# Whole Foods? How about Amazon Foods? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 16, 2017, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117 "2017-06-16T14:26:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/61 "2017-06-17T23:34:07Z")
Amazon Fresh [C&H Sugar 4 lb 2.39](https://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Company-Granulated/dp/B00CJ8I9MC/ref=sr_1_1_s_f_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1497742363&sr=1-1&ppw=fresh&keywords=sugar) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/62 "2017-06-18T00:36:52Z")
CNN interviewed a real pro about this deal; her name is [Alexa](http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/17/news/companies/amazon-whole-foods-reshapes-grocery/index.html). Like a press secretary, she only answers what _she_ wants to. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/63 "2017-06-18T02:10:34Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Heck, I’d drive 50 miles to visit a Wegman’s. Unfortunately, the nearest one to me is 500 miles away. I’ve heard there are people who have this strange near-obsession with Wegman’s. I don’t get it. It’s a nice store, but it’s still just a grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/64 "2017-06-18T02:58:31Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Amazon Fresh > [C&H Sugar 4 lb 2.39](https://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Company-Granulated/dp/B00CJ8I9MC/ref=sr_1_1_s_f_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1497742363&sr=1-1&ppw=fresh&keywords=sugar) Exactly. _Amazon_ is not in the business of selling groceries, _Amazon Fresh_ is. Gotta be browsing the right site. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2017, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/65 "2017-06-18T03:21:08Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’ve heard there are people who have this strange near-obsession with Wegman’s. I don’t get it. It’s a nice store, but it’s still just a grocery store. The problem is that there are a lot more shit grocery stores than “nice” grocery stores. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/66 "2017-08-28T18:19:41Z")
Update: The buyout went through and Amazon began immediately slashing prices at Whole Foods. > **[Amazon-owned Whole Foods is starting to look a lot more like Walmart](https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-whole-foods-prices-walmart-similarities-2017-8)** > > Whole Foods needs to ditch its "whole paycheck" reputation after its acquisition by Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/67 "2017-08-28T19:36:55Z")
I paused at Whole Foods on the way in to work this morning, and noticed little brown signs posted here and there noting those items whose prices were slashed. The signs read something like “Whole Foods partnered with Amazon Prime”. I only needed one of the on-sale items, an avocado, which was 30% less due to Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/68 "2017-08-28T19:43:14Z")
I’m curious how the Prime/Whole Foods discounts will work at the stores. Will Amazon issue a “Prime Card” or will Whole Foods ask for the email address associated with the account or…? ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/69 "2017-08-28T19:45:36Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I’m curious how the Prime/Whole Foods discounts will work at the stores. Will Amazon issue a “Prime Card” or will Whole Foods ask for the email address associated with the account or…? Well, I’ve already got an Amazon Prime credit card, so there’s a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/70 "2017-08-28T20:20:14Z")
Ooh I wonder if my Prime card will get me 5% cash back at Whole Foods… ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2017, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117/71 "2017-08-28T20:21:35Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > I don’t understand this. If Amazon’s purpose is to turn Whole Foods stores into Amazon pickup/delivery hubs, then they are going to have to reduce the floor space that current stores use to sell and display their current lines. > > If people can order Mountain Dew and Cheetos and go pick them up at Whole Foods (or get them delivered), then Whole Foods is going to need to move out the Gluten-Free Himalayan Organic Kale® to make room for lockers and stocks of regular-people groceries. > > So why buy up an expensive specialty chain and gut its core business in order to basically set up warehouses for online shopping? To answer this from a couple months ago, I don’t foresee Amazon gutting the Whole Foods stores and literally turning them into warehouses. But a grocery store open to the public already is a warehouse. You’re confusing a couple of things. You can already order a dizzying array of shelf-stable foods from regular [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com). These items are shipped via UPS or whatever to your house just like books or condoms or fleece pullovers. Amazon doesn’t need any additional infrastructure for shelf-stable items, they’ve already got that covered. The real move is into fresh groceries, which is Amazon Fresh. And that’s a premium service where you can order fresh groceries and have them delivered to your home. Stocking and delivering fresh groceries is a whole different business than shipping shelf-stable items. Can you also get Cheetos with your fresh kale and heirloom alfalfa sprouts? Sure. But that’s not the value added. In order to deliver groceries, or have them packed and waiting for pickup, you need to have the equivalent of a fully stocked grocery store. That could be a distribution center that’s closed to the public, or it could very well be a Whole Foods grocery story that has a lot of employees packing delivery bags. If you were setting up a new fresh grocery distribution center, it might save you some money to create warehouse type center that isn’t open to the public. But if you already own a bunch of customer friendly grocery stores near the last mile from customer’s homes, then keeping those stores open to the public as well as delivering makes sense. Not that Amazon Fresh is going to make a lot of profit any time soon. It’s probably going to lose a lot of money for a long time. But unlike lots of their competitors, Amazon isn’t scared of barely breaking even, that’s their whole business model. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-how-about-amazon-foods/789117.md?page=3)