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The comments here are almost exclusively about the price and quality of products, with "store x has basically the same thing for less money" being a common them

The comments here are almost exclusively about the price and quality of products, with "store x has basically the same thing for less money" being a common theme. Whole Foods nails the shopping experience for those who care about intangibles. It's always clean. It's always well stocked. They have very educated cashiers who can move lines quickly and make autonomous decisions when an item doesn't ring up. They can give $100 cash back so I don't need to hit the ATM ever. They don't have those horrendously buggy self checkouts. If you can trade money for time and convenience, WF is a great experience. After getting used to it, other stores are frustrating to me.

mikeash 10y ago
I've been in my local WF a few times and see what you mean, but never felt it to be worth the premium. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's, which has many of the same advantages but is also cheap. I can see it if the choices are WF or a crappy Giant or Safeway....
tedmiston 10y ago
Maybe this varies by geography but the Kroger stores around me all satisfy these constraints. The WF near me is actually a much slower checkout experience because they have less cashiers open (often ~2) and no Uscans, so I either wait in line longer or avoid it. At WF, I've waited in line for 10+ minutes before getting to the register but that's never happened at Kroger.
Overtonwindow 10y ago
I disagree. Cashiers are no more intelligent at whole foods as they are at a Safeway. They barely talk or acknowledge your presence. Major stores are clean and neat. That's SOP. $100 back in cash? Why is that important? I give them points for letting me use Apple Pay but beyond that Whole Foods "experiance" is no different than a Kroger, Wegmans, or Sprouts. Maybe you're living in a really run down area where Whole Foods is the only well managed place.
eli_gottlieb 10y ago
Honestly, I like the atmosphere in Market Basket better. It's crowded, busy, and full of cheap staple goods -- exactly the way a supermarket should be.

mikeash 10y ago

I've been in my local WF a few times and see what you mean, but never felt it to be worth the premium. I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's, which has many of the same advantages but is also cheap. I can see it if the choices are WF or a crappy Giant or Safeway....

tedmiston 10y ago

Maybe this varies by geography but the Kroger stores around me all satisfy these constraints. The WF near me is actually a much slower checkout experience because they have less cashiers open (often ~2) and no Uscans, so I either wait in line longer or avoid it. At WF, I've waited in line for 10+ minutes before getting to the register but that's never happened at Kroger.

Overtonwindow 10y ago

I disagree. Cashiers are no more intelligent at whole foods as they are at a Safeway. They barely talk or acknowledge your presence. Major stores are clean and neat. That's SOP. $100 back in cash? Why is that important? I give them points for letting me use Apple Pay but beyond that Whole Foods "experiance" is no different than a Kroger, Wegmans, or Sprouts. Maybe you're living in a really run down area where Whole Foods is the only well managed place.

eli_gottlieb 10y ago

Honestly, I like the atmosphere in Market Basket better. It's crowded, busy, and full of cheap staple goods -- exactly the way a supermarket should be.