July 2010

Sure, I’ve known about Whole Foods. I’d just never been there. Until today.

My parents make an outing of it once every month or so (the nearest one for them is a good hour’s drive). When I heard they would be going today, I asked if I could join them. (They said yes, of course.) So I packed the kids and off we went.

I knew the place would be crazy insane the moment I pulled into the parking lot. It was completely full and cars were slowly circling around. I HATE playing the “wait for a parking spot” game, so I drove promptly behind the store! So what did I think? Here are my observations.

1. Friendly service. The people there were friendly – disarmingly so. When we were browsing the seafood, the man came out from behind the counter to tell us about the albacore tuna that was on sale ($2.99/lb, by the way) and his favorite preparations. When my mom mentioned I had a blog to a store clerk (my mom has no problem telling random folks about my blog and why they should read it – in fact, I bet half of you reading this are here because of her), the clerk told me about their savings newsletter and where to find them online.

2. Accommodating to dietary needs. I’ve not made any formal decision about this, but suffice it to say, I’m considering adopting a more plant-based diet. (No, I’m not labeling myself anything…yet.) I have been a vegetarian before, so I understand what it’s like to have certain dietary concerns. Whole Foods is wonderful for this! Just walking through their frozen section, you can clearly see items labeled as “dairy free,” for instance. And I was stunned at the awesome selection of GF choices! Just really, really nice.

3. Pay attention to unit prices. A calculator should be a mandatory Whole Foods’ shopper’s tool. Take quinoa, for instance. It was sold in bulk bins, on the shelves pre-packaged, and also in frozen form. I found the same to be true of dried fruits. If you must buy these items here, make sure you’re being smart which is the best value.

4. Enjoy the treats! I don’t know if this is just common to Saturdays, but we enjoyed a LOT of samples…English toffee, some sort of fancy tea, vegan frozen dessert, BBQ chicken, and tons of organic produce. And when my kids started begging for treats when we went through the bakery section, my mom brilliantly suggested I ask if they’d give the kids cookies. They did. Nice ones. Problem solved and no money spent!

5. Do you REALLY need to buy THAT here? Whole Foods undoubtedly has many gourmet, specialty, and foodie items you just can’t get anywhere else. So exercise good judgment in what you need to buy there, and what you could buy elsewhere. My daughter adores the yogurt-covered pretzels in the bulk bins. At Winco, they are $2.02/lb. I spied them at Whole Foods today for $6.99/lb. And no, they did not appear to have been organic or hand-prepared by Curtis Stone or anything that would justify a $4/lb increase.

6. Leverage your savings elsewhere. Guess what? Today I received my $7.99 Schick Rebate. You know, the razor I paid $2.99 for out-of-pocket? This money-maker deal helped me justify today’s splurges: organic nectarines, Annie’s cereals, and a hard-to-find variety of Imagine soup (meatball orzo, in case you’re wondering). If you really like Whole Foods, I’m guessing you shop there mainly for the food. Do you really need to buy your shampoo there? Toilet paper? Diapers (ah, say it ain’t so!)? You get the point.

A final word. As a couponer, I love getting a good deal. But as someone that enjoys cooking and special treats, I do NOT have a problem making an occasional trip to Whole Foods for a few goodies! I certainly won’t be shopping there every day, but I may just have to join my parents’ once-monthly Whole Foods outing.

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