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The produce has changed a lot. Now, the fruits and vegetables leave a lot to be desired. If you compare the best from Whole Foods and the best from Fresh Direct

by rcme 4y ago

The produce has changed a lot. Now, the fruits and vegetables leave a lot to be desired. If you compare the best from Whole Foods and the best from Fresh Direct, you'll see that Fresh Direct is a clear winner in most categories, but especially in produce and meat. The two used to be a lot closer in terms of quality.

j0hnyl 4y ago
Even the prepared food has changed. It's feels cheap and tastes like shit, but carries the same price. Gowanus whole foods had a whole section of moldy cold cuts not too long. If people haven't noticed what I'm talking about, its probably that they just don't remember how nice it used to be before.
crazygringo 4y ago
Sorry, but I just don't see it. Only difference is Fresh Direct puts a produce quality rating so you know when ordering online what the quality will be. The only store that has consistently better produce at scale than Whole Foods in NYC is Eataly, but it's more expensive and there are only two of them. Before that there was Dean & Deluca but they've long since gone out of business and their prices were astronomical -- but I swear their produce section was like a museum and the vegetables were almost works of art. I find it funny that when you drill down, the only supposed quality decrease is in the "freshness" of produce and meat, the two things that are ultimately the most subjective. I've shopped at a lot of supermarkets for a long time, and I truly have to wonder if people are simply imagining a decrease in freshness simply because it fits a preconceived narrative that if Amazon bought it, it must have gotten worse. Because with my own eyes and taste, I don't see it at all. And it's not like this is ancient history hard to remember -- Amazon only bought WF five and a half years ago.
- rcme 4y ago
  > I find it funny that when you drill down, the only supposed quality decrease is in the "freshness" of produce and meat The difference in quality has little to do with "freshness." I recently studied the difference between Whole Foods and Fresh Direct in some detail. Fresh Direct is generally 20% more expensive than Whole Foods. We were looking to cut our budget, so switching from Fresh Direct to Whole Foods was an easy choice. However, after a few weeks, it was clear that the quality just isn't as good. Here are a few examples: 1. Fresh Direct has heritage raised chicken and pork. The chicken, in particular is amazing. It's much smaller than a typical chicken, way more flavorful, and the color of the meat is so interesting. The dark meat has a beautiful purple luster not found in the Whole Foods chicken. 2. The "Animal Wellfare Certified" meats at Whole Foods are all step 1 or step 2. Fresh Directly has many step 3 and step 4 options. 3. All of the Lancaster Co-op produce is really good. Can't find anything like it at Whole Foods. 4. We eat a lot of fruit during the summer. Certain produce at Whole Foods is just bad. Like I could not buy a good organic peach at Whole Foods. They always came rock hard and never softened.
- yunwal 4y ago
  > I find it funny that when you drill down, the only supposed quality decrease is in the "freshness" of produce and meat I mean, these "subjective" things are basically the only thing Whole Foods has going for it. Every grocery store chain stocks "natural/organic/wellness" brands now, most at cheaper prices than Whole Foods. The quality of the produce is essentially the only reason to shop there.

by rcme 4y ago

j0hnyl 4y ago

Even the prepared food has changed. It's feels cheap and tastes like shit, but carries the same price. Gowanus whole foods had a whole section of moldy cold cuts not too long. If people haven't noticed what I'm talking about, its probably that they just don't remember how nice it used to be before.

crazygringo 4y ago

Sorry, but I just don't see it. Only difference is Fresh Direct puts a produce quality rating so you know when ordering online what the quality will be. The only store that has consistently better produce at scale than Whole Foods in NYC is Eataly, but it's more expensive and there are only two of them. Before that there was Dean & Deluca but they've long since gone out of business and their prices were astronomical -- but I swear their produce section was like a museum and the vegetables were almost works of art. I find it funny that when you drill down, the only supposed quality decrease is in the "freshness" of produce and meat, the two things that are ultimately the most subjective. I've shopped at a lot of supermarkets for a long time, and I truly have to wonder if people are simply imagining a decrease in freshness simply because it fits a preconceived narrative that if Amazon bought it, it must have gotten worse. Because with my own eyes and taste, I don't see it at all. And it's not like this is ancient history hard to remember -- Amazon only bought WF five and a half years ago.

rcme 4y ago
> I find it funny that when you drill down, the only supposed quality decrease is in the "freshness" of produce and meat The difference in quality has little to do with "freshness." I recently studied the difference between Whole Foods and Fresh Direct in some detail. Fresh Direct is generally 20% more expensive than Whole Foods. We were looking to cut our budget, so switching from Fresh Direct to Whole Foods was an easy choice. However, after a few weeks, it was clear that the quality just isn't as good. Here are a few examples: 1. Fresh Direct has heritage raised chicken and pork. The chicken, in particular is amazing. It's much smaller than a typical chicken, way more flavorful, and the color of the meat is so interesting. The dark meat has a beautiful purple luster not found in the Whole Foods chicken. 2. The "Animal Wellfare Certified" meats at Whole Foods are all step 1 or step 2. Fresh Directly has many step 3 and step 4 options. 3. All of the Lancaster Co-op produce is really good. Can't find anything like it at Whole Foods. 4. We eat a lot of fruit during the summer. Certain produce at Whole Foods is just bad. Like I could not buy a good organic peach at Whole Foods. They always came rock hard and never softened.
yunwal 4y ago
> I find it funny that when you drill down, the only supposed quality decrease is in the "freshness" of produce and meat I mean, these "subjective" things are basically the only thing Whole Foods has going for it. Every grocery store chain stocks "natural/organic/wellness" brands now, most at cheaper prices than Whole Foods. The quality of the produce is essentially the only reason to shop there.