Got Into a Fight With My GF at the Grocery Store!!

[globe9]

I should have known better, but it's been a while since I've been to Whole Foods(Vets and Severn location). I needed some Tahini in order to make some hummus. I didn't even bother trying to find this at Winn-Dixie, which is close to my home, or Rouse's, b/c I've looked before and can never seem to find it. I know Whole Foods carries it, so my GF and I headed over there just for the tahini. We quickly find the tahini and it's reasonably priced at a little over $5 for a jar. I've paid closer to $10 for it before, so I was pleasantly surprised and ready to hit the register. This is when GF says that she doesn't think we have any garlic at home for the hummus and we should pick some up while we're there. I agree and head over to the produce section of the store. She finds a small bag of garlic with about 3 heads in it and says, "Lets go". I say, "Hold on a minute" b/c I notice that this bag of garlic is over $7.00!!!! I say NO WAY am I spending $7.00 on garlic!!! She justs wants to get it there, since we are there, and doesn't want to have to go to another grocery store. We begin arguing in the middle of the produce section. I win out, of course, b/c there is no way in hell I'm spending 7 bucks on garlic OR letting anyone I know do so either!!! I hit the Winn Dixie on the way home and picked up 2-2packs of garlic heads for 69 cents each.

Moral of this story: Not sure, but there's no way in hell I'm spending $7.00 on 3 heads of garlic...I could have 10 million dollars sitting in the bank, I won't do it. What exactly is wrong with the people who shop at Whole Foods? Do they just have money to burn? Just ranting now...I make a good salary, but I just can't see over-spending on stuff like garlic or 99% of everything in Whole Foods. Guess that's just me though cause that place is PACKED all the time with people who don't look like they can afford a 99 cent burrito, much less $7.00 garlic! At least the tahini there is affordable....and yes, I know there 360 degree brand or whatever it is, is very good quality and affordable, b/c everytime I bi*ch about Whole Foods and their prices, this is what I get told.

[bdavid]

That's why its nicknames are either Wholier Than Thou or Whole Paycheque. I still go there for stuff not available elsewhere, though - like seeduction bread or esoteric mushrooms.

[Low-N-Slow]

Mmmm... Seeduction bread... <eyes roll back in head>. I also get my King Arthur flours there, and the cheese selection is good.

I always pick up tahini at Byblos Market, just down the street. $2.99 for a 16 oz. jar.

[Suzy Wong]

Lately with the price of groceries going up, at the regular grocery store, WF's really isn;t that bad. But yes, some items are high.

I guess it's relative. I can't believe how much cigarettes are, BUT I don't smoke, same goes with alcohol. It's what a person desirs, and is able or willing to pay for it.

Whole Foods does have many things no other stores do.

I have found if you search around, many (NOT all) of the items are within the range of the regular grocery store.

I find they all do that Langenstein's, Robert's, Dorignac's, low $ on some things and high on others.

globe9, I have discovered appearance doesn't automatically mean a person has money or not, it can mean they are in a lot of debt, or high bills. Where someone dressed low key is sitting on a pile o money, you just can't tell.

[wish I never left]

This is why, here in Houston, I regularly shop Central Market and have been inside Whole Foods maybe three times in six (has it been that long?) years.

At CM, you pay through the nose for the good stuff - don't even ask what they charge for Gulf shrimp - but on the regular staples that they do cover, prices are right in line with what you'd find at HEB (CM's parent grocery chain).

[Dilfan]

I needed some Tahini in order to make some hummus.

Globe9,
Just as a "heads up", in an emergency use peanut butter in place of Tahini. I've done it and it's pretty hard to taste the difference. In fact, I quit buying Tahini when I couldn't find it under $7 a bottle, but I will have to stop by Byblos Market and pick some up.

[buzd]

FWIW, I've seen tahini at Rouse's. It's in the "health/gourmet/organic" section.

[Jerry]

She finds a small bag of garlic with about 3 heads in it and says, "Lets go". I say, "Hold on a minute" b/c I notice that this bag of garlic is over $7.00!!!! I say NO WAY am I spending $7.00 on garlic!!!

Most every store has loose garlic by the pound...I would guess WFM did also.
Packaged items will always be more.

As for tahini - International Foods on Baron St. (near Cleary, north of I-10) has great prices on tahini, canned garbanzos, etc...capers, too.

[hungryone]

It's easy to get stung by weirdly high prices on certain items at WF. I picked up a bag of three avocadoes only to discover that the individual avos were WAY cheaper (per pound). On the other hand, the bulk section usually works out cheaper than other stores, especially since you can purchase just the amount you need.

[Dilfan]

I always pick up tahini at Byblos Market, just down the street. $2.99 for a 16 oz. jar.

LNS,
What brand do you get for $2.99? I was just there and the Tarazi brand is $6.99 for 16 oz. jar (but it is 100% ground hulled seeds with no preseratives, additives, or salt).