After initially disputing a city study that said the company had been overcharging New Yorkers, Whole Foods’ co-CEO’s acknowledged “mistakes” in labeling their packaged foods.
John Mackey and Walter Robb appeared in the video below to apologize for “mis-weighing” some fresh foods. Robb said the problems were “inadvertant” and sometimes even played out in the customers’ favor because the food was actually heavier than what the label said.
The bosses said they’re going to add training for employees to fix this, and will rectify any further weighing problems by giving people the food for free.
“If there’s a mistake that’s not in your favor we promise to give you that item for free,” said Mackey.
I noticed this morning that the “Ingredient” part of the label I got with WF’s sliced turkey reads “See team leader for details.” Is that even legal?
If so, it’s certainly crafty: They know that customers are not going to endeavor to locate the “Team Leader” for information that they should have gotten on a label.
I have attempted to “See team leader…” several times unsuccessfully. I will not accept the $19 bribes they offer as payoff.
Sure they are crooks.
Now I’ll read the remainder of the Comments…
I think that’s a very classy, well thought out response. I cannot believe this was intentional. That’s not Whole Foods style v
@ Marilynn that is wishful thinking and a pipe dream! I bet They weren’t going to do anything about it until it was exposed. So what you said is the right thing to do but is certainly not classy!!!!
‘Classy’ is not a word I would associate with Whole Foods. See my comment above for their latest unclassy…
I totally agree dannyboy! I was responding to Marilynn’s comment about whole foods being “classy”
It is certainly not!!!
Wholefooods was overcharging and were unaware of it, c’mon! This is business where every penny is accounted for. Do they think New Yorkers are that naive? Obviously they do, since their apaology is similiar to that of a child whose hand is acught in a cookie jar.
Exactly Steve! They are a corporation and will try to get away with anything they can and then back track If and Only If they’re found out! Anyone who thinks otherwise is delusional!
This is no news. WF has done this for years – if price is wrong and you tell them, you get it for free
#1) The price or label should *not* be wrong. #2) Am I supposed to keep a USDA-approved scale home to double-check WF’s? #3) Should I have to abandon dinner on the kitchen counter because, for instance, I find that the avocados are rotten inside or the chicken is underweight, then #4) make the trek back to WF and #5) go through all the lines and trouble for a return or refund?
I was waiting for the two guys in the video to offer me the Brooklyn Bridge.
didn’t watch the Propaganda video. Racketeers.
You have to watch it! Just the photo above spells “used car salesmen”.
ok
on your recommendation i looked at the picture
Enough!
P.S. Wasn’t the Whole Foods father a used car salesman, or is it just the power of suggestion that got me thinking that?
A used car salesman or insurance salesman. Now, I’m sure of it!
Corporate scumbags. Fraud = no jail time. The fine they eventually get will be a fraction of the profits they earned from this activity.
I don’t understand what being a corporation has to do with committing any type of fraud. Fraud isn’t limited to one type of entity. People look for any opportunity to put in a meaningless dig about corporations.
Do you really believe that none of the local supermarkets, delis, or butchers always weigh items accurately? The cashiers at Fairway routinely input the wrong code for the fruit I buy and I need to watch them like a hawk to catch the mistakes. I doubt the cashiers is in cahoots with the Fairway ‘corporation’. It just happens.
The cashier’s error at Fairway is way different than repeated patterns of overcharging at Whole Foods, who are being caught in nyc, cali (did i write ‘cali’? oh, oh).
Way to go Whole Foods! I will always remain loyal to you!!
people continue to cater to these over-priced “cool” businesses….just this morning walked by 2 starbucks uptown & downtown..lines were almost out the door, this after they announced a price increase…NYers never cease to amaze
Starbucks is cool? Huh. But yes, that is shocking that in the morning you saw lines for coffee even though a cup of it is slightly increased. I think you’ve witnessed inflation, supply and demand, human’s propensity for habitual behavior all in one elegant go.
oops.
*even though the price for a cup of it
shlomo,
There are fake NYers walking among us. You have just uncovered one way to identify them.
Cannot imagine how I will know if they are wrong.
Is there a scale near the salads,cookies, etc?
However, I am not surprised. Unfortunately, this is probably standard practice all over—hope I am wrong,
Otherwise, I like shopping at WF. It’s very sane waiting
at purchase line and products I buy are excellent.
Never been a WF shopper. I agree these practices would have continued had they not been found out. Until they give me reason to do otherwise, I will remain loyal to Fairway.
This scandal brings a new meaning to the phrase “Whole Paycheck.”
Two words – Trader Joes. Organic, quality, low prices. Us Cali transplants have known this for ages. If you’ve opted for Whole Foods, you don’t care about prices anyway.
“Cali” – like nails on a chalkboard to me. I am a native Californian and lived in the state from the 50’s through the 80’s and I never once heard a Californian say that they were from “Cali”. Like Cato, when I hear Cali I think Colombia.
please don’t say Cali for California. We hates it!
Daishiell Hammett called it Frisco in one of his books.
Actually, I think he was referring to San Francisco, which is only a part of California.
Yes, there are some WF customer with $15 million-dollar investment apartment just above the Columbus Circle store. Still, West 88th, it’s human nature to be angry when you’re charged for a Rolls Royce and get a scooter.
There are WF customers like me, also, who try to calculate value. All the produce at WF is miles fresher; that means it’s tastier and crisper. Freshness also means more nutrition per dollar. Additionally, the produce very often has 2 to 3 times more refrigerator life than what I buy elsewhere; that also stretches my dollar.
Their fish counter, I think, is the best on the UWS and it’s competitively priced.
So, I opt for WF for certain items not because I “don’t care about prices.”
Caveat emptor with Trader Joe’s. Much of their food is actually produced by big Agri and just repackaged with the Trader Joe’s name. There actually owned by ALDI, the German food conglomerate. Read up on them and you may be surprised.
I did read up on it Wendy…FORTUNE did a deep look into the company in 2010 and yes, although they are owned by sister company Aldi, that doesn’t make them the devil. Are you telling me WF doesn’t have food from big Agri?
In fact, they have the same food as WF but cheaper because of smarter business practices…
“Take Tasty Bite, which makes much of Trader Joe’s Indian food. The Tasty Bite Punjab Eggplant ran $3.39 at a Whole Foods in Manhattan. The seemingly identical Punjab Eggplant that the Stamford, Conn., company makes for Trader Joe’s is more than $1 cheaper.”
Read the full profile here – https://archive.fortune.com/2010/08/20/news/companies/inside_trader_joes_full_version.fortune/index.htm
Yes, Wendy, it confounds me that so many people act like TJ’s is some sort of a cool neighborhood store. Aldi, a highly-secretive, privately-held German company is essentially the Wal-Mart of Europe.
Wow. Didn’t realize they had Trader Joe’s as far south as Colombia!
LOL Omg…let the buyer beware! These two clowns are not to be believed…. but then again, these are first world problems. We have no shortage of grocery choices in NYC….now we know to mistrust/boycott WF and go elsewhere. Problem solved.
I live in Manhattan, and I love WF. Their produce prices are less than the other markets in NYC, and the quality superior. Prices are frequently less than in other markets, and the service is excellent. WF does a terrific job, and I’m delighted to have them in my neighborhood.
enjoying the overcharging part?
hmmmmm…..
There is a price for everything in life — including (or perhaps “especially”) honesty.
I placed the above message in the wrong location. Sorry.
D.R.
You inadvertently wrote what most think. People accept these ‘indiscretions’ as the price they need to pay as part of their shopping experience.
I don’t.
All of you WF haters (who probably don’t shop there anyway), please stay away, the stores are crowded enough without you. The quality of their products FAR surpasses that of the other markets on the UWS, especially Fairway, and their prices are not that out of line – in many cases they are cheaper.
The DCA was just looking for headlines and TV time for it’s commissioner, which is what they got. The whole thing, along with many of the comments here, smacks of politics since WF’s is not unionized.
I do shop there, Richard. And, yes, Fairway’s is a destitute cousin next to WF. However, I’m tough on those who disappoint me.
The video above is insulting to the intelligence of Upper West Siders (in which, by the way, they admit wrongdoing, so I won’t address your allegations about the DCA).
I expect straightforwardness on labels of WF products, so I don’t have to locate a phantom “Team Leader” to divulge what’s in them. And I want honest scales.
That’s funny. How about they offer a 3-4 year sale. Considering thats about how long these “mistakes” have been happening. Support your upstate Farmers. There are websites that will deliver you fresh fruit and week from local upstate farms weekly. For cheaper then these highway robbers. Peace & Love UWS
All I have to say to those WF’s foodies is buyer beware. I wish I still had the link to a recent study of supermarkets sanitary and food holding conditions. WF ranked the lowest of all when it came to keeping food at proper temperature. They also were cited for vermin. Yes, they had more vermin than your typical supermarket. I laughed out loud when I read that report but I guess WF has so brainwashed folks into believing higher prices means higher quality that the study didn’t matter. WSR, did you guys publish it? If so, I wish you’d dig it out and republish. The graph was very enlightning.
Why does such a report make you laugh out loud?
Answer:
Because if you don’t laugh, you gotta cry.
Since I got no response from her, I will assume that she wasn’t “laugh[ing] out loud” at UWSer, who are generally fairly sophisticated.
Miriam wrote: ” I laughed out loud when I read that report”.
Ironically WF uses the honor system with their coffee beans. Each barrel has different prices and a code #. They let the customers themselves write the number on the filled coffee bag, before it gets weighed at checkout. So if you were a cheapskate, you could fill a bag with the costliest beans, but write the code # of the cheap est beans on the bag and save yourself $5 a pound.
Fortunately, most of us are honorable.
Intentionally Whole Food charges such exorbitant prices for all bean types that they figure that even if you wfite the incorrect code…they still ripped you off.
Some honor system.
In this case, the honor is presumed to be on our part.
I’m sure that I pay more for my Manhattan blend because others are not marking theirs honestly.
— It’s all passed on to the consumer, as is shoplifting.
dr,
You can feel comfortable that Whole Foods sets the price as the highest they can sell the product for to reap the largest margin.
They do NOT, however, lower prices for honesty. That is not their modus operandi.
Isn’t that Art Garfunkel on the left?
Quite a resemblance.
It’s John Mackey, Co-CEO of Whole Foods.
All you Whole Foods suckers……… They are laughing all the way to the bank thanks to you…
time to buy the stock, perhaps?
eric,
Only if you believe that Stealing is a good business model.
i can (half) concede that the weighing issue was a mistake/error.
on the other hand, when i see macaroni salad in the deli section selling for around $7-8 per pound i have a real problem with that. many pastas sell for as little as $.69 per pound making quite an exorbitant profit for whole foods. of course, the “convenience factor” must be considered ………as only whole foods would say. but, for those who want to pay the price…….just do it. for me, i’ll boil up some of my $.69 per pound pasta, add some good mayo, a dash of dijon mustard, a bit of chopped onion and celery,salt, a dash of hot sauce, maybe even some chopped kalamata olives, and have my pasta salad (in about 10 minutes) for just over about $1.00 per pound; and i’ll still have some $$$ left over for a decent craft beer to go with it…hmmm, maybe even some home made, marinated and sauteed chicken thighs. CHEAPO DIN-DIN IS SERVED.
TELL WHOLD FOODS TO KEEP THEIR HIGH-PRICED SALAD………ONE MORE THING………….COOKIES AT $10.99 PER POUND????? LUDICROUS!! MALLOWMARS ARE EVEN BETTER AND LOADED WITH GREAT CHOCOLATE AT 1/3 THE PRICE.
People come from work tired, they just don’t look at prices, and this company has been here for a while, so they know what’s going on.
On the video they are trying to turn our attention by promoting there cut fresh fruits, squeezed OJ.BS
Since I detected class-resentment toward Whole Foods customers in at least two of the postings above, I tried to get a wider perspective on the problem this morning.
I was met by two poignant articles. The first, a very short piece, “Looking Like Money: How Wellness Became the New Luxury Status Symbol” addresses stealth wealth. The second “What Food Says About Class in America” is set in Brooklyn, and takes a serious look at food as the gap widens between the rich and poor.
I felt it was incumbent on me to include the two links.
https://www.style.com/culture/living/2014/health-wellness-luxury-status-symbol
https://www.newsweek.com/what-food-says-about-class-america-69951
Want more?
https://www.counterpunch.org/2015/07/17/conscious-capitalism-icon-whole-foods-exploits-prison-labor/
I appreciate your sincerity and earnestness in dealing with the problem. You make CEO-dom look good. 🙂 I shall remain a customer of Whole Foods for all the many reasons that I’ve been a customer in addition to meeting you two.