Whole Paycheck lives up to its name!

[+ dutchmuch]

A friend and I tease one another for shopping at Whole Foods (Whole Paycheck), but there is reason it lives up to it name now. This short news piece he sent to me, and you may wanna check your receipt next time. I will.

 

Zero: It was almost a year ago that state investigators found that Whole Foods overcharged California customers. Though the grocery chain never admitted guilt, they agreed to pay $800,000 in fines and charge accurate prices going forward. Dionne Warwick and Naked Eyes know about promises, and now Debbie, a Sausalito resident, does too. Upon returning home from the Whole Foods on East Blithedale, she reviewed her receipt and realized that she had paid more than double the posted price for potatoes. And those expensive nectarines noted on her bill weren’t in her bag, because she actually bought apples, which cost far less. She schlepped back to the store and the manager refunded her money. “Customers at Whole Foods need to review their receipts judiciously,” Debbie said.

http://www.pacificsun.com/hero-and-zero-a-bay-rescue-and-a-rip-off/

[gallahadesquire]

Whole Ripoff, perhaps? Cream cheese with chive, $7.99 / lb.

[+ azdr0710]

coming in 2016.....

 

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/365?gclid=CJXY-q6mk8YCFZFlfgodLncAOQ#

[+ WilliamM]

I had a different bad experience at Whole Foods in Philadelphia. After going through the check out, I was knocked over by someone coming in through the exit door. Although I was not hurt, I was confused as to what happened. Finally, the security guard told me a homeless man knocked me over; he had follow the man through the store and saw him leave without buying anything.

 

When I arrived home the next day, there was a message from either a lawyer or representative from Whole Foods.

I called the manager of the Philadelphia Whole Foods and complained about the store's lack of empathy (except for the security guard). He told me the emplyees were trained to ignore or be passive in my kind of situation. That's understandable, I guess. But, I have not seen the security guard since. Perhaps he was not passive enough to fit Whole Foods' policy.

[gallahadesquire]

I had a different bad experience at Whole Foods in Philadelphia. After going through the check out, I was knocked over by someone coming in through the exit door. Although I was not hurt, I was confused as to what happened. Finally, the security guard told me a homeless man knocked me over; he had follow the man through the store and saw him leave without buying anything.

 

When I arrived home the next day, there was a message from either a lawyer or representative from Whole Foods.

I called the manager of the Philadelphia Whole Foods and complained about the store's lack of empathy (except for the security guard). He told me the emplyees were trained to ignore or be passive in my kind of situation. That's understandable, I guess. But, I have not seen the security guard since. Perhaps he was not passive enough to fit Whole Foods' policy.

 

You'd think they'd want to do something to improve their reputation.

[Zman]

I've been trying out WF the past couple of weeks. Their stores here in LA seem hard to get into. They parking is often bad (worse than the regular grocery stores in LA). And, for me, there's nothing overly special about what they sell. And their prices are 10% to 30% higher than what you might find at Ralph's for the same thing.

 

That said, there's a WF opening in Downtown (eventually). I'm looking forward to that since it will be a new lunch time option.

[+ WilliamM]

You'd think they'd want to do something to improve their reputation.

At the end of our talk, I mentioned my age -- 71. His response was, so what I am 61.

[bostonman]

Some of us have also referred to Whole Foods as "The Food Museum."

[AdamSmith]

Although to be fair, Whole Foods deserves credit and thanks for prodding a number of the mainstream grocery chains into upping their game in response.

[bigvalboy]

Excellent point AS. Back in the day....

[AdamSmith]

A&P -- The Great Atlantic & Pathetic Tea Co.

[+ dutchmuch]

I liked Co-op in their days.

[Frequentflier]

I called the manager of the Philadelphia Whole Foods and complained about the store's lack of empathy (except for the security guard). He told me the emplyees were trained to ignore or be passive in my kind of situation. That's understandable, I guess.

 

That attitude is crap. Any company that trains their employees to be that way, I hope, is on the roadway to bankruptcy. I also think that good people react appropriately and don't need training on everything. It's like bad cops, no amount of training or rules will fix the deficiency in their DNA.

[+ WilliamM]

That attitude is crap. Any company that trains their employees to be that way, I hope, is on the roadway to bankruptcy. I also think that good people react appropriately and don't need training on everything. It's like bad cops, no amount of training or rules will fix the deficiency in their DNA

I was awful because I worked in a supermarket in high school and college. Back then, supermarket workers belonged to a union -- so the pay was good and management would not have been able to get away with Whole Foods' policies.

[thickornotatall]

I bought a lemon meringue pie at Whole Foods on Houston St downtown...the checkout person...looked at and said.."everytime I look at meringue I want to vomit"....very nice.....yum!

[actor61]

I bought a lemon meringue pie at Whole Foods on Houston St downtown...the checkout person...looked at and said.."everytime I look at meringue I want to vomit"....very nice.....yum!

I once bought kale one day and the cashier said, "How can you eat that crap?" as she rang it up.

[+ honcho]

I once bought kale one day and the cashier said, "How can you eat that crap?" as she rang it up.

 

Once again, avoiding the "Like" button (c.f. curmudgeon post), but thank you for sharing that bit of outrage

and you truly have my sympathy. Has nobody ever used the phrase "The customer is always right" with cashier?

[+ dutchmuch]

Rip-off on aisle four.

 

The city has launched a probe of Whole Foods Markets after investigators nabbed the upscale food purveyor for routinely overcharging customers on groceries during dozens of inspections dating back to at least 2010, the Daily News has learned.

 

The most recent spate of violations came during a sting operation the Department of Consumer Affairs conducted in the fall that specifically checked the accuracy of the weight marked on pre-packaged products.

 

Inspectors weighed 80 different types of items at Whole Foods’ eight locations in the city that were open at the time. They found every label was inaccurate, with many overcharging consumers, agency spokeswoman Abby Lootens told The News.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-foods-faces-city-probe-overcharges-article-1.2268695

[Lookin]

Their cashiers are definitely a breed apart.

 

I stopped in for some ice cream on my way home one evening and found an open line which I made a beeline to. The cashier was next door talking to another cashier and it took me a little while to coax her back to her register. She finally rang me up for $3.99 and I handed her a fiver, thinking I was pretty close to being on my way.

 

The penny came out of the change machine OK and the receipt popped out and I didn't need a bag, so the only thing left was to get a dollar out of her. I put my hand out, but it remained empty for the next few minutes while she fiddled with the dollar bill. She eventually explained that she'd had a couple of dollar bills stick together earlier in the day and she didn't want to take any chances.

 

She spent another minute or so on it and I finally asked her if she could just reach in the drawer and give me a different dollar bill and work on that one after I was gone. Or maybe turn it over to the night crew and see what they could do with it. She finally convinced herself it was really just a single bill and handed it over along with the ice cream.

 

Which, needless to say, was pretty soupy by the time I got it home. . http://www.boytoy.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif

 

Edited June 24, 2015 by Lookin

[AdamSmith]

In Cambridge, MA, Whole Foods definitely has a hiring preference for neurotic nut cases.

 

Of course to do otherwise, they would have to recruit from the western half of the state.

[gallahadesquire]

In Cambridge, MA, Whole Foods definitely has a hiring preference for neurotic nut cases.

 

Of course to do otherwise, they would have to recruit from the western half of the state.

 

Commonwealth.

[AdamSmith]

Commonwealth.

 

Demonstrating my point.

[mike carey]

Beneath our radiant Southern Cross

We'll toil with hearts and hands;

To make this Commonwealth of ours

Renowned of all the lands;

'Commonwealth' is such a socialist construct, but I wouldn't claim its advocates were neurotic nut cases.

[AdamSmith]

'Commonwealth' is such a socialist construct, but I wouldn't claim its advocates were neurotic nut cases.

 

My crack was particular to that portion of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts consisting of the Boston metropolitan area, and especially the...

People's Republic of Cambridge

An independent state just north of Boston, with two universities and one way of waging war: writing nasty notes and putting them on people's windshields. Has enough organic grocery stores, indie bookshops, and other college-town fripperies to satisfy an army of Sartre-reading undergrads.

 

Newbie: Why do they call this place the People's Republic of Cambridge?

Native: Because more people voted for Nader than Bush in 2000.

 

Cambridgeite 1: You wanna go down to Bread & Circus and pick up some pine nuts and kale?

Cambridgeite 2: But that's really out of my way, I was planning to head down to Harvard Books. If only we had public transportation we could solve this problem.

Cambridgeite 1: What do you think this is, New York? I am so sticking a note on your car for your thought crimes.

 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=People's+Republic+of+Cambridge

 

P.S. I (AS) should add that the proper term for a denizen thereof is of course 'Cantabridgian.'

 

P.P.S. Disclosure--I was one myself for 28 years.

 

Does it show?

[mike carey]

Does it show?

Noooo, it doesn't show at all!

And I am sufficiently aware to know what you were talking about!!

 

One newspaper in Melbourne (The Age) is often referred to as the Spencer Street Soviet (its offices were in Spencer Street). It's all fun!