Why a Whole Foods Boycott Might Actually Work to Spur Real Health Care Reform

[ProSense]

Why a Whole Foods Boycott Might Actually Work to Spur Real Health Care Reform

by tremayne

(Cross posted at Open Left where some interesting ideas have been added in comments.)

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The CEO and co-founder of Whole Foods has written a WSJ editorial attacking the still-in-the-works Obama health care plan in favor of less regulation on the insurance industry and downsizing Medicare. Here's one blogger's take:

Not very smart for a company that depends almost entirely on wealthy Democrats who are willing to pay five dollars for a six ounce carrot soda. Come on, you can do it, boycott them for at least a week and discover how much money you can save at Trader Joe's.

Actually, I think this is a great idea. A stupendous idea. Why? Let me explain.

1. Pretty much the only way to get the attention of corporate fat cats and the Senators and House members they own is to hit them in the pocket book. Remember when Sinclair Broadcasting was planning to air the anti-John Kerry "documentary" in 2004? The "sell Sinclair stock" meme was born and spread through the tubes and the stock started going down. Soon, plans for airing the documentary "changed." If a boycott of Whole Foods plan spreads, even if it is targeted for, say, the rest of August, they will notice. Similarly, a sell Whole Foods stock (WFMI) might also be effective.
   
   
2. My impression is that the customers of Whole Foods are left-leaning. If true, a boycott by even a quarter of Democratic customers would have a major impact.
   
   
3. While Whole Foods used to be a regional operation, it has now spread to 39 states. There are 3 locations in DC, 8 in Maryland and many more in Virginia. Congress members know of it and probably shop there.
   
   
4. If such a plan works, if the stock falls for example, the press will pick up on it and it will spread.
   
   
5. If the plan works it will be another example to corporate America that people want change. You would think nearly 70 million votes for Obama would have sent that message but I guess that's yesterday's news. We need to send a reminder and this could be a really good one.
   
   
6. It's a good opportunity to seek out local alternative sources for the stuff you might normally buy at Whole Foods. Farmers markets, etc. If you go to Whole Foods and stock up on essentials in anticipation of the boycott, it's not really going to hurt them is it?

There are downsides. For example, the people who work at Whole Foods could be negatively affected. That may argue for a time-specific boycott, or, alternatively, a stock-selling plan.

What do you think? Put your ideas in the comments. And if you have better Facebooking skills than mine or other viral messaging abilities, get to work.

[SoFlaJet]

1. Nice Store...

but I just informed the wife that we are now officially boycotting them-very expensive too anyway. Besides we've been doing most of our shopping at a Target Super Store which has great products and really good meats-and cheap-we paid 13 bucks for two beautiful T-bones yesterday-Angus beef too!

[ProSense]

3. Costco

Even if you take into consideration that Costco sells in bulk, they still come out cheaper. Take a friend and split the purchase. I was taken in by Whole Foods' display, but their produce isn't all that great, just expensive. Costco's products stay fresh longer than most supermarkets, including Whole Foods.

[Hamlette]

5. and Costco is 100% blue. They give NO money to republicans. n/t

[Lorien]

6. Costco sells a lot of organics too. Plus, the CEO only makes 300k a year

and puts the rest of the money back into the company, employee wages, benefits, and contributes to liberal causes!

[vaberella]

13. Long live CostCo. n/t

[tosh]

15. I wish we had one near me.

All we have is Scam's Club.:puke:

Edited to clarify Costco, not WF.

[PVnRT]

21. Costco & Trader Joe are great if they're nearby

That's what frustrates me about everyone saying you should go there. Here, there's Kroger's, Wal-Mart (and a Meijer's when they get it built). There's sometimes a farmer's market, and that's it, or you run to Lexington for the same options plus Whole Foods.

Woodman's north of Cincinatti is awesome, but that's almost a two hour drive.

[silverweb]

26. I *heart* Costco!

I feel so fortunate to have 2 Costco stores within an easy distance.

[Shanti Mama]

39. Because they've been treated with chemicals

Then you'll REALLY need health care!

Buy their organic produce but even then you can't be sure it's truly organic.

[Touchdown]

40. Costco is also a union company.

Almost half of their stores are union. Target? Over their dead bodies.

[uponit7771]

45. I have a membership and I'm addicted to the store, few I know shops at Sams Club

[cascadiance]

47. Just don't buy Bolthouse drinks there. Their owner funded prop 8 in California

Most things I go ahead and get in Costco, though lately they've been getting far more right wing books than progressive ones that leave me not buying them now.



But the BoltHouse juice drinks they have which actually I think now have their Kirkland signature on them, were made by Bolthouse Farms, whose owner William Bolthouse donated to the anti-gay prop 8 measure in California...

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/06/bolthouse_farms_keep_keep_it_together.php

Probably wouldn't hurt to write Costco about this now, while the iron is hot for Whole Foods too, so they are conscious of how many of their customers don't like to be spoonfed right wing products too, though I still have high regard for just about everything else that Costco does (except that they should try to get out of the AMEX exclusive contract they are in now).

[janx]

49. That's what I do--shop with a friend and split the perishables.

And I always come out ahead when buying coffee beans and paper products.

[DrToast]

2. I only shop there occasionally, but I won't be anymore. n/t

[myrna minx]

4. I'm on board. I will now exclusivly shop at my local Coop.

Thanks for posting.

[madmax]

7. I'm in

I like a lot of their products but, they are soooo expensive! It won't be that hard for me to boycott them. ;)

[Lorien]

8. I'm in. I'll only shop at Chamberlains and Costco now

"whole paycheck" was too expensive anyway. I'm tempted to put some flyers on some windshields there though....

[YOY]

9. Avoid shopping at "Whole Paycheck"? Can do. Already do.

n/t

[depakid]

11. What's impressive is that store sells typical items at about double the mark up

I guess they bank on the "you're better than others if you shop here" factor.

[YOY]

12. Both for eco reasons and for trendy hipster reasons.

or so my wife and I see when we walk in the store. We are the unhepest cats in the pack. Why I don't even own one of those cool hipster hats!

[depakid]

16. "Why I don't even own one of those cool hipster hats!"

Now you've gone and done it:



Star bellied sneetches are the best sneetches....

[YOY]

29. Naw...need one of these ones.

[frazzled]

10. Not shopping there is not enough

I think we should show up on or near Whole Foods' parking lots with picket signs, and pass out information--to wit, copies of the WSJ op-ed piece.

This truly pisses me off. High-deductible HSAs, my ass. (Ask anyone with a high-deductible policy how many times they don't go to the doctor because they can't freaking afford to.) Insurance across state lines, my ass. These are classic right-wing talking points. The headline alone, citing "ObamaCare" is inflammatory.

It also pisses me off because I shop at Whole Foods for a few things like meat and bulk herbs and grains. But I won't anymore. I won't buy meat from regular supermarkets, but I'll find other purveyors of organic chickens, and bulk cardamom pods.

[vaberella]

14. I'm all for that. there's this obnoxious Whole Foods on near 16th street.

I hate that Whole Foods, do you know how much they sell cheese for? It's too damn expensive.

[CrispyQ]

17. In Colorado, Vitamin Cottage is much cheaper than WF.

It's even cheaper than Kings on lots of things. I hate Whole Foods. I was disappointed when they bought out Wild Oats.

[otohara]

18. Yep - Love VC

no more delicious bread pudding from WF for Otohara and family.

[NavyMom]

19. I stopped as soon as I saw the supposedly Op-Ed

put info on another link, took some customers out of line with me too. The owner of our company just canceled our corporate account with them and he said nor will he shop there personally.

[quiet.american]

25. Now that's awesome! nt

[formercia]

20. Boycott them forever

Let the rich crazies support his ass.

[AzDar]

22. Yea, verilly...I preacheth the Gospel of the Costco; they of blue politics and low prices.

Fuck Whole Paycheck.
Amen.O8)

[imnKOgnito]

23. Whole Food Boycott

While I do my heavy grocery shopping at the local co-op (PCC on Avondale, which is conveniently located on my commute path), I eat lunch nearly EVERY day at WF, due mainly to the facts that they have the only organic (complete with fresh spinach) salad bar around and the store is very close to my office. That patronage ends now. I think Whole Foods is about to get a taste of what 'free market' really means.

[Touchdown]

41. I heard Panera Bread has org salads, but I'm not sure.

You should check them out. Their soup is fantastic though!:P

[imnKOgnito]

50. Thanks

I avoid soups because of the salt content which seems to REALLY effect my blood pressure, but I'll definitely check them out for the salads. You must be local, since you seem to know there's a Panera right down the street. ;-) Thanks for the tip.

[karynnj]

24. Well the arguments are good enough to get me

to eliminate the long trips to Whole Foods which I occasionally make.

I think the analogy to Sinclair is overblown - there people were sponsoring a smear program long after its claims were shown to have been lies. The demand was that they not sponsor that show. Here, the CEO has taken an obnoxious position. This is not a stand by WF and it is not clear what the demand is.


But, no one has to justify why they chose one market over the others and the thing that I didn't know was how anti-union they are.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

27. Boycott on

I used to drive weekly to Sarasota (an hour's drive each way) specifically to shop at WF--not because I like the prices, but because I like the vibe and it's one of the few places not crowded with pushy tourists. Saturday mornings, there's a farmer's market just outside where you can get your local produce at much better prices, and it's just become a family routine.

No more. I've renewed my efforts to nag TJ's into expanding into this area (we don't have Costco, either) and until that happens, I'll go back to my dinky mom & pop whole foods shop and truck farmers, and Publix for the rest. Obviously, WF has simply targeted lefties as an easy mark and their granola façade is only a ruse to seduce us into happily paying half again more for everything just because they have us feeling warm and fuzzy because they flush their toilets with recycled rainwater.

Hell, saving about $400/mo in gas and groceries means I may eventually have enough saved up to get me some health care! Pffft.

Way to alienate your customer base, dipwad!


ETA: WF has a forum, and it's hopping. :thumbsup:

[FrenchieCat]

28. Trader Joe shopper here! Cheaper prices and they treat their employees decently....

Also a Costco Member, although I don't go often anymore, cause our family has shrunk (empty nesters as of this year).

--------------

According to BusinessWeek, Trader Joe's pays above-union wages and generous bonuses.It contributes an additional 15.4% of each worker's gross pay into a company-funded retirement plan. As of 2004, pay for entry-level part-timers was $8 to $10 an hour; first-year supervisors average more than $40,000 a year.<3>

Trader Joe's also offers health insurance benefits (dental, vision, and medical) to part-time employees and their dependents. Part-time employees must work 900 hours per year (an average of 20 hours per week) and be employed for a minimum of three months consecutively to qualify. All part-time employees are evaluated every six months with the possibility of a pay increase. They also receive a 10 percent discount on items bought at the store.<16>


Supermarket News estimates that Trader Joe's total sales for 2008 was $7.2 billion, which gave it a ranking of No. 23 on the list of "SN's Top 75 Retailers for 2009."<1>

The May 2009 issue of Consumer Reports ranks Trader Joe's the second-best supermarket chain in the nation, after Wegmans.

In June 2009 MSN Money released its third annual Customer Service Hall of Fame survey results. Trader Joe's ranks 2nd in customer service.

Products sold include gourmet foods, organic foods, vegetarian food, unusual frozen foods, imported foods, domestic and imported wine and beer (where local law permits), "alternative" food items, and basics like bread, cereal, eggs, dairy, coffee and produce. Non-food items include personal hygiene products, household cleaners, vitamins, pet food, plants, and flowers.


On July 2, 2009, Greenpeace began a series of non-violent campaign actions aimed at raising consumer awareness of unsustainable seafood practices on the part of Trader Joe's. (Specific information can be found in Carting Away the Oceans, a semi-annual retailer analysis generated by the environmental group.) Though included in the Greenpeace report, Trader Joe's does not sell monkfish or Chilean sea bass.

On July 11, 2009, Trader Joe's released a statement announcing the company's intention to use the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program to inform its purchasing decisions.

As of July 2009, Trader Joe's has a total of 325 stores in the following states: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Washington, D.C.<2>

The most recent stores to open are in Huntington Beach, California (Harbor); Larkspur, California; Los Angeles, California (Sunset Strip); Redding, California; San Diego, California (Scripps Ranch); Santa Maria, California; St. Paul, Minnesota; Virginia Beach, Virginia; and the Westwood district in Los Angeles. <18>

Stores are scheduled to open in Aliso Viejo, California; Newbury Park, California; Olympia, Washington; Princeton, New Jersey; Raleigh, North Carolina; and West Los Angeles, California (Olympic).<18>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe's

[janx]

48. I love Trader Joe's!

If I want to shop for expensive food, that's where I go. But I could never afford to do all of my food shopping there.

[StopTheNeoCons]

30. Check out the DUer's recipe for disaster at WF forums

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/forums/index.php

Favorite Recipe Swap
Delicious Edamame Salad recipe

[Doremus]

44. Link?

Don't see the recipe you reference. They must have taken it down.

[CakeGrrl]

31. Boycott WF? No problemo. I have Trader Joe's and Costco. n/t

[mkultra]

32. yup, im done with them

[RandomKoolzip]

33. Two sides to this....

Yeah, a boycott that would hurt Whole Foods' CEO in the wallet sounds like a great idea. Plus their food's overpriced.

HOWEVER, i have so many friends who work at Whole Foods and are just getting by, and bankrupting THESE people to make a point is pretty much throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Whole Foods employs lots of low-income, working-class creative people, people who are artists, musicians, writers, prospective cooks just getting their feet wet in food service, people living paycheck to paycheck, but at a place they genuinely enjoy working at...you'd throw these struggling people out on the street to make a point?

[girl gone mad]

34. A boycott would be zero sum.

WF's loss would be another grocer's gain, and perhaps your friends would end up finding work at a more employee-friendly business.

[TheKentuckian]

35. Whole Foods deserves the hammer for simply pissing on their own base.

What a dumbass move! How many Republicans blow their money at their stores? 10 or 11? How many right leaning Independents? Probably less than actual Republiscum.

I bet 85% of their customers are Democrats and lefty Independents (those probably to the left of Democrats, especially).

Being that numb deserves an asskicking.

[skipos]

36. EMAIL ADDRESS FOR WHOLE FOODS:

[e-mail]

[Arugula Latte]

38. Thanks! Just sent one off.

:hi:

[RichGirl]

42. Thanks....

I just gave them a large piece of my mind!!

I added...don't worry about losing liberal customers...you'll get the rednecks. So you better cut prices at least by half and start selling pork rinds and fat back!!

[saltpoint]

43. thanks, skipos. It's fun writing in with this email on this subject and

name-dropping Mackey's name in there almost immediately.

I think he owes his customers an apology. Absent that, I think his customers owe him a boycott.

[donheld]

46. Email sent

[emsimon33]

37. I am in!

Wish I had some stock so that I could sell it.