I am at Whole Foods right now, eating prepared foods. (part 3)

[LoZoccolo]

I know a lot of people have been talking about the one picture where they were taking the turkeys or chickens somewhere in an elevator with a bunch of trash, but I don't think that the employee handbook at Whole Foods says "contaminate the prepared foods with trash because we like it". Likely someone was cheating, not thinking, improperly trained, or not even noticing, and you can pretty much be sure that they've told everybody not to do it again. I wonder if Whole Foods is like, one of the cleanest places to eat right now because of it.

I know people are going to use this as an opportunity for talking points against me and say that I am a garbage eater and I like to eat food contaminated with garbage, but the fact is that Whole Foods buys local, which is something that progressives usually support. I know the guy said something about health care but the people who were against it would probably just get a reason not to support it from Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh or somebody else if they were really going to be all that convinced. The health care thing probably did not make that much of an impact, and Whole Foods does so much else that is considered progressive.

[sufrommich]

1. What? nt

[CatWoman]

2. my one and ONLY complaint about Whole Foods is that

they can be awfully expensive.

Other than that, I just love the place.

[Warpy]

9. Well, it's expensive and the CEO is an asshole

I don't go there because Sunflower Market is closer and has all the stuff I need. I suppose if I ate a lot of prepared foods I might hit Whole Paycheck as well, but Sunflower is perfectly adequate for the occasional I don't want to cook days and it's cheaper. Just remember to add pepper to their salads. They tend to underseason things.

Then again, the Whole Paycheck CEO is an asshole, so I'd probably just make do at Sunflower, heating their seasoned fish fillets and chicken breasts in my toaster oven while kidding myself I was doing my own cooking.

[laughingliberal]

19. +1000. If I wanted to pay way too much for food, there's better places to do it.nt

[hlthe2b]

12. Expensive and they waste all that food they put out...

as there seems to be an issue with their donating left-overs. One employee told me there is a sensitivity towards it driving DOWN the prices, if gourmet food is donated to shelters. They don't talk about this, preferring to imply it would be unethical to do anything but destroy food that is past its 24 hour period and which requires careful refrigerated handling to be safe. While there is a bit of truth in that, I still don't think destroying tons of their deli foods each day is the necessitated answer.

Yes, I know grocery stores likewise waste.

[Odin2005]

26. Lowering the prices would scare away the customers who flaunt organic foods as consipicous....

...consumption.

[de novo]

3. Did this make sense in your head?

[abelenkpe]

4. Yeah, what?!

Whole Foods rocks. What's this about garbage?

[LoZoccolo]

8. Oh someone said there was a trash cart next to the turkey breasts during a ride in the elevator.

Here's the article: http://gothamist.com/2010/10/18/whole_foods_apologizes_for_service.php

It could happen anywhere.

[Warpy]

27. Oh, FFS. Even the most energetic cooties can't jump through thin air

unless they're propelled by sneezes and other things that aerosolize them.

[Warren Stupidity]

5. I like it when the uniformed lecture us. K&U nt.

[Gormy Cuss]

18. What uniform is LoZoccolo wearing?

:+

[laughingliberal]

21. Asshole CEO's & DU Members Who Love Them?

:+

[LoZoccolo]

24. So where do you shop that has a progressive CEO?

Do they support an infrastructure of progressive and/or sustainable vendors, or just factory farming?

[Warren Stupidity]

32. Mackey goes out of his way to publicize his rightwing idiocy.

He's proud of it and thinks you should be too. I make it a point of not giving my money to people who do that. If on the other hand they keep their politics to themselves, no problem.

Union busting rightwing libertarian overpriced not actually organic food, all in the walmarts of the 'whole food industy', what's not to like?

[laughingliberal]

34. Costco does, at least, have very good policies towards employees. And we still have some locally...

owned grocers with a unionized work force.

When there is no source for locally grown/produced foods, I still look for outlets that support workers' rights. The absence of outlets for locally grown or produced food does not, IMO, mean I have to seek out RW corporations whose CEO's think advising us all to shop at his store and take vitamins is a substitute for access to health care.

Nor does it mean I'm left only to shop with the big box stores who pay their employees shit and provide no benefits to them.

There's more than one way to benefit a local community.

[LoZoccolo]

36. Is Costco unionized?

If not, wouldn't it also be acceptable to shop somewhere where I've seen people working for like eight years?

[laughingliberal]

37. Costco is not unionized but their pay scales and benefits are competitive with companies who are.

I once worked for a very abusive hospital corporation for 4 years. Didn't mean they were treating us well. Circumstances were keeping me stuck there.

Some companies do the right thing by their employees without unionization and deserve support.

Others, like Whole Foods, do not and spend resources on preventing unionization in order to keep their workforce oppressed.

I prefer to support companies who support workers and not to support RW corporations who favor low wages and no benefits for workers.

[LoZoccolo]

40. RIGHT and so is Whole Foods.

Like I said, people stay there for years an it's rated as one of the top places to work.

I disagree with John Mackey's philosophy but he's not a free rider.

[laughingliberal]

41. Sorry. You'd have to provide more evidence of that. They are known to be anti-union &

anti-worker. Your word that you've seen people work there for years is not good enough. They are not known for paying well or offering decent benefits. They are not in the same ball park, at all, as Costco. Lots of people stay at companies where they are treated badly for long periods of time for various reasons. It does not excuse low pay and lack of benefits.

I choose to support businesses that support workers. Whole Foods is not one of them. If I were inclined to spend money on overpriced food, as I've said, there's better places I could do it.

[Warren Stupidity]

31. I like it when the spelling challenged lecture us too!

[Gormy Cuss]

38. Uniform/uninformed is one of the common typos here that always makes me chuckle..

even when I'm the one who committed the typo.

[NYC_SKP]

6. I keep rotting trash in close proximity to where I prepare foods.

And anyone who wants to change that will have to tear these brownish carrots from my cold dead hands.

Series.

x(

[laughingliberal]

39. Well, that's your right but 1) Ewww & 2) You're not selling it to others. nt

[ruggerson]

7. Put. down. the. blackberry. and. walk. away....

n/t

[leeroysphitz]

10. Yuck. You know they let garbage fall into it, don't you? n/t

[Brickbat]

11. Wait, busting unions is considered progressive?

Well, wait -- judging from what I've seen on here regarding teachers unions, some think it is.

[asdjrocky]

13. I gotta say your whole act is pretty gross. And way too obvious. nt

[Pisces]

14. +1. THey lost about $800 a month from me since the healthcare debacle.

[laughingliberal]

20. Bravo! nt

[Lucian]

15. Wait...what?

[blue sky at night]

16. i agree...

you don't just stop by a grocery store and find the items that you do at Whole Foods. So, though they are not perfect, they are there for folks who want natural ingredients, etc. i don't eat the prepared foods but how could they be any worse than the fare at any other restaurant?

don't worry about the good opinion of others.

[randr]

17. Last time I bought anything at a Whole Foods store

The closest store to us is in Denver, hours away. I stop in to pick up road munchies as I leave Denver. I bought a few pounds of what looked like delicious sausage.
The sausage, when cooked, turned out to be at least 25% water. And it tasted like boiled meat.
We have locally grown organic meats available where we live that put the Whole Food offerings to shame. I feel sorry for people who think they are eating healthier by shopping at these "designer food" outlets.
Find a locally owned store that sells locally grown and produced products and do yourself and the planet a favor.

[ORDagnabbit]

22. We stopped shopping at Whole Paycheck years ago and now support our locally owned coop

[Codeine]

23. I grow bored with you.

At least RBTexLa is coherent.

[Odin2005]

25. WF is overpriced garbage owned by a RW asshole marketed to Latte "Liberals"...

...concerned about their image and to ease the guilt from their consumerist lifestyle.

[girl gone mad]

28. Speaking of overstuffed turkeys..

[laughingliberal]

35. +1000

:rofl:

[HipChick]

29. Pfft! If we really knew what happened to most of our food, no-one would eat out anywhere...

[WinkyDink]

30. If you linked to Parts 1 & 2, I might have a clue as to WTH you are talking about.

[Ikonoklast]

33. Whole Foods is virulently anti-union.

Progressives usually support the right for workers to organize.

http://www.inthesetimes.com/working/entry/4823/ufcw_squares_off_against_whole_foods/