very wide selection and the prices are competitive at least for this neck of the woods. If we're hungry while shopping there, their sandwiches are to die for.

You get what you pay for !

Wholepaycheck has the best quality food products that I can find in a retail store. I am not able to visit very often but when I do I make a point of taking the ice chest and stocking up on the good things that we dont get further north. For my money Whole Foods is tops.

Sure. Lower their prices. A quote from a poster elsewhere.. "Whole Foods...Why pay less?"

For those in California or Florida, who have direct access to top-quality produce from the farm year round, perhaps Whole Paycheck seems over-priced. For areas of the country such as New England, where local produce is very limited both in variety and season, Whole Foods is just about only store in town that seems to care about quality produce. I'm fortunate that our local Market Basket store is the one where all the Indian and Brazilian families shop, so it has a variety of really good produce at good prices. But for what I can't get there, I'm grateful for Whole Foods.

-Paul W.

For those in California or Florida, who have direct access to top-quality produce from the farm year round, perhaps Whole Paycheck seems over-priced. For areas of the country such as New England, where local produce is very limited both in variety and season, Whole Foods is just about only store in town that seems to care about quality produce. I'm fortunate that our local Market Basket store is the one where all the Indian and Brazilian families shop, so it has a variety of really good produce at good prices. But for what I can't get there, I'm grateful for Whole Foods.

-Paul W.

I agree with you, Paul. We have a Whole Foods here, but there are two other grocery stores and several farmers' markets nearby that have everything they do and cheaper. But that's largely a reflection on where I live. About the only thing that they really have going for them here is their cheese selection and it's only marginally better than several other local places.

Mike, I tried your Nuggets suggestion a few times, and with one exception, found them superior in every way to WP (especially the one in El Dorado). The exception was cheese, which was good but priced like cocaine.

I find that when I'm out of California, the best places to get excellent produce cheap are Chinese markets.

[Jenise]

You get what pay for !

Wholepaycheck has the best quality food products that I can find in a retail store. I am not able to visit very often but when I do I make a point of taking the ice chest and stocking up on the good things that we dont get further north. For my money Whole Foods is tops.

You and me both. But have you discovered Central Market yet?

You get what pay for !

.

You and me both. But have you discovered Central Market yet?

No clue. Fill in the blanks.

[Jenise]

You get what pay for !

.

You and me both. But have you discovered Central Market yet?

No clue. Fill in the blanks.

It's a great store. It's like a culturally diverse version of Whole Foods Market. It's actually related to the market Robert J works at in Austin, HEB came up here and opened a few, then spun them off. Currently, there's one in Poulsbo and one in Shoreline on old highway 99/Auburn St. Best I remember, one gets off at 176th, turns left on Auburn, and it's down a mile or three on the right hand side behind the Sears. And if I'm wrong about those numbers then it's the opposite, but I think the numbers get bigger going north so this has to be right. They have giant bins and piles of produce that remind me of the Mexican markets my mom used to go to in Montebello (I grew up in Whittier) when I was a kid. They won't have 8 kinds of kale like Whole Foods, but they will have a pretty good selection of Asian produce and herbs as well as organic. Want whole bunches of mizuna lettuce? They have it. Whole bunches of chrysanthemum leaves? They have it. I've seen stuff as esoteric and hard to find as fresh wasabi rhyzomes there. They have a great wine selection. The Mexican and Asian dry goods aisles are like complete ethnic stores-within-a-store. The bakery and deli departments are pretty good, and this is the part you really need to know about: they have the best seafood department I've seen in Washington. Again, it's a market-within-a-market--it's a complete seafood store not just a little counter off the meat department with but a few premium offerings like Whole Foods. And how are the prices? Everything's cheaper than Whole Foods, where you'll still want to go for cheeses btw. Central Market doesn't even try to compete with that department. But if fresh halibut's $22.99 at WF it wil be $18.99 at Central Market and they'll have varieties of fish you'll never see at WF. The seafood is the main reason that if I have time while in Seattle to make one stop on the way home, I'll crawl over to Central Market.

I'll take Central Market over Whole Foods for pricing and quality. Accessibility in another is another thing though. The crowds and parking at CM( in Houston) are pretty brutal due to its uptown location. While WF is just off the highway on the SW side of town. If I'm looking for something special, I usually go the Whole Foods route..regardless of cost.

But I'd never make it a regular shopping spot.

Richard

It was always my conclusion that Whole Foods actually wanted to be more expensive and therefore create an illusion that they were better than the other grocery stores. With how many stores they have, they should have massive purchasing power and therefore lower prices, not higher prices. Why else would a box of corn flakes at Whole Foods be a buck more than the same box of cornflakes at a little Mom and Pop store that has virtually no purchasing power?

Because they're EnviroKidz (tm) Corn Flakes.

Mike, I tried your Nuggets suggestion a few times, and with one exception, found them superior in every way to WP (especially the one in El Dorado). The exception was cheese, which was good but priced like cocaine.

I find that when I'm out of California, the best places to get excellent produce cheap are Chinese markets.

Glad you liked them, Stuart. They do a good job of going beyond the ordinary grocery store without getting out of hand (or at least for the most part). I can do better here by hitting some select places - the Food Co-op for cheese, Taylor's or Corti Bros. for meat and bread. But for a one-stop shop that will get most of what we'd want, the Nugget does very well.

Betsy liked the Nugget in Sacramento, got some nice snapper there Wed.

I think Whole Foods meats are generally good. And they are a good source for things like capon or goose. My problem is that sometimes Betsy goes to the one in White Plains for meat, and then does the rest of her shopping there. Gasp- horror- ack!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She just needs to hide the receipt before I see it and have a cow,

Actually, around here I have greengrocers and farmers markets where I think I get better produce cheaper. But we went to Whole Foods in Laguna Beach Sat. Meat was definitely better than Raleys or Ralphs (although $22 lamb chops and $15 flank steak is just stupid -luckily I wanted chuck which was on sale). But some of their 365 store brand stuff (broth, beans) is cheaper and probably better than other stores.

We were introduced to both Whole Foods and Central Market several years ago when visiting friends in Austin. Unfortunately only Whole Foods moved up our way. The nearest is in Portland, ME; 75 minutes from here. There are other venues in Portland that we like to hit as well, so we plan a day trip up there every two or three months.

It was always my conclusion that Whole Foods actually wanted to be more expensive and therefore create an illusion that they were better than the other grocery stores. With how many stores they have, they should have massive purchasing power and therefore lower prices, not higher prices. Why else would a box of corn flakes at Whole Foods be a buck more than the same box of cornflakes at a little Mom and Pop store that has virtually no purchasing power?

Dave, I dont think you will find the same items in a m/p store that WF carries.

It's a great store. It's like a culturally diverse version of Whole Foods Market. It's actually related to the market Robert J works at in Austin, HEB came up here and opened a few, then spun them off. Currently, there's one in Poulsbo and one in Shoreline on old highway 99/Auburn St. Best I remember, one gets off at 176th, turns left on Auburn, and it's down a mile or three on the right hand side behind the Sears. And if I'm wrong about those numbers then it's the opposite, but I think the numbers get bigger going north so this has to be right. They have giant bins and piles of produce that remind me of the Mexican markets my mom used to go to in Montebello (I grew up in Whittier) when I was a kid. They won't have 8 kinds of kale like Whole Foods, but they will have a pretty good selection of Asian produce and herbs as well as organic. Want whole bunches of mizuna lettuce? They have it. Whole bunches of chrysanthemum leaves? They have it. I've seen stuff as esoteric and hard to find as fresh wasabi rhyzomes there. They have a great wine selection. The Mexican and Asian dry goods aisles are like complete ethnic stores-within-a-store. The bakery and deli departments are pretty good, and this is the part you really need to know about: they have the best seafood department I've seen in Washington. Again, it's a market-within-a-market--it's a complete seafood store not just a little counter off the meat department with but a few premium offerings like Whole Foods. And how are the prices? Everything's cheaper than Whole Foods, where you'll still want to go for cheeses btw. Central Market doesn't even try to compete with that department. But if fresh halibut's $22.99 at WF it wil be $18.99 at Central Market and they'll have varieties of fish you'll never see at WF. The seafood is the main reason that if I have time while in Seattle to make one stop on the way home, I'll crawl over to Central Market.

Thanks. I will add it to the list of stops south for the next trip. Interesting re: Montebello. Also "Central Market" is the name of almost every mercado in central america that I have ever visited.

It was always my conclusion that Whole Foods actually wanted to be more expensive and therefore create an illusion that they were better than the other grocery stores. With how many stores they have, they should have massive purchasing power and therefore lower prices, not higher prices. Why else would a box of corn flakes at Whole Foods be a buck more than the same box of cornflakes at a little Mom and Pop store that has virtually no purchasing power?

Dave, I dont think you will find the same items in a m/p store that WF carries.

Mike, in many cases you will around here. From how you have described your area it sounds as though it is slim pickings at best so I can understand your reply. However, we have excellent, small, independent grocery stores that sell produce, meat and seafood that meets or exceeds what you will find in the local Whole Foods. And when they both sell the identical product, the little places usually have a lower price. And that was my point. Whole Foods should be able to provide a lower price because of their massive purchasing power but they choose not to.

It's gotta be perception of quality if it costs more. Many years ago, one brand of vodka priced itself twice as much as its competitors, and its sales increased.

It's gotta be perception of quality if it costs more. Many years ago, one brand of vodka priced itself twice as much as its competitors, and its sales increased.

Agreed. That is what I was getting at with the creating an illusion comment in my original reply. Your vodka example is excellent. The best is not always the most expensive and the most expensive is not always the best.

In todays Guardian

Whole Foods loses $18m in UK debut

The upmarket US supermarket chain Whole Foods is facing an uphill struggle to expand across the Atlantic after suffering losses of $18.4m (£9m) in a year at its six newly opened stores in Britain.

Whole Foods, which specialises in organic and healthy produce, last night revealed that it was reviewing its nascent British operations and will be cutting back on openings in its home market.

"We are disappointed in our results in the UK," chief executive John Mackey said. "We are carefully evaluating all aspects of our operations in the UK."

full article at http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008 ... .useconomy