Whole Foods/Trader Joe's

A Whole Foods just took over a Wild Oats in my area, and I am not pleased.

The Whole Foods is horribly overpriced and doesn't even offer much in the way of organic or local (their supposed claim to fame). HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE.

Example: Wild Oats used to have a salad bar that had one side organic and one side conventional. You could mix and match and know what you were getting. Yes it was expensive, but if I even wanted a good, organic salad, I knew where to go.

So Whole Foods takes over and removes all the organic/conventional labels on the salad bar (so I take it to mean it's now all conventional), then they have the gall to RAISE the price $1.00 per pound on the salad bar.

That's just one example of how the place has gone down and how they act like their shit don't stink.

Trader Joe's? Mine is so close I could throw a rock and break their window, so I walk there almost everyday for this or that. Mine has GREAT produce as long as you buy in season produce. Great fresh fruit.

Example: The other day I wanted to make a chopped salad with lettuce, chicken, shrimp, black olives, tomatoes, chick peas and oil/vinegar dressing. Wow, did it come out great... Anyway.... I went with the intention of getting iceberg or romaine lettuce. But what Trader Joe's had fresh and reasonably priced was organic arugula. Plus, the arugula was local. Their other lettuces didn't look that great. The only tomatoes that were a good deal were heirloom tomatoes (never tried 'em), so I got that stuff and made one HELL of a chopped salad.

Bottom line: You want to buy what's in season and local at TJs. Be flexible and go with the flow, and you will get some good deals.

 

hence, the good deals i get from my seafood guy at whole foods; most folks in there, i'm watching and taking note, treat him like the hired help. i introduced myself to him; i call him by his name, ask him how his weekend was, etc. treat him like a human being.

 

Whole Foods IS overpriced.
But I love going there.
Trader Joe's is awesome -- in fact the one in Ann Arbor that I used to frequent moved into a building that was WF in its previous life.
It's worth it for 2-buck Chuck; might not be your first choice but by bottle 2 or 3, no one will care.

 

I did the WF strip steak thing once. Never again. Great meet but not 24 bucks a poiunt.
However they did have a deal on Labor Day weekend -- for them -- of 8 burgers for 8 bucks. Was basically 3 pounds of ground Chuck, seasoned and pattied... were pretty tasty.
The one in our town is way out of the way -- but on the side of town that actually has disposable income -- so I don't go often.
But wine, some cheeses, some of the prepared food and definitely the pizza are must haves. I did get some Chicken mild Italian Sauage that was excellent... some went in the freezer and some went in sketti.

 

Your eyes would've rolled back into your head over this salad. It was a variation of California Pizza Kitchen's chopped salad... less oil and fresher. The kind of chopped salad you have to eat with a spoon.

 

slappy, they had the same burger deal at my whole foods, too -- nice combos of cheese, as well. had cherry and chipotle chicken sausages and some burgers with gorgonzola last weekend.

 

Place in Metro Detroit called Westborn Market carries some wonderful fresh Chicken Tomato-Basil sausage... this was closest I've had yet.
but Westborn was regularly two bucks cheaper and often three...

 

I'd agree with most of the posts here. Whole Foods has some good things but is very expensive. TJ's, at least the ones around here, have pretty good selection on everything. Their frozen foods are amazing, they have Thai and Indian and they're like $2 each for the little dinners. Also, the coffee is pretty good there. Can't get on board with the two-buck Chuck though. It's rank. But some of the TJ name label stuff is great, particularly the olive oil and the canned black bean soup, best I've ever had.

 

Be sure and wave next time you go. My office is a mile away from there.

 

We have Wegman's now. It is amazing.
I still hit Trader Joe's, but for me, Wegman's obviates Whole Foods.