> That's such bullshit. The markup at WF is huge. In the bay
> area it's pretty easy to figure out that it's a huge markup
> because there are alternative organic food stores and
> farmers' markets where the prices are much lower. The "Whole
> Foods" phenomenon in the bay area is about having rich white
> people have a place to shop. That's all. They're actually
> pretty disgusting places -- temples to the yuppy body.
Hold your horses, Joanna. I agree that Whole Foods is grossly overpriced because it caters to people who can afford those prices. In fact, I am one of them. However, the reason I am shopping there is not the "organic aura" - as I can get organic products elsewhere at lower prices - but the availability of certain kinds of food that are not available elsewhere. I am a non-anglo-saxon European - I like continental European foods, especially bread and various kinds of cheeses - which are simply not available elsewhere. What you get instead in most grocery stores is the wonder bread style stuff in various packaging and a lot of stuff cured with sugar (including fish!) that may appeal to anglo-saxon/american palate, but I have rather little taste for it. In fact, I hate the US food which has an unmistakable flavour of the proverbial "British cooking" - if it were not for imports and ethnic restaurants it would be difficult for me to find anything to eat, at least with pleasure. When I lived in the New York area, I could easily buy continental European imports in neighborhood grocery stores or bakeries, but that is not available outside NYC. The Bay Area is particularly bad in this respect - the organic "hippie" stores are even worse than Whole Foods - their prices are even higher and they do not have the variety.
So for me, the availability of the food that I like is worth paying the premium, albeit I miss NYC where I could get the same stuff for less. Another thing - Whole Foods is the only supermarket that does not subject its customers to the gauntlet of tabloids, most of them right wing, while standing in a check out line. I really appreciate that experience, albeit I would not necessarily pay a premium for it.
Wojtek