Whole Foods Market – Palo Alto – Yelp — One of my favorite review sites is Yelp and reviews like this are the reason. Ha.
“The prices here are ridiculous. $4.99 per pound of peaches? You can get the same quality (if not better) produce at any farmer’s market, and those happen to be organic, as well.
But I suppose the 16 year old girls that plague the place can afford their Fuki Sushi priced rainbow rolls and Vitamin Water, given the fact that they’re clearly not spending it on clothing themselves appropriately. Having an eating disorder helps, too.
Whole Foods gets TWO stars, however, because my boyfriend and I like to play “Guess the plastic surgery!” on all the trophy wives. That, my friend, is entertainment.”
Alas in the Berkeley Whole Foods the guessing game doesn’t apply. Perhaps you could play “guess the skin condition.”
I find it interesting,
REALLY.
When whole grains can get a price, for being Organic, Equal to the SAME price a mass producer gets, but THEN still sprays the food.
Finding true GRAINS, and Ripe fruit, and Proper veggies… Is very hard to do.
And companies that THINK they can fall BACK onto a NAME over the REAL idea, SHOULD BE SHOT.
SCREW the name, its ALL marketing, just a DRAW POINT.
KNOW what you are eating and HOW to eat.
This is abit of a SAD point.
with all the over processed foods, and so forth, its HARD ENOUGH to find GOOD food. I know we are omnivorious, but we NEEd to eat WHOLE grian and RIPE fruit to clean our systems…
ECA…that was the most incoherent string of garbage i’ve ever read…stop!
Eating right did wonders for their spelling!
Of course the organic food is expensive. Using an inefficient production method that produces low yields, pulled through an inefficient supply chain and sold at a boutique retailer is a recipe for extravagant prices. The dirty little secret about organic foods is that in most cases the yields are so low, compared to modern techniques, that the US would have a hard time feeding itself if all farming was organic.
Face it, organic farming is selfish and wasteful, since it requires more land and ultimately, more resources to produce the same amount of product.
We have several sources for natural and organic foods — and conventional — in town; so, choices are as easy as I imagine they are in John’s neck of the woods. The two we regularly shop are Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s.
As a foodie and crazy about cooking, I enjoy WF because it’s the only store in town with staff who usually know what they’re talking about when it comes to food prep and recipes. They get the “moneyed incomers” and gourmet crowd. They DO offer the highest quality in town. The only place in town to choose among 300 cheeses.
TJ’s is fun and affordable. It allowed us to give up shopping world-size chainstores — though they’ve been gobbled up too — w/o losing quality. Their shoppers are the “displaced” Californians. You can always tell who they are because they stand in the middle of the aisles talking to each other about the last concert they went to in Monterey.
The Hollywood types and really mysterious crystal worshippers shop at Wild Oats. The Farmers’ Market is terrific and always worth a stop-in. Everyone shops there, too.
Quality and flavor is worth a few bucks more. Even Sam’s Club is going to climb on board. And the cost of distribution will continue to diminish as does the cost of production. Then, whiners will have to find some other excuse to keep eating crap!
DAK,
Organic farming is selfish? One of the tenents of organic farming is no harm to the soil so the future generations ie, the children, can have naturally raised food too. Now, if the USAians stopped trying to stuff themselves with 19 lb hamburgers and Denny breakfasts that would and SHOULD feed a family, you would find that organic farming is just dandy. The other big change is to eat locally. You live in the N.W? Then eat the food that grows on the farms in the N.W. Why try and bring fruit from S. Africa when you know it’s gonna taste like nothing you expected… mealy peaches are not worth it, even if they are 99c a pound.
For me, I buy almost exclusively from the farmers markets. I get all the naturally raised foods I need. Sure, come winter there are no peaches, but I live in Toronto for fucks sakes. Just cause we’re between New York and Florida don’t make it tropical…
Corporate farming techniques are bankrupting the farmers. How can they make money when everone west of Chicago growns acres and acres of manage wheat and corn fields? They have no market to sell to but the wheat board. Communism at it’s best!
I’m just waiting for those little green cubes from Star Trek TOS.
Yum!
I, for one, don’t know how my fellow Americans tolerate the horrible bread, stale fruits, and atrocious coffee that they consume, day after day after day.
“Their shoppers are the ‘displaced’ Californians”. You’re too kind, Ed. In Arizona we call them “Californicators” because they can really fuck up the local ambiance.
There is a Whole Foods in my area. I have to say there is a lot about the store that I do like, however, I do agree that the prices can be ridiculous. The one in my area happens to be in a trendy, artsy, and consequently pricey section of town. I just assumed that played a large role in the high prices. Also, the fact that it is a health food chain plays it’s own part in the prices. Chamberlin’s is expensive, too.
However, there are some things that are actually not that expensive at Whole Foods, especially if you stick with the store brand. Some things are even priced similarly, and in some cases lower, than at other local chains. Things like canned organic foods for one. I think that is because there is less of a demand at the other chains for those products.
Also, for some things there is a larger selection at Whole Foods compared to other local chains. I guess it just depends on how important certain products are to a person. I don’t shop there too often because it is so expensive. There are some things I do go there for because I can’t find those things or there isn’t as much of a selection elsewhere. As far as organic produce goes, I prefer it, but can’t always afford it.
Now, about the organic farming:
First, I need to say I am not about to get into a huge debate about this subject. There will be some here who will go on about how people like myself are stupid, naive hippies who need to do some research. I in turn will think what a moron, I have done research, and that’s how I came to the following conclusion. I am aware that there isn’t really anything I can say that will change anyone’s mind, and visa versa, and to be honest, I don’t really care. I can present all the articles and research I want to and there will be some other research that will counteract it and the same goes for the other side. Truth is, it depends on who does the study and who decides what to publish. There are studies on both sides that make the other side look bad. Also, I do not have the time to spend half a day going back and finding all that research again. If anyone cares, you all know how to use a search engine.
That being said:
Modern organic farming is not as inefficient as a lot of people think. It may not be as efficient as conventional farming, but it can be a lot closer than a lot of people think. I believe it depends on the techniques used. Some organic farms may be inefficient while others are quite efficient. There is a lot of science behind modern organic farming. It’s not like they just plant a field and cross their fingers. It also is a lot better for the surrounding environment. It’s not selfish. The reason you may not be seeing a lot of organic produce everywhere is not because of yields, but rather there aren’t as many organic farms as there are conventional.
Actually, in Berkeley, we play Berkeley or ‘Burbs, to identify where people are from. It’s particularly fun on 4th st….
I believe that pesticides are best avoided. They are, after all, poison. Everyone is exposed to sooo many pollutants and poisons on a regular basis that I will avoid those that I can.
Until there is a good (consistent) farmers market near me, I will continue to patronize Whole Foods as well as the local organic stores.
I do avoid the produce that they fly in from the other side of the planet – that is wasteful. Eat local. And organic.
I go to the supermarket, throw bananas, mayo, a few frozen pot pies, sardines, viennas, cheese (sliced but not wrapped) and maybe a sliced ham in the cart, pay for it and go home, with no soul searching, chest beating or knashing of teeth. That and maybe a trip to the Colonel for some Original Recipe once or twice a week rounds out my diet. If I excersized a bit more I’d probably buff right on out.
#5: Since chlorinated pesticides were banned a number of years ago, there’s little reason to worry about residues. Organophosphate pesticides deteriorate rapidly after being applied.
If you still want pesticide free produce, go to your local Farmers Market and buy there. The price is much less than Whole Foods/Wild Oats, and the grower gets all the money.
I do shop at TJ’s, because they sell their products at prices competitive with “regular” supermarkets.
I always find it ironic that the WF parking lot nearest my house is overflowing with Land Rovers, MB SUV and Porches with “W” bumper stickers. It is nice to see yuppie Republicans investing in some of the causes that they don’t support on election day. Or maybe they just own a lot of WFstock and are supporting that cause. In any case it”s nice to see the left and right come together in the same place and agree on something, even if it is a $10 grocery store roasted chicken.
Ballenger –
You may find this article interesting:
Birkenstocked Burkeans, by Rod Dreher, NRO
Whole Foods’ high prices have earned it the nickname “Whole Paycheck”.
14,
And over the years they have slowly changed the chemicals used on plants, even Diazinon and Seven are no longer used, as after MANY MANY years, they found the stuff REALLY dont go away. How long before we find the SAME for current chemicals…
4,
Depletion of soil to the point that you cant grow anything without support from chemicals to place nutrients back into the soil, ONLY to be leached out by the Food plants again. Even with rotation of crops, and tilling under, it DONT last forever. also the idea of getting 2-3-4 crops in 1 year from the same ground, REALLy dont help the soil.
All the chemicals are transient.. Until you have tasted Unbleached, unprocessed, unfortified grains, in some home made bread…you are missing out on ALOT.
Its the pricing thats rediculous. Even if they grow 1/4 the crop, and get paid the same as Regular crops per acre…
Even the regular farmers are being eaten up by the corps. and a farmer CANT live any more unless the corp pays him. A farmer gets
Only chumps shop at Whole Foods.
For veggies, try your local weekend or midweek farmer’s market. Nice people, sunlight, goodproduce, reasonable prices.
For everything else, make a quick stop at Trader Joe’s (92 and 101 intersection).
If you shop at Whole Foods, you are asking for attitude, high prices and frankly, mediocre quality.
Whole Foods is great, yes there prices are high, yes there main demographic is yuppies, hippies, and sexy women who are barely dressed(this is Bad?). The thing is they have a great produce selection and for some people they are the only choice they have when it comes to fresh organics. Not everyone has a local farmers market, and when they do have one its not always open at a conveniant time.
They also have a great meat selection, again its overpriced, but its also very good quality, a quality that can be hard to find in some places, I wouldnt shop there for everything, however Ive always been pleased with the stuff I do buy there. While its defientely not the only choice out there it definetly beats the selection your gonna get at most big chain grocery stores.
My Dad dabbled in Organic about 12 years ago. He bought 100 acres of virgin land and planted organic rye and wheat. He sold his entire yield to 12 different organic stores, Mom and Pop type places. He made money, more than he would have with soy beans and cotton. So he sold off 500 acres of cotton and soy land and bought 400 acres more virgin land and planted more whole grains. It was pretty good business. He has not had a bust year for 12 years. Before organic he had a bust year every 2 to 4 years and break even years about every 3 to 5.
11 years ago he started growing our own feed grasses, also organic and bought 3 organic raised bulls and 40 head of organic beef cattle and started selling his prime organic beef to local butchers, this led to the big beef houses like Ruth Chris or Mortons to start buying from him. This was a big money maker.
My oldest brother took over 4 years ago running the ranch and the farm and completely sold off the non-organic farm lands and has bought another 2000 acres of virgin land and raises nothing but organic grains, and veggies. He is constantly amazed at how many places beat a path to his door looking for quality organic foods. He dosen’t even have to market anymore, the stores like TJ’s and Whole Foods come to him. He stopped raising the beef(my Dad still keeps about 20 head) and now only sells the sperm from his organic bulls. Talk about big bucks.
Organic can be done on a large scale without compromising the quality that the consumer wants, and still make a very good profit.
#16…Frank….thats a great article. I know so many people just like that.
What so many conservatives, especially the religious ones forget is that being a conservative means keeping that which was good from our heritige, and good organic grown(natural farming from pre-pesticides days) food is one of those things.
Protecting our enviroment is actually a conservative princible as well as a leftist one. Maybe for different reasons
Ha! It only took 15 posts before someone brought Bush into this! Anyways…
We don’t have a Whole Foods in our town, but I went to one in Oregon while visiting my sister. She said locals jokingly refer to it as Whole Wallet. I found the store very clean & organized, very artsy & touchy-feely, the staff were neat and friendly, and it had the largest collection of products by food manufacturers that I’ve never heard of. Yes, the prices were totally outrageous, but people (including us) were paying it with smiles on their faces! I vaguely remember paying something like $4.99 for 4 small organic “vine-ripened” tomatoes packaged in a cute little plastic tray. That would’ve gone for about $1.00 at our local farmer’s market here in Cali.
Regardless, I say market rules, and if people want to pay it, more power to them! They’ve definitely found a niche market.
Whoops, I meant to say the locals in Oregon call it “Whole Paycheck”.
Prices are bound to come down as more and more farmers realize there is money in organic. Then the organic market will be at equillibrium and farmers once again won’t make a lot of money because of all the competition. Does anyone beg to differ?
>>Berkeley or ‘Burbs
I thought Berkeley WAS a ‘burb.
#25…..Drew….your right. The biggest drawback is the land reclamation rules that you have to follow before land can be used to produce organic, land that was previously used for other more conventional farming I mean. In areas where intensive farming has been going on for a couple hundred years the costs and time could be prohibitive.
But as soon as the agri-business giants decide organic is the way to go, they will bribe the appropriate goverment folks and requirements for organic will turn into a joke.
My brother has already started making his new market…..high protien, low fat grains that are grown in small quantities in areas like the Andes….or were once grown by the native American Indians of the Southwest. Atr the moment he has 9 such grains growing on 100 acres as tests. He has been getting terrific results with organic grown grain Amaranth, Quinoa, and Kaniwa…all at least 13% protien…..usually averages around 19%….and almost 100% fat free.
Trader Joe’s fan here. I shop there because it helps me resist temptation. For example, there is not a soda anywhere in the entire chain. Considering that soda pop has been identified as the single worse contributor to being overweight, that’s. . .priceless.