About Whole Foods

Whole Foods is dynamic company that has a storied past and one that is deeply engrained in a unique company philosophy that can read about by visiting www.wholefoodsmarket.com/company/philosophy

What Sets Whole Foods Market Apart From Other Businesses?

• You won’t find any artificial flavors, colors, sweeteners, preservatives or hydrogenated fats in any of the food we sell. All of the foods we sell are 100% natural, and we work hard to ensure every product we stock meets our strict Quality Standards – the highest standards in the industry.
• We dedicate ourselves to the actions that will make our vision flow naturally from our daily work by adopting a philosophy that is mission-driven; symbolized by our Whole Foods-Whole People-Whole Planet motto that exemplifies our commitment to our principles.
• What also sets WHOLE FOODS MARKET apart from the average supermarket is:
  - Our commitment to maintaining the highest Quality Standards in the industry
  - Our commitment to true local and organic food production and sustainability
  - Shoppers can feel confident that we have done the homework for them
  - Our dedication to our Green Mission and environmental issues
  - Our commitment to satisfy & delight our shoppers
  - Our belief that grocery shopping should be fun

What Kind of Community Support Can The Haight Ashbury Neighborhood Expect?

• WHOLE FOODS MARKET is a company with a conscience. We believe passionately in supporting the communities we serve.
• We are committed to each community where we have put down roots and we support local causes that are important to our friends and neighbors.
• We employ a Store Marketing & Community Relations Representative in each store in order to invest in strategic & meaningful relationships within the community. We don’t take a “cookie cutter” approach to community relations; we insist on becoming true community partners, so our store team members are empowered to make their own decisions.
• In addition to our store community relations outreach in which we give immeasurable support to the communities we serve, WHOLE FOODS MARKET also gives back at least 5% of our after tax profits to community organizations.
• WHOLE FOODS MARKET will be interested in forming mutually-beneficial relationships and involvement with neighborhood organizations such as Friends of Families, SFCR (SF Community Recyclers), and Buena Vista Neighborhood & North Associations, Haight Ashbury Improvement Association (HAIA), RAD and other organizations.
• Volunteerism - We do have in-store volunteer committees such as GMAG (Green Mission Awareness Group) where Team Members are elected and paid to serve on task-based, activist committees as part of their jobs which provide a way for Team Members to share ideas and information with their store/facility and regional leadership. These groups also provide an opportunity for Team Members to participate in building a workplace that supports WHOLE FOODS MARKET’s core values of “Team Member happiness & excellence” and “…caring our communities and environment” and our business philosophies of team/community shared fate, purpose and self-responsibility.. On occasion, the region and stores work together & choose causes that all TMs can “volunteer for” – while getting paid of course – such as participation in the recent CA Coastal Clean up Day last September. Many store TMs also regularly help out with community outreach events. Also, we strongly encourage our TMs to be as active in their personal lives as WHOLE FOODS MARKET is in its business. Many of our TMs “live” WHOLE FOODS MARKET culture in that way anyway; we have many very conscientious TMs. The other outlet is to serve on the aforementioned store committees which are rather productive & remarkable groups!

What are Whole Foods Market's Hiring Practices Like?

• We are dedicated to creating a respectful workplace where people are treated fairly and are highly motivated to succeed. And, we believe companies, like individuals, must assume their share of responsibility as tenants of the Earth.
• We hire and train Team Members who are both passionate and knowledgeable about the foods and products in our stores. Whole Foods Market Team Members are very special people!
• With such a special store comes a responsibility to maintain excellent relationships with our Team Members by providing incomparable benefits, training and by cultivating a passion for excellence in our Team Members.
• For 10 years in a row, Whole Foods Market has been selected as Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list. In 2007, we were ranked #5 and are one of only 18 companies to be named every year since the list’s inception.
• The City of San Francisco’s minimum wage is set at $9.15/hour. Whole Foods Market’s Team Member minimum wage is set at $11.25/hour.
• Whole Foods Market’s Team Members are also compensated for their use of public transportation.
• Whole Foods estimates approximately hiring 175 team members for this store. If the other San Francisco stores prove to be a benchmark, 90% of the hires will be San Francisco residents. 80% of the employees are full time employees.

Why Isn't Whole Foods Market Unionized

Is Whole Foods Market anti-union?

No, WHOLE FOODS MARKET is not anti-union: Whole Foods Market recognizes the rights of workers to organize and hold a union election. Unions have a place in many work environments in our country. However, throughout the company’s history, Whole Foods Market has an excellent track record of working with Team Members in a way they say makes union representation unnecessary for them.

Why haven’t Team Members at Whole Foods Market participated in past grocery workers’ strikes?

As a company founded on the ideals of respect for the individual and self empowerment, Whole Foods Market seeks to do business in a way that encourages open dialogue between and among our Team Members. From our competitive pay to excellent benefits, our Team Members tell us and others they are satisfied, and it shows: Whole Foods Market has been named to FORTUNE magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work for 10 years in a row.

What is the downside of a union for your employees?

Whole Foods Market’s goal has always been to create a work environment where Team Members can succeed to their highest potential. More importantly, our culture supports direct and open communication. Unionization sets a different tone and our dealings with Team Members would become measured and bureaucratic. A union could create an adversarial workplace detrimental to Team Members and for which they would have to pay dues.

What is so special about working for Whole Foods Market?

Whole Foods Market offers one of the best working environments of any supermarket in North America. Our Team Members receive competitive pay and benefits, some of which are extraordinary in the supermarket industry. Full-time Team Members—approximately 87 percent of our workforce—share in store profits and are eligible for stock options. Our full range of benefits includes:

• Full complement of medical and traditional health plans
• Matching 401k
• Gain sharing
• Flexible paid time off, rolling benefit hours plan
• Discounted stock purchase plan and stock options
• 20% Team Member discount at any Whole Foods Market

Can I Afford Whole Foods Market?

Whether you’re looking for everyday value items or have high-end interests, Whole Foods Market has something for everyone who cares about the quality, origin, sustainability, purity and value of the products we sell.

HIGH PRICES

It’s true: WHOLE FOODS MARKET offers some of the highest quality and unique culinary treasures available and it’s hard not to be tempted by some of the more exotic, scrumptious morsels! We also employ some of the most talented and creative merchandising professionals around who turn the experience of shopping at our stores into an irresistible adventure!

• Did you know that Whole Foods Market supports local and small farmers because we believe in supporting our communities and promoting sound environmental practices, both of which often come at high production costs?
• We also seek out culinary treasures from small, dedicated food artisans, who represent WHOLE FOODS MARKET’s passion for excellence, tradition, purity, sustainability and regional identity; all of which are sometimes costly produce.
• History has shown that the higher demand for these types of products, the more the costs come down. WHOLE FOODS MARKET believes in building enough of a demand to make these small businesses successful so it’s not so expensive to produce quality products.

LIKE-BRAND PRICE MATCHING

Whole Foods Markets regularly audits its competitors’ prices to ensure that our prices are lower or matched on like brands. This program is called “Great Buys!” and those items are clearly called out in our stores.

EVERYDAY VALUE WHOLE FOODS MARKET

Whole Foods Market also offers a quality-controlled, lower price brand called 356 with an organic component called 365O.

• 365 and 365O offers a wide variety of these everyday pantry staples embody our strict Quality Standards at a great value price.
• This line of all-natural products helps round out the purchases at WHOLE FOODS MARKET with delicious and affordable items.
• Most of our WHOLE FOODS MARKET stores hold educational tours to help customers differentiate between everyday value items and higher priced-items. Also, any WHOLE FOODS MARKET Team Member can help a shopper understand the meaning of what we do and why we do it.

NO COMPROMISE

Our customers depend on the fact that we will never compromise our Quality Standards, even if it costs a little more to get the best available.

Each of our stores reflects the tastes and sensibilities of the community it serves. As we learn more about the neighborhood, we’ll be working on the layout and content of each department. Our prices on like-items are very competitive with other grocery stores. In fact, Consumer Checkbook recently rated us as lower priced for comparable grocery items than the average supermarket. Our 365 brand items, while having the same high ingredient and quality standards as every product we sell, are consistently very low priced. 365 Organics brings this affordability to organic items. This store will have a bulk section, which reduces cost along with packaging. We believe that our perishable selections offer real value – that the health benefits, environmental attributes, in-store preparation, and local focus of these items is worth the price we pay to growers, producers, and our own Team Members

What About Gentrification?

When Whole Foods Market opens up in a new community, doesn’t it take business away from the independent co-ops and small natural food stores?

A trend we observe when we move into an area is that rather than take business away from competitors, Whole Foods Market helps to raise the interest in and awareness of natural and organic foods at farmer’s markets, co-ops, and other natural and organic supermarkets. We raise the overall awareness or organic and natural foods. And, we make sure to include local growers and food artisan products in our stores so we are doing our part to support the local food producers. Depending on community need and space, our stores have also been known to serve as venues for Farmer’s Markets and are proactive when it comes to selling limited quantities of local vendor products in our stores. Additionally, businesses often welcome Whole Foods Markets into the neighborhood because customers tend to help keep the flow of customers consistent for businesses in the vicinity.