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Inside Scoop: What You Should (And Shouldn't) Buy at Whole Foods

A worker at "Whole Paycheck" has come forward with a list of what's worth your money -- and what's not
whole foods
For almost four years, a woman -- who's (wisely?) chosen to remain anonymous -- worked in the produce, prepared foods, meat and bakery sections of a Chicago area Whole Foods Market.


Recently, in a post titled "After 3.5 years of working at Whole Foods, I want to share what you should buy there" on Reddit's "Frugal" section, she divulged some of the upscale grocery store's best kept secrets.

What prompted this big reveal? Probably the fact that even with her 30 percent employee discount, she was able to find cheaper prices on many of her everyday purchases at her local neighborhood market.

READ: 8 "Healthy" Snacks That Are More Fattening Than a Twinkie

So, while no one's saying that Whole Foods doesn't have a dizzying array of organic, healthy, sustainable, green options or that it's not tons of fun to shop there (the cosmetics section alone is tantamount to a day at Disney), she's just pointing out that, when you do, you might be spending more than you need to.

Here, courtesy of Business Insider, is "Anonymous Worker's" list of what's worth your hard-earned pennies and what you're better off finding elsewhere.

WORTH IT:

Oats, grains and bulk foods: "Oats -- including steel-cut oats --are $1.39 a pound at Whole Foods. Those steel-cut oats that come in a tin are like $6 a pound."

Raisins, other dried bulk fruits: "Thompson raisins are $2.99 a pound, which is cheaper than the $3.99 I spend on raisins elsewhere,"

Bakery items: Cake: "The quality is insanely better -- Whole Foods cakes have actual butter cream, whereas other stores use something called 'Bettercream' that's made of chemicals. Bread: "They're $2.99 a loaf and fresh-baked, and they can slice it for you."

Bulk soy or almond milk: "The 2-packs of half gallons are about $5.99. The half gallons by themselves are $3.39, which is the same price you'll find them elsewhere."

Bulk Spices: "Are insanely cheap. You'll spend like $5.99 for bottled spices anywhere but only $1 or $2 at Whole Foods' bulk section.

Want to know what products are not worth buying at Whole Foods? Click on over to Reddit for the worker's complete list. Hint: You wouldn't want to go there to buy ingredients for a Cobb salad.

READ: The 9 Most Unhealthy "Health" Foods
BY AUDREY FINE | OCT 14, 2013 | SHARES
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