# Whole Foods Market and/or Trader Joe's? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2013, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751 "2013-07-17T14:20:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/21 "2013-07-17T17:45:27Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > In what way does TJs treat their employees better than WF? Well, for one thing, each cashier at my local TJ is equipped with their own bottle of hand lotion and box of tissues. But perhaps that’s for the customers… To the OP, love them both. Shop there often. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/22 "2013-07-17T17:51:55Z")
> [@bump](#): > > WF treats their workers pretty well, relative to other grocery chains, even if they’re not quite up to TJ’s standards. > > I wouldn’t compare WF and TJ’s though- they emphasize very different things- WF is more about organic/natural stuff, with a foodie bent, while TJ’s is more about prepackaged and/or foodie stuff, with an organic bent. There’s a lot of overlap, but ultimately if I wanted organic produce, I’d go to WF, and if I wanted premarinated steak or precut organic bell peppers, I’d go to TJ’s. > > All that said, I prefer a local/regional competitor to both (HEB Central Market)- they’re like a WF, except with 200% the foodie stuff, and 25% of the woo and organic nonsense. Oh, and I mainly shop at WF when I shop at either, because the nearest TJ’s is something like 10-12 miles away, while there’s a WF on the way home from work, one near where I get my hair cut and where my son goes to Gymboree, and they’re building a new one across the street from where I work. However, the main thing I buy there are a few types of fruit that are better to get organic (grapes, strawberries), beer (they have an excellent selection here) and wine (good selection, but not as good as the beer). I don’t fool with their meat or staple foods; too expensive for what you get. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/23 "2013-07-17T17:55:35Z")
Whole Foods is a grocery store. Trader Joe’s is for goodies. Whole Foods is srsly expensive, tho and the store comes off as preposterously pretentious. Trader Joe’s is much friendlier and not so full of itself. I shop at both semi-semi-regularly (maybe once every 2-3 months for each store), and prefer each for different things. Cheese, frozen foods, cookies and breads = Trader Joe’s. Soy products at Whole Foods. For veggies and hygiene products, tho, I go to Sprouts (formerly Sunflower Market (and they should totally go back to being Sunflower Market because Sprouts is a shitty name for a store unless it sells kid’s clothes)). ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/24 "2013-07-17T18:02:31Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Well, for one thing, each cashier at my local TJ is equipped with their own bottle of hand lotion and box of tissues. But perhaps that’s for the customers… > > To the OP, love them both. Shop there often. I expect that to be user preference. I’m positive that would be no problem and Whole Foods. I was thinking of something more substantive - benefits, pay, training, etc. ---
**Author:** ![sherrylynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@sherrylynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sherrylynn)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/25 "2013-07-17T18:03:50Z")
Another vote for Sprouts! The best produce at great prices! Whole Foods is way to expensive. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/26 "2013-07-17T18:09:05Z")
Trader Joe’s is too far away from me in Philly for it to be my regular spot. When I lived closer, I was there once a week. There is a Whole Foods right next to a Super Fresh. I occasionally go into the Whole Foods, but mostly to use their restroom. Whole Foods is too rich for my blood. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/27 "2013-07-17T18:24:17Z")
> [@Bone](#): > > I expect that to be user preference. I’m positive that would be no problem and Whole Foods. I was thinking of something more substantive - benefits, pay, training, etc. TJ is way above average in pay and benefits, alonside companies like Costco. floor employees start at $10-12 and are eligible for medical, dental and visual, paid vacation and sick leave after a few months. I’m not aware of WF being a bad employer, but TJ is a market leader. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/28 "2013-07-17T18:27:21Z")
Trader Joe’s for me. I’m in NYC so I have a WF two blocks away and a TJ one subway stop away. I usually stop at TJ on my way home from work. Depending on the time & day, the lines at TJ can be super long, but they usually move very fast. The WF I’d go to never has long lines when I am there. TJ has great products for relatively cheap, whereas WF is overpriced. I love that TJ always has samples, I’ll often end up buying whatever it is they have to sample! I’ll get some things occasionally from WF, but almost everything I buy if from TJ and local markets (Westside Market & Gristedes.) ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/29 "2013-07-17T20:04:00Z")
I like them both for different reasons. Although we have several of both in the greater metro area, none of them are in our area or “on the way” to or from any place we regularly go. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/30 "2013-07-17T20:08:25Z")
As several others have noted, [Sprouts Farmers Market](http://sprouts.com/) is the way to go if you have one near you. I am equidistant to Sprouts and Whole Foods and I haven’t been to WF since Sprouts opened a store here. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/31 "2013-07-17T20:58:42Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > As several others have noted, [Sprouts Farmers Market](http://sprouts.com/) is the way to go if you have one near you. I am equidistant to Sprouts and Whole Foods and I haven’t been to WF since Sprouts opened a store here. Just watch out for their meat; it seems to spoil twice as fast as the meat from anywhere else- including TJ’s and WF. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/32 "2013-07-17T21:01:10Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Just watch out for their meat; it seems to spoil twice as fast as the meat from anywhere else- including TJ’s and WF. I have never seen this. I’ve had great success with their meats. The only bad meat I’ve gotten in months was from Homeland. Of course, they took it back no questions asked. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2013, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/33 "2013-07-17T22:39:16Z")
If I had to pick just one, it would be TJ, because the WF is so full of itself. Standard local grocery store chain - 95% of my shopping. TJ - 4% of the extra goodies that make my meals a bit more interesting. WF - 1% of the really specialty stuff that I can’t get anywhere else, plus their cheese department rocks. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/34 "2013-07-18T02:38:49Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > I have never seen this. I’ve had great success with their meats. The only bad meat I’ve gotten in months was from Homeland. Of course, they took it back no questions asked. It’s not that it’s bad when they sell it to you, it’s that it spoils in 3 days when other meat would spoil in 5 or 6. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/35 "2013-07-18T03:39:56Z")
I’m not the primary grocery shopper in my household; I typically plan a single nice meal and see what we have and shop to fill in the gaps to make it. I shop mostly at our local Kroger chain store, followed closely by Sprouts. Their beer selection isn’t great, but they have awesome deals on local craft beers pretty regularly. I don’t normally shop at TJ’s, but I love their frozen vegetables. I feel uncomfortable at WF because I don’t drink the organic koolaid. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/36 "2013-07-18T04:14:08Z")
> [@bump](#): > > It’s not that it’s bad when they sell it to you, it’s that it spoils in 3 days when other meat would spoil in 5 or 6. I understood you. That hasn’t been my experience. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/37 "2013-07-18T05:00:32Z")
I have the best reason for no longer going to WF: The last time I was there, I was going down an aisle, and who should be coming right at me, but my two least favorite relatives. I absolutely loathe them. But there was no place to hide, so I had to act semi-glad to see them, and waste 5 minutes of my life chatting. I will never return to that store. Well, that and the high prices. And TJ is near my endocrinologist, where I have to go every 14 days. Plus, at TJ I can buy an unhealthy indulgence without feeling like everyone is judging me. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/38 "2013-07-18T08:15:05Z")
I was in a WF today, and everyone and there mother was there. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/39 "2013-07-18T10:13:16Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Wikipedia says the [following](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe%27s#Employees) about Trader Joe’s: > > It cites to a letter but has no link. Can anyone supply any more information? Are you sure you have the right store? Here’s [a link](http://www.nbcnews.com/business/whole-foods-ceo-regrets-comparing-obamacare-fascism-1B8022914) to the **Whole Foods** CEO regretting he called Obamacare “Fascism.” He’s a longtime Libertarian; it’s generally been his pleasure to treat his employees well, so I don’t feel\* too \*guilty about picking up a quick supper at the all-too-convenient one on the way home. And certain other items at the time. Hey, you can buy a beer or glass of wine to drink while you shop… Thanks for the reminder about WF. I’ll try taking the route that goes by TJ’s for the healthy snacks they offer. Or go to Revival Market in my neighborhood–for seriously organic & humanely raised & tasty items. Or stop downtown for ethnic food at Phoenicia–& a drink & snack at the MKT Bar. Spec’s Downtown Warehouse is #1 in price & selection for beer, wine & liquor–and has a huge “fancy” food selection. Kroger & Fiesta are good standbys but I really wish that HEB’s Central Market was closer… (My lifestyle does not demand rare treks to the HugeMart to fill up the SUV with Mass Quantities. I like to drop by interesting grocery stores. Cheaper than the Galleria!) ---
**Author:** ![R3d\_Anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aeb1de/32.png) [@R3d\_Anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R3d_Anonymous)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751/40 "2013-07-18T12:57:15Z")
> [@Eel like creatures](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eel-like-creatures/83784/8): > > I think many of the things they labeled as “unhealthy” have no basis in fact. Like, artificial sweeteners are not permitted in the store, not even at the coffee counter. It’s just silly. Meanwhile they sell bullshit homeopathy remedies. Basically it’s 50/50 legit practices / total woo. > > The sort of person who thinks nutrasweet, fluoride, and the measles vaccine are the same as poison, definitely shops at whole foods. Artificial sweeteners are stupid, homeopathy is not bullshit, I dont know what the hell nutraswert is but I have a feeling it is some obscure-ass thing, flouride is for fuckong dental scrubs man, and vaccines are dumb. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whole-foods-market-and-or-trader-joes/663751.md?page=3)