How Amazon Changed Whole Foods, Five Years Later
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2022
- Five years ago, Amazon bought Whole Foods for $13.7 billion. Since then, there’s been a lot of changes, including a new CEO starting Sept. 1. It added a palm-scanning payment option, hundreds of cameras and sensors to enable checkout-free shopping, and a “dark store” devoted entirely to online orders. We tried out the new high-tech shopping experience and take a look at how prices and product selection have changed since Amazon took over the specialty grocer in 2017.
Amazon has opened 60 new locations, including one “dark store” entirely devoted to filling online orders. Yet Whole Foods still controls just over 1% of the grocery market, according to research firm Numerator, compared with Walmart’s 19% and Kroger’s 9%.
Next week, Whole Foods gets a new CEO for the first time since its founding in 1980. Operating chief Jason Buechel steps into the lead role on Sept. 1, succeeding colorful, polarizing co-founder John Mackey, who was once described as a “right-wing hippie.”
“When you have the kind of culture clash that I imagined John Mackey and Amazon had, it’s really impressive that John stayed around in a leadership position as long as he did,” said Jason Goldberg, chief commerce strategy officer at advertising firm Publicis. “It surprised me.”
Buechel takes over at a pivotal time for Amazon, which is jumping deeper into the world of in-person retail, with a focus on groceries. Revenue at its physical stores climbed 12% in the second quarter, while online sales dropped. That marks a change from the prior few years, when Amazon’s physical stores lagged the overall retail business. Outside of the food business, Amazon recently shut 68 stores, including all Amazon Books, 4-star and Pop Up shops.
Watch the video above to find out the key differences in the Whole Foods of today from the company that Amazon acquired in 2017.
Chapters:
1:28 Evolution of “whole paycheck”
4:14 Private label and keeping it local
7:39 High-tech shopping
11:47 Grocery store vs. fulfillment center
13:49 Shifting footprint and future
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How Amazon Changed Whole Foods, Five Years Later
I worked at Whole Foods as a bread baker when Amazon bought Whole Foods. Within six months, instead of making the bread from scratch every day, they shipped us frozen bread made in Austin, and all I did was put in on trays and warm it up. The quality went way down, and the prices went way up. Don't be fooled into thinking their bread is baked fresh every day, because that is a lie.
It’s “baked “ fresh by reheating it in an oven. Very deceptive. Same as fresh baked pies, that come frozen
@@bearclawgirl6866 Yep. No skill involved at all. They can hire a nineteen year old kid who has never mixed a loaf of bread in his life, and pay him 15 bucks an hour to put frozen things on trays.
@@sjmullen6691 yeah until the robos take over
I can taste it in a lot of their products. Who are they fooling?
Yes, the quality of WF baked goods is very low. It’s unfortunate, because when they first started their bakery was excellent. Also, the cafe food was really great. At some point, there were enough WF in an area that it became more profitable to centralize their bakery elsewhere and deliver packaged baked goods to stores. In your case, WF switched from freshly made bread to parbaked bread. This simplifies the process (like you said, all you need to do is heat it up) but the quality of the heated bread is very low. It’s a consequence of replacing a skilled worker with an unskilled worker. I would much rather eat your freshly made bread!
From an employee perspective, who had worked at Whole Foods prior to the acquisition from Amazon and then after, there has been a noticeable difference. Whole Foods used to care more about their products, customers and overall setting but since Amazon took over, it's all about metrics and quantity over quality.
used to shop at wf before it was popular, the quality of products and service was exceptional after amazon its like going to Walmart. 😄
Agree
They discontinued all healthy Grain and replaced it with hundreds of granola flavors
That made my blood boil
So many employees who worked at my local WF for years left at some point after the acquisition. I’m not sure exactly why but am guessing it had to do with changes in how they were being treated, new regulations, differences in pay, and opportunities to work at other places where employees are valued, too, not just revenue, etc. Also assuming there have been layoffs now that former express lanes were replaced by automated checkouts. Really wish there was someplace else to shop. Our local Trader Joe’s suuuuuucks and most of the co-ops have closed.
Totally noticed that, too.
@@farghom omg yesssss exactly
I really miss how whole foods used to hire local artists to design their signage, it made every store unique and gave the small town store feel. I worked at whole foods when amazon came and took over and everything that made whole foods unique went away.
Whole Foods' old model required a lot of spare money - large profit margins. And when stores like Krogers got into the game and also started selling organic (but for cheap), Whole Foods was on its way into the grave.
I suppose the question there is whether you personally want to pay for Whole Foods to hire those local artists. Which you might. But for many shoppers, they are primarily focused on how much they spend to get how much value for themselves.
@@Leto2ndAtreides exactly! Im not worried about a chalk sign when I get my groceries . I want the best quality and service for the lowest price.
I only visit 1 store so I don’t care if it’s the same as other locations
That’s how business growth is nowadays once big companies come through.
I was one of those artists. When bezo’s took over I stoped working believing I wouldn’t be paid. I was probably right because no one followed up.
I worked for wholefoods for 4.5 years, right after amazon bought them. It got so much worse. Huge turnover and miserable employees.
True, when I look at the energy from the employees now (sadly, a lot of people that have worked there for years) they all look so depressed now compared to before Amazon took over. The difference is really telling..
This report talked about trying to form a union and only said that union efforts "Have stalled".
No reporting on the interference by Amazon as to why they don't have a union. Just..."union efforts have stalled".
And, yeah, we should probably repent to JC. That sounded like some pretty good advice.
I worked for Whole Foods for 11 years. It was so much fun at first. I quit right before the first huge wave of layoffs in 2015 because after 10 years of perfect performance reviews I was suddenly being written up for tiny nit-picky things. I realized they were trying to get rid of me because of my generous pay rate and benefits. It hurt. I really loved that job.
I work at Whole Foods. The turnover rate has gotten much higher the past few years and seems to only get worse. Most new hires at my store quit within a few weeks or even after just their first shift. Recently a new hire during their first shift asked to go to the bathroom and never came back. 😂
Well whats the payrate 😅
Sounds like a horror story
Ive worked at Amazon fresh for almost a year, and our turnover rate has been high since we opened. We’re kind of lab rats, testing new procedures and functions every month, and analyzing all the analytics. Issue is you can tell the higher ups within Amazon making these decisions, have never worked these kind of jobs, as they make many irrational decisions, in the name of higher metrics.
I interviewed and didn't get a job working software engineering for Amazon in Whole Foods. Kind of glad based on what I'm hearing.
My little brother worked used work there the expectations were way too high and the pay rate didn’t match and plus they wanted you to be crossed trained on everything. And almost every week their were always a new change or policy so he quit
As a long-time WFM shopper (before and after Amazon bought WFM), I disagree with much of this. Amazon has steadily been getting rid of organic products and swapping them out for conventional (including in the house 365 brand). They've drastically reduced variety - which as a shopper with allergies, this really matters. Plus, it was a specialty store and I came there for those unique items that no one else stocked. (such as organic macadamia nuts). They got rid of bulk organic spices, and then they got rid of them in the packets. They're steadily replacing vegan/vegetarian friendly products and replacing them with meat or Keto stuff and - given that my store is in the vegan capital of the USA - that is not okay. Before Amazon bought them, I knew employees for a long time and they began to feel like friends and a small local grocery store. Since WFM was bought-- my store which at the purchase time was the highest producing in my region--employee turnover has been so fast that it often feels like new faces every week. They also got rid of items that you don't buy often, but you come back for repeatedly, with their "Stock to Shelf" policy. There were many products that I had bought for years that disappeared, and frankly, it made me mad. As for prices going down - that's a bunch of crap. WFM 365 brand pasta sauce was $1.69. It's now $3.99, with similar price changes all over the store, and my budget has doubled, so I don't know where they got the 30% drop from. I'm a Prime member, so I do get the discounts, which most of the time are like regular sales. I disagree that local providers have not been swapped out for larger contracts - in the soda aisle, for instance, they've slowly removed organic and unique and local products and are replacing it with a wall of 365 soda. I can go to Safeway for that. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Amazon shoppers - they drive around not regarding or courteous to the customers in front of them, and sometimes you have to avoid getting run over by them. Produce quality has also deteriorated and there's less variety and less organic. Honestly, I used to shop WFM exclusively, and now I shop other stores and if something like the old WFM came around, I would leave entirely.
THIS! Personally, the biggest change I’ve seen is the quality of the meat at the “butcher” section. The Ribeye steaks they used to have had really good marbling and we’re nice thick pieces of delicious steak (I think they used to be locally sourced). Now they source exclusively from Australia and the quality has dropped dramatically. Just looking at them, you can tell that they’re nothing comparable to the old WFM quality. With the drop in quality and the doubling of prices (they used to float around $10/12 a pound, now they’re $20+), I stopped shopping there altogether
@@MNPComedy that's interesting because I've seen a lot of hype over Australian raised cattle (i.e the meat is supposed to be good?). You say it's not the case?
same here. I've disappointingly watched WF decline steadily year after year. Its a bare husk of what it used to be pre-amazon. I seriously wonder where I will be buying high quality food in the future.
Dude, vegans are weirdos and not what drives profitability on a large scale.
@@MNPComedy as someone who worked meat counter 2019-2021 in Washington, our beef and pork was locally sourced. Our chicken came mainly from Oregon or South Western Washington. Our lamb came from New Zealand but they used to get it from Iceland.
I use to work at WFM before AMZ and I loved it. It literally was the anti corporation, corporation. We never did commercials, definitely supported local farmers, ranchers, businesses, artist etc. They always paid us well, we could vote leadership on and off our team, wooden nickels ( worth $5) were often given out, free grocery items and swag, field trips to local suppliers, field trips to international suppliers all paid for by WFM, quarterly bonuses, the meat was always expensive but that’s because of the animals welfare standards they had. Now, it’s just a regular corporation, so sad but corporate America always wins. At least I knew WF when it was amazing.
I use to love shopping at Bread and Circus in Ma back when, then B&C sold to Whole Foods. It's was a big relief they kept most of the quality. Now both are gone neither BC which was great of Whole Foods exists. It's not just corporate now, it's technocrats and cybernetics.
Lies again? AMWF CHINESE
Yeah I miss the team building trips we used to take that all stopped after amazon.
That sounds like a lot of money wasted lol
Bleep bezos actually
It’s interesting that this video goes out of its way to mention that the standards for food sold there since Amazon took over have improved, since my sister, an avid and longtime Whole Foods customer, just told me recently that she had to stop buying many products at the hot foods bar and in other areas because products that were formerly made with olive oil are now being made with canola oil, which is definitely a step in the wrong direction from a nutritional standpoint.
The quality and taste of the hot bar has changed for the worse, as well. Overpriced, sits too long and pretty flavorless in comparison.
Yep. Won't even shop there anymore unless I'm desperate.
As a WF employee: you just work for Amazon, whole foods is not whole foods anymore. The prices keep increasing, but no raises for employees and they have a ridiculously harsh attendance policy that makes the turnover rate unnecessarily high. Don't shop there, go to a cheaper or locally owned grocer and support your community
It sounds like Amazon is running WF like they run their warehouses.
Go figure.
If they raise pay they'll have to raise prices. It's spiral.
I worked for WF back in the 90's when there were only 3 stores in Texas. That was the real WF. As soon as they went corporate vs the original hipster version, it was time to go.
I remember when Whole foods finally came to Florida and I was there the very first day they opened and continue to shop there for nearly 2 decades.. but ever since they went public, everything changed. I did see that their price down a little bit on some items and wasn’t as expensive as when they first opened but the whole experience is different. The employees are different. The vibe is different.
do follow Sunil Kewalramani on you tube for US market .prediction with 90-95 % Accuracy befor market starts
amazon ruined whole foods
Couldn't be put more succinctly!
Amen to that.
I agree. It's sad.
Wah wah cry me a river
@@pffasho ok bud
Selling WF to AMAZ is like selling Borders bookstore to Kmart. The energy shift in both stores before and after was immense. The distinct characteristics made them so unique and attractive become merely shadows of their former selves after the transactions. It is like moving a child from a loving home to a group care.
I have no clue what the girl in the video is saying, it’s litteraly the only grocery store in nyc 😂😂
Amazon ruined it in so many ways. The “local” feel that management was able to give each store has been eliminated. The stores used to be an “experience”; it’s now very cold and impersonal. The “bakery” used to evoke an old school bakery by its design but now it’s self-serve. There are fewer “Fresh” items there also.
YUP. It's a dystopian shopping experience now, even at the Austin HQ store.
We used to get cupcakes for my kid’s birthday from WF. Now the quality and taste has changed to a bland commercial product.
@MeetMe InVa; Whole Foods is the WORST place for fruits. Fruits are either raw or softened in storage for weeks, NOT ripened on the treen.
365 Brand is known for playing with terminology regarding all its (GMO) food from India grown by poor farmers under God only know what conditions.
Just about everything grown in India is 100% GMO big pharma is making sure of it as a controlled experiment mostly birth control related.
Every store is so unique. Compare this to any other major supermarket chain--they pride themselves in being identical (Target, Walmart, Safeway, etc) What I love is how the WF stores are unique to their locale.
Amazon doesn’t understand that this customer market that shops at whole foods isnt concerned about cheap prices they are concerned about organic/healthy & they know & understand that they will have to pay more.
They understand. Its just they dont care.
You think they spent billions and don't understand this? Look how massive amazon is and what they do.
Exactly
To an extent. Part of the issue with organic food being accessible to most people is the price. Having access to healthy food shouldn't be restricted just to the rich.
I've been to the Los Angeles location not too long ago and I walked in and walked right back out. I immediately felt creeped out and I just felt that Amazon/Whole Foods was "doing too much" with all them cameras. Maybe I am old school (I'm 27), but I have no problem going into a grocery store like Vons, putting my stuff in a cart, wait in line to check out, and go home.
waiting in line can be a chance to catch one's breath and chill
My farmers market (called Harry's) was later bought by whole foods. I didn't mind it, I thought whole foods was cool had great produce and health food. Every time I went to whole foods I wondered what new cool thing I would find. Now it just feels like a target that sells vegan food. Thanks Amazon.
Totally fair criticism and this was one of Whole Foods' primary selling points. On the other hand, the increasing list of banned ingredients, increased inclusion of certain types of local products(again, you won't find as much variety as you used to though), more recycled material and ecofriendly items, and the high tech convenience such as the auto-walkout and the hi-tech carts are all things that excite me to go to the grocery over other chains like Safeway.
why? i work there and other than prime deals you wouldnt even know the place was bought by amazon, at least my store.. im a total health nut and am very grateful to have my 20% off discount at wf, i buy almost all my groceries from there and am almost digusted by other grocery stores due to them barely having anything i would want on terms of food quality and standards
@@HeirRiddles I wish that I knew someone who worked at whole foods --who could give me 20% off, lol... I agree wholeheartedly with you. I shop primarily at whole foods for my food, because it allows me options that are not available at most other grocery stores in the U.S. I'm able, for example, to get organic buckwheat and a myriad of organic produce. I'm also able to find items that do not have any sugar added, which is not the norm, for regular grocery chains...
Eating clean has allowed me to enjoy a greater quality of life, because I feel healthy and energized. I have no interest in going to regular grocery trains and purchasing items laden with sugar, unhealthy fats, and nutrient deficient food.
One's true wealth is their health... Once more people realize this, they will understand the real value of eating organic produce and consuming unprocessed nutritious foods.
Its just another example of how Amazon has so much influence over our media now. The producers of this short showed a lack of integrity by not interviewing current or former employees. Amazons policies have directly and negatively impacted their team members for years! High turnover and unionization attempts are just symptoms of the larger problem with Amazon/Whole Foods: That there is a severe human cost to employees when it’s profits over people, Amazon NEEDS regulation!
Unionization has been thwarted directly by the company.
lol. you dont like how amazon does its business then you dont ahve to work there shop there and if you have not noticed they are working hard to replace you with automation and robots ... you can also go start your own business and have the employees unionize but i guess its easier to be dumb and complain
@@bjvu9460 Amazon stealing tips from its delivery drivers and using them to pay the hourly wages of the employee but your attacking the workers. Insanity.
@@bjvu9460
It's funny you're calling Tampa Money Fitness dumb when you're the one that doesn't get it. You say,
"(If) you dont like how amazon does its business then you dont ahve (sic) to work there shop there..."
and I just have to laugh at your lack of insight. How many stores has Amazon put out of business? In the book industry, where they first started, they have pretty much made it that they're the only game in town. If you don't get how big their influence is and how much bigger it's getting every day, then you're the frog in the water who, when it finally realizes the water is boiling, it's already too late.
CNBC has covered the unionisation attempts in other videos.
They forgot to mention all the ways in which they’ve made it a nightmare for employees.
This program was essentially a promo for Amazon/WF because there is almost nothing that counters the narrative.
I literally got fired because I decided to use the bathroom before my break and but didn't clock out before using the bathroom lmao
@@jessicus I'm sure that's precisely the reason, and the only one, that got you fired
@@enemy1134 That's what they told me lol. You also do realize that companies can fire you for any reason or no reason at all, right? Some places have super strict management that'll fire you over minor inconveniences. The reason I got fired was literally because of that one incident.
@@jessicus yes. but to put things in perspective here... you have worker A. comes in on time and does a good job. you have worker B. always late, makes the workplace toxic, does a poor job, can be a liability. worker A and B decide to use the restroom on the clock. they're not scrambling to fire worker A. but they'll gladly use that as an excuse to fire worker B
I used to spend $200/week on whole foods delivery. Then one day they delivered my grocery to the wrong address and refused to find it or refund me. Never asked for a refund before and have been a loyal customer for 20 years. Haven’t ordered Amazon grocery since. The $200 mess up cost Amazon $10,000+ per year.
Poor Customer Service.
The person which received your order must enjoy your groceries..
😆
You make it seem like they lost big time, but they don't care about u. Stop being delusional and thinking ur big shot mate. They don't care about me or you or any customer
@@raymondqiu8202 - if you thought that was my point you’re kind of dense. You must be that guy that asks the dumbest question in meetings and everyone around you cringes.
I was doing Amazon/Whole Foods delivery multiple times a week up until they started charging for delivery (best thing that could have happened to me).
@@raymondqiu8202 I didn’t get that idea from this person at all that they think they are a “big shot”. Don’t be so negative.
People don’t believe me when I tell them that back in the early ‘90’s when I lived in CA all of the Whole Foods had someone doing chair massage session costing a buck a minute, truly local products and produce, and REAL Health foods second to none. The staff were more hippie types and were well versed in health and nutrition advice and they actually knew the products. Amazon ruined a very it and I hate shopping there…if you can even get to the shelves which is a challenge here in NYC due to so many of their own people filling delivery orders.
they were still doing this up until amazon took over for $10. I hate what amazon has done.
just wanna say, they really messed up selling Whole Foods to Amazon. I worked there right after the merger happened, and my coworkers who stayed after the transition said they were extremely disappointed. They started having people work 3 different stations instead of just one (so literally one person running pizza, deli counter, and sandwich) and the quality dropped as well because how can you handle all of that and maintain the same quality as 3-4 workers?
How does Bezos stay on top of the billionaire ranking otherwise?
@@louis-we3yi theres this thing called burn out. having someone do multiple jobs will burn them out
WF prior to Amazon takeover had the best pizza. Now it’s garbage.
Not shoppers. But sheeple.
Amazon does that to all its employees.
I would not go into a store where hundreds of cameras were tracking my every move. My local farm shop doesn't have a single one.
For one it prevents more robberies if the store itself "sensed" it's own items, but Amazon as a corporation has some labor problems (also general problems) that they're trying to cut out through automation.
Local farms yes!
Farm shops are the best! Truly fresh food. And a lot of exotic food too like fresh breadfruit and jackfruit.
Me either. Way too creepy, like a Twilight Zone episode. Invasive surveillance is not for me.
Never understood why it matters. What if your town streets had them and all of a sudden you realized, would you stop going out?
NEVER FORGET: Amazon lied about ring doorbell privacy
As has Google with nest.
Exactly they think we're stupid and want to control us with a cashless society it's been happening slowly for a long time since they can out with the plastic card. They are easing their way into it.
Never forget all companies lie when it suits them. All of them.
Never Say NEVER 😎 Justin Bieber
@@deepmind5318 so that makes it ok?
As a wholefoods employee for more that 5 year I can say that change that amazon has made into wholefoods has been bad, we lost a lot of out good benefits that we used to have the culture has changed and it just has turned more stressful, the morale and culture has changed, I'm not going to lie amazon has bring some good stuff into wholefoods but it's hasn't been the same.
Remember to be a bit lenient on WF shoppers. When I worked there, we wanted to make 60 units per hour, meaning I only had literally 1 minute per item to shop for. For example, if the order was 25 items, it’s 25 minutes I should spend searching, packaging and staging the bags. I now work at Amazon Fresh grocery store and heard their units per hour went up to 90 which is CRAZY. So yes, I’d say they are overworked and underpaid.
At Amazon Fresh Online warehouse, the UPH is 110.
@@anonymoushuman8443 It depends on the store. I attend the daily meetings and was told one of the associates did 95 UPH and ofc it was mentioned others should follow in their lead.
As far as WFS, from my experience the goal at that time was 60 UPH.
Guess what. As consumers we don't care. Locally the entire shopping process at the one Whole Foods for a city with over 600000 people has deteriorated. The manager has said they are now basically a warehouse for Amazon. In store shopping no longer worth the effort. Online was worthless. Almost impossible to get the products on ad.
...and it shows the minute you walk in the door.
@@renel7303 guess what? As humans it’s called compassion. We are not robots but have to adjust to new technology and times. They are just trying to make a living and meet a quota because their life can depend on the job. I was expressing leniency on the employees. Corporate should be told about the disdain when it comes to in store shopping experience.
If you have a local non-chain grocery store within 10 miles from home, I strongly urge you to shop there. The fruits and vegetables are so affordable.
do follow Sunil Kewalramani on you tube for US market .prediction with 90-95 % Accuracy befor market starts
Not always
No
They're a little higher because they can't cover costs like big chains
Aldi + Costco can’t be beat for value
Been a shopper at WF for about 15 years. The hot bar used to be top notch healthy food with some not so healthy foods found there sparingly. Now the hot bar looks like slop shop or a public high school cafeteria in da hood, live and dead flies have a feast in it in the summertime where i live, even the greens, beans and other veggies that used to be stemmed are now drowned in heavy grease and oil. Within 2 yrs the hot bar went from 7.99 lb to now 11.99lb and the food ain’t even half as good as it used to be. Used to go there faithful every Thursday after work but now I go there maybe once a month.
Remember the good old days when you could pay in cash and remain anonymous at the grocery store? The fact they have a better knowledge of your spending habits and lifestyle choices than you should raise some concern!
The fact that this comment only has 5 likes is equally troubling. Hopefully, that changes.
@@beedebawng2556 The fact I am your first thumbs up is quite disturbing also. lol
@@beedebawng2556 I mean, it _was_ posted only 7 hours before your comment. Now it has 15 likes. I predict the like count may grow quickly.
Um, you can still pay in cash in any store you want lol what are you smoking
Let me guess. You are one of those pay cash and insist in finding the exact change of pennies from the bottom of your wallet, holding up the whole line of folks that are on a life's mission to get through a busy working day.
Technology doesn't always solve problems; sometimes it only causes more. Miss the hometown feel of Whole Foods.
Thank you. An interesting video. But I am most pleased to say that I stopped shopping at WF over twelve years ago, just after stopping to go to Starbucks and McDonald's. The greediness of the corporate entities sickens me and I do not trust any of them.
@@verreal you should care more about the labor exploitation involved in their coffee production than the taste.
Thanks for your efforts and more people should be rejecting corporate garbage.
I stopped shopping at Whole Foods once they started taking out some of the more niche items. That was the whole reason I loved going there. 😭
Where do you shop now for those niche items you wanted?
@@ex0stasis72 get used to disappointment.
@@tuckerbugeater I'm not asking for myself. I personally would rather have healthy foods from a source with a long list of banned ingredients that is also relatively affordable than have "whole paycheck" priced niche foods. But sometimes, I might want to splurge on niche foods every once in a while, and it would be neat to get a recommendation of a store that might be near me.
do follow Sunil Kewalramani on you tube for US market .prediction with 90-95 % Accuracy befor market starts
@@ex0stasis72 I still shop at Sprouts. I used to just go to Whole Foods for things that I didn’t find at Sprouts. I really loved certain things they had there that maybe I could find at AJs but honestly Sprouts has always been my primary store and Whole Foods just stopped being a place I went to at all. I used to love their salad bar, cheese case but found it lacking when Amazon took over. It might be better now but I haven’t gone back to check it out
I live in San Diego where we have a Whole Foods in Hillcrest. The store isn't even a whisper of what it once was. It truly feels like shopping for food at Target now, just pre-packaged vegan junk. Plus, the store has gotten super grimey and there are tons of homeless sleeping on the sidewalk outside. It is so sad what has happened to this once juggernaut of food. It use to be a real part of the community. Now no one goes there and we all go up the street to Lazy Acres which still offers real food and is legitimately part of the community.
I live in SD too. We were living overseas for 4 years (2017-2021) and were shocked at the state of our local WF upon our return. The attached 7th Street Cafe was gone as well as the cheese deli and bakery - basically everything that gave it a local flavor. No point in going there any more. Lazy Acres closed recently too...maybe Amazon bought them out as well.
Yeah, why are Whole Foods and Amazon not willing to admit to their contribution in FILLING UP OUR LANDFILLS with their packaging?
This is financial advice and I never give financial advice: DONT LEAVE DURING THE BEAR. If you don’t want to invest…learn. If you don’t want to learn…build. If you don’t want to build observe. DO SOMETHING…other than leave. There is so much opportunity here. Take advantage!
Just because there are opportunities in the market doesn’t mean you should go in blindly. To understand the potential factors that contribute to your financial growth, I'll advise you to seek the help of a professional.
Whole Foods under Amazon is wack.
This was a great advertisement from CNBC... but anyone who thinks this was anything but an advertisement is mistaken.
@@beatboxx0eternal I see this comment on every CNBC mini-documentary but it makes no sense to me. They point out things in this video that does not put Whole Foods or Amazon in a good light, like how the AI doesn't work very well or worker complaints. How is that good advertising?
@@Chessmapling they leave out so much that’s how. Since Amazon took over whole food the quality is no different than any other store so sad
@@nicholasmorello6370 what are you talking about? The food is the same if not more requirements. They banned high fructose corn syrup. That’s great.
@@nicholasmorello6370 sure, no journalism will be 100% complete and without bias. But to say this video is somehow a paid ad by Amazon is laughable
It's truly not as friendly anymore. Only the butcher is so sweet. She hugs me every time. But I don't like shopping there anymore. Our store isn't a walk out store yet but it's creepy to me so I switched and do not shop at wholefoods. It's cold and alot of workers are rude. I used to enjoy my trip there. Not anymore. Trader Joe's, Sprouts and Central Market are fabulous. So sad. We are human and crave human interaction. Not there anymore.
I work at a whole foods. I promise you it's because the store sucks to work for and customers are terrible in general. Its very easy to become jaded when every other customer is entitled and rude.
It’s true the clientele has changed. Generally, different crowd shops at Whole Foods these days. Lazy Acres, Sprouts and Mother’s Kitchen are good alternatives.
The personality of Whole Foods changed immediately when Amazon bought it. There was a cold veil that hung over every employee in the store. It appeared they were scared to do anything that would interfere with their daily duty list. It was like they were being watched. Many customers love it and some despise it like I do. Every time that I go in I ask myself why. It's always a pleasure to shop at Trader Joes and Fresh Market.
As an ex employee I can say your observation is right.
I run a perishable food ministry. Pre-Amazon whole foods was one of our biggest donators. Amazon took over and started selling expiring food to pig farms instead.... thanks a lot Amazon
Amazoo deserves to be boycotted, I have ever since they bought WF, but people refuse to take a stand to improve life.
That's interesting because there was a whistle blower in a well known pig farm who leaked they were feeding pigs food with the plastic still intact and now whole foods is giving them food with no plastic packaging after the leak
"wahhhh i cant get free stuff handed to me anymore wahhhh!!!"
@@enemy1134 exactly
@@enemy1134 Perishable Food Ministry is just a type of food bank. The donated food was going to those who can't afford to buy food not to the poster.
Thanks for the reminder CNBC. I left Whole Foods five years ago to support a local Organic Grocery Store in my area. Thanks Amazon for encouraging me to shop locally and elsewhere. 🙂
FYI the national chains only have at most 63% market share, and they source locally. For example #1 is Walmart at less than 20% share. "Safeway", which you may be familiar with if you live on the coasts, and "Food Lion" and the like, don't even make the top 20. #2 is Kroger at 9%. So most supermarkets are in fact local.
@@davidcurameng Just the facts David :) But you are the future David, not me. Probably you don't believe in vaccinations either? hehe
@@raylopez99 Not sure why you replied twice. Sending best wishes to you old man. I support your decision to get mental help, if so. 🤞
@@raylopez99 what @david curameng means is that he shops places that have products made by or sourced by the people in the area not local as in where the store is actually located. I bet you are the one that gets your the type that thinks everything is a conspiracy.
@@lizaguzman9110 Logic is not your forte Liza. think about what you said, and what local means.
I loved Whole Foods pre Amazon, now that they have gone to this dystopian model of shopping, I won't set foot in one.
I noticed More chemicals in the beauty products now
@@loverofsong9830 really? I assumed it still was. Like 10 years ago I had asked.
Now I don’t ask. Just at the coffee smoothie bar. That really sucks! I’m going to ask today I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not all organic now. 😥
@@tezaratesla4020 If you look at their menus or labels you’ll see whether the ingredients are organic. 😬
@@tezaratesla4020 and HFCS in some of their products; so bizarre!
I worked at WF for about 5 years in the early 2000. We had this thing called gain sharing which was a labour surplus that team members benifted from. So for eg if your department you work for exceeds the profit margin, you distributed the gain sharing amongst the team members. Not sure if they still do that. Now they have merged departments together the customer service and morale have left the building.
they haven't done that since like 2017
No more gains sharing (every end of month)
No more saving pool (every year)
No more team build meetings (every year)
No more NOTHING 😵😵
@@Marroky-0.23 I love the team meeting and the store meeting especially when uk there always food. My friend said they stopped the employee appreciation month where the store would rent out a bunch a food trucks giving employees ticket to get a meal of choice and ice cream
They still doing the TM appreciation week but it's not the same as it was 5 years ago
and they hire cheap labor.
We all must stop falling for these stories and this industrialized countries' rhetoric. It's always about the money (that they want to make) and not about the customer or the environment. That's why I always buy vegetables and fruit at the local Farmers' market, buy the rest at the nearest supermarket, and make sure to buy products that come in glass containers or tin. Also, I always bring my own bags (they live in the trunk of my car) and avoid plastic packaging -all kinds even biodegradable. The real change happens at home and in your head.
Agree, I've been boycotting them not even close to being the Whole Foods it was.
Agreed and we need to shop for everyday goods from local businesses not just food. We can walk to stores and leave our house to drive there, let's spread the wealth around. Amazon has bought out every category of consumer.
I too support Circular Economy, but sadly, few individual efforts won't improve the situation . The government should step in and make some significant changes
I used to really like WF - under Amazon it’s the same as any other grocer but expensive - I stopped going there after years of being a customer. I used the enjoy all the exotic items you couldn’t get elsewhere, but that’s largely all gone now.
Don't you care that they source healthier food options and use less plastic?
@@extraincomesuz- everything in that store is wrapped or contained in plastic.
Are you really saying - "I have a need to feel special. I can't ever be seen as - well, pedestrian. I need that reflected in what's in my fridge - among other things in my life. If you don't help me achieve that goal, you have to go."
@@Mantikal She's saying the food she likes stopped being stocked, you don't have to shove words in her mouth to understand why that'd matter.
By exotic I meant as in something a bit different - stuff you dont get at standard stores. Like some better cheese, some interesting unique flavoured products, some imported items, some nice healthy options that were a bit different to change it up. If I’m just getting the normal stuff (which of course I do) I’d rather spend less at the local Publix. And yes, I’d love less plastic but that has not been my experience.
Is this a sponsored ad for Amazon and Whole Foods?
Never consented to having hundreds of cameras surveil me while shopping. This is the worst timeline possible.
So true. And I prefer people to biometric cameras
Your phone has a camera too 🤷🏻♂️
I mean, you have a camera you carry around with you 24/7.
You also do consent to it by shopping there. It’s private property, they can do what they want.
@@storm7621 wrong, when have you been asked if you consent. Careful with that private property argument especially as it relates to things like food.
@@respawnicon Not wrong.
Think of it on a smaller scale. When you go to someone's house and they have a ring doorbell, security camera, or even indoor security cameras, do they have to request consent? No. You're on THEIR property. The only time someone would need consent is when they're physically recording on YOUR private property and that depends on state/city.
Believe it or not, you can also be freely recorded anywhere in public without consent as well.
I prefer it before Amazon acquisition. I noticed once I had the bad Mochi, breads, cake, food everything was superior before. Quality and soul of Whole Foods is now gone. It’s still a good store but I have found other organic stores and farmers market. I would occasionally go to Whole Foods but not my first choice.
PS : Comments are more informative than the video
What Amazon really bought is data, our movement data
Wholefood minimal wage is lower than Walmart, Starbucks or maybe even target.
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Not enough time was given to the changes for workers. My wife was an employee there before and after the purchase by Amazon. She liked the old Whole Foods and became miserable after they were bought by Amazon.
since Amazon bought Whole Foods it hasn't been the same in my opinion. I liked whole foods because of the international section they had in store. There was pasta you could only buy at whole foods. I haven't been back to whole foods since the buy.
Personally I wouldn't buy from a store if I knew that I was being tracked/staked every step of the way and that every item I purchased was being listed and examined for that info to be sold for profit to manufactures etc..
If you have a credit/debit card that you use while having a mobile phone in your pocket you are being tracked and purchases being listed.
Unless you pay cash and don't use a "price club" card, all major grocers are recording your purchases and selling the info to third party marketers. It started when stores required those "price club" cards to get discounts.
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And at normal stores when you purchase you exchange data anyway and they have surveillance. Plus it could prevent more robberies, Amazon's overhead on the other hand...
When Amazon took over Whole Foods the prices skyrocketed and service went to pot. I will not use the current Whole Foods ever again!
I used to do all my shopping at Whole Foods. I loved the happy employees and the customer focused layout and service. Now they have things like walls around the bakery and employees can't do things like give free samples to reccomend a products. They even closed the nice dinning area for grocery storage. Those are just examples but the feel has completly changed...I never go there anymore.....
Reminds me of the WH CT store
Where is this location?
I never go anymore as well.Its awful
Those changes are all because of Covid
Wah wah cry me a river
Wish Whole Foods held out and never let Amazon buy them out. It had such a golden era.
Listen CAREFULLY -- you spend MORE using autonomous shopping because it separates the experience of using your wallet. Everything is about separating you from your money and getting you to spend more, NOT about convenience.
do follow Sunil Kewalramani on you tube for US market .prediction with 90-95 % Accuracy befor market starts
@@sachinnaik513 he burned my house down while singing baa baa black sheep
@@Jobi. means
@@sachinnaik513 grammer
Ordering online has been the only thing that has kept me alive during this pandemic and I'm sure it has been for those as well who don't have a vehicle or the means to transport themselves. Change can be a uncertain, but there's a lot of good that can come from it. 😊🌎✨
Whole foods has gone downhill since Amazon bought it; fewer specialty items and fewer organic foods. The cheese section is piotifle now. I go more often to Sprouts.
Sprouts is nice
Well said - I agree. Their boxed tea selection reduced by over 50%, now only carrying a small handful of brands. I miss their wide variety of brand options for many products.
I opt to shop at Sprouts.
The prepared food section is not the same.
We basically stopped shopping at whole foods after Amazon acquired them because they kept getting rid of the food that we liked buying. They would replace our favorite brand with either nothing similar or with some other brand we didn't like. We got tired of going to the store every time thinking well I wonder if they're going to have what I'm after today?
Same here.
Where do you find those brands you like that you can no longer find there? I do shop at Whole Foods because they have most of what I look for compare to other available stores but I am also looking for products with less additives etc.
@@Sg-gs my wife goes to sprouts. It's really hard to find them outside that.
@@aaronbono4688 they’re not around where I live. 😩
I used to work at Whole Foods when they started to take over they got rid of a lot of local brands when Amazon bough them. They also took away any extra money that employees would get quarterly if they were under budget for labor
I stopped shopping at Whole Foods just because everyone who worked there was miserable or had an attitude. Just go to Trader Joe’s instead.
Love Trader Joes
You can not pay workers enough money to have a good attitude if they are constantly undervalued, micromanaged, and pushed beyond their capacity. Even a customer new to a given store can immediately tell how the workers are treated!
😃Trader Joe's is my go to grocery store! I also like Sprouts. I will not go to Whole Foods, ever!
Sprouts has great customer service even though many are learning.
@@sandybayes the produce from sprouts is amazing! Trader joe has the best prices on produce and dairy.
As a WFM employee, this reporting is at odds with the employee experience. Take it with a grain of salt.
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Used to be a long time team member, health benefits got worse, stock purchase plans/options went away completely, profit sharing aka gainsharing also went away completely, worse training and opportunities and no hazard pay after June 2020. It was an objectively worse place to work at after the Amazon buyout, maybe not immediately, but it got there.
Amazon is a bad company and it is a net negative for society and just remember that everything including convenience comes at a cost.
I worked there a little before and after the Amazon buyout. It was wonderful for the first bit but turned into a miserable place to work afterwards. OTS and only keeping the best selling items on shelves ruined it. I hate Wholefoods and won’t spend a penny there
I worked for Whole Foods and Core Values went away thanks to Amazon, sad how this company doesn't care and value their employees, anyway my sister in law doesn't shop anymore there, we look for our local farmers even if they are 3 hours away
I spent a decade working for WF just before they got bought out. The vibe has changed. I miss the old energy, I loved working for them. Granted our store was not in an affluent area and it felt much more like an old hippie hangout 🌈 I miss those days a lot.
Anti trust Laws - must not even begin to be in effect one company should not have all that access to information. The fact that people would possible willingly enter a store and pay with their palm is disturbing to me.
Amazon also owns a brick and morter newspaper, IMBD, goodreads, and a whole bunch of other stuff to put fake reviews of their own and manipulate the market. It's insane how much they own to try to influence people.
Headline: Amazon has re-made and ruined Whole Foods.
This story has numerous incorrect statements and omits important facts--some of these are addressed in other viewers' comments, and others are not. I will note just a few.
Before Amazon, Whole Foods had experts operating different specialty segments of the products, such as the cheese department. As a frequent customer, I knew all of these people at the store I go to (Wellesley, MA, a relatively affluent town). These specialists added a great deal of professional expertise, and made the shopping experience more productive (e.g., finding the cheese that you will like) and pleasant. After Amazon took over, all of those experts were terminated and replaced by generic relatively junior and inexperienced salespeople having little if any actual knowledge of the products they were responsible for (e.g., cheese). This video's claims that these replacements are being trained to have the expertise of their predecessors is false (and not just in my store). In addition, the staff (especially the segment specialists) were empowered to give customers free products to try--not just small samples (such as of cheese), but even entire products (an entire chocolate bar, jar of pasta sauce, etc.) It should go without saying that no one at Amazon's WF is empowered to do that anymore.
This video claims that Amazon's WF has increased the availability of local foods. That is an exaggerated distortion. It fails to mention Amazon's termination of one of WF's most interesting features: frequent occasions when the actual producers (farmers, chefs, etc.) of local food products were welcomed to each set up little tables and displays with their wares throughout the store, where they talked with customers and provided samples of their hand-made/hand-grown foods. While a similar experience might be found at some (a minority of) weekend "Farmers' Markets," it is well-known that these markets are dominated by resellers of wholesale foods, and not by the actual farmers/cooks/etc. who made the foods themselves by hand. These WF occasions were especially popular during holiday seasons. Again, to no one's surprise, Amazon terminated this wonderful feature that contributed greatly to making the pre-Amazon WF stores so wonderful.
Every retailer has to balance its variety of products against the quantity and rate of each product's sales. In general, higher-end retailers of every kind tend to have that balance be more toward variety and uniqueness than lower-end retailers. This was always a hallmark of WF--their stores had many food items a shopper would be unlikely to find elsewhere. When Amazon took over, the balance shifted dramatically, and most of the more interesting, unique (and often, more expensive) food items vanished from WF shelves. While a few remain, overall WF product selection is now not much different from regional grocery stores--with the exception (as noted in the video) of a greater emphasis on organic and more healthful (no HFCS, etc.) foods. To make this worse, WF's 365 store brand, while not bad, is routine and does not include unique products.
I will stop here to let my anger at Amazon's WF management subside a bit. But I could tell you about how Amazon changed the WF stores' music to appeal more to Gen Y and Z shoppers, and a variety of other annoying and degraded damages Amazon has made to WF. Maybe I'll come back later when I'm not so angry about it.
I have to drive about half an hour to get to a WF. In the same area is a Wegman's. What you say about department specialists is true at least where I go. The Wegman's has gotten more and more of my business because they have people who know their product area, can answer questions and make recommendations I actually like and enjoy.
Whole foods still does "its on us" to try items. There are also still in store demos, both by vendors themselves and third party reps as well. Demos stopped during the pandemic and have gradually returned. Currently some stores have multiple demos per day or even at the same time. It's true many seasoned Team Members have left Whole Foods, but the automation of buying (in other words marginalization of the "buyer" role) elimination of unique roles like store artist / sign maker, and things like removing benefits for part time employees, and taking away other things like team builds, were all well under way before the acquisition by Amazon. It's true that the selection is more uniform throughout any given region but there are still many things you can only get at Whole Foods. The fact that those organics and brands that used to be harder to find are now in other retailers is a result of Whole Foods changing the landscape of the food retail market, and in the end causing more competition for itself. Many of those brands expanded thanks to success in Whole Foods stores where they were first carried (Liquid Death is a great current example). In other words, wherever you buy that organic vegan gluten free Keto stuff from now, you have Whole Foods to thank that it's there in the first place. Yes, lots of things are gone from Whole Foods, and the palm scanner is VERY creepy, but profits are up. The sad fact is the old Whole Foods everyone loved and misses so much, was not very efficient and really on a downward trend in terms of growth.
I just had my last day as a WF in-store shopper for the amazon orders and it was intense. My supervisors/TLs were so nice, but due to amazon rules we weren’t even allowed to bring waterbottles with us while shopping orders. Sometimes the system would let 80+ item orders go through that we had to complete and have ready within an hour or sometimes half an hour. I always felt overworked and for $15 an hour (around $12 an hour with tax taken out) it was not worth it. Sad because the employees are so nice and I do think Whole Foods does a good job of carrying ethical brands.
It was better being a shopper on Amazon’s side. There was barely any management or micromanaging, we could use PTO whenever we felt like it no questions asked, and when there were no orders we just got to chill.
@@anonymoushuman8443 I always thought amazon shoppers are lazy, I work for that company as a Janitor and I see them just chilling and passing the time inside the bathrooms 🚽
I worked in prepared foods at wholefoods for about 2 months before I got sick of selling frozen food out of a bag for $13/lb and any concerns I had about the food quality resulted in me being “coached”
😂
Funny thing is that Amazon has all my purchasing data, but they've never managed to show me something on their front page that I actually wanted to buy but didn't know it. Massive fail for their algorithms.
You probably browse smart then, and block tracking across web browsing as much as possible. It's ultimately a game of large numbers, averages, and market behavior.
We need local community gardens and stop depending on someone else to feed us, especially when friends of corporations want us to eat bugs while they eat Kosher , we need to know what we are putting in our mouths and our bodies and at least whilst doing so we know what our own Agenda is for feeding ourselves .
As a previous WFM employee before Amazon took over; it was WAY better before the acquisition! The quality has DECLINED RAPIDLY
Why you hatin bro? WF is still the best.
Now I understand what happened to whole foods! I had just recently been back to New York for a visit. I had found that much of the organic food was very limited since i had visited over 7 years ago. The selection of organic meat for example was very limited. I thought it was because of the pandemic. I guess not.
Why the hell would anyone want to use biometrics to pay for anything? 🙄
What's wrong with Biometrics? I know someone who got fingerprinted using Biometrics
*Answer:* Idiots who dont value their _PRIVACY_
🤣🤣
They are grooming us for the mark
@@liberatedluis but that's not the Mark itself. You don't want to confuse the people, the Mark is taking whatever it is on the right hand and in the forehead. Now that might open a can of worms from there
Laziness and naivete as far as I can figure.
I’m conflicted about going to Amazon/WF. WF’s bought out a beloved local Organic Grocery Store in our town, but they kept the butchers and home made sausages. Then Amazon bought WF’s. The prices doubled and for about 6 months they took away the fresh butcher made sausages. It was awful. Now Amazon brought in their own brands and have self checkout. I refuse to use self checkout because if I’m going to pay that much for food I want someone to bag it and carry it out for me. I remain conflicted, but I still shop there because of the butchers. I get my fruit and vegetables from the farmers market and all the other items from TJ and Costco. Everyone carries some Organic food now, and a lot still delivers. Amazon is no longer the new shinny object, especially with inflation the way it is.
Yeah when ur times not valuable you can have someone scan a barcode for you.
They changed all my favorite products in my local WH. I’m very disappointed, and not shopping there very often.
I suppose you want someone to carry into your house and put it away too? You can't just do things yourself? And it's shiny not shinny.
I understand bagging, but of course they aren’t gonna bring it out for you. They aren’t your personal servants
I’ve been to the DC store. It was a strange experience. I had to ask the worker there what I was supposed to do because you walk in the door and immediately, there’s a gate. I had to look for my app. If you don’t have that qr code or app or whatever, you can’t shop. The store is about the size of a 7-11, not very big, but just enough to get some basics. I put a cucumber in my cart. I asked the worker how do they know I put a cucumber in my cart ( I didn’t know about the cameras), and he was like ‘they just know’ which all of a sudden gave me a creepy ‘big brother’ feeling and I looked around suspiciously. There’s a counter if you want to bag stuff yourself, and then you just walk out the gate. It was a very strange experience.
Since Amazon bought it, I no longer shop there. Thank goodness there are many other options in my area.
Whole Foods was ruined by Amazon. It came at the cost of its team members, it’s quality and it’s local foods. You should do a story on how this has affected its work force. It will show how much the company doesn’t care anymore.
This. This. This. Food quality went down. I went elsewhere as such.
This exactly....prices barely went down, but customer service is now horrible and high turnover of employees....before COVID. Better to tell us how much less they pay now
Exactly! I used to work at a WFM and kept in touch with several team members and have heard a lot about things that have changed - and they are not always positive
typical AMAZON bashing at play here. we've been resolute Whole Foods customers for years. our local location formerly Wild Oats Miami Beach has had many of the same employees for decades now. the quality of produce (real food), availability and price has only gotten better. Same goes for Columbus Circle location NYC. Now offering employee discount and incentives for healthy living and merit based upon BMI and other health factors
Agreed. Our local WFM has zero pre-Amazon employees now, all the hot bars are gone, permanently, and the place is literally crawling with personal shoppers, making a visit very unpleasant. They also filled in all the lovely open space in a store built right before the Amazon takeover with shelves, making it much more congested and crowded. I rarely shop there now.
I remember when Whole Foods was a single hippie grocery store. It was huge and had everything. Then it became a place for rich people to buy overpriced "organic" foods and it was nothing but a pretentious scam. How is it any different now that Amazon is in charge?
This video kinda explains how lol
Dude that's literally the point of the video. Did you not watch it?
Why do put "organic" in quotations? Is there a conspiracy involving the "organic" label? 🤔
@@a87nomsirrah35 Yea kinda. Back under GW Bush when Organics started to take a bite out of main like produce the industry had GW push a bill that defined what organic food was. What was once not organic all of a sudden was. A terms definition means whatever it means legislation wise. Its why Vape products have no tobacco tax and tobacco does. It does not meat the definition of that. Its why Tomatoes are considered a vegetable rather than a fruit. The US Supreme Court in 1893 said it was a vegetable. That classification allowed tomatoes to avoid a tax. Consequently that language also was in the language of the League of Nations and United Nations and USDA. Whys all that babble important because the government not what you think define what things are in terms of produce, veggies, anything you eat practically.
@@JA-tr9ze yes. even WalMart got a Calif. law passed three decades ago to allow "organic" to be a lable on food that was less than 50% organic.
Just what I want, cameras watching my every move. That's so creepy.
"Under Amazon prices have dropped" sounds inaccurate. In the things I watch, things like store brand pasta, they went up 20%-40% within weeks after they bought WF.
I was a loyal Whole foods customer. I would bypass the Publix and Kroger near where I luve to go there. However, over the past 3-4 years, I've been very frustrated with the high prices, process of taking away fresh baked goods out of the bakery and doing the baking at their warehouse. The items on the hot bar are constantly the same opposed to previous Amazon days. I'm starting to shop at Publix and Sprouts for more affordable items now. The palm scan also kind of weirds me out for a lot of reasons.
Ya. Highly unnecessary and creepy.
A little perspective on grocery technology: Self-checkout debuted in 1998. And yet, 24 years later, I always see at least one if not two staff members at every self-checkout area. Technology frequently gets things wrong and sensors break all the time.
Trendy Joe's
Also the self-checkout are not able to do age check, at least not yet
Lol also to combat theft
That's how things work, unless we create a self-fix robot haha (which I don't think it's too far)
I used to spend a lot of money at Whole Foods. When Amazon took over many of the quality allergen free food brands I prefer were no longer available. For those products I now shop at Natural Grocers.
As Whole Foods becomes more and more impersonal by integrating this new tech, competition will lean into friendly customer service.
Plus they can data mine your shopping lists, food budgets, etc... Not for me Thanks, but no thanks!
Trader Joe’s is close to a Whole Foods where I live, and I much prefer Trader Joe’s because of how well they treat customers. One time they saw I had a cracked egg and ran somebody back to replace my carton. I once asked them if they had an item I couldn’t find and they went and grabbed it for me. They give my daughter stickers every time she comes with me. It’s a much better experience for less money
We live in one of the wealthiest counties in the US. The premium grocery market is very competitive. I like to describe the premium leaders as Whole Paycheck, King’s Ransom, Arm and a Legman’s, and Uncle Gigaprice (Whole Foods, Kings, Wegmans and Uncle Giuseppe’s). Whole Food looked to be in a great position during the early days of the CoviD pandemic, but it was nearly impossible to place an order. We wound up using Wegman’s curbside pickup, which was very easy and very accessible. Today, the only time we go to Whole Foods is when we have an Amazon return. Most of the people I know get most of their groceries at Costco, as we do. We also have many other options, and use them as well.
The main grocery in my town is Kroger's. Went in once and bought nothing. We have a nice Martin's, a Walmart Grocery and an Aldi. I love the Aldi. It's prices are competitive with Walmart, they have a lot of organic and they have a lot of specialty European things of good quality. I have to go to another town for Whole Foods but I found I liked the Wegman's there much better. Their department people, cheese, fish etc, can really help you. That's no longer the case at WF. The Costco is near the Wegman's so it's an efficient trip.
I shop at WF occasionally but what I’ve noticed about the healthier grocery stores compared a Walmart is that when both stores carry the same brand, Walmart always has the better price. I’ve been noticing that Walmart has been getting more brands that I used to only see at WF and so naturally I’m shopping less at WF and more at Walmart because I want more for my money.. This is what WF has to figure out. How can they compete with Walmart’s prices on the same foods?
A food giant like Walmart could continue taking brands sold at WF stores and selling them cheaper OR they could open specific stores that only carry foods with more wholesome ingredients and there goes a great chunk of WF customers bc the prices will be better at Walmart
Looooooooool whole foods is packed full of rich people who dont bother looking at prices
@@denadonahue3313 I’m certainly not and I know there’s plenty of health conscious working class and college students shopping there
Walmart was always the place id walk out with the most for my money.
Did you WATCH the video?? Amazon wants to dominate the Grocery Space...and will open up at least THREE versions to compete against other Grocery stores, including Walmart. Their Lower Cost stores are taking share from other grocers, including WMart. Their WF stores will continue to primarily be for higher-end shoppers...who simple don't want to go to Walmarts.
Sounds like you fell for the "walmart is for trash people" meme. Keep buying your $20 block of cheese. Your prius might judge you
I live in mobile, Alabama so my location was one of the six stores that got shut down. Mississippi's Whole Foods is still open and ours is closed. I was almost exclusively shopping there for my groceries and I'm absolutely devastated. I hate they ever bought that food chain.
I really miss Whole Foods before Amazon.
I have to admit before Amazon bought Whole Foods I had never shopped at one. The reputation kept me away as we already had Trader Joe’s. Since Amazon’s purchase it is so convenient to shop when I drop of an Amazon return. My wife likes their prepared food. There still isn’t a killer product that draws me to the store consistently.
I find that produce at Whole Foods is a lot better than Trader Joe's
Have you tried their cotton candy grapes? They taste exactly like cotton candy. I don’t go for them consistently but they’re the only reason I go
you keep clapping for your demise buddy
@@SpoilerAlert__ You can also get them at other stores....like Sam's Club, or Costco and at other stores.
"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Matthew 4:17
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also." Matthew 5:38-39•
The classic evolution where hippie turns into yippie, turns into yuppie and into psychopath.
This needed to include more interviews of employees
READ the comments of the employees here!!!
I used to work in a SC warehouse for amazon. I was told bezos didn't want employees to stay to long because he thought people would get lazy and complacent. I'm not sure if this is the same for wholefoods, but now they went through so many people and fired so many and got rid of actual quality employees, who the hell will they hire if they just fired half a city......
Used to shop whole foods often enough but was selective and looked for sales. Stores seemed to go down in terms of quality and morale of the workers after it was taken over. Since then I have shopped there probably 4 times over then last 5 years.
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Big brother watching your every move. Hope people reject this and they have to go back to normal shopping. All this tech is at the cost of employees and they are displacing a persons job, not a good idea. I like tech, but sometimes it can be overload. Another reason why Amazon/Whole Foods like the automation is that machines can't unionize!!!!
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As long as the government dictates a high minimum wage, I expect this kind of labor saving technology to increase.
I left Whole Foods right as Amazon was creeping in. It was a company that drastically lost its way already by that time and anyone thinking they’re supporting or working for a good company is dead wrong. They are truly the epitome of an evil corporation.
Yep. A lot of us left them when they agreed to support gmo's. I'm pretty sure that's they they sold out to amazon -- because they lost so many customers. Now amazon has destroyed it.
I went to the DC store on 14th Street. It all went fine: Priced correctly and there were two of us shopping on one account. The store was relatively small compared to a full-sized Whole Foods. And so they did not have as much stuff as I was expecting. The choices seemed a bit more in line with convenience than “specialty” or “organic.” Getting set up took a little while, but the staff was friendly. It was weird walking out without going to a cash register. I moved out of the city so haven’t been back. If it were 24 hours grocer, then that would have been terrific for me (night owl).
Thank you for this video. We live near the “new” Glover Park Whole Foods and we usually avoid it now.
The previous WF was a community hub, hosted events with other businesses and had lots of specialty items. Now, it feels like a prettier, tech enhanced Aldi but with CCTV everywhere. Everything is 365 Brand and it has so much pre-packaged not fresh items. (no shade on Aldi because they offer good value, they never rep that they are providing a high end experience while Whole Foods brand did in the past).
I feel bad for the employees because it seems stressful to work in that environment. One redeeming thing is that the employees are super nice and the pizza is good. Other than that, we go to Giant, Safeway, Trader Joe’s or a local specialty place called Rodman’s. Local businesses matter 💕
I can not believe all the comments are about the food at Whole Foods etc. Is no one worried about the palm scanner???!!!
Should we be?
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Yeah I am. Mark of the beast
Literally what I was thinking. !!!! The end is near
Why? The internet and GPS already track you everywhere you go and know more about you than your mother! So in the end who cares!
I stopped shopping at Whole Foods the moment it got bought by Amazon, and I have zero regrets.
Where do you go now to get organic?
@@tezaratesla4020 I was going to ask the same thing too
Well where I live every major grocery store has an organic section, but I prefer sprouts and jimbo’s naturally. I also go to farmer markets. There is farmer markets almost everyday of the week around my area, and they sell mostly organic produce. Also, I live in Southern California, so I’m not sure if other areas have these options.
@@Pancho6631 I live I. The Midwest and in my area there are no sprouts. I liked the farmers market too but I realized that a lot of them are not organic like they claimed to be.
You really showed them
I use to work at whole foods before amazon required them. They combined departments, eliminated positions and a lot of people quit. A lot of the culture and community that whole foods brought and promoted was no more. Extremely sad to see what happened the whole foods through my state. I use to be a beer buyer for a pretty popular location and was one of the more enjoying jobs I've had within the industry now before Amazon came into play.
I boycott them since day one, this is not Whole foods
Amazon should let Whole Foods be it’s own entity. The constant meddling with Prime memberships and their data collecting approach is very invasive. Third party data mining isn’t going to attract more customers nor is the “easy check out” biometric camera systems. But knowing how impatient people have become,they’ll comply.
They just want part time employees to stock the shelves and AI tech nerds to maintain the infrastructure. Sadly, this vapid approach for the next generation of consumers will lose touch with where food comes from.
Wah wah cry me a river
I personally like the Prime discounts because they don't have a membership program. Other than that and the reduced prices, I wish Amazon would let WF be more independent
Ironically, Whole Foods is the only grocery store in my area that has people at the checkout. The other stores (Walmart, Tom Thumb) are all 100% self-checkout.
While Foods used to be good.
Ever since Amazon bought them, it has been going downhill.
Anyone else REALLY hope this isn't the future? I feel like we're at a weird place in society where we have so much technology we're trying to force it into all aspects of life. Grocery stores are fine how they are, this doesn't make anything better in my opinion
Agreed
I worked at Whole Foods back in the late 00's. It was a company going through bad identity crisis. Most of its workers were hippies and free spirits, customers were image chasing affluent new-yuppies, and its treatment of workers was out of line with its stated goals. Best thing it had going for me was free health insurance. Ultimately the mediocre pay and out of touch management at my store drove me out of there in just over a year.