Where I live, Whole Foods tends to offer mid to high grade foods (for the middle class person at least). What makes you think it's low quality? I can get live mussels and clams, relatively ethical and fresh beef, good cheeses, decent produce... There are much worse options. Is Whole Foods not always like this?
I went to one in California (just North of Monterey as I recall) and it seemed nice enough too. I live in Canada though, so maybe in the rest of the US it's not so great.
Whole Foods' quality has definitely taken a massive hit post Amazon acquisition. The most obvious place I've noticed it is the Bakery, the produce has less diversity as well. I've also noticed more empty shelves in the processed food aisles.
Whole Foods' quality has definitely taken a massive hit post Amazon acquisition. The most obvious place I've noticed it is the Bakery, the produce has less diversity as well. I've also noticed more empty shelves in the processed food aisles.
I noticed this as well, and stopped shopping at Whole Foods. Then I went back in this week to pick up a package at one of the Amazon lockers, and it looks like Amazon's getting its act together.
No more empty shelves. No more disorganized aisles. No more confused staff. It seemed like the Whole Foods of old, except that for some reason there was a rack selling yoga pants by the oranges.
It puzzled me and I stood there trying to figure out if the placement was deliberate, or accidental. Then a woman came up and took a pair. So, I guess it works, I just don't understand it.
I have seen Whole Foods change from a welcoming, organized, on-trend, curated grocery store to something different. I frequent Whole Foods in the midwest and west coast. There is more homogenization, empty aisles, different employees, and different food stuffs. I can't [quantitatively] say the food quality is down per se, but the feeling of visiting and purchasing at the store is less positive than before. The only section that I didn't see massive change was in the meat department. I still see the same employees and what looks like the same meats.
I now avoid Whole Foods and go towards more speciality stores or direct competitors like Erewhon.
I went to one in California (just North of Monterey as I recall) and it seemed nice enough too. I live in Canada though, so maybe in the rest of the US it's not so great.