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The Whole Story
November 15, 2009
Ever since Whole Foods opened their doors to give foodies and friends a free range to their organic produce and air chilled chicken, a fierce no rBSTs-barred brawl has erupted in Aisle 6 of the upscale grocery market.
Citizens from Montecito to Goleta are wondering where should they shop, and whether or not the prices at Whole Foods are as high as those found at Lazy Acres and Gelson's.
Ed heard the cries from the corn-fed beef crowd, and decided to do some old-store investigative work to see whether Whole Foods lives up to its Whole Wallet reputation.
Of course, comparing prices on many of the specialty items at the upscale stores to other stores in town is like an organic apple to fresh-squeezed orange juice comparison. So, Ed chose dairy and eggs as the msg-free measuring stick of butter for a fair and free trade comparison.
This week, the dedicated staff of edhat.com visited many of the top grocery stores in town to record the lowest prices for one pound of butter, one gallon of milk, and a dozen eggs. Ralph's was having a special on eggs this week, making it the cheapest place in town to buy all three ($5.88). Vons ($6.77) was second. Scolari's ($7.08), where there was a nice special on Land o Lake butter was third.
Maybe prices have gone up at Trader Joe's ($7.47). They had won a similar price-check comparison on Edhat before. Albertson's ($7.57) was hurt
by the fact that they still only give discounts on a gallon of milk if you buy two.
Local markets that are located in generally less affluent neighborhoods did poorly in our survey - Santa Cruz Market ($8.37), Foodland ($8.47), Chapala Market ($10.47).
Among the upscale markets, the big winner was the market that prompted this survey. Yep, the big store from Texas -- Whole Foods ($8.67). They won in this segment of the market because they carry a store brand (365). Gelson's ($10.97) and Lazy Acres ($13.47) only sell Alta Dena or higher-priced brands.
The average price of all markets surveyed was pretty much the same as the Whole Food price, $8.65. The winner in this week's contest was pn2865, with a guess of $8.99. PN wins an Edhat t-shirt, available for pickup at either of the Santa Barbara Arts La Arcada locations.
Here is a chart showing all the eggs, butter, and milk prices we found:
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