Yep...concur - gave up on Whole Foods several months ago. Much prefer Giant or Harris Tweeter if I want photo studio quality lighting. Neither may have the cachet of WF but you do not feel fleeced during the visit.

Gosh, I sure hope you're not planning to be in....AUSTIN anytime soon......

$18.99 for a pound of meat?!?!?

You should have told me, Gerald. I would have found good-quality meat at HEB in the Houston area and shipped it to you... and you wouldn't have to break your bank! Or even at the local Fiesta supermarket!

Whole Foods... Shmole Foods! No wonder I like to call it the "Guilt Trip Supermarket" for nothing!

$18.99 for a pound of meat?!?!?

You should have told me, Gerald. I would have found good-quality meat at HEB in the Houston area and shipped it to you... and you wouldn't have to break your bank! Or even at the local Fiesta supermarket!

Whole Foods... Shmole Foods! No wonder I like to call it the "Guilt Trip Supermarket"!

Oops! I tried to fix an error, and it still got through! Aaargh!

This just in:

Self-Righteousness is Carcinogenic

Shop at Safeway.

Top Shelf!!! Awesome post. I want to run naked through a discount grocery store wearing nothing but a key fob with a discount card attached to it.

I once had an argument with a guy who insisted that it was good idea to pay twice as much for milk at whole foods, because said milk did not have hormones that would turn his cute little white girls into 225 lbs hos at the age of 9.

He did not appreciate it when I told him that the only difference between the milk at Whole Foods and the milk at the BP mini-mart is the art work on the label.

White people, lost in a world of delusions. Besides, those skanks aren't going through puberty until the turn 37 and give up amphetamines.

Webutante,

Only fools, transplanted Californians and Yankees (they can both go the hell back to where they came from, kthx!) or ideologically constipated "progressive" elitists shop at Whole Foods in Austin or Houston.

Why?

You can shop at HEB's Central Market or one of their community markets such as the Cypress Market and get better stuff for a much cheaper price and everybody who shops and works there are normal people, not stuck up snobs.

A Whole Foods opened up near Princeton, NJ about 7-8 years ago. They set a booth at the local farmers market giving away free swag like shopping bags and other trinkets, so my wife decided that she wanted to try it instead of the shop rite.

One look at the produce prices was enough to convince her not to go there anymore. I could have told her that, but noooooooooo, she wouldn't take my word for it. In the interests of conjugal harmony, I do not speak of this incident.

But I still giggle about it sometimes.

Nahanni nailed the Austin morons who shop Whole Foods. I went into that store once and got to giggling so hard I had to leave, the prices are insane and many of the products downright strange.

I'll stick with my HEB and Sun Harvest, thank you very much.

Some of the food fashionistas here in San Antonio (one Whole Foods and a $h!tload of HEBs) have perfected their Shopping Kabuki: they buy the week's groceries on the cheap at HEB, but have them bagged up in chi-chi recyclable bags from....Whole Foods!

When I pointed out one of these posers to the wife, she laughed all the way home.

Oh, to how many grandstanding blowhards will I forward this today? Time to lose some friends! Great post.

Have you seen their prices for arugula? I tried to warn you people...

I knew I wasn't a WF shopper after about my fourth trip. It was one of those unusual moments of clarity when I became sickened by the self-righteous moral-preening of the clientele and how they all are disgusted by the country that provides them with such "shopping experiences." They'll support bombing research labs to keep scientists from genetically engineering "Franken-food" while the real poor in other parts of the world suffer and starve. Not to mention the tattooing and piercings all around that make me want to barf up my olive bar samplings on the nearest pair of Earth shoes. No harm done though. You can't damage the appearance of Earth shoes.

I'm a proud Wal-mart shopper! I can get a week's worth of groceries at Wally World for the price of a family of four meal at WF. Fool me once...

We have something like a Whole Foods here, in Lancaster PA. It's locally owned - and includes a complete nursery (plants and trees and gardening stuff)- Stauffer's of Kissel Hill. My first trip through the store left me sticker-shocked. 4 aisles of meats! Oy gevalt. They even have specific aisles with the following signs: 3 items or less, 6 items or less, 10 items or less, 15 items or less! Does it get any more specific than that? Sheesh. I do Aldi and Amelia's Outlets. Why should I pay 5 bucks a half gallon of Breyer's when I can buy it for 2/$5 at Amelias!

We hit the Whole Foods store on Bascom Avenue in San Jose couple of weeks ago. Proof that Barnum was right. There really is a sucker born every minute. Place was full of 'em.

Here in Chicago we call it "Whole Paycheck".

And I'm dead certain all those folks I saw at WF in San Jose voted for Obama, different medium, same principle.

I second Western Chauvinist's sentiments.

I get a bit of razzing from my co-workers, being as how I like to shop at the Wal-Mart Supercenter down the road a piece in Cockeysville, Md.

(My co-workers are mostly Jewish, from prosperous circumstances-- one other co-worker and I are the token Christians in our shop. :-) )

One of my co-workers is quite emphatic in his dislike of Wal-Mart, accusing it of all sorts of exploitative practices. I have a hard time getting it through his thick skull that not all of us grew up in prosperous circumstances in a prosperous area, and for those of us (like myself) who hail from Appalachia, Wal-Mart is a God-send, both for its low prices and the decent-paying jobs it provides.

I wouldn't go so far as to call my co-workers suckers or self-righteous moral-preeners, but they really do need to get out more.

I love your stuff, but it's so damn irritating to hear - from all corners of the dextrosphere - the mindless bashing of people who have actually given a thought as to what they put into their mouths, who've decided that the comfort of their bellies doesn't justify wholesale inhumane slaughter. It's tedious, whether it comes from Ace or you or the other three thousand bloggers who think we owe animals nothing at all and that it's a big joke. Yeah, Whole Foods is a scam, but for God's sake, please shut up about vegetarians. It just stupid, and comfirms the lefties in their opinion that we're morons.

Yeah, y'know, you're right. Every week when I spend the $40 that I can afford for food, I'm just chortling with glee at the wholesale inhumane slaughter I'm justifying.

And God forbid a leftie should think I'm a moron.

Maybe your forty bucks would go further if you didn't blow it on ribeye. Glad to you see you revelling in your callousness.

Jewel,
Stauffer's of Kissel Hill!? My mom lives nearby and she loves it. Though when she has time she goes direct to the Amish.

re: Whole Foods. I've always preferred Trader Joe's. Unpretentious, not expensive, and fun.

Dear lightbulb bread,

My $40 a week is what my retirement income allows, you smirky little prick.

I comfort myself with the knowledge that, in fact, Self-Righteousness is Carcinogenic, and has obviously already proven cancerous to what you no doubt think of as your personality.

Trader Joe's, here I come. No guilt, no Big Brother lecturing me about my carbon footprint, and good prices, too.

Hey Grandpa -

Self-righteousness - "in fact" - is carcinogenic? And you want me to die of cancer? And my reminding people of their responsibilities to the animals they eat is some sort of cancerous personality growth?

What a charmer!

I think there's something else at play here, old timer...

Ya know,if veggies wern't such shove it in your face, know it all, self righteous twits, we wouldn't call them morons. Biologically, we have evolved our GI tract to be the best omnivoric capable system out there which is why I feed it what it was designed for. For someone to go through life putting only compost heap material down his gullet causes one to wonder about the severe lack of common sense involved, or worse.

yo panty lumens...

You fight like a girl.

Nah, forget it, you've obviously misunderstood all of it you're capable of. Ignorance is curable, but idiocy is chronic.

If there's any justice, you'll live as long as I have, and make people miserable for dozens of years yet. You may even live long enough to understand that attitude is no substitute for a personality, but I doubt it. Kiss yourself goodnight now. Sleep tight.

go to farmers markets and buy local, duh. Don't go to safeway or HEB for your produce. Duh.

Nice thought, but fundamentally wrong. A nation of 300 million people is not going to be supplied by the cute little farmers markets white people love to lick.

Gerard, I learned one very valuable thing from my mother, an Italian immigrant at 89 years old and still going strong: if you want to find the absolute top quality foods, meat, produce, etc, follow the trail...the trail of little old Italian women. It does NOT lead to anything trendy, green or "progressyve" believe me.

Thankfully, Whole Foods does not do the whole rural thing, but Wegmans does. Wegmans has great food from around the world, and lots of bargain-priced store brands, and no attitude whatsoever. It's a blessing to have that choice.

When possible I visit the seasonal farmers markets for the good stuff, or drive a little further to some year-round Pennsylvania Dutch country markets, or the nearby Amish stops. I don't think Whole Foods ever carried souse, or all the bulk packaged fascinating stuff.

Although I did enjoy snacking at the Austin Whole Foods deli bar, great roasted vegetable platters at reasonable prices.

Wegmans is still a better deal, their attitude is healthy and happy customers, not Gaia worship and snobbery.

Krikey, Gerard, QFC on Queen Anne plus a stop at A&J Meats up on top every now and then should do ya fine. Plus occasional excursions to Costco in Georgetown down by the freight yards.

WTF is "sustainable cheese"!?
Skoocumchuck; I'm glad to hear A&J Meats is still on the hill. My first apartment in the city was on Highland and A&J was a regular stop.

I'm a regular at A&J -- the temple of meats. Right down the street. If you enter through the back you can hang a bit at a wine tasting before heading into the temple.

QFC is at the foot of the Hill on the backside so is a less frequent stop. Safeway and Metropolitian Market (Why pay less?) work just fine.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/5932100/Organic-food-has-no-added-nutritional-benefit-says-Food-Standards-Agency.html

Whole Foods is full weirdos and they dislike it when I spark a smoke near their front door.

I'm trying to decide if you're ahead of the curve or behind it.

Thanks for posting that link, Joan, so I didn't have to.

Welcome to the USSA (United Socialist States of America), where consumers are empowered to tell CEOs to STFU while their government does the same to dissenters. Ain't free speech grand?

yes, that's the state of the left these days. No speech left unmuzzled.

SIGH.

If you want to chat follow the right link.

Joan's.

"Seattle was surrounded with truck farms sixty years ago & may well be again"

Baloney. All that rich bottom land in the Green River valley is covered with Boeing plants and warehouses. Puyallup River valley's going the same way. That land is too valuable for farms anymore.

When I was a kid in the late 1940's, a farmer just south of Kent hired my father to bring in his bulldozer and clear several acres where he'd let the blackberry vines get away from him. Wonderful valley soil, no rocks. There's a warehouse there now.

Great post. Thanks, Gerard.

Someone mentioned marital bliss... indeed. I can't convince the Mrs. that only *some* foods are arguably better when they are organic. I hate going there because I can just feel the $$ seeping out of my bank account as I eye all that seductive merchandise. An unconscious person would pick up that vibe it is so strong. Thank God we don't have respectable income or she'd be in there every day. The clientele all look like they'd jump out their skins if you just said the word "gun".

And this just in: read about their deceptive tactics in helping consumers stay confused about organic vs. "all natural":
http://www.organicconsumers.org/

We could easily feed more people if we didn't turn so much food into cow, pig, and chicken shit, which then gets into the nearest river to kill the fish. A nation in which three servings of meat per day is considered normal is conducting a full body assault on itself.

Great post. When I walk thru Whole Foods lately I start feeling like a French revolutionary peasant (because I used to love her, but it's all over now) http://dianaretriever.blogspot.com/2008/11/trophy-brides-love-them-nice-on-stick.html

Definitely Trader Joe's over Whole Paycheck— supplemented by trips to Costco, local supermarkets, and yes, farmer's markets in the greater Sacramento area. The prices at the last are actually better than the produce aisle, and oh! so good.

I remember when they were just a bunch of Hippies and before they called it HF
all the girls had hair under the arms and legs. I worked on the cash registers and the place was real dirty could never shop there still dont. In austin only the plastic people shop there.

Recycling this post shows that you care.

This much we know: No act of Government will ever get mass amounts of delicious food to our grocery stores with the same efficiency as private enterprise. If you don't believe me, join the Navy and go to sea for six months (or move to Cuba).

Good luck with going local and sustainable. The Amish farm, an old order Fortress of Agricultural Solitude sold all of their land and now it's developed into high-rent apartments with a faux 'town center'...or 'centre' as the hipsters are now spelling it. I will miss buying fresh sweet corn and watermelons and tomatoes from them. They even had large amounts of tobacco. All of it plowed under. A thousand acres, gone in a flash.
If people even try to plant their own garden in our housing gulag, they'll get a visit from the HOA ninny and maybe some Monsanto thugs to 'check' on whether you are illegally growing their patented seeds.

Gerard,

I know you know this, but gotta say just how great it is to read your posts. Laughed all the way through it. Again. I've never shopped at Whole Foods. I was raised on a farm and organic isn't all it's cracked up to be. There's really something absurd about paying more for food that really costs less to produce.

Between the insane prices and the huge amount of their stuff I can't buy because of my soy allergy, i ignore Whole Foods and shop instead at Trader Joe's, McCaffrey's, Shoprite &/or Wegmans.

Competition: one of Civilization's killer apps!

At least they're somewhat honest.

"Organic"

Indeed.

All full of horse pucky.

We used to buy local all the time. We called it "The Middle Ages."

Fact is, large production farms are likely to be fresher and less taxing on the environment, given the efficiencies of transportation and packaging.

I imagine spinach from the Snoqualmie Valley, ripe and ready to pick on Tuesday, scheduled to sell in Seattle on Saturday, brought to market in a 15 year old diesel burner down the I 90 corridor.

We have a WF opening soon in our fair city. Potential customers should be aware that they can buy pretentiousness in bulk at W-Mart, Winco or Grocery Outlet. Just bring your own green bag to carry it home.

Jewel;

Can you still get Washington Boro tomatoes? They were the best 35 years ago, when Mrs. Dave and I lived in Lancaster.

For a little comic relief, check out this rap video titled "Whole Foods Parking Lot":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFc1pr2yUU

We occasionally shop at Whole Paycheck (yes, we call it that here in Texas, too), but since we signed up for the local farm delivery service we've tapered it off. The service delivers 25-50 pounds of fresh dairy and farm produce to our door every week, guaranteed all grown within fifty miles of that very same door.

That being said, we are a family of gourmands, not hippies. We get the local grown produce because it tastes much, much better, not for some stupid political reason. In fact, we do the bulk of our non-produce shopping at Costco, and we don't have the slightest qualm about doing so. We couldn't care less if the food we eat was processed in the core of a nuclear reactor as long as it's nutritious and delicious.

I have no problem with vedge-heads eating only animal forage as long as they a) aren't doing it to grind some political ax and b) don't bang on and on about it. My Vegan friends who prefer to eat like a deer are OK by me. I'll eat the actual deer.

I care as much about other people's ingestion preferences as I do about the details of their excretion. If people would just STFU about what they eat and why, we'd all have better digestion.

I'm glad I got home from my shopping trip to Walmart in time to read this post while rinsing off the chemical residue from the blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries.

I'm glad I got home from my shopping trip to Walmart in time to read this post while rinsing off the chemical residue from the blackberries, strawberries, and blueberries.

Jewel,

Your first mistake was your choice of ice cream; Who in their right mind Breyer's over Turkey Hill if they live in Lancaster, PA. Call me a hipster or elitist or whatever but mind you Turkey Hill is from Pennsylvania whereas Breyer's is a part of the multinational company Unilever. Pardon me if supporting local business is wrong. (PS: Turkey Hill Markets tend to have the exact same deal on their ice cream)

Second mistake; comparing Stauffer's of Kissel Hill to Whole Foods Market is totally ludicrous. Those two shops are not even catering to the same customer base. Though with that being said, I am sure that a regular Amelia's shopper would be blown away by SKH prices, even more so by Whole Foods prices...

For your sake I hope your sake you never walk into a Dean & DeLuca.

Whole Food is pricey, but they are consistent across the country (which means that those of us with food intolerances, who travel, no longer have to carry our food with us across the country). Knowing you can get what you need (without having to pay for an extra suitcase) is a good thing.

And they have done some very accommodating and philanthropic things for me and mine. Expensive yes. I can't shop there all the time. Ridiculous? No, only if YOU let it be.

I'm gone to inform my little brother, that
he should also visit this website on regular basis
to take updated from hottest news.

I'm gone to inform my little brother, that
he should also visit this website on regular basis
to take updated from hottest news.