With474 storesacross the United States , Canada , and the United Kingdom , Whole Foods has cornered the market on constituent , gamy - oddment groceries . And while the company is currentlyundergoing changes(such aslowering priceson many items ) due to Amazon ’s late attainment , we got the 411 on what it ’s like to work there now . Here ’s an inside feel at how employees feel about the depot ’s high prices , why they ca n’t do much about shoplifters , and what they really do with damage yield .
1. THEY HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT THE STORE’S PRICES.
On the other hand , some employee admit that Whole Foods piddle eminent marginson candy(such as fancy marshmallow ) and Whole Body Cartesian product , the division of the store that contains vitamin , supplements , organic composition , and skincare . “ A lot of the things we sell — there ’s no way I could buy [ them ] , ” an anon. Whole Foods employee who works at a memory board in Southern California tell Mental Floss .
2. THEY MIGHT PUT DAMAGED PRODUCE IN YOUR SMOOTHIES.
The succus and smoothie cake at Whole Foods may attend like it offers a tantalizing mixing of fresh fruit and pristine vegetables , but the reality might be less than picture - double-dyed . employee at some stores reportedly put oldfruit and spinachinto green charmer , while others usebruised and damaged applesto make discounted apple juice . Similarly , some depot may put gelt , tomato , onions , or mixed green that have n’t sell yet ( and will go big in a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. or two ) in the salad bar .
3. THEY WISH YOU WOULDN’T USE THEM AS YOUR DOCTOR.
4. THEY DON’T ACTUALLY MAKE ALL THEIR PREPARED FOOD IN-HOUSE.
You might arrogate that employees in each store ’s kitchen bake or cook the item you see in the fain foods section . But that warm loaf of bread , bowl of quinoa salad , or fade of tiramisu that tempts you at lunchtime might not be made in - house . Depending on the localization and size of the Whole Foods , some item that appear to be fresh cooked are not . Most bread , for good example , is shipped freeze to each entrepot and then baked in an oven . ( adult stores are more probable to have a full - help kitchen . )
“ petty to nothing is actually made from kale in the Whole Foods bakeries each day , ” a former Whole Foods chef writeson her blog . “ In the South region , Whole Foods has a huge aggregated - production kitchen in Alpharetta , GA . If you shop at any Whole Foods in the South and get food off of the live bar , off of the soup bar , out of the deli case or in pre - packaged containers in the sandwich ice chest or refrigerate prepared food for thought wall , there ’s a good probability that your food was really made in that kitchen in Alpharetta . ”
5. THEY LAUGH ABOUT THE “ASPARAGUS WATER” INCIDENT.
In 2015 , some computer memory notoriouslysold asparagus water — a bottle of water with three stalk of asparagus in it — for $ 6 . Customers express their indignation on societal media , poking fun at the intersection ’s cost and silliness . Whole Foods presently removed the H2O from shelves , claim it was a mistake , but the blunder survive on . take on Reddit if asparagus water is delicious , a Reddit user named wfmworkerrepliedin the approving . “ Honestly though , that whole situation did n’t even traumatise me . WF sells some weird stuff . ” In 2016 , the memory removed another $ 6 item — pre - in the buff oranges in plastic container — after Twitter usersmockedthe merchandise ’s inanity and damage to the surroundings .
6. THEY KNOW HOW TO HACK THE SALAD BAR.
With an assortment of veggies , protein , nut , and dressings , the salad bar at Whole Foods can be overwhelming , and it ’s easy to pay a great deal for a lowly container of food . But because particular from the salad bar are priced harmonise to weight unit , Whole Foods employees have somesmart strategieson how to hack it . Some of their tips ? Avoid heavy veggie ( like dense Brassica oleracea botrytis or broccoli ) , skip noggin , and use less fertilisation . harmonize to a former Whole Foods Team Member who goes bypsh_1_psh_2on Reddit , you could also use the salad bar to salvage money on junky . “ The nuts on the salad bar are way less expensive than the nuts in bulk . You could theoretically just fill up your whole salad container with pecans or walnuts and spare at least $ 2 / lb , ” he says .
7. THEY DEAL WITH SOME CRAZIES.
Whole Foods employees recognise that their customer base is unique . In general , the shoppers have a mellow disposable income , heightened interest in fauna welfare , and a desire to support environmentally sustainable farming and sportfishing practice . But according to employee , it ’s not rare to encounter customers who are demanding , entitled , or simply overshare their strange opinion .
“ In many face , these customers have been favor — financially and often otherwise — all their life , which means many of them have monolithic entitlement complexes . It ’s kind of hilarious to note a edifice full of people who all believe that the world orb around them , ” articulate the former Whole Foods chef .
A former Whole Foods coach in Californiatells Thrillistthat some customers hash out confederacy theories with him . “ I was so used to softheaded people coming in that it became the norm . I had conversations with customers about chemtrails at a freaking grocery storehouse . I had citizenry go off on religious claptrap about Jews to me — and I ’m Jewish , by the way , ” he says . “ People verbalise and execute their mouths a lot and get too comfy . ”
8. THEY GO THE EXTRA MILE FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS.
It ’s no secret that the store ’s detail can be pricey , so Whole Foods employee put extra effort into pee-pee their client happy . “ I can say as a decorator in the bakery that we give extra meter for free to cakes for really nice customer , ” says psh_1_psh_2 . customer who smile and engage in lowly talk can clear an employee ’s day , transforming the experience of bag groceries from a mundane task into an gratifying one . Kailee Ver Valin , who has worked as a Team Member for over a class at a Whole Foods in North Carolina , explain that most customer respond positively to her friendliness . “ The customers are grateful and friendly . I love talking to people , ” she tells Mental Floss .
to boot , the store ’s meatman will debone animals , and sometimes flavour the heart , all for devoid . “ A sight of people do that in our part for luncheon , or it ’s a really well-to-do affair to do correctly before you channelise home for dinner . And it ’s not just salt and peppercorn — there ’s interesting rubs and spice mixes , ” Siegler says .
9. THEY CAN’T DO MUCH ABOUT SHOPLIFTING.
Most Whole Foods employees have at least one story of customersstealing intellectual nourishment . Whether someone eats from the fain food for thought discussion section before ( or instead of ) paying for it or lifts a container of vitamins and then asks for a refund , shoplifting is a big problem . Reddit user Lifeoncloud_9 , who operate as a supervisor at a Whole Foods in Chicago , explicate that the companyforbids employeesfrom pursuing or trying to quit shoplifters : “ We can get fire for confronting them . Most of the time we have an surreptitious passing prevention guard on duty . When there is n’t , the most we can do is send word the manager on tariff and he or she can ban them from the store . "
