The Real Reason You Should Never Buy Eggs At Whole Foods
Whole Foods has long been seen as a somewhat-elite destination for organic groceries that not everyone can afford. The good news? Customer surveys show that Amazon has improved Whole Foods' reputation for overly-high prices since acquiring the natural food-focused grocery chain in 2017 (via the Los Angeles Times). This change in sentiment is at least a little bit justified. Prices at Whole Foods fell 5 percent in the two years since Amazon's purchase (via Forbes).
But do not expect the store to shake its "Whole Paycheck" nickname just yet, however. While Amazon lowered some prices by an average of 20 percent in 2019, you can count eggs as one of many items that did not make the cut. The New York Times put the price cuts to the test by shopping for 13 grocery staples, including eggs. The overall grocery bill was essentially unchanged.
But just how expensive are eggs at Whole Foods, compared to other stores?
Eggs will cost you at Whole Foods, but sometimes it's worth it
Cheat Sheet found a huge gap in egg prices between Whole Foods and its competitors at the time of Amazon's acquisition. A dozen large eggs cost $3.49, while the same product was $1.19 at Trader Joe's, and $1.89 at Target. Overall, Whole Foods has a long way to go to compete with a mainstream chain on the price of products like eggs. The price gap between Whole Foods and the United States' second-largest grocer, Kroger, was 27 percent in 2019, Forbes reported.
We found an exception to the "never buy eggs at Whole Foods" rule. Business Insider recommends Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs for their nutritional value. They may be pricey, but in this case, you get what you pay for in a good way. The bright orange yolk actually proves a Vital Farms egg has 30 percent more vitamin A, and the eggs are "certified humane," with the chickens getting a guaranteed amount of pasture space. If that's important to you, springing for the more expensive eggs, which are on par with what you might find at a farmer's market, may be worth it. If not, it seems you can save money on eggs by shopping almost anywhere other than Whole Foods.