mozartpc27 wrote:phatj wrote:mozartpc27 wrote:I hate stores with philosophies, and my wife loves them. "Organic" is like the latest $#@! nouveau-riche yuppie fad as far as I'm concerned, and apparently my wife is all of those things now, though she must be robbing banks to get the money cause I sure don't have it.
But someone out there must want to defend these places.
Wal-Mart has a mission - to sell you crap. As much as I loathe Wal-Mart, I respect that.
I'm no Wal-Mart fan, but I'd take them every day of the week and twice on Sunday over Whole Foods. Here's a store that appeals to the misguided sense of social justice of its customers while most of its employees are treated like employees at most other non-union retail outlets: as little health care given as possible, as few "full time" work positions available as possible (instead they rely on 32 hour work weeks for as many employees as possible, none of whom qualify for full time "benefits" - like minimal health insurance policies and even a week's worth of vacation time), etc.
It's one thing to be a total dick and be honest about it (Wal-Mart). You know who they are when you go in there. Whole Foods cultivates one kind of reputation, and one sort of customer, while behaving, in essence, just like Wal-Mart with respect to its own employees.
On top of that, the merchandise isn't really that great. It seems to be banking on the idea that a certain kind of consumer gets a thrill out of paying 50% more for stuff that looks "pretty" and "authentic".
