>Who was it that said, "If you're not angry, you're not paying attention"?

Not sure, but Allen Ginsberg said "If you're not paranoid, you're not paying attention."

RMouse: "Liberals just can never be happy. Such angry, angry people."

Who was it that said, "If you're not angry, you're not paying attention"?

::I had never heard of Whole Foods until I moved to Orlando years ago. I went in and thought it looked pretty good so I gathered up a few things and went to check out. I handed the cashier my food stamps and she looked at me and said, " Oh, we don't take THOSE" I asked why, and she didn't know.::

That's seriously messed up. Sounds like there needs to be a grass-roots campaign from disenfranchised WFM would-be shoppers. Another check against the "kinder, gentler corporation". Mark Morford, are you listening?

Whole Foods has a store in Berkeley, CA, where I live. When they first opened here, they promoted the environmentally correct slogan, "Think Globally, Act Locally." I shopped there once to see what they were like. The prices were much too high, and the help was much too presumptuous. "Think Globally, Act Locally" my ass!

I had never heard of Whole Foods until I moved to Orlando years ago. I went in and thought it looked pretty good so I gathered up a few things and went to check out. I handed the cashier my food stamps and she looked at me and said, " Oh, we don't take THOSE" I asked why, and she didn't know. I figured out real quickly that Whole Foods isn't about providing good healthy food for people. At least not for ALL people. My husband and I make enough $ now to shop there, but I wouldn't. Do any Whole Foods take food stamps? Are the owners actually opposed to the food stamp program?
It's also FAR better environmentally to buy local food than "organic" from thousands of miles away. BUY LOCAL!

All of these postings have been wonderful, but I have yet to read the one telling us that after the founders sold out, WFM signed onto legislation diluting organic standards in this country. My guess...for the purpose of selling more whtewashed crap at a higher price to the vulnerable.

Buy your zip/area code folks. There is nothing sustainable about food that is shipped around the world for the consumption of the elite...or anyone else.

Also, alot of brands at Whole Foods are really made by major corporations under other names. Muir Glen is GENERAL MILLS (note the G & M in reverse order). Cascadia Farm is also another one owned by a major corp (I forget which one). There are many others.

Don't be fooled by the brand names at Whole Foods until you research who owns them.

"before you one day you look in the mirror, and see Christopher Hitchens staring back"

Ha !! The ghost of Hitchens will never fade. I havent seen his head pop up in recent times ... maybe its winter and its time to hibernate and become a progressive again !

Whole Foods is certainly elitist. There are clearly differences in ethical practices in food production and consumption. While the produce at Whole Foods may be amongst the best, its 'footprint' like a previous poster said, is of consequence as it affects a lot of people up and down the chain. While it may not be as deceitful as Walmart, its not your local farmers market either. Morfords entire rant seems to be based on the fact that the food quality is excellent and its organic so we should buy it, which works very well if your pockets are lined with $$.

when i was young, a man's word, and a handshake were gold. integrity was a high value. now, nobody gives a shit anymore. sad times.

Wasn't it the Chairman and the CEO of Whole Foods, John Mackey, who said that "The union is like having herpes. It doesn't kill you, but it's unpleasant and inconvenient, and it stops a lot of people from becoming your lover"?

Let's remember this and not be so rhapsodic about Whole Foods. It's a corporation. It's anti-union and anti-worker. It drives worker-owned, locally-run food cooperatives out of business. It is the Wal-Mart of the organic foods business.

In the interest of disclosure, I have shopped at the Madison, Wisconsin Whole Foods, and I wouldn't thumb my nose at people who do.

But their business practices are not the most ethical. And when the store's workers wanted to unionize in Madison, I cheered the organizers on and distributed leaflets for them. If my memory serves me, they were not able to unionize, though.

In other words, I don't care that Whole Foods isn't for everyone. I don't care if you think it's unbearably snooty or too white or subconsciously pretentious or that it caters only to a certain upscale clientele or that you can't buy giant bags of Doritos and four-gallon drums of Diet Coke there."

-----------
I think it's absolutely great to love whole food, but not Whole Foods! Big difference.

"isn't for everyone" Ain't that the truth!

Really, you don't care that most people can't afford to shop at Whole Foods? Well at least you're honest in your elitism. tsk tsk Morford. You're happy as long as you can afford it. Bon appetit, and I hope you don't choke on your words!

Whole Foods, if you can afford it. Let the rest of us eat what exactly?!

Why aren't all foods whole? Is that too much to ask.

Shades of Marie Antoinette in Morford. Too bad, really wasn't expecting to see that.

Rmouse "Liberals just can never be happy".

Exactly, not as long as hypocrisy, exploitation, and warfare dominates our world.

Regardless, Whole Foods has done a lot more than any other conventional grocery store in educating people about health and more sustainable living. Comparing them to Wal Mart is stupid.

Shop at coops, farmers markets and other less nationwide corporate stores but don't act like Whole Foods is some horrible company. They have opened the way for many, many fair trade companies to actually have a market to sell too.

I can shop at whole foods buying bulk food and organic produce and not spend my whole paycheck. Maybe eat less meat or none at all, quit buying prepacked food. Just because they have expensive specialty items doesn't mean you have to buy them. Beans and Rice for days.

Mark:
You are herebye un-forgiven. What happened to the love? I just saw the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, the newspaper you work for. Shameful. Another front page story beating up the homeless. Tomorrow, will probably find either, an "Embedded with the Cops" story, or a Matier and Ross "Ed Jew" special. Either way - beating up on immigrants.

The newspaper you work for, is nothing less than a reactionary rag, dedicated to an un-holy crusade of, constantly attacking the homeless and immigrants, the weakest people in our society, for the benefit of the elites, that you so proudly shop with at Whole Foods.

You cannot simultaneously proclaim to be humane, while you work for a publication, that is inherently in-humane. It would be as if, compassionate, tolerant, caring me, went to work for the State Dept. and handed out loaves of bread to hungry Iraqi Children. My individual act may be generous in spirit, but the people I work for, are nothing less than evil.

Put down the duck sausage and the tawny port, grab a bottle of Jim Beam and a Slim Jim, and come back into the light. Save your soul, before you one day you look in the mirror, and see Christopher Hitchens staring back.

At least move your cubicle as far away from C.W. Nevius as possible.

Ramsay

I live in Austin, and we don't call it 'Whole paycheck' for nada

RMouse October 3rd, 2007 12:08 pm:
Liberals just can never be happy. Such angry, angry people.

Thats a good example of Republican double-speak especially considering how bitter and angry the Reich has been over the last 30 years.

And hateful too. Inhumanly hateful.

On the contrary.....WE ARE A FAMILY.....a family works together and takes care of each other. That interaction in most cases will develop a sense of loyalty, integrity and pride. Although these are abstract emotions they are directly connected with ones well being. Completely different mind set than we have been indoctrinated into.
If one is doing the right job it is challenging, exciting, has purpose and elevates ones sense of self. For the most part we have been taught to think of work the way we thought of school....Work is a dirty word, hard, boring, and subordination to hierarchy. Something we do to get money. We work for things to make us happy. We work for the weekend. We work to push someones else's buttons. I don't agree that a job needs to be stressful.
The best job is the job that is best for you.
Be cautious about the new designer diseases that have been taught. Check out classical homeopathy. The things that are called depression, chronic disease and stress are symptoms, directly connected to the build up of toxic waste in your body.
It is not necessary to think big and compete with the impossible. Tomatoes can be grown in a bucket. Potatoes in a tower of tires.
Growing food is not difficult. It's fun! The earth grows everything endlessly and effortlessly in abundance, when the correct balance and exchanges are made. Take no more than what you need. I think that most of us will find that we need allot less than we think. Just for fun exchange some TV time for learning something, a language playing an instrument, pursuing a discarded dream.
I like to grow food, a neighbor of mine preferred her kitchen! I grew basil, tomatoes, and sweet hot peppers. She canned them. We shared the products of our joy!
I know a woman who dances in a strip club. She doesn't drink, smoke, do drugs, have sexual contact with the patrons. She follows a Buddhist philosophy in her life habits and considers herself an entertainer or a temple virgin (unmarried womyn). She takes her work seriously as an art, works out, practices yoga daily and makes a good living. She enjoys her work. Her audience is lifted by her attitude....at least a little! Her friend, goes to work under duress, she dances for the money because she thinks she can do nothing else. She drugs and drinks to make it thru the night. Her circle of health will close like a noose around her neck Her body will sicken her so she doesn't have to dance anymore. The same way womyn who are raped often get obese. The body fights back against the things that are killing it. Every small change we make in our thinking and lives can become inspiration and contagious. For the good of all Cat.

I just read an article where Mackey was called an anarchist by a former colleage....

Yeah, that's common among the Wired-Mag reading, "libertarian", capitalist-ass-kissing, CEO-lovers. Since they believe government should cease to exist and be replaced by corporations, they fancy themselves as "anarchists". Roll over Bakunin and Emma Goldman!

They were once calling the CEO's of Verizon and ATandT "anarchists" too...

Something no one is talking about in this whole discussion - is that Whole foods and the somewhat elitist "organic movement" overall os creating a two-tier food system - wholesome food from whole foods or the increasingly yuppified co-ops for the rich, chemical-laden crap for the poor.

Like health care, healthy food should be right, not something for the bourgeois to buy at a premium price. Unwholesome food should not be on the shelves at all.

As a longtime resident of Austin, Texas, where Whole Foods originated, I had some opportunity to watch it grow and evolve. I believe that those above who claim progressives who go to Whole Foods are "being played" are right on the money.

As some have commented, their labor practices were originally atrocious, but they have modified them over time in response to concerns. What was sad was that they could always get young people to work for them, no matter how poorly they were paid or treated, because the young people considered it "cool" to work there.

Austin was and is a fairly progressive town, with more superficial progressives (it's so "cool" to be green or vegan, so have sex with me because I am "cool", etc.) than substantive progressives, and the creators of Whole Foods saw a wonderful business opportunity to take advantage of the superficial and gullible. They tweaked and manipulated the traditional business models for grocery stores to appeal to a certain clientele, one that existed in large numbers in Austin and that was not being catered to. There is absolutely no reason to believe that those who run Whole Foods hold any progressive values, as they just do everything they can to build a particular image to sell to a particular set of consumers, and they have been very successful at it.

I shopped at Whole Foods for a couple of years, and then I felt I was "being played," and have rarely gone in there for the last two decades.

I just read an article where Mackey was called an anarchist by a former colleage. The world's first anti-union, capitalist anarchist. Amazing!

This is just a market and he just happens to be exploiting it -- even if he really does care. At the current rate the entire economy will become responsible roughly...never. Until it becomes cheaper to do things the way Mackey does, there will never be fundamental changes. It's a start, yes, but why should we even have to put up with it in the first place? If this was a democracy we could decide what gets produced and how, democratically. So much for Mackey's supposed "anarchist" principles.

wow...you just made alot of assumptions and judgments based on very little context...i wont do the same...

Dear cloudyconnotation,

I have the impression you are young and have not been in the real working world very long. During the 10 months you worked for WF, you had time to take care of your two conditions, IBS and depression. I have both conditions, as well as a host of others that are not so easily dealt with.

When you have a bout of IBS, the first thing to do is eliminate insoluble fiber from your diet and eat plenty of soluble fiber. Stress management is important in managing both depression and IBS. Most people's jobs are stressful, but they learn stress management skills to deal with life. I have worn many hats during my lifetime, and every job I ever had was stressful, in some way or another.

To deal with depression and panic attacks, I went to a psychiatrist, counselor, and support groups. I joined a gym. I did volunteer work and joined a church choir. Meditation, music, nature, and laughter are healing. Zoloft manages my panic attacks wonderfully. Talk therapy helped me obtain a proper perspective on my work relationships and other relationships.

Excessive absenteeism cannot be tolerated by any employer. It also is not fair to co-workers who have to take over your workload when you are out with a bellyache. Sometimes a leave of absence, like FMLA, is necessary for serious matters like surgery, an accident, maternity leave and similar situations.

You will find most employers are not even as tolerant as WF. One plant manager told me I needed a part-time job when I asked to have the afternoon off to take my sick child to the doctor many years ago. Since my husband was on salary, we decided that he would take our child to the doctor, dentist, etc. I was fired from my last job because of absenteeism due to a life threatening heart condition. There was no doubt about that since I went into cardiac arrest on the job. Two employers told me they did not hire people not able to do their job. I am now on disability.

You can deal with IBS and depression. When you have health problems you cannot deal with, THEN file complaints about your treatment. And just wait until you are eligible for age discrimination! I could tell you horror stories about sexual harassment and hostile workplaces, but I will spare you.

Do not expect to be treated like family by employers. Just give them an hour's work for an hour's pay and work on staying healthy. Avoid pity parties and consider others who are more unfortunate.

BTW, I have never shopped at a Whole Foods store. :)

Best wishes,
Dory135

the contempt for your fellow shoppers at whole foods is a dead giveaway..let people be.. let them have faults.. perky hairdos and a lack of class conciousness.. whiteness.. hating on them is a waste of energy. you say you dont care but given this article i think you do. should i look for you in the warm gently scented self help aisle near the relaxation spritzers biting your nails trying to decide if your still down with the working class if you take a whiff?

Grow your own veggies. Then you'll know it's really organic and you won't have to worry about unethical labor practices because you will be the labor.

An Update to New Food Rules......

Rule 1b: never eat or drink anything out of a can.

O.K, O.K, I,ll provide the link for this one since it's funny: "ARRRRRH! Grog From Cans Sucks!"

http://www.barking-moonbat.com/index.php/weblog/comments/arrrrh_grog_from_cans_sucks/

Why is this article on Common Dreams? Did it come from the Whole Foods PR department? I can't wait for next week's important story, "Good Lord, Could Ikea BE Any More Fantastic?! I've Wet My Pants!"

A mega-corporate, global approach to food is unsustainable and dangerous, exaccerbated by cozy, look-the-other-way
relationships between CEOs and politicans. Although organic and sustainable might be two different subjects, John Mackey has done important work to support a wholesome, diverse food supply and small farmers without whom, who knows what might be sold to us as so-called "food" brought to us by agribusiness, the chemical-industry, bio-tech firms that fuss with genetic material even though long-term affects of eating the stuff are unknown.

City dwellers, in particular, are vulnerable to food dependencies and would be wise to take responsibility for making smart, healthy, local-food choices. And, on a similar subject, unless there's a compelling reason for it, please stop buying bottled water, the choice for which has done massive harm. (foodandwaterwatch.org)

The "anti" Whole Foods article in mainstream media is, in my view, suspect. Some agribusiness CEOs might be grumpy that Mackey has succeeded in identifying a niche and taken a piece of market share. Corporate-owned media has its golf pals and self-serving agendas that probably aren't at all friendly to Whole Foods.

Could we please do our homework on the subject of food, not only for ourselves and good health, but also for future generations who are going to need farmland and farmers to farm it, not more parking lots and malls?

For some preliminaries,see www.coopamerica.org/programs/rs/

Cat October is dead-ball right on.

"your vote is your dollar"

And I hate to be the one to tell you all this, but a number of articles have come out exposing the breech of trust in organic labeling...... many of it's source foods come from the same e-coli cement slaughterhouses, Frankenfood gene splicing, and homone/antiboitic pumped diary cows standing in knee-high shat.

Yep, I knew that bombshell wouldn't be popular, and I'm not really here to depress you good people so I won't even provide the google link.... but you can easily read about it if you want to.

New Rules:

1. If it's wrapped in plastic, or processed in any way, don't eat it. The chain of custody is uncertain for this food product, since it passed throught the wharehouse of Big-Box CEO cost controls.

2. There are no exceptions to rule #1

3. If unsure about a green/healthy slab of colored heathfood, refer to the above rules.

I know, I know...

Big Business War is Hell

I'm too irritated to even think.

Everyone is getting closer and closer to what the truth is....but still the banter bad guys good guys.....If the store is filled with packaged processed shit...that's just what it is! Easy huh?
The closer your food is to it's source the better. The least amount of processing is best. Eating less is also a big one...
.
We as a nation are gluttons.

Watch the commercials on TV. The Big Gulp. The Big Mac, even Subway has a health sandwich that could feed a family of four!
Whole foods could not survive if people were not so gullible and habitual.

A friend used to like to go to Starbucks....Every time we went we got poor service and the coffee was lousy. So we stopped going....easy we stopped going....We now visit a little cafe in a cellar that serves great coffee in real china with small sweets baked in house. We pay a fair price for the quality we recive. We eat less and we enjoy it more....
Now lets go to something much bigger....your vote is your dollar. That's all we have now to change the wind. It's what they feed on. Our security as individuals depends not on our government, or those that run it, the banks the corporations, and who ever else is hiding behind the mirrors and smoke. No one needs to have that explained at this point the government is no longer working for us. It is no longer even pretending to work for us. "By their acts, they shall be known"
Small farms everywhere providing clean food is vital to local survival. A respect for simplicity . Having less makes us more! We are driven like molecules in a microwave back and forth until our brains are deformed. Grow your own, get with the local farmers. Get off the corporate/government tit.
Walk, ride a bike ride a horse....
Let them eat their Genetically Molested Atrocities!

They will fight back with fear of course. Is their any doubt that they won't resort to poisoning your food, water and air....any doubt? Obesity in this country is a result of starvation. There is not enough nutrition in the garbage on the shelf to feed you so your body craves more. When enough has been consumed to satisfy the vitamin and mineral needs you have also taken in more fats, sugars, salts, and carbs than your life style can unload so it gets packed away along with the toxins.
Check out a magazine called ORION and a man named Wendell Berry.
I am poor but I eat well, because I eat live foods. Whole grains...If it won't sprout it's dead. Fresh and dried organic fruits. Fresh vegetables in season. Rarely Dairy and no meats of any kind... "If it fights back it's not food" I have not been to a doctor in at lest 20 years and when something goes out of balance I use herbs and homeopathic remedies. We must all learn to take care of ourselves now. Then we can take care of each other. And maybe if we can do that, we can cure these degenerate beings that spend their lives lusting insatiably after more without ever having enough. This is what our leaders, banks, corporations, military, stock markets have become, Parasites! They are not so much the problem as the symptom of a weak society.

Whatfools:

What's wrong with milking the rich? I think it's a great idea.

If they want to pay five dollars for a liter of water, or ten for a bowl of gumbo, why shouldn't some good people take their money?

Eventually thanks to the widespread growth of social democracy, the economic disparities so prevalent today will fade away and everyone will have plenty.

EGAD

"Is there room on the market for yet another high-priced water in a designer bottle? How about one whose source is in a pristine but ecologically threatened environment? Florida businessman Jeff Moats believes so. Early next year, if a factory and production line are completed on time, his $12 million privately financed startup plans to start selling a superpremium brand of water called Equa in upscale restaurants and trendy food stores like Whole Foods Markets (WFMI)."

ummmmmm..never heard of whole foods..do i get to log 3 extra days for knowing??oh well never been in a wall mart, costco, starbucks..ummm could live forever should i wonder into such places.umm never had a mcdonalds hamburger..should i??

btw i live by the rule that one gets 3 extra days (life ya know) for doing something new..i am not sure i want them...
ken

"Mark, I'm going to forgive you, it's obvious that you wrote that peice when you were hungry"

Ha !! Hunger can cloud your judgement .. trust me. Either that or his latest batch of 'mendocino purple mountain' was tainted.

>wi-fi

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10463870

gchap33--what is the difference between New Seasons and Whole Foods? I live on the coast, and on the few occasions I'm in Portland, I shop at New Seasons.

I won't say this is strictly a SF Chronicle puff-piece, but on the other hand, I don't think it came straight from the Green Gulch Farms, or even the horse pasture by Muir Beach.

It seems to me the only people who, presently, need Whole Food's golden cornucopia, are those insecure enough to fear they won't be selected for the Soylent Green A-Team.

Who can blame them.

If you had to choose between eating your ground-up friends, neighbors, and heaven-help-us-all relatives, or, munching, ever-so-elegantly, on even Whole Foods exclusive line of chartreuse lima beans, which would you choose?

Of course, regardless of Mr. Morford's framing, it's really not petrochemical engineered crops or WF.

For example, if we just took half the undocumented gardeners in half our cities and towns and had them tend lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, berries, etc., instead of blue hydrangeas, or red clover, we wouldn't need either a Whole Foods or a puff-ball of any hue.

In San Francisco, of course, the crew would have to be unionizied, just like all those guys standing out on Ceasar Chavez Boulevard, waiting for the gyspy contractors.

It's wrong to call wfds "expensive".

Their basic peasant foods - like these organic bulk items: dry beans, rice, veggies, bread, cornmeal, nutritional yeast, falafil, pnut butter, granola, honey, nuts, etc... are priced very close (sometimes less) than what my natural foods co-op - wheatsville charges. Their prices on those things are also about the same as what the major supermarkets in Austin (HEB) charge. Somethings cost a little less, some a little more.

Also, WFds is more generous with samples than anyplace i've seen, has wi-fi, and nearly enough comfy places to sit and eat after shopping.

Go organic! Everyone deserves clean, pesticide/chemical free food!!!

Maybe some of you angry progressives would have fewer issues in that arena if you would eliminate the pesticides (non-organic veggies) and any animal flesh from your diet.

Whole Foods, Inc. is basically of, by and for the beast capital. We're better off shifting our individual exchange/association away from far-flung capital and toward our local economies/communities. We can petition our city councils to bar entry of far-flung capital to local markets. A great solution to the food crisis in the United States is the expansion of ethnic markets. These generally provide far superior nutritional value. Ethnic markets supplied by local farmers seems like the best model for city dwellers who don't wanna grow their own.

Noooooooooooooo! They got Mark Morford! Sex, Money, Power, couldn't tempt Mark, it took Duck Sausage? Morford sold his soul for Sausage! Bye the way, what the hell is grass fed lube?

Mark, step outside the store, turn around, and take a good look, what do you see? A Box! That's right, it's just another box, you could take down the Whole Food sign and stick-up a Walmart, or Costco, or Target sign. Same damn box - same damn principle.

It's like I keep telling Al Gore. "Know what it means, when you work for a C.E.O, who wears jeans? You work for a C.E.O who wears jeans. He's still a C.E.O." Al makes his money working for C.E.O.s, Google and Apple, who are busy selling out the American middle class in their jeans.

Mark, I'm going to forgive you, it's obvious that you wrote that peice when you were hungry. Add hunger to the list of conditions, high, drunk, angry, under which you should abstain from writing.

Somebody, anybody, please take Mark down to the farmers market at the Ferry Building this weekend, before we find him wandering the aisles of REI, mumbling to himself "hmm, $200 Gortex Socks, cool."

Radoheb

I usually like Mark Morford's articles, but this is the worst. Whole Foods is an anti-union company that pays the majority of its "team members" mediocre wages. They also fight like hell any efforts at unionization, using duplicity and intimidation to keep workers from exercising their democratic rights. Read the account I wrote for Dissent magazine (Winter 2006) of what the company did in Madison when employees voted to unionize. This is not a company that "cares about the community."

It's not accidental that Mr. Mackey is a great admirer of Wal-Mart. Birds of a feather.

I usually like Mark Morford's articles, but this is the worst. Whole Foods is an anti-union company that pays the majority of its "team members" mediocre wages. They also fight like hell any efforts at unionization, using duplicity and intimidation to keep workers from exercising their democratic rights. Read the account I wrote for Dissent magazine (Winter 2006) of what the company did in Madison when employees voted to unionize. This is not a company that "cares about the community."

It's not accidental that Mr. Mackey is a great admirer of Wal-mart. Birds of a feather.

Most organic farming is necessarily small scale and labor intensive. It doesn't work well as mechanized monoculture. It is not only good people and small organic farms, but for the land and for species diversity.

Whole foods is a corporation responding to the recent rise in demand for organic food. As demand spreads and it becomes locally available, it's prices should come down.

All input including transportation distances and energy consumed to get it to market should be factored in as they should be when the sound environmental practices of organic farming are followed. This would help local small farmers.
One can envision organic farmer's markets sprouting up with cheaper, fresher locally grown organic produce available directly from small farmers.

Meantime, eating organic food is good for EVERYONE and for the environment, regardless of class. We can be thankful that organic food is catching on regardless...

WE JUST WITNESSED YELLOWMAN IN CONCERT IN CLEVELAND LAST NIGHT - NOT AN OUNCE OF FAT ON THIS JAMAICAN RAGAMUFFIN LEGEND -

LET'S FACE IT, WE EAT VERY UNHEALTHILY -
THE BIBLE AND THE RASTAS BELIEVE IN THE ITAL DIET - NO CANNED FOODS - NO FISH LARGER THAN 12 INCHES - NO SCAVENGERS - NO PORK - NO BEEF - NO CHEMICALS - NO ADDITIVES - NO ALCOHOL (hello, America ??)

THIS IS WHERE I AM HEADING, IN THE HUGE FOOTSTEPS OF KING YELLOWMAN - SO, MY SHOPPING WILL BE AT WHOLE FOODS, BUT MY OVERALL BILL, AND CONSUMPTION, WILL BE MUCH LESS THAN...............YOURS !!!!!!!

BE WELL - EAT BETTER - LIVE MUCH SIMPLER - TIGHTEN JAH JAH BELT, FELLOW AMERICANS .

A few more facts to add:

Whole Foods buys several brands from a company called AgMart, which staffs a convicted slaver. Immokalee labor contractor Abel Cuello, Jr. was convicted of slavery in 1999, but was hired by AgMart in 2004. The list of other problems with AgMart is long. They have been completely unresponsive when confronted about this issue.

Furthermore, many of their "social justice" initiatives are incredibly weak. Whole Foods self-enforces many of their policies to support workers in the Global South, which experts have said to be meaningless. I wish I could give more details on this point, but they escape me and I can't find my source.

"Profit margin must meet certain goals, not over or under, to satisfy share holders! "

Absurd.

Whole Paycheck.

Philadelphhia has three co-ops. Columbus has one. Even Lexington Ky. has a large one. They're more common than many think if they would just get out of the suburban hinterlands.

And, Mr. Morford, SF has two, and there are six in the greater Bay Area.

Go here:

http://63.134.236.176/jim/food.coop.html

Hi,

I saw your article on Whole Foods, thought I would respond; this is also going out to the comments section for the reprint on commondreams.org.

The thing that concerns me the most about Whole Foods is the same thing that concerns me about any large-scale corporate enterprise - namely, what is its footprint? While co-ops, small business, et. al. being driven out of existence by Whole Foods (and in no small part, of a larger national-level pattern of gentrification) is a travesty in my view, it also beats being driven out by WalMart, albeit as part of that same process of skyrocketing rents and boutiqueifying neighborhoods. As such, when yet another Organic Merlot Behemoth muscled its way in down the street from me, I less than reluctantly gave up my spot in the ever-growing checkout line at locally-owned mini-shopolith Berkeley Bowl, and got in line with the teeming aged Stilson hordes. (I'm hard pressed to feel guilty about abandoning shopping at an outfit that hires union-buster consultants and proudly displays a section for Israeli-manufactured foods, as if either were some kind of "fuck you, Berkeley" red state badge of courage. Smallish is sometimes anything but beautiful.)

Nevertheless, when I think about Whole Foods, and the whole touchy-feely gentle corporate giant demi-trend, what I can't shake is this feeling that we're being played. If we are to listen to the mandate coming On High from Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, it's as if our choices are simple: Borders or Amazon? ITunes or Napster? (Rudy or Hillary?) Nary a co-op or local business in sight, save as occasionally funneled through the gaping maw of national or multinational industry. This strongly resembles the same shell game that the Democrats - as in the DNC - uses on "the left" incessantly; namely, "Vote for us, because we're not the Republicans." It's a sad state of affairs when we're being told that democracy equals "You must take the Soma - but cheer up, at least you get to choose which flavor you gulp down." Perhaps we can all be biometrically scanned for Red (Sam's Club for Freedom!) or Blue (Starbucks for smooth jazz!) upon entrance to the bar-coded gates, in the interests of "efficiency and convenience"...meanwhile, everything from unionization to community managed infrastructure is off the table, apparently for good, if the message being conveyed is any indication. We all should be extremely wary of any formula that factors out to Big Brother in the end, in my view - even if said Smiling Overlord promotes 25% local and works for $1 a year.

Furthermore, the natural foods industry as a whole has become little more than a means for agribusiness to promote their agenda; for example, Hain Celestial (investors include Philip Morris, Monsanto, Citigroup, Exxon-Mobil, Wal-Mart (yes, Wal-Mart)), Cascadian Foods (a division of General Foods), Odwalla (Coca Cola), Boca Burger (Kraft), and so on. The natural foods market is a multi-billion dollar sector of the multi-trillion dollar food/agribusiness industry, and just like health care, education and other essential needs, it's extremely profitable. Imagine however if Whole Foods decided to not march lockstep with the brand bullies, and instead, committed themselves to promoting local products, consensus-run workplaces, and divested themselves from this pernicious model that is doing nothing less than threatening life on this planet. While the cynic in me may quip that they would last no longer than a New York nanosecond, consider the alternative that we all are faced with, as the ice caps continue to melt, species die off by the thousands, and we are left with a probable future that even the most skeptical of scientists are sounding the alarm over. Regardless of what personal altruistic motivations may or may not drive organizations such as Whole Foods, their inference of being a viable alternative to agribusiness and the oil industry is a bit like Congress presenting itself as a sound alternative to Blackwater.

On the other hand, if corporations continue to consolidate, and the dollar continues to drop, maybe the "huge sucking sound" that the Ferengi-like Ross Perot referred to god knows how long ago will not be emanating from Mexico -- but in fact, will be the sound of US capital disappearing into the world's largest economic sinkhole. In which case, maybe we'll all wise up, ditch all these vatos and take a cue from Argentina, of the "Que Se Vayan Todos!" style. Until then, I promise not to cut you off in the strategically atmospheric green-tinged rows, in a mad scramble for the weekly cheese special. $4 a pound, such a bargain...

solidad decosta
author, performer, constant troublemaker

PS: Rockin' column on Iraq. Keep it up. s.

The accounts of some of the ex-employees here are interesting. This whole "Team" concept used in Whole Foods seems to be a clever psychological engineering technique. Through generous use of the most potent of all human emotions, shame, the employee is indoctrinated to ignore their real interests and particularly any solidarity with fellow employees, in their dedication to their team and firm.

It's similar to the US army or marines...

When Whole Foods came to our town one of the local co-op stores closed. Ultimately relying on benevolent capitalism will have it's limits, what is given can be taken away. Food co-ops are not the end all and be all of economic alternatives, but they are a fledgling practice in democratic economics. They lack scale and this makes them vulnerable to large corporations. Another world is possible and that world could have a democratic economic system. Until one worker one vote or one member one vote whole foods is not there.

It is, however, okay to love Mark Morford!

And, if you really want to love/hate someone, check out Central Market in Dallas. Not only are the eight stores incredible in design, selection, surprises, home cookin', etc, but they are proudly pretentious. And no aisles.

Zubsin:
I live in Portland too, and the there are two co-ops that have a ton of local produce: People's Co-op on SE 21st and Food Front in NW on Thurman St.
Both of these co-ops go out of their way to get local, organic produce delivered year round. People's also has a local Farmer's Market on Wednesday afternoon from 2-6pm.
These place deserve our support more than WF does.

Once upon a time there were, even in places like Philadelphia and columbus, Ohio....

Whoa! Are you accusing Philadelphia of being some kind backwater?

according to this site: http://63.134.236.176/jim/food.coop.html#pa

There are three food co-ops in Philly. And one in Columbis. Even Lexington, Kentucky has a nice large one which I frequented when I lived there.

All their web sites are up and current so they seem to be in business.

bidelo,

What you were seeing in Stollel's Mackey intervie is called "market fetishism" a absolutely ludicrous tendency to see all things as competetive markets.

Medicine, along with some other things like civil engineering, are (or supposed to be) professional services - services that people hang their very lives on and so qaulity-price tradeoffs would be positively immoral. No one with a serious cancer is going to shop for a bargain-oncologist, or say, bargain-priced gamma-knife radiation treatment. They rely on their doctor's competency and judgement to be sound and not related to their fees in any way. in fact, competing on the basis of cost is prohibited by the professions's cannon of ethics!

patrickballotintegrity, what part of government isnt corrupt??

since the Corrupt S.E.C. ok'd the acqusition of Wild Oats
I boycott Whole Foods

Oh my god but the liberals are angry at whole foods.

Once upon a time there were, even in places like Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio, cooperatively run, organic/local producer focused grocery stores. Those that didn't die of attrition and lack of commitment were supplanted by Whole Foods and their ilk: corporate greenwashing. Whole Foods, like Starbucks, talks a good game, but is telling fibs. It's anti-labor, far less green than it claims, prices out the poor, and presents a consumer-choice model of social change that is a distraction, even a barrier, to the kinds of local organizing and alternative institution building that at one time were a big part of the counterculture.

Don't shop at Whole Foods. Go to local producer's markets if they exist. Reduce your use of packaged, branded products, opt instead for bulk and other non-branded goods when you can. Better yet, start a grocery co-op with people in your community, and use it to cut costs, support local producers, and build relationships in your area.

Nothing's perfect, yeah, but Whole Foods is just a big green lie.

As a former WFM Team member, I'd say that the folks who think they've found a grocerytopia are as wrong as people who consider John Mackey the anti-Christ.

WFM is a corporation that has learned the profitability of fulfilling the desire of a great portion of the population to be socially-conscious, savvy, healthy consumers.

The up-side is, their success puts pressure on other chains. Would Kroger have organic produce or a 'natural foods' section if someone hadn't demonstrated you could pad your bottom line doing it? Probably not.

The down-side is that, like a Republican senator, when you set yourself up as a model of righteousness, the inevitable revelations of hypocrisy just make you look all the worse.

John Mackey, who recently got outed as the laughing-stock he really is, has his own PR wing at WFM. Reams of press has him 'branded' as a 'maverick' with a 'new way of doing business'. In fact, he's a libertarian fundamentalist who hates unions so much he fought stocking (highly profitable) fairly-traded items until his customers wouldn't let him not do it.

In fact, WFM is simply busy all day doing what they can to increase profits for shareholders, because that's the function and legal fiduciary responsibility of every corporation. They pull the same skummy trix and hire the same greasy lawyers as the Waltons.

Notice that there was a big marketing push around their new 'Animal Compassion Standards' but no similar assurance of 'Farmworker Compassion Standards'. If you're a WFM shopper, be sure to email John Mackey and ask him when *that* program will be starting.

Peach McD in Durham NC

ps. y'all should know by now that the F500 listing of 'Best to work for' companies is SELF-NOMINATED. The company solicits and rewards glowing testimonials for months to get that rating. Wal-Mart is on the same list, kids.

I saw John Mackey being interviewed by the right-wing propogandist, John Stossel, on ABC. They used a ridiculously childish analogy to try to take down tax-funded healthcare. They imagined that groceries were free, so everyone would go to Whole Foods and get the best salmon as opposed to that mediocre stuff at Safeway. Same with healthcare: because it would be "free", people would demand the most expensive treatments possible, who cares? It's free right? OK, Mackey, explain why everybody else pays 50% as much as America and manages to cover everyone.

some please tell me that this is all tongue in cheek!!!!! pure sarcasm!

Cloudyconnotation - Wow, your letter could have been written by my friend who was also a team leader and had a medical issue and was treated the same demeaning way by Whole Foods. She got back 5 minutes late from a doctors appointment, and, since they were already hostile about her illness, she was fired. She had been working there for years, too. After she left, she could finally heal. She didn't realize how much the stress at Whole Foods was effecting her mental and physical health.

I am guilty of shopping there. Reading all your comments is motivating me to drive a few more miles to the Co-Op. The Farmers Market is on Wednesday mornings when I work so it's rare I make it there -- but when I do, I askew buying my veggies and fruits that week from WF.

You are all right. I saw Whole Foods move in right near the Co-op in another city. They could have started anywhere, but they chose the Co-op's territory. I knew when WF started and gobbled up all the Mrs Gooches and the Bread and Circus and now Wild Oats, it was nothing more than another corporate monster.

There's really just a basic algorithm here:

1) Buy direct from a local grower if you can (we have an excellent Farmer's Market in St. Paul Minnesota).

ELSE

2) Buy from an employee-owned co-op if you have one.

ELSE

3) Buy locally-produced food at the lowest price you can get it.

ELSE

4) If you live in a region which doesn't produce much, or don't have stores which sell local foodstuffs, then try to shop at a locally-owned mom&pop grocery. At least more of the profits will remain in the community.

ELSE

5) Perhaps consider shopping Whole Foods.

I have read, and believe, all the negative information about the Corporation - as in everything else we have to make choices. I shop at the Portland Oregon area WF stores and find they have lots and lots of LOCAL and LOCAL ORGANIC produce, meat and poultry. I can buy these product no where else that I have searched. As a foodie and wannabe home chef as well as a greenie going to WF is like buying my Honda Civic not the hybrid. I did the research and it works for me. And while some other local grocers have stepped it up a bit they don't come close to the WF support of the local producers. And yes it cost me more but so does real fair trade coffee and tea. And I hope it means more money to the local producers. I don't shop at WMT for good reasons and I do shop at WF for good reasons. liberal as the come....dlz

"Yes, maybe I've just been suckered in and drunk the organic Kool-Aid."

That you have my friend. Walk down to Rainbow Grocery which isnt too far and plonk down your hard-earned yuppie bucks to a real co-op that really cares. Yeeesh ... the 'City' has gentrified beyond belief !

Oh ... while you are at it stop writing for the stupid Chron and contribute to the SF Bay Guardian instead. Your talents are wasted.

I personally worked at a Whole Foods for 10 months, here is my resignation letter, maybe it was just my location, maybe not though...

Human Resources,

It is with regret that I tender my resignation within two weeks of today, Saturday, May 12th, 2007. I am at a point of my life (and I was when I first joined Whole Foods) where I am trying to figure out what to do with myself and for my community. Given my personal values and lifestyle, and given the marketed image of Whole Foods, I thought it would be a perfect fit.

Unfortunately also around this time, I have been going through some personal health issues, all of a related nature and recognized by my Doctor. I have been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) (of which my team leaders have been made aware of) and I am seeing a Psychologist for depression (which I just started doing recently).

One would think that given the image Whole Foods Markets sells itself as and its own 'core-values', that they would be a compassionate company towards employees with illness of any nature. I have not found this to be the case. In my time at Whole Foods Markets, I have personally experienced harassment from team leaders in one department (regarding calling in sick with IBS flare-ups) and a couple of months later, actually last week, I was treated with nothing but contempt and openly accused of deceit in another department (my current one, Whole Body) for calling in sick the Friday of an inventory weekend; After I already informed my team leader that I was at the doctor's office and that I had a note explaining the situation. She nonetheless asked me if I "planned this".

The reason I called in sick so late was because I was late getting in from the Doctor's office, where I was discussing my very frequent suicidal thoughts. I came home crying and not in any condition to drive 30 minutes to work, let alone work in the wellness department for eight hours. I dropped off the Doctor's note during my shift the very next day (Saturday). Having dropped off my Doctors note requesting my shift reductions, I have never been apologized to for how I was treated on the phone or asked how I was doing by my Team Leader. My TL has never sought to discuss the note or these issues with me. On Monday when the TL was leaving for the day they told me that they had seen the note, but had still not read it.

These issues were first addressed in a confrontational manner by my Team Leader and one of the Assistant Store Leaders in a closed room where I was called up unknowingly, half way through my shift, shortly after the HR person went home for the day. I was asked to sign a report against myself for calling in late for a sickness- less than an hour before my shift. I informed the ASTL of how I was treated on the phone (my TL denied saying the things they said).

I also informed the ASTL of the reason why I was late calling in sick….the ASTL took the TL's position, explaining the pressures they are under, especially during inventory. I agreed to this, I needed no explanation as to why my TL would have been inconsiderate towards an ill team member: In fact, this is when I explained what I thought to be the reasons why a TL would act in such a manner and why my previous TL acted in a similar manner and why I have witnessed negative attitudes towards others that call in sick.

I explained that in my opinion, it could benefit the company to hold itself to the image it likes to market itself as and truly care about team members, customers and community first and inevitably the products will sell and the store will sustain; but as long as the emphasis is on production and up-selling, there will always be a negative attitude towards those suffering from illness.

It was at this point that I was informed by the ASTL that if 'I was not happy there then I should leave', my TL agreed and suggested I apply to a smaller 'mom and pop' store. Being told "if you are not happy then leave" is an awful thing to say to a person who has just disclosed that they are depressed. It is this attitude that causes me anxiety when I am feeling unwell.

I said that there were many things I liked at Whole Foods Markets including all my team members (even the ones I have had negative experiences with, everyone in the store is an amazing person) but I still have my critiques and I thought I was holding leadership to the image that I thought they were selling. Both my TL & ASTL continued to suggest I leave.

By telling people who have concerns about how they are treated that they should 'leave if they are unhappy' creates a bullying atmosphere where employees feel they cannot enter open dialogue to discuss their concerns. This is not what WFM (whole foods markets) suggested in HTGR (hit the ground running).

The encounter ended with me telling them that I had nothing personal against them; however, as long as the bottom line is the first priority, the organization's model which puts pressure on Team Leaders will inevitably force them to put people and planet a distant second to profit.

Given this, the company will inevitably have instances like mine where a team member divulges they are suffering from depression, points out some observations as to why TL's would treat ill team members with such little compassion and the ASTL responds by recommending they "leave if [they] have so many issues with the store".

All in all it has been an interesting experience on the journey working at Whole Foods Markets, I am sorry it had to end this way. I hope for the wellness of future employees and the integrity of the company, that management strongly considers rearranging its priorities: by putting people and planet before profit. If you're providing a fair product that people need- it will sell itself. The culture of over-consumption is fueling the flames of desire that is burning the world in a problematic way for the wellness of the earth and its inhabitants.

Thank-you for taking the time to read this,

Sincerely,

rebelnow,

Yes, and that is exactly the same competitive tactic that Walmart used in small towns all over America in the '70s through '90s. The competitors all went under and thousands of little "downtowns" dried up. Oddly, though, Walmart never reversed course and raised prices to the roof. They held down labor costs (here), then learned to buy everything possible from China, and also passed most of the savings to consumers.

I doubt Whole Foods is gonna do that.

The community I used to live in once had two food co-ops and three health food stores, then Whole Foods moved in. They threw a party, lowered their prices BELOW that of the co-ops, and kept them there until all co-ops and health food stores went under, then, Whole Foods prices hit the roof.

Anybody with half a brain would choose to shop at any super market catering to the ethnic communities in our cities. One can afford it for one thing, and you are not helping support huge, nation wide chains that will set monopoly prices on the food you purchase.

While I can hardly stand to go into the place, I don't think our local (Pittsburgh) Whole Foods has little or no local produce in it - and Pensylvania is probably the most agriculturally diverse state in the US temperate zone. This whole foods was located specifically to put our local (not perfect in it's labor relations either) food-co-op, which does stock local PA and Ohio produce and foods, out of business. Fortunately they failed and the co-op is doing well.

And frankly if my choice were only big chains, I'd still pick a mainstream store chain or franchise that is unionized - many of which also have organic stuff - over Whole Foods.

For all of those who think they have no choice than Whole Foods - please, right now:

1. Go to your favorate search site and enter "Food Co-Op [you home town or city]"

2. Then do a search on: "[your county or city name] farmers markets" my local county health department publishes a list of locations and days of operation.

3. Many big cities still have old-fashoned vendor-stall type central markets. Washington DC's Eastern Market near Capitol Hill is a wonderful place with a metro stop right at it. Baltimore has a nice old market too. Pittsburgh still has it's disused public market buildings and squares waiting to be put back into use.

3. Also, ask around or do a search for organic produce farmers that do direct-to-consumer fresh produce service. One example is here: http://www.kretschmannfarm.com/

Mark, For me it's not about all the issue's you mentioned. It's about who you step on to get there.

Funny, when I first heard Whole Foods was going to buy out Wild Oats here in my section of town the first thought that came to mind was, OH NO! I can't afford to go into that store!...where will I go? I went home and emailed them. I told them that my store is on the "poor side of town," I'd been to their store downtown in the richer district and knew I'd never go back, and to please consider this. Silly me!!! I got some crazy notion that if they cared about the environment, the quality of their products and the other things you mentioned that just maybe they'd care about "us." Sorry, that doesn't translate to human beings!

I was so irritated when my husband came home a month or two later and mentioned their plan to bushwack the folks on this side of the river!!!...and that they were just going to leave it empty!!! How mean is that!!!

Why? Why can't they have their store with all the wonderful things you mention without being so mean and greedy?!? Greed *IS* the root of all evil!

As far as I'm concerned, Whole Foods, is just another corporate giant who doesn't care who they hurt on the way to the top of that pile of money.

and, for the rest of us with less than...well..it feels like that gap between the haves and have nots just hit us where it counts most - at the dinner table!

Upton Sinclair wrote: "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in a flag and carrying a cross."

Fascism is here - alive and well, (thanks to the White House), and waiting to take us all straight to Hell.

Whole Foods hopes to make a lot of money from it.

Whole Foods is simply another organic turbinado sugar-wrapped turd-whore carrying the corporate fascist flag and selling their BS "socially conscious" ideology to anyone stupid enough to swallow it.

Including Mark Morford.

Please!

Even he himself has said: "Yes, maybe I've just been suckered in and drunk the organic Kool-Aid."

Whatever....

My experience is that Whole Foods is mainly operated by right wing Christian fundamentalists and people who are less than what they seem. They have tried to block a group of mine who talks about holistic, inclusive spiritual messages dealing with protecting the Earth, saving those in poverty and transforming our economic system of death and corruption.

My friend is an expert in the field of nutrition. He was hired to go work at a busy Whole Foods location in NYC. After increasing their store profits tremendously through his helpful and knowledgable approach with customers, they told him to quit doing that! Profit margin must meet certain goals, not over or under, to satisfy share holders!

He also learned the corporate heads are only concerned about more and more stores, not about quality or treatment of employees, but about profit, growth, profit, growth…

The Plano, TX store has trashed (yes, as in placed large amounts of paper wastefully in the trash can) free, hopeful information from a group of mine, even though we had PAID WF money every month to rent out a shelf in their store to distribute this information! An employee told me directly: "It's religious material [so I trashed it]". I said, "actually no, it's not…". He says, "No. It is. And it's not Christian."

I have written to corporate headquarters in Austin, Tx. Nothing was done to help or comfort or explain.

Half Foods, you lost a once loyal customer and lots of money along with it....

threecolorsallblack, It sounds like Whole Foods is adopting Starbucks invasive market entry strategy of targeting communities that support local co-ops.

Most people who actually care look at these things on a spectrum. You know, like if you can get it at your local food co-op, you might do that. Otherwise, if the choice is between the Whole Foods and the Wal-Mart next door, it's an obvious one.

Nevertheless, when the owners of places like Whole Foods are going around waxing political, telling us that capitalism is great and compatible with progressive values, we ought to tell them we don't think union busting is progressive.

My choice is simple, Bloom (green-washed Food Lion) or Whole Foods.

If I want pesticide free edible produce, growth hormone free dairy products and seventh generation cleaning products which is going to get my business?

There's always going to be a "better" choice. At the end of the day, we do what we can. We do the best we can do, with what we have, when we have it. Is Whole Foods "evil?" Possibly. Are they better than a lot of other guys out there? Possibly. Would we all be better off shopping at local farmers and co-ops and farmers' markets? Of course, but that simply is not realistic for a certain percentage of the population.

Um, the new Potrero Hill Whole Foods is not all that far away from Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco. They are worker-owned, they give discounts to bicyclists, and they have an abundance of locally-grown organic produce. For people who feel the need to eat meat, they don't carry that. But otherwise, why anyone would choose to shop at Whole Foods over Rainbow is beyond me.

In its current form Whole Foods is a private business and no consumer is being forced to shop there.

However, like Wal-Mart, founder John Mackey's unethical business practices are focussed on monolpolization. His recent anonymous blogging to reduce the Wild Oats Company's stock value so Whole Foods could acquire them is the most recent example.

The problem will only be solved with legislation that constrains the unethical players. Unfortunately the best congress money can buy is pushing things in the other direction.

Liberals just can never be happy. Such angry, angry people.

"Would that more businesses behaved this way."

Hardly. Whole Foods is anti-union and they exploit their workers just like every other corporation.

I wish there were one here but as nice as they are, they do have labor issues.