grocery

Is Whole Foods Worth It?

January 29, 2016 By Amanda Blankenship 3 Comments

It seems like just about everyone is concerned with health foods and going to the “trendy” supermarkets seems to be important. Places like Publix, Trader Joes and Whole Foods grew in popularity, but they seem to be losing their time in the spotlight because of their pricing. Basically, people realized “Whole Foods” is a place where you will spend your “Whole Paycheck” on groceries. Is it really worth it?

Not really. Stock prices for the company are reflecting that Whole Foods is losing popularity — and quickly. Stock prices fell 5 percent on Monday and has already fallen 15 percent this year already.

Kelly Bania from BMO Capital Markets took survey results from 1,000 Whole Foods customers. The results of the surveys have not faired well for the company. Seventy percent of those 1,000 that took the survey told Bania that they haven’t noticed any changes in pricing at Whole Foods. This is after the company said that they’d be lowering their prices to better compete with other grocers that sold like products.

Here’s the real kicker though. Only 24 percent of Whole Foods customers said that the Whole Foods produce was fresher than other supermarkets. So, you can likely get the same quality produce at Wal-Mart for much less. That being said, 54 percent of the customers surveyed said that the Whole Foods produce was “sometimes” better than other places and 22 percent said it was not fresher or better than other grocers whatsoever.

This poses a pretty big problem for Whole Foods. If their customers realize they are paying larger prices for the same or lesser quality foods, why will they continue to shop there? Whole Foods depends on loyal neighborhood shoppers, not “drop-ins.”

Since the end of 2013, Whole Foods has lost half of its stock market value, and with customer opinions like these, there is no sign of them improving any time soon unless they change some core items such as pricing or quality.

In 2015, the company was accused of overpricing previously weighed items in New York City. Of course, that hurt Whole Foods’ reputation desperately. In a place like New York, where there are many single people (Whole Foods’ target customers), they really couldn’t afford to mess up, but they did. It seems they are still paying for that mistake. Many of the same-store sales in NYC are still on the low-side, affecting the company’s overall performance.

Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said that he felt that it was wrong to single the company out for something many other places also do. However, they agreed to pay out hundreds of thousands of dollars to the city but stated that they were doing so to “put the issue behind them.” Both the company’s defiant stance as well as the loss of trust of its customers is greatly affecting Whole Foods.

It seems most consumers are more willing to support places like Trader Joe’s, Korger, Costco and Wal-Mart instead of throwing money out of the window at Whole Foods. Who can blame them? Unless they change something, it is likely Whole Foods will be faded out.

Photo: Flickr: That Other Paper

Short-List Grocery Shopping Tips

April 5, 2008 By Ann Hartter 4 Comments

I went to the grocery store this morning. My list included four items. I returned with ten. It would seem I had a problem with the impulse buy. That’s not, however, the case. Four of the things I returned with were on sale, so maybe it was sale-blindness. That’s not the case either. I rarely leave with more than I came for. I figured, as I left the store, that my actions deserved an examination.

Shopping wasn’t an unusual experience, considering one of my family goes to the grocery every three or four days, depending on how long the milk lasts, and when in the month it is. Today I went because we were out of milk, and I take milk in my coffee. I could’ve had a cup of tea, but a week-long head cold takes the allure out of tea and builds a craving for a warm, smooth cup of joe. I surveyed the house before I left, turns out we were out of coffee, too.

I’d just woken up and I was on my way to the grocery store; I was still in half my jammies. I checked myself to see if I was fit to shop: shopping scatterbrained can be dangerous, especially when paying with credit. I decided I would come home with a supplement to breakfast, like a banana bread, as well as the requested Superfood product my husband drinks for breakfast, and milk and coffee. I brought one bag for my nickel discount.

I call this short list to the grocery a supplemental trip. We shop heavily once a month at both the grocery, the warehouse club, and through the SHARE program. When shopping for a small, supplemental list, there are some saving things to look for.

Buy One Get One: The first shipment of strawberries were in for the season, and were on sale BOGO. Great for breakfast, snack and dessert. Those would be more versatile than the bread and be a change from granola bars, apples, and toast snacks. I grabbed two, and checked one item off the list. You should only take advantage of a BOGO sale if you have space to store it, know it will get consumed before going bad, and have it or a substitute for it on your list in the first place.

Doubling the Days: When I get sent out for coffee I like to come back with two different kinds. I like the variety. Two went into my basket, one check went on my list. When you buy two instead of one at regular price, it should be because it’s a staple, and will save you a return trip down the road.

Deep Discounts: I swished to the meal-in-a-bottle part of the produce store, where they were one-third off. If you’ve never experienced Superfood, it’s perfect for someone like my husband who’s too busy to eat breakfast and sometimes lunch, but doesn’t mind drinking a meal. I grabbed two, since sales don’t last forever, and it never goes unconsumed. Again, enjoy the deep discount on something currently on your list, and only double up if the sale will end soon, you know you have space, and you know it will be used before spoiling.

Additions: My coffee-protein-shake-drink stuff was on sale, too, so I grabbed two of those. They weren’t on the list, but I will use it as a substitute for milk in my coffee. something not on your list is on sale, run a quick check list: is this thing ever on my list? do I already have enough? is it something I use instead of something else? will it be a problem to use it before it spoils?

Comparison Shopping: The exciting part: milk was on sale! It was a “luxury” option to my regular brand, but the sale made it the cheaper choice today. I don’t do a lot of shopping around for milk because there are other factors like flavor and how the milk is treated that I take into account. I did a mental check on my fridge to make sure there was room for two milks with everything else I’d bought, and I grabbed two. Small lists are usually for staple items or are very specific. There is still a level of comparison and price competition that you should be aware of. Blindly grabbing what you always grab on a quick trip and deprive you of saving opportunities.

This is how I went home with 10 things instead of 4. I saved by buying “bulk,” eliminating a return trip for coffee, extended the savings on Superfood and milk, and extending the life of the milk by buying a price-comparable substitute. I felt weirder leaving with plastic bags I didn’t come in with than leaving with more items than I’d expected, because I got more value for my short-list trip to the store. And I managed to do it before my first cup of coffee.

Image courtesy of lyzadanger

Bananas and Grocery Shopping Optimism

January 12, 2008 By Ann Hartter 2 Comments

My son asked for some bananas for snack, and I started singing something I had a vague recollection of: “Yes, we have no bananas, we have no bananas today!” I got the melody all wrong, and as my husband and I tried to finagle the right tune, I offered banana spread I had made and frozen from some bruised naners some weeks before. After finding a couple of performances of the song online in video form, I satisfied my brief obsession, and my son’s, with the banana song.

Or so I thought. If you read the lyrics to the song, you learn that the storekeeper, a non-native English speaker, has a quirk or refusing to answer “No.” Instead, he sings “Yes, we have no bananas, we have no bananas today!” I was haunted by a hidden meaning to these silly lyrics. What can bananas and a song teach us about optimism and wise purchasing? This simple song has a simple lesson: don’t let “We’re out” mean “No.”

Many of us make shopping lists to avoid spending money on things we don’t need, and we like to minimize trips and drive time for shopping. But what happens when we go to the store and it is out of something we need? Should another trip be in order? Or do you do without, despite the consequences? I’d like to propose a third option, inspired by this banana song: substitution. “We might induce you to accept a substitute less desirable, But that is not the policy at this internationally famous green grocery.” There are three types of substitution I’ll describe here, and their pros and cons.

1) Like products. Take a look at the reasons or features of your objective. If you’re looking for bananas because you need the potassium increase in your diet, find another potassium-rich food (in this case, tomatoes, yogurt, or a sweet potato can fit the bill.) Making banana pudding? Try using banana cookies and banana yogurt with the vanilla pudding. Something easy for the kids to eat? Kiwis or mangos have similar textures and are as easily digestible. Benefit? Problem solved. Drawback? You might have to do some convincing to pull off the banana replacement.

2) Raw materials. A banana would be a bad example for this kind of substitution (I’m not sure how to conjure up a banana), but if you’re looking for something pre-made and can’t find it, try doing it on your own. Instead of frozen burritos, roll up your own. Instead of ready-to-eat fried chicken, try frying your own. You can bake your own cookies, stir your own fruit into your yogurt, season your own potato chips. Upside? Doing it yourself can save money, if done right. Downside? Time may be a factor in deciding on this kind of substitution.

3) Something new. The store is having a sale and they’re…out of milk? Take advantage of the opportunity and buy some of that soy milk you’ve always been hesitant to try, but believe will improve your health. Ground sausage choices don’t agree with you? Maybe some ground turkey will be a pleasant change. None of your cereal today? Try pouring some cream over popcorn. And if there happen to be no bananas, give plantains a shot. They have to be cooked first, but they’re as remarkably tasty. Bonus? Variety! Creativity! Out of your shopping rut and routine! Minus? It may cost a bit more, your teen may complain, and you may discover you don’t like something after all.

After you’ve made your list and checked it twice, you might get to the store and discover there’s nothing to be found. Instead of thinking “Oh, no!” and trying to figure a replacement place to search, cheerfully think “YES! There ARE no bananas!” and figure a replacement morsel. The grocery store is full of un-discovered territory. Take a detour and find something new, because “we have no bananas today!”

Image courtesy of Bob.Fornal