Price wars
Grocery shoppers who want low prices, one-stop shopping curious to see what Amazon has done with Whole Foods
Donna Brown visited a Whole Foods for the first time in at least five months with one goal: see how much Amazon had cut prices.
She did buy almond milk, yogurt and lunch meat, but doesn’t plan to quit her usual grocers, Walmart and HEB, where she says she finds bigger selections and lower prices.
“I am a comparison shopper,” says Brown, a part-time administrative assistant in Austin, Texas.
Amazon made a splash right away as the new owner of Whole Foods, slashing prices Monday on baby kale, avocados and ground beef.
That attracted some customers, but whether shoppers who’ve found cheaper alternatives will come back, or those who never visited will give Whole Foods a try, may help determine what kind of effect the blockbuster deal has on how people get their groceries.
Shoppers who talked with The Associated Press this week say what they want most of all is lower prices and one-stop shopping.
Stores are competing fiercely to attract them. Traditional supermarket chain Kroger stressed earlier this year that it does not plan to “lose on price.” Target is spending billions to remodel its stores and highlight its grocery section. Newer entrants from Europe, such as discounters Aldi and Lidl, are opening more U.S. stores. And Walmart, the country’s largest grocer, is making it easier for customers to order groceries online and pick them up at the store.
Some shoppers say they’re concerned with Amazon’s growing power, while others said the nearest Whole Foods was too far away to be a frequent stop.
And while other supermarkets have added aisles of organic and natural products to mimic Whole Foods, the chain still doesn’t sell some consumer favourites like Diet Coke, Bounty towels or other brands people want.
Brown said the “chichi organic stuff” at Whole Foods can’t replace her Clairol hair colour or allergy medicine.
“I’m going to gravitate to Walmart,” she said.
Gail Johnson, a pharmacy technician from Cleveland, has never been to a Whole Foods and doesn’t plan to, even after hearing about the price cuts.
“Organic food is real high expensive, but here there’s regular food,” Johnson said while browsing a movie rental kiosk near the Walmart entrance. “They’ve got movies, liquor, beer, ice cream; anything you want.”