Aisles of Contrast

Types of Consumers

At Whole Foods, I talked to a personal chef who was shopping for ingredients. I asked him why he shops at Whole Foods and he said “When I come to Whole Foods, I know the ingredients will always be fresh and consistent. They have what I need and give me the freedom to use ingredients from other cultures, which many other stores do not have.”

At Walmart, I asked a young woman who was shopping for peanut butter if I could take her photograph with my camera. When I asked her why she chose to shop at Walmart, she told me she wasn’t fluent in English and could not answer the question completely. Although I wish I had the opportunity to hear her answer to the question, the conversation reflected an observation I had made earlier at the trip to Walmart– the crowd at Walmart appeared to be much more diverse than at Whole Foods. At Walmart, I saw a more diverse crowd in terms of race, outfits (that designated where the consumers worked (i.e. workout clothes vs. nursing outfit), and language. 

 

Lighting at Whole Foods vs Walmart

At Whole Foods, the products are extremely well-lit, especially the fruit and vegetable sections. Part of the appeal of the Whole Foods produce is how “fresh” it is; but, by examining the lighting systems, one may question if the food may appear to be fresher than it is because of intentionally well-designed, expensive, lighting systems. At Walmart, the lighting is merely large florescent lighting in a warehouse, which isn’t necessarily the best lighting to make the produce appear to be fresh and vibrant. This reflects the contrast between the company’s priorities, in how they choice to spend their money and what they believe is most important to target their consumers.

 

 

Workers at the Stores

Interviewing and talking to many of the workers at the stores was not only very enjoyable for me, but also gave me insight into the companies’ values. Walmart seems to be very focused on the consumers’ relationship with the food directly, whereas Whole Foods seems more involved in having engaged workers who can communicate directly with the consumers.

Lindsey: How would you describe your experience working at Whole Foods?

Carlos:  I give out positive energy which leads to positive energy. So I love working here. 

Lindsey: What is most important in your job?

Carlos: My job is to make sure the bananas and fruit are all designed to look good. The key is all about presentation. Presentation, preparation, and presentation… That’s all that matters.

“My favorite part of this job is being able to talk with the customers. I love it.”

 

Kiwis vs. Whole Food Fruit

 

Here are two examples of the produce that appeared at the stores. At Walmart, many of the fruit products were sold in plastic containers that had targeted images advertising the fruit within it, like this package of kiwis which labels the kiwis as “Mighties, The Amazing Fuzzy Fruit”. There appears to be another step between the produce and the consumer, where another company (in this case, Mighties) makes a profit, instead of straight from the farm to the store. At Whole Foods, the produce rarely appeared in plastic. The produce also featured unique, exotic goods, like the White Asparagus in the photo. One could say that the asparagus is targeting a much more sophisticated crowd than the “Mighties” kiwi.

 

Almond Butter at Walmart

 

This is a photo of the almond butter sold at Walmart, at a price of $6.88. When we were at Whole Foods, I, a consumer, purchased the same exact almond butter for $12.99. Walmart’s price is almost half of that at Whole Foods, for, in this case, the same exact product.

 

 

 

 

 

Drinks

The drink section at Whole Foods featured walls of zero calorie, “natural” sodas like Zevia (which is in the photo). At Walmart, piles of blue Fanta and high calorie, unnatural sodas filled the warehouse. The sodas at Whole Foods were an average of $12, whereas the soda at Walmart is priced at $2 for two, 2-liter bottles. In general, at Walmart, there appears to be much easier access to cheap, high caloric foods in drinks than at Whole Foods.

 

Unique Items

At both stores, I challenged myself to find two items that would be unique to those stores. At Whole Foods, I discovered “Organic Gelatinized Maca Power” for $26.99. The powder is designed to help with concentration and digestibility. The powder is likely designed for a consumer who is focused on trendy nutritional supplements, that may or may not have actual dietary benefits. At Walmart, I discovered their “American Style Pasta Salad.” Despite the word “salad,” the bowl contains only tomatoes as the vegetable component, which I could not actually find when I looked around the package. In stark contrast to the maca powder, the meal is not designed for a consumer interested in health, rather someone who is likely influenced by American-oriented marketing (i.e. stripes and stars) and looking for a quick meal on the go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheese

 

At Whole Foods, the cheese selection includes descriptions of how it was hand cut, how many years it has been aged, and types of cows used to make it. The Parmigianno Cheese in the photo also offers cheese samples for its customers. This indicates that the consumer at Whole Foods is someone who is walking through the store as an experience, leisurely taking the time to taste the offerings.

 

 

 

At Walmart the cheese selection consists of mostly individually packaged, processed, American cheese brands.

 

 

 

 

 

Cashiers

At Whole Foods, the cashier, named Tashé, was very friendly and happy. When I asked Tashé about her experience working at Whole Foods, she had very good things to say. “I have worked at Target, Publix, and Walmart, and this is by far my favorite place yet. The manager treats me very well. The people I talk to are always friendly, and the environment is great.” Tashé was also sporting pins advocating for “organic coconut cookies,” “alleviating global poverty,” the “be different” campaign. Tashé embodied the healthy, happy, organic spirit of Whole Foods.

At Walmart, the cashier was named Arita. Although at first, Arita was very shy and unsure of me taking her photo, once she began talking, I learned that she was very happy at Walmart– in a similar way to Tashé. Artia said “I have a good job. I have never worked at a store as big as Walmart before and I’ve had a very good experience so far.”