Last week Amazon Prime discounts at Whole Foods rolled out in South Carolina. Since we have been Prime* members for years, I decided to give it a try and see how the sales stack up with the other local grocery stores.
The first step in all of this is to download the Whole Foods app and link it to your Prime account. The app will then create a unique QR code that you will need to scan before you check out at Whole Foods. Honestly, the entire process feels very much like a loyalty card that other stores have, but instead of another card on your key ring, you have a QR code on your phone. You can also use your phone number to link to the account, but I chose the QR option.
Another nice thing about the app, is that it you can look at the weekly sale items. Very helpful in planning your shopping you list!
Once I got to the store, I was greeted with these flyers:
And these signs posted throughout the store:
What I quickly figured it all boils down to, is that if you are a Prime member, you have access to the sale prices of the blue signs. Much like a loyalty card program, these blue sign sales are only available to Prime members who have signed up. The yellow sale signs are items that are available to all customers, but Prime members get an additional 10% off, so you see two sale prices.
Some of the sales were significant, such as this charcoal:
Other sales at my local store included an additional 10% off of $3.99 organic strawberries ($3.60 per container), and the Annie’s Mac ‘n Cheese BOGO sale. I have to admit, the mac ‘n cheese BOGO is a regular at Publix and Harris Teeter, so I wasn’t overly impressed by that one. I did think that the price on the organic produce was good, however. Organic produce is always more than conventionally (non-organic) grown foods. This week conventionally grown strawberries were BOGO $5.00 (or $2.50 per container) at Publix, without a membership or even loyalty card.
Research has shown repeatedly that health benefits are seen from eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. It does not have to be organic produce to improve health. If you feel passionate about only consuming organic food, and have the resources to do so, by all means! However, I know that the reality for many of us, is that organic items don’t fit into the grocery budget, and that is ok. The bottom line is eat your fruits and veggies in the way that you can afford.
Whole Foods does have a nice selection of gluten-free products and other items that are safe for those with specific food allergies and/or sensitivities. If you, or someone you are shopping for, falls into that category, I suspect this new discount program could be quite beneficial. I’m not sure that I will be changing up my weekly shopping routine, and making Whole Foods my main grocery store, but I will say that I will be more inclined to glance through the weekly ad on my app to just see if anything grabs me.
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