Whole Foods
The president of Whole Foods proposed some health insurance reform ideas that did not involve rainbow farting unicorns or pixie dust. So, the hand-wringing and righteous (odd qualities when asking for free federal money) call for a boycott.
We don’t have those around here. But if we did, I’d probably shop there.
August 15th, 2009 at 9:50 am
I don’t call that place Whole Paycheck for no reason. Plus too smug and self righteous. If your local grocery chain has a high end version it’d probably be better (e.g. in Texas, th HEB chain has stores called Central Market, more focus on gourmet/foodie and even better food for the high prices).
August 15th, 2009 at 10:13 am
More common sense like this please. Unfortunate I tend to avoid “whole paycheck” because the place can literary double your grocery bill. But it’s the place to go, I suppose, if you really need coffee beans that have already passed through the digestive tract of a civet.
I’m always a bit skiddish, however, when someone says “tort reform”. We do need something to winnow out the frivolous lawsuits before they manage to rack up more than one or two billable hours.
Still, for the lefties that everyday buy consumer items that have benefited (by being dirt cheap) from free market economics (tennis balls, disposable plastic forks, elbow macaroni…), it’s amazing to see them come to the conclusion that somehow the free market won’t do the same for MRIs, X-rays, and doctors visits.
I’d probably add something to the list to keep emergency care costs in-line with care you can actually negotiate for first. (i.e. that x-ray that you shop around for and get at $80 should not cost $2000 if you come in on a stretcher and can’t give informed consent because someone T-boned you with their Government Motors Chevy Volt.
August 15th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
It’s a shame that Whole Foods insists on being an unarmed victim zone. In NC they put up the “No Concealed Weapons” signs that force law abiding citizens to go unarmed. I like what the CEO had to say, but I still refuse to support businesses that would put my life at risk.
August 15th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
In Texas Whole Foods has a sign that says “no unlicensed guns” or something strange like that.
Which is of course a meaningless sign in the state of Texas (no gun signs have to follow certain rules).
I don’t think Central Market has any no gun signs, but not sure haven’t been in there in a while.
August 15th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Have one nearby, clientele are your typical Eastern, liberal elite (I know, redundant) and arrogant as hell (again, redundantly repetitive). I’d love to see the shock on their faces if they find out that the CEO of their overpriced grocery store is a Libertarian!
August 15th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
I favor Central Market over Whole Foods as well, although both have an excellent array of gourmet goodies. Whole Foods lost my business, however, when I got a spiel about “over-fishing” and ecological preservation for the future generations when I went looking for some Chilean Sea Bass.
As noted the “no gun signs” in the Great State of Texas have to be quite specifically prepared in accordance with regulations to have any legal relevance. They seldom are. Ain’t TX great?
Bottom line of all of this, however, is that the libs can’t stand any disagreement by anyone at any time. They will even eat their young to stay on message and squelch dissent.
Health care is looking dead on arrival in Sept. And increasingly the millenium of one party rule seems to have been still-born as America wakes up.
August 15th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
You guys in Texas can get USDA prime beef at your corner newsstand, probably. Up here, in Illinois, I have to either buy it in bulk from Halsted Street, or go to Whole Foods.
August 15th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
We have WF in our area. My wife gets irritated at the snobby types she runs into, but the product is good.
WF’s CEO gets my vote for having a reasonable (market mechanism) view of solving health care problems. I won’t be a WF hater anymore.
August 15th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
nk:
Long ago when I grew up in Chicago, I wouldn’t go down to Halsted St. without arms. Still wouldn’t today–even more so. But, you are right about TX–prime beef isn’t a rare commodity, it’s only eaten that way.
Can’t get it at the local newstand though–you know how backward TX is, we can’t read–the NYT or WaPo, that is.
August 16th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Caveat: Wife works there
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This is really about a political movement that wants to squash any speech that contradicts their political platform. And it is my opinion that it IS being organized above the local level based upon the facts I have seen.
At our local store (in the West), there are a lot of smug liberal shoppers as well. They complain about people with Bush & NRA stickers on their cars in the parking lot. . . Making themselves look even less intelligent.
Many of the leadership regularly exercises their 2nd amendment rights. Some hunt also. Due to corporate culture they keep it to themselves. Which we all probably should in the workplace, unless we work in the firearms industry.
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I’ve also got to throw out my two cents about the whole paycheck thing.
Decide practically for yourself. You know what you eat. Pick 7 or 10 items and comparison shop with a list. Some things ARE more expensive at WFM.
E.g. Tuna cans. But after buying a 50 cent can at Wal-mart vs. a 1.79 can at WFM, I can taste worlds of difference that I never knew was there. The same is true of pineapple. My wife and I had a disagreement, so we had a taste test. I was amazed the difference in quality.
The meat is competively priced with other stores in our area but far superior in quality. Dry aged is obviously more expensive, as they have to inventory it for 21 days or so to age it.
Any time you are buying rare things that can’t be obtained anywhere else, you pay more. That is true of dry aged meat as well as other items. Rare things don’t sell like popular things. But they go bad equally as fast, resulting in a higher rate of loss, and pushing costs higher. Also, WFM has their ‘fair trade’ policies which I favor. Subsidies are killing the American farm culture and most small operations don’t seem to be able to observe the hazard.
So, I guess I’m saying. . . Mackey is a libertarian, WFM is a publicly owned company, make up your own mind about where you shop and don’t let excessively loud and nasty leftists dictate your choices for you, whether in grocery store choice or in health care.
If enough conservatives and libertarians show up, the leftists leave; they can’t stand the feeling of not being a dictatorial majority.
These aren’t people that have a strong heritage of ‘staying the course’ after all.
August 17th, 2009 at 9:59 am
I love Whole Paycheck. It has the absolute best fresh pineapple–the only place it’s better is in Hawaii. I also can get a few things there I can’t find elsewhere. However, I’ve always felt uncomfortable there ’cause it’s pretty much leftieville. Maybe the lefties will leave the place alone now so the “crunchie cons” (conservative health-nuts) can take over. 😉
August 17th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
I would love to patronize WF, but they made a corporate decision that they didn’t want my business. The one near me is properly posted (for TN) No Firearms. I will not willingly go anywhere unarmed. I only disarm where the law requires it. Since I have a choice about where to shop, I choose to shop at places that thank me for being armed.
Respectfully,
Pol