I have developed Gluten intolerance and am adjusting to it. I just discovered a new product of yours (Gluten Free Pancakes).. They are GOOD!! Thanks so much, and I'll be looking for more new items on the shelves.

A while ago I would have voted Whole Foods, though I love TJ's. However, I recently discovered that a large percentage of WF's produce is GMO. This, from an employee who works in their produce dept. I wouldn't have known except I pointed out (to him) that they had seedless watermelon and ALL seedless watermelon is GMO, and manipulated using chemical methods created by a Japanese scientist. Now, I don't trust WF anymore. It's all about the money for them.

These are two very different stores. TJ's is your friendly neighborhood grocery store with some natural and European choices with extremely good prices. I moved to USA from Europe and fell in love with TJ's as it reminded me of little shops in my country. Whole Foods is a specialty store where you get something very specific that you can't find elsewhere but you wouldn't shop for your entire dinner there. Therefore, it is priced accordingly. BTW, I have never seen anyone at Whole Foods pushing a cart or really filling up that basket. At the check out you always see people with couple things in their hands. While at TJ's people usually push they're carts filled up to the brim...and at the end they're not braking the bank.

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. I just started shopping organic and have gone three times to whole foods. Although I have to admit i like it there, my reason for being here is i googled wholefoods vs trader joes and found exactly what I was looking for: A comparison on prices. All of that said, I will now be shopping at trader joes. I only wish I would of thought of looking this up before doing my grocery shopping this morning and spending..everybody hold your breath..$215. :(

Whole Foods may be turning around a bit with the FTC potentially willing to negotiate a settlement on the Wild Oats acquisition. For further discussion of Whole Foods pricing, see

http://brandculturetalk.com/2008/06/06/has-whole-foods-lost-its-mojo/

In case anyone was wondering, Trader Joe's went through a process about half a year ago or so to replace ALL of their China products. There's still one or two items they're looking to replace, but ask anyone who works there and they can tell you that they carry no Chinese products

Trader Joe's house brands have slightly degraded over the past year. More broths have ingredients like autolyzed yeast. Several of their products just don't taste as good as they once did. In addition to their broths, I find their nuts to be stale at times. That never used to happen. It can't be because of traffic, because they are hugely busy in NJ.

I've shopped at both from time to time and have friends who work at both. I've compared both on several items and I must admit, my choice was Trader Joes. I feel more at home. Wholefoods has a lot to offer but none of which it offers appeals to me. Trader joes is there, I get in, get what I want and get out. I walk in I see the same smiling faces (well they have to but its just a well) and I feel at home.

what about the price! For the same amount of money I buy twice the amount at TJ than WF. Trader Joes ROCKS!!!

Trader Joe's tries so hard to be as good as Whole Foods, but they just don't execute at the same level. Low prices on selected items are nice, but there is no reason to spend your food dollars at Trader's if you have a Whole Foods anywhere nearby. The food quality and service is just better at Whole Foods, hands down.

Well, I don't really have a choice since there is no TJ where I live. But compared to the other grocery stores some of which try to provide organic foods, WF wins hands down, especially their meat and produce. MY WF store is relatively small and friendly, their their prices on some items beat the regular stores..

Here in LA, we have many Trader Joe's and Whole Foods stores to choose from. But I know of practically no one who continues to prefer Whole Foods once they discover Trader Joe's. The reasons are simple: (1) Price: Item for item, TJ's offerings can be as low as HALF the price of the exact same or similar item at Whole Paycheck (as it's widely known here). Overall, you'll spend at least 25% less for a similar shopping basket of goods at TJ's than you will at WF. (2) Selection: TJ's doesn't offer you eight different brands of a given product, leaving you to figure out which one represents the best quality or value. Very often, TJ's will only offer a SINGLE brand of a given food, and often that brand is TJ's own. But repeated experience shows that TJ's does their homework regarding quality and value, so that single brand is almost always top-notch in both respects. (3) Atmosphere: TJ's stores are invariably cozy, casual, friendly. No WF store that I know of can boast any of these attributes. Bottom line? I personally like WF, and am glad that they're in the market. But that doesn't change the simple fact that I know a lot of people who are fanatically loyal to Trader Joe's. I know none who are to Whole Paycheck.

TJ is nowhere near to WF when it comes to kind of choice that you get. WF carries a lot more variety of foods than TJ and quality is outstanding... of course, one would pay the price for that which most of the times proves worthwhile.

I am a medical writer and I live in Southern California, though not in LA. Like Rey Ray, I too have plenty of local Trader Joe's and Whole Foods to choose from. In fact, one of each is a short walking distance from my home. I remember shopping at Trader Joe's in the 80's, when they were just another upscale deli. Back then they seemed unconcerned about the ingredients in what they carried, or how or where the product was produced. Compared to Whole Foods, they are late converts to the organic, socially conscious, and health-conscious market. While both chains are chasing affluent shoppers, WF is much more adept at supplying the needs of more socially conscious as well as health conscious older shoppers. As the population ages and boomers begin to suffer from a variety of chronic illnesses (or fear that they will), they'll be wanting special diets. We're not talking the standard organic, low-fat, or low-sodium fare-- I mean some pretty peculiar-sounding diets. Ones the media doesn't pay much attention to. These diets are gaining more and more adherents every day, not out of desire, but medical necessity. Ever heard of a low-oxalate diet(for urinary stones or vulvodynia)? A alkaline-ash diet (for gout)? Or maybe you've heard of the low-acid, low-monoamine, hypo-allergenic, caffeine-free, preservative-free diet known as "the IC Diet" (for a chronic urinary tract disease, interstitial cystitis)? There are an estimated 1 million people in the US with interstitial cystitis. Tens of millions more have something called irritable bowel syndrome, and doctors recommend a unique diet for that too. Know anyone with allergies or a gluten intolerance? Tens of millions follow special diets for those reasons. Aging citizens with chronic diseases may soon find their "lifestyle" shopping choices supplanted by the medical necessities of buying food that doesn't trigger symptoms. Rising health care costs, an aging population, and an expanding list of diseases that are known to respond to dietary choices may make the wider variety of products at Whole Foods more attractive. What's more, WF is ahead of the curve in stocking the unique niche products that people on special diets require. While each special diet population may be small, taken together they represent a significant and growing part of the market. TJ's I'm afraid, doesn't seem to get it. Thanks in part to their business model, they once again appear to be last out of the gate the race for these shoppers.

i have worked for both. i have eaten their foods and experienced what both have to offer. i loved the people i worked with at TJ's but my only problem is that they had ZERO standards. yeah they made a point to have workplace safety, but there was ZERO concern for anything with regards to environmental responsibility, small business empowerment or even employee empowerment. Wholefoods as a company makes sure that they support local bakeries, local farmers, and the towns in which they reside. TJ's didnt recycle, wouldnt think of bringing in locally grown produce. I take pride that i can go to work everyday at wholefoods that I work for the lesser of evils in the world. I like going to wholefoods not only because they treat me right but the food is overall cleaner and better. you can call it whole paycheck all you want, but it all depends on what we think we as humans need more, cable tv or healthier cleaner food. i would much rather spend money on better food for me and my family than have luxuries like new TVs and computers every year or two, and cable TV with extra channels. but thats just my preference and we all have our own priorities.

I love Trader Joe's! I live in Southwest Florida & there are no stores here, I have to shop when I visit my family in Md.

I would LOVE to shop at Trader Joe's, and would relish the opportunity. Unfortunately, Trader Joe's cares too much about California and doesn't think enough of the southern states to put a store here; thankfully, Whole Foods Market DOES.

Whole Foods vs. Trader Joe's? No contest.

Whole Foods has turned from a source for high quality foods into nothing more than a huge corporation that is looking to put profit before quality. Their "green" initiative is nothing more than an attempt to fine tune their marketing to ride the latest "green" wave. They import dozens of types of food from China (a country where we have no FDA inspection ability) and then label those foods ORGANIC!!

How can something be organic when it's of unknown origin? Talk about not supporting their local farmers... they don't even support Americans, nevermind locals.

As a Whole Foods consumer who got them started, shopping at stores they bought as well as some of the first Whole Foods markets built, I am disgusted to have taken part. They are reducing the quality of foods sold as organic just to turn a quick buck.

I have only recently discovered Trader Joe's because I'll shop ANYWHERE except Whole Foods now. I was pleasantly surprised to find many American products and much more reasonable prices.

Whole Foods is nothing but a profit hungry corporation. Profit hungry corporations skimp on the product and then sell them at over inflated prices... that's how they make money for the share holders. Is that the kind of irresponsible outfit you want selecting your food from China? Think about the recent pet food problem. Who's to say it won't happen to the garbage Whole Foods imports?

There seems to be some conflicting info here. #s 8 & 11 both raise valid and interesting points. Does anyone know anything more? Maybe a good website? Thanks.

Unfortunately, the Midwest is always the last to get any healthy or tendy stores, so we have neither here. Someone hurry up and come to the Midwest!!