Whole Foods CEO Just Begging To Be Called Out On His BS

There are certain assumptions we make in this world: The sun rises in the east; the Cubs will never win the World Series again; and Whole Foods is an expensive place to shop. But don’t tell that to the grocery chain’s CEO John Mackey, who says that only .1% of the products he sells are pricier than you’ll find elsewhere.

Speaking to USA Today, Mackey tries to downplay Whole Foods’ image as an expensive place to feed your family:

On like items, Whole Foods is very competitive…. We have 30,000 items, and you can probably find 30 on which we’re more expensive. Look at our 365 private-label line, which we price against Trader Joe’s. We match their prices. But you can’t always be cheapest if you have the highest quality.

Considering that, as recently as April, Whole Foods was found to be 14% more expensive than most other grocery stores, we find it hard to believe that customers are paying more on only one out of every 1,000 items there.

Now here is your chance to publicly stick it to the CEO of Whole Foods. If any of you are up to the challenge, we’d love to see just how many products sold at Whole Foods you can find cheaper elsewhere. We have a hunch it’s slightly higher than 30.

If you decide to comparison shop at Whole Foods, send us your results at tips@consumerist.com

Whole Foods CEO: Healthy food is affordable necessity [USA Today]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.