How often do you explore your local grocery stores? In an effort to stretch my comfort zone, I’m exploring all our local grocery options to compare. I hope you’ll enjoy this Grocery Tours series – first stop: Whole Foods!
Whole Foods is an upscale grocery chain that puts high value on quality. Their stores are full of items that are organic, locally produced, sustainable and humanly sourced. They also feature plenty of things tailored for special diets – packaging for vegan, gluten free, and even keto items are easily picked out.
Unlike some chains, every Whole Foods is unique – the incorporate some individual elements to reflect the community in each store. For our local store, that’s Plant and Plate. This little corner of the store features beauty, home and garden items – all perfect for gifting.
Just beyond that is an indoor mushroom farm – yes, you can buy mushrooms grown right in the store. You don’t get more fresh than that! This is something that is also special to our local location. Other local mushrooms are also available in the produce department.
After that, the store is more typical for a Whole Foods.
The produce section is large and plentiful. You’ll find all the basics, but also plenty of more hard-to-find items too. On our trip through, I found dragon fruit and passion fruit – both of which I haven’t previously noticed at local stores. There are also machines that will fresh-squeeze orange and grapefruit juice.
They have a plethora of bulk bins, which are awesome if you’re trying to go package free. Besides coffee (which you can buy whole beans or grind), there are also bulk bins for grains, candy, dried pasta and fresh pasta. You can also get fresh-ground nut butters.
Whole Foods has an impressive meat counter. In addition to regular cuts, they also feature a variety of meats that are pre-seasoned or stuffed and ready to cook. The butchers I’ve chatted with have all been very helpful, too, and happy to give advice on what to buy and how to prepare it.
Whole Foods has high standards for both the quality and sourcing of meats – you can read about it more here.
Whole Foods is possibly most well known for it’s food bars. They have a large prepared food section, featuring both hot and cold bars. You can make an amazing salad with more toppings than you could imagine, or you could fuel up on soup or a selection of home-style entrees and sides. Our store also has counters to order sandwiches, burgers, pizza, and coffee.
Of course, for my kids, the highlight of the store is always stopping by customer service for a kids’ club snack. They have a shelf of things to pick from – usually small packaged snack or a piece of fruit – for free. While a seemingly small perk, this has been clutch for distracting kiddos during shopping trips!
How Does the Cost Stack Up?
I checked the prices on our 12 most frequently purchased grocery items – and was surprised by how comparable some of the prices were to my usual store. There are definitely some that fall on the pricier side, but overall I didn’t think it was too bad.
|
Item |
Cost |
| Milk – ½ Gallon Organic | $3.49 |
| Dozen Eggs | $2.99 |
| Yogurt Tubes | $3.99 |
| Wheat Bread | $4.29 |
| Sliced Deli Ham | $9.99/lb. |
| Sliced American Cheese | $7.99/lb. |
| Chicken Breast | $3.99/lb. |
| Bagged Salad Kit | $4.99 |
| Bananas | $0.69/lb. |
| Peanut Butter | $2.49 |
| Apples | $1.49/lb. |
| Pretzels | $2.19 |
|
Total: |
$48.58 |
Also, it’s worth noting that some things, like ice cream, were more expensive – but that deterrent was a good thing for me. We made it out of the store with no impulse purchases.
They’ll also give you a 10-cent discount for each reusable bag you bring!
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you get additional discounts at Whole Foods. Make sure to scan your QR code at checkout!
Does Whole Foods offer grocery delivery?
Yes, if you’re an Amazon Prime member in certain zip codes. You can check if it’s available in your area here.
Overall Thoughts
Whole Foods offers a lot of features you won’t find at other stores in our area. With the high food standard, the prices are higher than some stores, but if you’re trying to be more conscious about what you eat, it’s a gold mine. I was also thrilled to see so many package-free options. I’m not sure this will end up being our “regular store”, but it’s definitely one I plan to visit more often.