Whole Foods VS. Trader Joe's

I know, I know. Fans of both sides could ask indignantly how I could even compare the two. But let's just do this monetarily.  Below is a table I made of an actual grocery run I made at Whole Foods (Sugarhouse). The next day, I went to Trader Joe's (400 S.) to buy some different things, but went around the store pricing everything I had bought at Whole Foods the day before. Cheaper is highlighted, as is the item itself when both stores have equal prices.

Behold, the $23 difference.

There are a few things to note, since the comparison can't be entirely equal. I wanted the paleo ketchup for flavor and it's only at Whole Foods, so we can call that a specialty item. I thought that the coconut oil was sort of specialty and wouldn't be available at Trader Joe's, but it was, for much cheaper. If I hadn't already started using it for oil pulling (that's another post), I would go to the trouble to return it. The gruyere was a hard comparison, too. I didn't actually want the cave-aged, which was much more expensive, but for purposes of comparison, Trader Joe's only had cave-aged and Whole Foods had both. I actually bought regular gruyere at $4.59 for 6 ounces.

More broad comparisons - Whole Foods has name brands as well as a house brand, and of course Trader Joe's only has TJ house brands, typically. So at Whole Foods, I can get Kettle Chips, Liberte yogurt, and Simply Lemonade. Then again, I can get those at Smith's, which is literally across the street from Trader Joe's and is definitely cheaper than Whole Foods. Whole Foods also has a meat counter, while Trader Joe's doesn't, but Sprouts does and is probably cheaper.

So, the conclusion. Except for actual specialty items that I can't get anywhere else (like paleo ketchup), most everything is available for less at Trader Joe's, with a little bit of shopping at Smith's to round it off. Oh, and Trader Joe's has cheaper flowers. It seems we'll be keeping Whole Foods as a lunch buffet and cookie counter stop only :)

See, here's the thing. I'm not opposed to spending $23 "extra" dollars if I'm making up for buried negative externality costs, like paying the developing world farmers a fair price for their crops and products, or even using my dollars to vote for more sustainable and healthy farming and processing practices. But I have a strong suspicion that most of the Whole Foods mark-up is for the privilege of shopping at such a holy, trendy, urban haven of consciousness. It's nice to walk into the store and know that every single thing in it is free of (list of 70 or so banned ingredients and processes). It means you don't really have to think about things. But most people can't afford to do that, and must pay that $23 markup in time and effort by getting good stuff at Trader Joe's (that has a shorter, but still good, list of banned ingredients and processes), driving across the street to Smith's, and reading ingredient labels.

TRADER JOE'S FOR THE WIN!!!

I rest my case.