Food. Everyone needs it to survive. Shopping for food is essential to our everyday lives, but does the quality of food change depending on where it’s bought? In order to figure this out, I visited a Kroger, Whole Foods, and the East Lansing Farmers Market to compare.
My Kroger trip was just like any other grocery trip that I’ve taken over the course of my life. I grew up shopping at the Kroger that is right near my house, so I assumed the Kroger in Frandor Shopping Center wouldn’t be much different. I was right. When I first walked in, I noticed the almost blinding fluorescent white lights beaming off of the distasteful white tiles and walls of the store. People of all races, ages, and sizes strolled up and down the aisles, knocking items off the shelves into their carts as they went along. Many people were filling their carts nearly to the top. I then made the assumption that either these people had a lot of mouths to feed at home, or they do not grocery shop frequently. Everything was priced reasonably throughout the whole store. Kroger brand items looked almost identical to the name brand items, except they were significantly cheaper. These could make it easier on a family that does not have a high income.
My Kroger trip was just like any other grocery trip that I’ve taken over the course of my life. I grew up shopping at the Kroger that is right near my house, so I assumed the Kroger in Frandor Shopping Center wouldn’t be much different. I was right. When I first walked in, I noticed the almost blinding fluorescent white lights beaming off of the distasteful white tiles and walls of the store. People of all races, ages, and sizes strolled up and down the aisles, knocking items off the shelves into their carts as they went along. Many people were filling their carts nearly to the top. I then made the assumption that either these people had a lot of mouths to feed at home, or they do not grocery shop frequently. Everything was priced reasonably throughout the whole store. Kroger brand items looked almost identical to the name brand items, except they were significantly cheaper. These could make it easier on a family that does not have a high income.
As a person who has never shopped at Whole Foods, I had no idea what to expect when I walked in. When the sliding doors first opened and I entered the store, I noticed that it wasn’t blindingly lit, but a more yellow tone, which made it feel warmer. Actually, the store itself wasn’t as cold as a normal grocery store either; it was a very comfortable temperature. In order to avoid walking around aimlessly, I decided to ask a few employees about the store. They explained that Whole Foods does not sell any items with artificial dyes or flavors. Their bakery uses natural things like beets to give frosting a pink or red color, and all of the items on the shelves follow a similar method of coloring. Whole Foods had an aisle filled with a wide range of bulk granolas and nuts. These seemed to be a bit more expensive than the pre-packaged versions, but were more appealing aesthetically.
Aside from normal grocery items, I noticed that the store had a lot of specialized items. I approached a table with many soaps on it called “Pacha Soaps”, a table that looked like it came from a Lush Cosmetics store. Everything around that area smelled very comforting and warm. On the side of the table, there was an aisle with naturally made cosmetics, which I thought was very interesting. I have never seen any of those brands before when shopping for makeup; what am I actually putting on my face? Another really neat aspect of Whole Foods was their prepared foods section. Counters stretched from wall to wall with anything you could think of – gelato, baked goods, pasta salads, meats, and even a pizza bar. Everything inside of these glass showcases looked way more organized and aesthetically pleasing than the counters at Kroger. The people shopping at Whole Foods were not buying large amounts of items, and many people that I noticed happened to be white and dressed much nicer than the customers of Kroger. Not many of the meats in the store were packaged or sealed, most were fresh behind a counter and on ice. Most, but not all, of the items in Whole Foods were more expensive than the same items at Kroger. Pre-packaged items seemed to be at a standard price in both stores, but produce and specialty items were pricier at Whole Foods.
On a rather warm Sunday morning, although ridden with the flu, I took a walk to the East Lansing Farmer’s Market. Expecting something extravagant like Eastern Market in Detroit, I was a bit surprised when I arrived. Ten or so tents were arranged on a blacktop similar to the size of a basketball court. Each tent was filled with a different farmer’s products, ranging from tomatoes, squash, honey, and even pastries. No farmers appeared to bring a ton of products to sell with them. Everything seemed to be a bit more expensive as well; a small basket of tomatoes, for example, was priced at 5 dollars. For five dollars at Kroger, I could’ve gotten about 3 times as many tomatoes. Everything at the farmer’s market was much fresher than the items in both grocery stores. In order to travel, a lot of produce items have to be preserved and packaged. The items at the farmer’s market were similar to the ones being thrown away in The American Way of Eating. Not everything was picture perfect; many veggies had blemishes or scratches. One stand that was selling corn even had a sign that read ‘GMO may have a worm in it’. This reminded me of the online reading by Amy Harmon about GMO Misconceptions, and the picture with the eggplant bugs. The farmers were very talkative as I walked by. The man that was selling honey actually volunteers at the greenhouse outside of my building sometimes! The customers of the market were split half and half. Half students; half families. Everyone talked to each other like they had known each other for years (maybe they do through the market? Who knows)?
The most affordable of the three stores/markets that I visited would have to be Kroger. A huge store with a large selection of items would be ideal for family shopping. Whole Foods seemed to appeal to more single, young people, and was more expensive. The farmers market was interesting and had very nice products to offer, but not enough variety for the typical American family. The larger the store, the less personable it was. I suppose these are the types of trade offs a customer must make when deciding where to buy their food.
The most affordable of the three stores/markets that I visited would have to be Kroger. A huge store with a large selection of items would be ideal for family shopping. Whole Foods seemed to appeal to more single, young people, and was more expensive. The farmers market was interesting and had very nice products to offer, but not enough variety for the typical American family. The larger the store, the less personable it was. I suppose these are the types of trade offs a customer must make when deciding where to buy their food.