Evening Edge
What’s For Dinner?
DEL.ICIO.USSAVING DOUGH: GROCERY PRICES
Deals at Whole Foods? They show you whereTours help patrons hunt for deals in the land of $50 bottles of olive oil
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 06/28/08
It's one thing to have the nickname Whole Paycheck in good times. It's another matter when food prices are rising at their fastest clip in nearly two decades.
So on a recent evening, a group of shoppers gathered at the Whole Foods Market in Duluth, an expansive shrine of abundance with a gelato bar, cooked-to-order seafood and hand-dipped chocolates, on a hunt for value.
 Elissa Eubanks, eeubanks@ajc.com/AJC | ||
| Frances Umezaki, 5, of Johns Creek listens as an employee points out sale items in the seafood section at Whole Foods in Duluth on Thursday. The natural food chain is offering tours to show customers how to find bargains in their stores. | ||
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At Whole Foods stores around the country, including Harry's Farmers Market stores in Alpharetta and Marietta, similar tours are scheduled several times over the next few months.
Bargains in the land of $50 bottles of olive oil and grass-fed beef tenderloin at $30 a pound? Suspend disbelief and come along on the tour.
"We know sometimes there is a perception out there that Whole Foods is an expensive place to shop," marketing team leader Kubeshini Moodley tells a small group of regular shoppers. "I wanted to show you some of the tricks of the trade I use to feed my family."
Stephanie Hemphill of Norcross, shopping for her family of four, welcomes the advice. She limits spending to $100 a week but still wants to eat the type of foods that Whole Foods specializes in: organics; meat raised without antibiotics or hormones; and processed foods that don't contain artificial colors, ingredients or preservatives.
"I limit myself on what I can purchase," Hemphill says. "I love their products, but some of them are out of my budget."
The 90-minute tour starts at the front of the store, where Moodley runs through her favorite ways to spot deals. Other employees chime in with specials in their departments as the tour goes from produce to toiletries and processed foods.
Customer Don Taylor of Duluth, who eats at one of the store's restaurants every day with his wife, Carol, adds another tip: You'll pay extra for convenience foods. He points to the unhusked ears of Florida yellow corn, four for $2. They're a much better deal than husked, packaged ears, five for $4.99.
Still, convenience foods help drive the bottom line for Whole Foods, especially prepared meals. The tour stops at a wonderland of ready-to-eat foods, from pizzas right out of the oven to a new line of family-sized value meals, $14.99 for Penne Bolognese with a large salad.
The supermarket chain is putting more perishable items on sale, says spokeswoman Darrah Horgan. From the tours to value packs of seafood and recipe booklets offering meals for four for less than $15, the new message is about saving money. The company doesn't want to be perceived as a luxury that can be dropped when times get tough, Horgan says.
So far, the approach is working. Sales at comparable stores rose 6.7 percent last quarter.
Still, value is a relative term. Over in the seafood case, an employee points out tuna on sale for $15.99 a pound, down from $19.99. Hemphill filled her freezer with ground chuck from a sale earlier this year, at less than $2 a pound.
"If it's not on sale," she says, "I don't buy it."
SHOPPING TIPS
Here are tips from the Whole Foods Market value tour that can help save money on groceries at almost any supermarket:
• Pick up the sale flier and make sure to look for other specials scattered throughout the store.
• Buy family packs of meat and seafood and freeze extras.
• Pick up the store brand for savings on everything from salad dressing to milk and cereal.
• Check the unit price listed on shelf tags to compare the real cost of similar products.
• To save money on meat, stick with the recommended portion size of 3 ounces.
• Buy local, seasonal produce for the best price.
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Comments
By Jill
Jul 7, 2008 1:36 PM | Link to this
YDFM? Don't trust their organic standards. And what about their employees? I've noticed a few who are now working at Whole Foods...could it be because they didn't get any benefits at YDFM? I'd rather pay more money at Whole Foods and support a responsible employer that treats the employees right. I'm a penny-pincher, but not when it comes at the cost of my neighbors well-being. That's just selfish.
By John Morgan
Jul 5, 2008 8:30 AM | Link to this
Whole foods is very expensive - and unnecessarily so. Bringing basic, unadulterated food ingredients to people should not be so expensive. Is America's motto - Rich folks can eat unadulterated foods, but the less fortunate have to deal with it!
By YJK
Jul 1, 2008 5:34 PM | Link to this
I have to shop at Whole Foods for certain things because it's the only place that has gluten free options. I'm on a gluten-free diet for medical reasons and sometimes it's worth the price if it means I won't end up unhealthy or sick in the long run.
By Katie
Jul 1, 2008 3:51 PM | Link to this
People keep mentioning YDFM, I think its a great place but I do not trust the integrity of their organic fruits and vegetables. In order for fruits and veggies to be considered organic they can not come into contact with conventional fruits and veggies. If they do they must be sold as conventional. I have watched organics fall into conventional bins at YDFM and seen employees put them back in the organic bin. Not only are they selling a tainted product but it is illegal and the fines can be as high as $10,000 per piece of tainted product. I trust WFM and its employees to sell true organics. But I will always buy local before anything else and WFM does a good job promoting their local growers.
By Mrs. Yerkes
Jul 1, 2008 11:25 AM | Link to this
I wanted to mention that I try to buy organic whenever possible and Whole Foods has the best selection. Also, the vegan cheese and mayonnaise is excellent. This store is a joy to visit. I recommend the Whole Foods shopping experience to anyone who enjoys quality. The produce is the freshest of any store we have visited. The ground turkey is also fresh and delicious. The chicken does not contain the fat of the other chickens we bought in the past in other stores; it is chicken the way I remember it in my youth. There is much to recommend the meat in Whole Foods as it hasn't been processed with hormones and antibiotics, and it tastes so much better.
My husband and I both feel so much better since we began shopping at Whole Foods that we bought stock in the company.
Regards,
Mrs. Yerkes
By Mrs. Yerkes
Jul 1, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this
My husband and I love to shop at Whole Foods. We actually look forward to food shopping. The experience is a delight, and the employees are courteous and extremely helpful. The employees will either get what you can't find and bring it to you, or they walk you over to the aisle and show you the product's exact location. The store is brightly lit and clean. I've never enjoyed food shopping as much as I do at Whole Foods. There is no other store that can match the quality at Whole Foods.
By Caren
Jul 1, 2008 5:58 AM | Link to this
Whole Foods also accepts food stamps. Not every shopper there is a millionaire.
By Ms. Smiley
Jun 30, 2008 4:26 PM | Link to this
I love Whole Foods! I will be signing up for this tour since i often swing through for the prepared food. i don't mess with the bar food because a la cart dining by weight is just too expensive, especially for meat-lovers like me, but a rotisserie for 7.99, which is higher than Publix or Kroger is not a bad deal. I also noticed recently that their frozen entrees look delicious. Where else can you find such varied and interesting food? Other than Trader Joes, it's less glamorous cousin, I don't know. I like both stores and plan to become more of a regular when I get back to Gwinnett.
By Dr H
Jun 30, 2008 4:21 PM | Link to this
I'm a board certified physician, I love Whole Foods, I've been a Harry's customer since they opened, but I go out of my way NOT to buy "organic" or "natural" garbage anywhere. It is 100% hype, unsubstantiated, undocumented nonsense that it is better for you than conventional products. I was raised on insecticide laden, unblemished produce, but don't have cancer, a speech defect, or deformed kids, (although I do have an above average IQ, an active medical practice, and only very rarely get sick.) My kids in spite of the bovine growth hormone in their milk (skimmed, never 1%) maintained their Hope scholarships-one in Electrical engineering, the other in a 5 year Architecture program with no signs of brain damage or antisocial behavior. Ladies and gentlemen, you are being deceived and lied to! Save your hard earned money for gasoline, but skip the organics! Manure is also organic, and very natural. Just because it says "natural" doesn't mean it's either safe or better. It DOES say it is more expensive. And I say with no benefit whatsoever.
PS: Harry's/Whole Foods fish is the best in town, so who cares about the top price?
By Dr H
Jun 30, 2008 4:19 PM | Link to this
I'm a board certified physician, I love Whole Foods, I've been a Harry's customer since they opened, but I go out of my way NOT to buy "organic" or "natural" garbage anywhere. It is 100% hype, unsubstantiated, undocumented nonsense that it is better for you than conventional products. I was raised on insecticide laden, unblemished produce, but don't have cancer, a speech defect, or deformed kids, (although I do have an above average IQ, an active medical practice, and only very rarely get sick.) My kids in spite of the bovine growth hormone in their milk (skimmed, never 1%) maintained their Hope scholarships-one in Electrical engineering, the other in a 5 year Architecture program with no signs of brain damage or antisocial behavior. Ladies and gentlemen, you are being deceived and lied to! Save your hard earned money for gasoline, but skip the organics! Manure is also organic, and very natural. Just because it says "natural" doesn't mean it's either safe or better. It DOES say it is more expensive. And I say with no benefit whatsoever.
PS: Harry's/Whole Foods fish is the best in town, so who cares about the top price?
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