Positive change in food choice, awareness and quality is taking place in our communities and our culture. We now have two specialty and natural food stores, Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s.
Whole Foods Market arrived in River Forest in 1994, with the corporate philosophy of raising both food choice quality and community awareness. They have succeeded on both counts. Fifteen years later, many people are more aware of food quality, the role of various natural foods in health enhancement, and how organic foods support not only health, but also farmers and the earth itself.
More people today are choosing quality over quantity, true taste over chemicalized products, health and disease prevention over chronic diseases while staying within their budget. They realize that when time is taken to choose high-quality foods, consumers often eat less, feel more satisfied, improve their health and energy, and have some fun with novelty, variety and convenience. That’s bang for the buck.
It took our communities a while to understand what Whole Foods Market (WFM) was trying to do. The accepted cultural practice of eating larger amounts of poorer-quality food conflicted with the new concept of high-quality, natural, organic and specialty foods and beverages at a range of prices.
A mission to educate
Those who focus on the higher end of their price range refer to WFM as “Whole Paycheck.” Yet many customers seem unaware that WFM is really two stores in one: a top-quality specialty food shop, and a cost-effective convenient natural foods grocer. You can treat yourself and your family to quality, specialty food and beverage items, but sometime those choices have to come from the entertainment part of the budget. You can still, however, shop for great value, taste, quality and convenience at WFM (for a comparison of the costs of some common high-quality, natural foods at WFM and Trader Joe’s, see the sidebar).
WFM has always worked hard to educate consumers about the quality of foods and how to shop for value and sales, especially with their expanded “365 Everyday Value” brands and The Whole Deal newsletter and sales flyer, complete with coupons and recipes. They also offer 10% case discounts, have a weekly sales flyer and provide two free healthy food magazines full of recipes, information and coupons. Their website, www.wholefoodsmarket.com is geared to educating consumers and gives detailed information on food, quality, health and value. The River Forest store, located at 7245 W. Lake St., 708-366-1045, open 7 days a week from 8 a.m.-10 p.m.
Investing in quality foods for taste, health and entertainment has started to catch on – beyond WFM, of course. Think of the many fine, fun restaurants and specialty shops that have come on the scene in the last 15 years, offering higher quality and selection of foods and beverages. Whole Foods Market always knew their quality standards and educational efforts would invite other grocers to compete on their demographically-researched turf.
Enter Trader Joe’s (TJ’s), located across the street in Oak Park at 483 N. Harlem. To their credit, the company hung in through a development process that lasted the better part of a decade, becoming the anchor store in the Whiteco complex. They opened in December to much anticipated fanfare.
Unfortunately, when approached for this article, they refused our request for an interview, both at the store level and the corporate level.
In the absence of comment, the data will have to speak for them. As the sidebar’s cost comparisons indicate, the conventional wisdom that TJ’s is cheaper does not always prove true. TJ’s website www.traderjoes.com is clever, but it lacks the level of detail about true product quality and quality standards which the WFM website offers. TJ’s site says, “We taste every product before we decide to sell it, and we guarantee you’ll like it.” Their subjective approach makes it difficult to compare apples to apples in examining products and prices.
Kate Klotz, however, Midwest PR specialist at the Whole Foods Market regional office in Chicago, said, “Competition is good for any company. I can’t really say much about our competition, except to point out that we are proud of the quality of our products and have the highest quality standards in the industry. We have found that our prices are actually equal to or less than our competitors when you speak of items of the same value.”
Different approaches
Grocery stores typically operate with a small profit margin. In order to make enough profit to build more stores and stay in business, they have to carefully manage spoilage, waste, theft (internal and external), injuries, payroll, benefits, utilities, rent and more. WFM and TJ’s are intentionally different in concept and philosophy:
WFM has high quality standards. Their natural and organic products are free of artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, sweeteners and hydrogenated fats.
In November, Whole Foods was named America’s Healthiest Supermarket by Health magazine.
Their stores are large, often occupying expensive real estate in prime, well-researched locations. They have a strong commitment to organic foods and have become a national advocate for the organic movement. Their greatest challenge is finding enough high-quality organics to supply the company. Only 2-3% of the U.S. food supply is organic, so they actively support and promote local farmers and producers. Each store is empowered to have its own product lines to ensure more local items. They are big enough to have helped the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture set the organic standards for the industry. WFM also has a “green” mission.
At least half of each WFM store contains perishable foods (which strongly influences price because of potential waste and spoilage), some of which is available with minimal packaging. They have staffed departments such as produce, seafood, poultry, meat, deli, cheese, wine and beer, nutrition, a juice bar and often a bakery onsite. Whole Foods also has an extensive grocery and bulk department, and offers many allergen-free foods. There is plenty of variety and selection throughout the store. The company policy is for team members to be well-trained, friendly and helpful.
For value, quality and price advantage, WFM introduced the 365 Everyday Value ® line in 1996. Several years later they added 365 Everyday Organic Value ® products. The 365 line meets their strict quality standards, and are free of high-fructose corn syrup and avoid genetically modified ingredients. Their Whole Foods Market private labels products expanded further to include Whole Kitchen , Whole Pantry , Whole Catch , Whole Kids , Whole Dairy , Whole Paws, Whole Fields and more. These private label products match the highest food quality of any products in the store, and at a great value and price. The 365 Everyday Value ® foods are mostly the ones chosen for the cost comparison since they level the playing field with TJ’s business model.
Trader Joe’s, on the other hand, looked at all the ways grocers lose money and based their business model on taking a different approach. They are privately owned and operated. Their stores are typically small, and often located in a strip mall off the beaten path (the Oak Park store is an exception here) to save on rent. The stores always have a large wine and beer department. They buy foods and then label them under their house brand, Trader Joe’s® and other clever offshoots of that name, to cut out the middle man.
Their quality standards are not apparent on their website, so I asked a couple of staff members. One mentioned that all of TJ’s labeled products are free of artificial flavors, colors and preservatives. When I asked another about quality standards, he hesitated and said they are free from GMOs (genetically modified) and preservatives. I asked where the quality standards were printed. He didn’t know, wondered why I was concerned and questioned why they had to be written. I suggested that if a company has quality standards, it’s a good thing to communicate them to their customers. (If you agree, you can direct questions and concerns to manager Phil Anderson.)
TJ’s searches the world over for great-tasting products and usually labels it under their name, so it isn’t clear whether they use local growers and producers. They offer some organic foods, some of their meats and poultry are free of hormones and antibiotics, and they also have some allergen-free products. They do not have staffed departments, but their general staff is friendly and very willing to help customers find items.
Almost all of TJ’s produce is packaged in plastic and comes in larger quantities. All of their meats and other perishables are packaged in plastic. Pre-packaging decreases labor costs, but plastic increases pollution (our bodies and the Earth).
TJ’s has a small nutrition department, sold under the brand Trader Darwin, but the actual quality of these supplements is unclear. How does a consumer find out?
TJ’s has always focused on offering an array of grocery and frozen items, much of which is sold under clever brand names such as Trader Giotto’s, Trader Jose’s, Trader Ming’s and more. They do not have sales because they cut costs in various ways and offer everyday low prices. They offer less selection and variety than WFM.
Their “Fearless Flyer” educates consumers about their foods, new selections, price and value. The stores are fun to shop in, and the team members dressed in Hawaiian shirts are invariably friendly. They are open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., 708-386-1169.
Healthy competition
How much time do consumers spend evaluating food value and quality? We do it for cars, clothes, homes and entertainment, but many people don’t really know what they spend for food, beverages, treats, or eating-out-based entertainment. Will you pay over $3 for a Starbucks beverage, but think that same price is exorbitant for a fresh juice or a protein smoothie which contains lots of nutrition? Will you pay a restaurant for an expensive meal with drinks, but not spend that same amount on even higher quality food for several meals for your family, saying it’s too expensive? Awareness is the first step.
So gather your courage and take on the food and health budget challenge! WFM is not always higher in price, and where it is, it may well be higher in quality. TJ’s offers another venue for new food choices. Consumers can have fun with delicious, healthy alternatives. Food is a gift to be enjoyed and it’s an essential avenue to vibrant health. You have two, viable, local natural food grocers to choose from.
Mangia.
Gina Orlando, M.A., a natural foods educator, wellness coach and mind-body teacher in our communities for the last 30 years, was a former natural foods columnist for the Wednesday Journal, as well as marketing and community relations specialist at WFM-River Forest from its opening until 1997. She shops at both Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s.
Whole Foods Market Price
Earthbound Farms Organic Fancy Romaine, bagged, 8 oz. $2.49
365 Whole Catch Frozen Wild Caught Salmon, 2 fillets, 12 oz. $8.99
Ground Round Hamburger, packaged, 10% fat, per lb. $2.99
365 Organic Vanilla Non-Fat Yogurt, 32 oz. $2.99
365 Body Lotion, various choices, 16 oz. $2.49
365 Shampoo, various choices, 16 oz. $2.49
365 Women’s Multi-Vitamin, 1 daily, 90 tabs (with $2 off coupon) $11.99
365 Organic Pasta Sauces, various flavors, 25 oz. $3.39
365 Organic Penne Pasta, 16 oz. $1.39
365 Organic White Corn Chips, 21 oz. $3.39
365 Organic Raisin Bran, 18 oz. $2.69
365 Organic Refried Beans, various flavors $1.39
365 Organic (Long Grain) Brown Rice, 2 lbs. $3.39
365 Three Pepper Salsa $2.49
365 Frozen Super Sweet Yellow Corn, 16 oz. $2.19
365 Dark Swiss Chocolate bar, 3 oz. $2.39
Wines, bottle price $4.99 and up
365 Frozen 4 Cheese Pizza, 14 oz, with $1 off coupon $3.39
365 Mild Cheddar Cheese, 8 oz. $4.49
Roasted Chicken, warm, at least 36 oz. $7.99, $5.99 on Thurs.
WFM Organic Multi-Grain Bread, 22 oz. $3.99
365 Organic Large Free-Range Omega 3 Eggs $4.19
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Trader Joe’s Price
TJ’s Organic Romaine Salad, 9 oz. $2.69
TJ’s Wild Sockeye Salmon, 2 fillets, 1.16 lb. $9.27
Ground Hamburger, packaged, 10% fat, per lb. $4.99
TJ’s Organic Vanilla Non-Fat Yogurt, 32 oz. $3.49
TJ’s Moisturizing Lotion, 16 oz. $2.49
TJ’s Refresh Citrus Shampoo (one choice) $2.29
TJ’s Multi-Vitamin for Women, 1 daily, 60 tabs $12.99
TJ’s Organic Pasta Sauces, various flavors, 28 oz. $2.29
TJ’s Organic Penne Pasta, 16 oz. $1.29
TJ’s Organic Corn Chips,16 oz. $2.99
TJ’s Organic Raisin Bran Clusters, 20 oz. $4.29
TJ’s Refried Beans, not organic, one flavor $1.29
TJ’s did not have this basic staple, they had basmati rice N/A
TJ’s Three Pepper Salsa $2.29
TJ’s Frozen Super Sweet Yellow Corn, 16 oz. $1.69
TJ’s Organic Dark Chocolate, 3.5 oz. $1.99
Wines, bottle price $2.99 and up
TJ’s Organic 3 Cheese Pizza, 13.4 oz. $4.29
TJ’s Mild Cheddar cheese, 8 oz. $2.25
TJ’s Roasted Chicken, in cooler, 24 oz. $6.49
TJ’s Organic Whole Grain Flax & Fiber Bread, 22 oz. $3.49
TJ’s Organic Large Free-Range Omega 3 Eggs $4.49
Note: This product list includes basics from each department. They were priced
during the week of Jan. 19, 2009. Jewel and Dominick’s are usually much higher in price for comparable products, sometimes 25-50% more. Exceptions are loss-leader sales or 2-for-1 sales. Quality comparisons may be difficult to do.