Organic produce is better for you
With farm-to-table movement taking over the way we eat, organic food demand is on the rise. It still, unfortunately, doesn’t mean that natural foods are available everywhere or that they are affordable for everybody. The affordability aspect is getting better with time, but to this day not all stores carry a good selection or sell it reasonably.
Walmart has a wide variety of organic offers
One of the largest discount grocery retailers, Walmart, has been focusing on organic foods for the last four years. It’s always been known as a discount store, but this push for organic offerings is aimed for more affluent customers in hopes of attracting more upmarket shoppers to the store in general.
Organic food for babies at Walmart
The ultimate goal is to become like Whole Foods, just cheaper.
Organic fruit is USDA approved at Walmart
The last thing Walmart expected is for Whole Foods to become a more expensive Walmart. With recent Amazon’s buy for $13 billion the prices of Whole Foods were expected to drop. They didn’t though. What did go down are prices for Amazon Prime members.
Local offers at Whole Foods always taste best
Let’s take a look at what prices Walmart and Whole Foods charge, how they compare and differ, and why. After all, even Walmart can’t make any profit if it won’t keep prices on natural goods elevated. We took 12 most popular items and compared them side by side to see the real difference.
Berries are also organic at Walmart
Peanut butter
- Walmart – Adams Organic Creamery Butter $4.28/16 oz
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Organic Unsweetened $3.99/16 oz
This comparison illustrates one of the biggest problems for Walmart – they don’t carry cheaper store brand organic products and thus are often more expensive. Whole Foods have their 365 brand and wins the competition.
Whole Foods specializes in organic produce and upscale ambience
Sharp Cheddar Cheese
- Walmart – Great Value Organic Sharp Cheddar $2.37/6 oz
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Organic Sharp Cheddar $3.99/8 oz
Whole Foods usually rules in this category – snacks that are good for you and the ones you crave more often than not. Walmart wins with this particular snack, so when those healthy cravings hit, head there to get your fix on a budget.
Not everybody knows that Walmart has organic side too
Baby carrots
- Walmart – $3.56/2 lbs
- Whole Foods – $2.99/ 2 lbs
Head to Whole Foods when your cravings become even healthier than organic cheese – baby carrots are snack-size bagged and cheaper than in Walmart.
Eggs
You can find organic carrots at Walmart and save
- Walmart – Marketside Organic Large Brown Eggs $3.97/12
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Organic Large Brown Eggs $3.99/12
This case illustrates one very important conclusion – Walmart and Whole Foods prices are similar a lot more often than different. Two cents are too small of a difference to even mention.
Small, but full shelves of Walmart’s organic offers
See Walmart Coupons:
- $10 OFF Grocery Order
- Free Delivery on Grocery Order over $50
Bananas at Walmart are as cheap as they get
Ice Cream
Low everyday prices at Walmart
- Walmart – Humboldt Creamery Organic Mint Chip $2.98/16 oz
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Organic Mint Chip $4.99/32 oz
High quality natural ice cream from Walmart
Humboldt brand is the best value ice cream in Walmart, but it still didn’t beat 365 Everyday Value prices at Whole Foods. Lately Walmart reduced price to $2.48 just to match Whole Foods.
Coffee
- Walmart – Seattle’s Best 6th Avenue Bistro Dark Roast $4.88/12 oz
- Whole Foods – Bon Nuit French Roast $10.99/24 oz
Walmart charges 41 cents per ounce and triumphs over Whole Foods’ 46. While the price is good, this coffee is the only organic kind at Walmart while Whole Foods has an entire line of in-house organic coffees. Some ground versions cost even less then the only Walmart variety. The decision comes to what matters to you most – price, quality, or variety.
Little shoppers love shopping at Whole Foods
Milk
- Walmart – Great Value Organic 2% Reduced Fat $3.88/64 oz
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Organic 2% Reduced Fat $3.49/64 oz
Whole Foods wins this one and given that this product is still a staple in many households, even the small savings tend to add up over time.
Whole Foods offers more organic produce than anybody else
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Walmart – Great Value Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil $11.98/51 oz
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil $6.99/33.8 oz
These two products are the cheapest each store carries, with Whole Foods winning again, even if only by 2 cents. This means that even the bulky Walmart size won’t give you any meaningful savings when compared with small high quality containers from Whole Foods.
Baby Spinach
Walmart guarantees freshness of its greens
- Walmart – Marketside Organic Baby Spinach $4.96/16 oz
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Organic Baby Spinach $4.99/16 oz
The difference is small, but it’s there in Walmart’s favor by a couple of cents. This means that making salad cost about the same wherever you buy from, but if you need just a small portion, visit Whole Foods and buy their 5-ounce sized package for just $1.99. Walmart has the same thing for $3.46.
Walmart even has organic herbs
Seeded bread
- Walmart – Great Value Organic Select Seeds Bread $3.98/20 oz
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Organic Multigrain Seed Bread $3.79/20 oz
Deli meats and lunch supplies at Walmart
Walmart’s seeded bread is the only such offer. Whole Foods has quite a selection of organic breads with seeds and they all are cheaper than the lone Walmart’s offer.
Whole Foods nut and grain supply is impressive
Spaghetti
Lots of natural pasta choices from Whole Foods
- Walmart – Great Value Organic Spaghetti $1.22/17.6 oz
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Organic Spaghetti $1.49/16 oz
This item is pretty cheap everywhere and in this case Walmart beats Whole Foods quite significantly.
Walmart organic produce section
Pasta Sauce
- Walmart – Great Value Organic Marinara Pasta Sauce $1.98/23.5 oz
- Whole Foods – 365 Everyday Value Organic Marinara Pasta Sauce $1.99/25 oz
Tomato sauces for pasta at Whole Foods
Whole Foods is a bit less expensive, and even if it’s by a small margin, it’s still significant when you have a niche healthy food store going against the largest discount grocery seller.
Walmart organic produce
In conclusion, after this little comparison it’s hard to say if Whole Foods is really as overpriced as legends tend to suggest or if Walmart is not as cheap as it portraits itself. The value of organic shopping is really about your own perception and preferences than real price differences.