Whole Foods CEO Blames the Media

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  amerrod05/15/08 Report as spam
  1

  Whole Foods

  After reading the story concerning Whole Foods-I would like to express that you cannot compare generic chain stores with specialty grocers such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe's or other organic retail distributors. I always find it amazing that people take better care of their cars than they do their own bodies. We all want to buy cheap goods but at what cost?
  
  I will continue to shop at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's, yes it is more expensive than the big box or generic chains but you can always ensure wholesome quality, great customer service and quick check out.

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  lebabcock_1@...05/16/08 Report as spam
  2

  More than just a store

  Another perspective on this blog's discussion is that TJ, Whole Foods, Wild Oats and other stores provide services that extend beyond just providing food stuffs -- they educate people on long-term choices. The educational classes on diet, exercise, planning menus and cooking healthier not only augment the bottom line, but also the top line. These stores are also providing avenues to get appropriate information and techniques to those who know, have experienced, or are undergoing crucial lifestyle modifications.

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  qtrback05/28/08 Report as spam
  3

  Sure you can insure shorter checkout lines...

  The lines are where the people are.... and Organic Goat Cheese isn't capturing the imagination of the generalpublic ....not with gas prices above $4 a gal...and deisel prices approaching $5 a gal is increaasing the delivery costs to all grocers raising the cost to consumers even more.

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  klbond05/15/08 Report as spam
  4

  RE: Whole Foods CEO Blames the Media

  As a Whole Foods shopper (in its various Southern California locations as well as the marvelous NYC Columbus Square, Santa Fe Cerrillos Rd.m and Albuquerque branches) as well as a huge fan of TJs and other specialty SoCal grocers such as Bristol Farms and Gelson's, I'm with amerrod's post???and add that Marketwatch's comparison to Starbucks is even worse!
  
  At the same time, I can only DREAM that Whole Foods comes anywhere near Starbucks' on-every-corner-and-more ubiquity. (To illustrate the latter's looming presence, I think readers of Mitchell's article can all come up with examples. Mine is for all the Highway 78 drivers in Oceanside and Carlsbad, CA between the Jefferson St. and the El Camino Real offramps who can get their boutique caf?? fix at not one but FOUR locations...all within a half mile of each other!)
  
  Admittedly, I have scaled back on Whole Foods in recent months. And even in better days, I generally opt for my occasional cup of industrial strength Joe at the just-as-good McDonald's, Circle K, and AM/PM. However, I still consider Whole Foods a true treat any time. (Where else BUT Whole Foods can I have a choice of breakfast foods, a full-on salad, or BOTH at 8 in the morning? Certainly NOT at Vons'/Safeway, where I do shop periodically as well. Where else BUT Whole Foods can I get a glistening white anchovy or two to top my salad at any hour?)

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  tech_ed@...05/15/08 Report as spam
  5

  Sheesh!

  My Gawd, I'm so glad that I live NOWHERE near one of those pretentious, overpriced "Natural" grocery stores! Sure, there;s a TJs a few towns away, but I'm far too busy to go out of my way just to spend more money on over priced fare and mill about pretentious, designer water drinking fashion ******! Hell, the Haris Teeter is pretentious enough for my tates! And until that got here, there wasn't a Starbucks for miles! And that's another pretentious bunch...like I want to spend exorbitant amounts of money on coffee picked by starving African children forced into working to put food in their bellies....Oh well...I still have my local Giant and Safeway... Heck, the Safeway's been in town for over 40 years and it's still the #1 place to shop!
  Ed

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  cashmash05/16/08 Report as spam
  6

  RE: Whole Foods CEO Blames the Media

  There is a price to pay for anything in this life. It's a matter of where you put your money down. Spending less on less wholesome foods is likely to result in health problems that will need addressing with time and money at some point in time. The key is balancing your needs for healthy eating and lifestyle with balancing your checkbook. For those that are pinched in the pocketbook it becomes more difficult to ignore the lower balances in the bank account.
  
  A solution is to focus on cooking healthy meals that stretch beyond one meal. Some ingredients for the meal can be purchased at lower-priced stores, while reserving some money and shopping enjoyment for the specialty items at the whole-food stores. The end result is economy of the budget without a total replacement of the need and enjoyment of eating healthy and living large in this lifetime.

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  qtrback05/28/08 Report as spam
  7

  Sorry but....

  I can'thelp but choke that the thought of "If I don't buy from an "all Natural" store that I am not eating healthy. Safeway and other big box stores still have fresh produce, meats, and other essentials that offer me the opportunity to eat as healthy as I like without that p[remium for the name on the grocerybag as I leave the store... Mr Mackey... wanna know why people why people have decided to leave Whole Foods.... perhaps its your inattention to your product selection and somehow misinterpreting the needs of the consumers you serve. Though I must admit those with a 6 or 7 digit salary might not feel the pinch that the rest of us feel.

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  Hostess05/16/08 Report as spam
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  RE: Whole Foods CEO Blames the Media

  I agree with the blogger that the economy is perhaps the biggest reason for the decrease in sales at WF. The current state of many people's financial affairs are forcing them to look closer at costs and budgeting.
  The numbers of people utilizing Food Banks and other social services agencies are steadily increasing, as the prices of houses continue to decline, leaving many people cash poor and equity poor which is wreaking havoc throughout many communities.
  Unfortunately (for many businesses), consumers are tightening belts -- but the reality is, what goes up, invariably goes down.

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  electracsg05/16/08 Report as spam
  9

  Death by generic foods

  I think it is absurd to believe that you are doing your body a favor by only buying and eating organic foods. There is a theory that has never been proven that organic food is better for you because there are fewer pesticides and additives, but again, it has never been proven. The job of the FDA is to protect us from dangerous foods, and they have done an incredible job over the years, considering the risks from mad cow and other less common diseases.
  
  Even though Whole Foods is more expensive, I have shopped there before, and would shop there if they carried a favorite brannd I couldn't get anywhere else, except that they have proven to be dishonest in their advertising and disloyal to local communities.
  
  Here is an excerpt from a blog called "Eating Alabama". This family's mission is to eat only local foods for four months.
  
  But still, Whole Foods could do more for local farmers, and the folks who shop there should demand it. Our friends David and Margaret Ann who run Snow's Bend farm here in Tuscaloosa County had a dealing with Whole Foods that ended in an out of court settlement. (You can read about their lawsuit here.) Long story short, Whole Foods came out to the farm and took some pictures of David, telling him that soon they would start buying from the farm as part of their "local supplier" program. Instead, they bought nothing and used David's picture in advertisements touting the local food offered at Whole Foods. Similar stories from other parts of the country abound.
  
  The blog is located here. http://www.eatingalabama.org/

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  rockymtnrick05/16/08 Report as spam
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  Choices

  I love TJ's, Whole Foods, Wild Oats and Starbucks. But I brew my own coffee I bought at $5 for 2.5 lbs at Costco and I shop the sales at Albertsons, King Soopers and--YES--Walmart (where I hate to shop). There are plenty of people dropping $3 a day at Starbucks or buying all of their food "organic," at Whole Foods but I'm not one of them. I shop TJ's when I travel (none here in Colorado, yet), Whole Foods for specialty items, and Starbucks for an occasional Frappucino, but those stores won't survive on my shopping style.
  
  For me, the bottom line is MY bottom line--those places are expensive and not necessary for my life. However, the money I save shopping sales and Walmart is part of my overall strategy for my future. My wife and I make plenty of money and could easily shop those places, but I'll pass up on the "bling" and feel-good environment to pad my pockets instead of theirs.

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  qtrback05/28/08 Report as spam
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  I'm with you rockymtnrick

  I'm with you. Ocassion "Treats" are necessary.

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  kcox05/16/08 Report as spam
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  Take a look at Krogers' Shelves

  Although the economy can be blamed for a slowdown in sales, what isn't addressed is the change in distribution for companies such as Kroger's. "Organic" and "All-Natural" labels used to be relegated to the aisles of co-ops and high-end groceries. However, the expansion of companies such as Hain and the acquisition of smaller "health food" labels by larger distributers (such as Kraft's ownership of Boca Foods) means that the average health-conscious shopper can now go to Kroger's and still purchase the types of foods once only available to Whole Foods, albeit without the range of selections.

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  sharonsj07/03/08 Report as spam
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  only if you are rich...

  ...can you afford organic food. My income has fallen so far that I find myself buying some things to eat at Dollar General. I would love to eat organic but the closest I can come is local produce, even though the sellers can't or won't admit to how they grow the stuff.
  
  To the reader who thinks organic food doesn't affect health: you are so wrong it's frightening. Our factory food systems are the main reason Americans are so sick.

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  amanda.lopez07/09/08 Report as spam
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  Unlimited Options

  Behavior changes can offset some of the increasing costs we see, such as in food and transporatation. These don't have to be barriers, but changing does seem to require a mind open to learning and more flexibility.
  
  I recently moved to Philadelphia, sold my car, bought a bicycle and take public transportation to my office. The money I save on gas every week (even if it were fixed at $3.50/gal) makes up for the increased cost of buying organic food for my household. A vegetarian diet (or low-meat diet) decreases the impact on my food budget of grain-fed animal products, and cooking large quantities of food several times a week for both eating right away and freezing saves me time during the workweek and is cheaper than eating individual servings of pre-made products.
  
  I enjoy inviting friends over for lasagna, curry, soups, falafel and other foods that are easy to cook in quantity and that maintain or improve their flavor with freezing and reheating. For me, staying positive and sharing lots of ideas are the best ways to weather trying times.

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  edebenham08/05/08 Report as spam
  15

  RE: Whole Foods CEO Blames the Media

  I still shop at Whole Foods, although I have to admit I go
  once a month instead of twice a week. In this rough
  economy, I just have to watch spending. I used to spend
  $400 a pop at Whole foods, now if I spend more than
  $200, I am spending to much. What keeps me going back
  to Whole Foods is the fabulous cheese shop and the
  quality of meat and seafood available.