It'sJustMe

I shop there very carefully. Some things are cheaper than elsewhere, but mostly not. Also, they do have an organic/clean consciousness so even though an item may not be certified organic, it may be (or close to it) because that certification is costly to the grower. In my experience, organics and locally grown foods last a lot longer in the pantry...so that can be well worth the $$.

Roberta

Our local one is in Portland, ME which is about 2 hours from us. We did drive down there this summer and liked what we saw.

coldquilter

I love the one near us. I love the organic oatmeal.

catrancher

We have one. I call it "Wholly Too Expensive Foods". I only go there for specialty items, but they have gorgeous produce and great fresh seafood. I prefer the local Good Seasons chain--also too expensive, but I like supporting the local economy.

Caswews

Wish we did, and a Sunflower Market too .. but alas none !

redkimba

We have a Whole Foods market, but it's outside my price range. I prefer to shop at Sprouts which is like Whole Foods, but at better prices.

I will note that organic food prices are coming down due to growing popularity.

fayzer

Isn't that the truth! I only go there for things I can't find anywhere else simply because they are too expensive for us.

caspharm

I love Whole Foods. I agree it can be pricey, but if you go for the house brands (some of which win taste tests), it can be less. I love the availability of lactose-intolerant products (my husband) we prefer Horizon Valley to Lactaid milk. The meats, fish, and poultry seem to taste better. Also, we like to drink smoothies, and prefer the organic produce for that. Also, they seem to have more produce than some of the other major chains in LV.

Unfortunately, Sunflower Market is not close to our house, or I would try them.

We shop at some other stores (Vons - owned by Safeway) for pickles or other things. Trader Joe's is harder to find around here, but we have had bad luck with their meat and produce spoiling when we used to go.

Another place is Fresh n Easy (?), but very limited choices. It's like a cross between Trader Joe's and a club store.

Lisanne

I live about 15 minutes between two Whole Foods stores, one to the west, one to the northeast, so it's easy enough for me to go there.

For those who don't know about them, they started as a health-food, natural food supermarket, and over the years, they've bought out most other similar chains, such as Fresh Fields and Bread & Circus. Frankly, I preferred both Fresh Fields and Bread & Circus. Also, not all their produce is organic. They call the non-organic (meaning, the regular stuff you can get at any grocery) "conventional" - but the prices are generally higher even for those items.

They are really more upscale/gourmet than health oriented, IMO. They carry a lot of gourmet goodies, including prepared entrees and sides, a salad bar/buffet (which shows up on the receipts as "Global Cuisine") and, in some stores, a gourmet bakery section. The ones near me do not begin to compare with the one in Tustin, California as far as baked goods or eat-in/take-out selection.

They have a relatively good selection of gluten-free products for people who need or want them.

I tend to buy ground sirloin (hard to find elsewhere) and certain kinds of fresh fish there. I had bought spices and bulk items there, which are comparable to most supermarket chains in price. The uber-priced canned and packaged goods don't grab me.

Someone mentioned co-ops. I recently moved back to the Philadelphia area and rejoined the one I used to belong to. It's still health-oriented, but it carries a lot of gourmet items, and it's become very pricey. On the other hand, it has items I can't find even at Whole Foods. I will probably not be shopping at Whole Foods much, since I like the co-op selection better. It has local produce, very fresh bulk spices, Bell & Evans chicken, and really good baked goods, not mass-produced. I bought a croissant today at Whole Foods, and it didn't compare to the one I had last week from my co-op.

quiltingnonie

Very expensive - I can't imagine shopping there all the time if you had a family to feed! But now that are kids are grown and gone, DH & I stop by once in awhile. They have such interesting stuff!