There was never a shortage of reasons to dislike Whole Foods. There’s already a list here detailing the poor working conditions, shutting out local farms for corporate farms, union-busting, criminal activity, etc.
I only disliked them because I thought it was stupid to pay 10 bucks for a can of lima beans.
But CEO Bill Mackey is a whole new kind of stupid. He is a right-wing libertarian with strong conservative views who decided to attack his primary clientele...progressives. Even before he launched his tirade yesterday in the WSJ, the dumbass was part of Jon Stossel's hit job on Healthcare Reform two years ago, where he compared people getting chemotherapy to buying wine or steak in his stores.
First off, reaching out to conservatives is probably not the brightest marketing move. You see, conservatives don’t typically hang out at Whole Foods or organic tea shops. They have contempt for the whole hippie, "tree-hugger" meme. Reaching out to them is as pointless as trying to argue the points of social liberalism during the intermission at a tractor-pull.
The majority of WFI’s base are vegetarians and progressive liberals with cash to burn. They are the odd combo of "hippie-yuppies" who make it a point to shop at your store because they believe it is the right thing to do, no matter how much cheaper they can get the food elsewhere and no matter how far away it is.
Well, after today, anyone who still shops there are as stupid as the CEO. They are contributing money to defeat not just a progressive cause but a solution that will stave off a truly huge American crisis. A crisis that will impact most of us, not the super-wealthy like Bob Mackey.
But what about my organic food?
DarkSyde gave a link to locate your nearest organic store: www.organicstorelocator.com
Here’s some other ideas: shop at your local health food co-op, shop at your local farmer’s market, or shop at a competitor like Trader Joe’s—or or even the organic section of your local grocer.
For the love of God, don't shop at Whole Foods. It's inconvenient, it's outrageously expensive, it's crooked, and you would be supporting a company that is dedicated to stop healthcare reform.
Hence, shopping at Whole Foods Inc. is stupid.
Thank you for your time.
UPDATE: Most commenters see my point, one doesn't. This ones for you. WHOLE FOODS employs a lot of people...but so do all the other organic stores you could be shopping at. What the CEO says DOES matter...and if there is no backlash at all, then don't think for a second that the GOP and Faux News won't seize on it. After all, if progressives, which are his primary clientele, still shop there in droves after today, then opposing health care reform has no consequence.
UPDATE II: For the full article, go to www.seminoledemocrats.blogspot.com