Just how expensive is Whole Foods?

[Anonymous]

I'd love to hear from people who regularly shop at Whole Foods, AND some other big chain (Safeway, Giant, Wegmans).

I just moved into a neighborhood where there is a Whole Foods. I had been shopping at Wegmans (which I LOVED... had GREAT food, and GREAT prices).

But I tend to be a one-stop shopper. I don't have time to go to Store A for good meat/fish, and Store B for cheap staples.

What do people think of WF? I've only been in one once (YEARS AND YEARS ago), and remember it being very organic, and very pricey. I need a store that carries Jif and Cheerios in addition to Organic Milk...

[Anonymous]

and... does anyone know what the cost if for a gallon of (generic) Organic Milk?

[Anonymous]

365 Organic Whole Milk in Virginia is 5.69 - actually cheaper than my Giant.

[Anonymous]

Whole Foods is definitely more expensive than mainstream supermarkets, though if you are looking for Organic or preservative free stuff, they are usually cheaper than the other markets that carry the same brands (Health Valley, Annie's, etc.). Their 365 line (both organics and non-organics) are generally cheaper than the equivalent name brands but are more expensive than "mainstream" brands. You will not find Jif in WF (but will find Cheerios). I would have had a hard time using WF as a one-stop shop though - the staples and household goods are just too expensive. I think that Safeway now has its own line of Organics but never really compared prices with WF - so that might be an option. If it is really only Organic milk that you are after (and mainstream for everything else), then I would stick to Safeway or Giant (and pay a bit more for the milk rather than make an additional stop). Another option is to go to WF to get selected items and use the online shopping options at Safeway or Giant (Peapod) for the rest - the choices are fewer than going into a bricks and mortar shop but I think that you can cover most of your staples without leaving the house...I have done the latter for packaged staples but not fruits, vegetables, meats, so don't know how well that works...

[Anonymous]

I only shop at Wegman's. I USED to shop at WFs. No comparison. WF it through the roof. I also like Wegman's because I can do ALL my shopping there, gourmet and regular stuff like toilet paper.

[Anonymous]

I shop weekly at WF in Alexandria and have all but stopped going to the Safeway close to my house, which I had done for years. I think Safeway has gotten incredibly expensive and the quality of the stores has deteriorated (dirty, expired products). WF is definitely expensive if you are buying their pre-packaged foods, salad/hot bar items, fancy desserts, etc. Their fish is also pricey, but can't be beat for fresh. I have found that the produce prices are comparable to Harris Teeter or Safeway, although the quality and the selction at WF are better, particularly for organic. Like others, I buy a lot of the WF brand 365 items. I rarely buy meat - only my son eats it, and when I do it's organic chicken. As someone else said, it's not the place for recognizable brand staples, but I have started to buy these things at Target - which is also much cheaper than Safeway (e.g., my son's favorite Annie's organic macaroni and cheese is $1.29 at Target; $2.99 at Safeway last I checked).

[Anonymous]

Yo Baby and Organic Milk are about a $1 cheaper than Safeway and Giant. Earth's Best baby food is cheaper unless Safeway has it on sale. Everything else is much, much more expensive. We would love to do just one store but suck it up and do 2 for costs.

We use Whole Foods for organic milk, the Yo Baby, and fresh meat and use Giant for everything else. Giant's produce is bad in some stores so you may want to choose Safeway if this is the case in your area. Giant has good organic pre packaged chicken breasts much cheaper than safeway or giant.

[Anonymous]

If you want organic and natural food, Whole Foods is the cheapest. If you want cheap food, then stick w/ Harris Teeter or Wegman's.
WF really is cheaper if you're an organic family. I, for one, would never buy Jif - I buy natural peanut butter, THe natural pb is cheaper at WF (365 brand) than at Giant. Organic produce is cheaper at WF and the selection much much better. As mentioned, 365 milk is cheaper than Giant or Safeway.

Our shopping list doesn't include prepackaged or processed foods, so it's not very expensive, even at Whole Foods.

[Anonymous]

The WF by me does not in fact carry the Cheerios brand made by, I think, General Mills. There are two or three other options of oat-based cereal shaped into Os.

[Anonymous]

We shop primarily at WF (produce, seafood, whatever's on sale - but I always buy more than I went in for!) with once-a-month stops at Trader Joe's (frozen section, dried fruit/nuts, snacks), and occasional stops at Target/Giant/Harris Teeter (depends on who has the basics on sale like detergent, TP, paper towels). WF organic produce is more expensive than buying conventional, but they often discount in-season items. At most of the other stores, organic produce and wild-caught fish is slim pickin's, so I don't really think it's a big deal. I went to the Wegmans in Fairfax and was in heaven - if they built one closer in I'd probably be a one-stop shopper.

[Anonymous]

Another option if there's only a few things you can't get at WF is to consider Amazon.com and/or a Costco membership. I get my son's 7th Generation diapers and wipes thru Amazon cheaper than anywhere else I've found, and make a pilgrimage to Costco a couple times a year for shelf-stable things - Jif is always on my list. Most everything else I get at Whole Foods...

[Anonymous]

I have tried to like Whole Foods. I am not an organic fiend and find an ample supply of organic food at the Giant. Even though some say that WF is cheaper on certain items, it is not on the items I tend to buy and therefore not worth the trip. Not to mention, they got busted awhile back ago for selling "wild caught" fish at over $20/lb. It was tested and it was actually farmed fish. I'm sure other stores are guilty of or have made similar errors, but you would expect that WF wpould be pretty conscious of their suppliers.

[Anonymous]

This is a hard one to answer because WF does not always carry the same items as other stores. I think that when you look at branded staples (Tropicana Orange Juice/Quaker Oats) the prices at WF as the same and in some case less than other stores. However, WFs also carries lots of speciality items that are more expensive and a similar item at other stores. WF's meat and seafood is also more expensive, but I think they have better quality and therefore worth the extra money to me - I have bought lamb at Safeway and I have bought it at WF and I will not be going back to Safeway.

[Anonymous]

I buy everything at Whole Foods, even toilet paper. As some PPs have noted, if you buy good food it's no more expensive at WF than at other chains.

[Anonymous]

3 ears of corn at WF for $1.99 - 10 ears of corn at Shoppers Food Warehouse - $2.29.

18 eggs at Costco - $1.99 - 18 eggs at WF - $3.59

You are paying for that overhead when you shop at Whole Foods, and if you understand that, then you shouldn't be surprised at the prices. For alot of people, with large incomes and small families, it's worth it.

I find Trader Joes to have sharper prices on all their goods, and because they are a small store, they keep me from buying items that I don't really need.

For other items that I can't get at Trader Joes, I go to Walmart or to Costco. I have a pretty rigid shopping schedule now, so that I don't end up making extra trips.