[BCN] price comparison between Harvest and WholeFoods

[Joshua Laskin]

  It's true, Harvest's prices are now higher than
WholeFood's, and not only in produce, and not
only for particular stores.  [The exceptions are
those products which Harvest gets from its Co-op
consortium (like a buying-club of co-ops), tagged
with a 'Co-op' shelf-sign.]
  Of course, WholeFoods as a national chain has
much greater buying-power than any local co-op. 
On the other hand, WF also has higher labor
expenses (wages, benefits).  However, generally,
WF isn't shy about charging high
prices--therefor, if Harvest's prices are even
higher, then Harvest's prices are truly
exorbitant.
  The issue of Harvest's prices can only be
understood in terms of what's happening at the
Co-op, rather than in relation to WF.  Blaming WF
for Harvest's high prices is a cop-out, an
avoidance of recognizing the failure of Harvest's
business strategy.
  Of course, we Co-op loyalists share an
anti-corporate ideology, so we value the Co-op
for what it isn't.  But the Co-op cannot grow by
promoting itself for what it isn't.  And the
Co-op can only get greater buying-power, and
therefor lower prices, thru growth.  
  The potential for Co-op growth lies in the
difference in potential relationship with its
shoppers between the Co-op and WF.  WF doesn't
have Members, only shoppers.  So, it's the
Co-op's development of the Member relationship,
which is the key to growth, thus lower prices,
and survival.
  But Harvest doesn't have, and has never had, a
Membership development program.  The blame for
this can be placed on ourselves.  Our interest in
the Co-op has only been for what WE need from the
Co-op.  We haven't cared enough about people who
don't already share our culture and values, to
ask ourselves what THEY might need from the
Co-op.  If we cared at all about people different
than ourselves, our Co-op's 'Membership' would
mean more than simply a category of shoppers.
  Jeff suggests that we should send our concerns
about prices to the Board.  But Harvest loses
hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, has
debts it cannot pay, and is kept afloat only
because the National Co-op Bank keeps lending it
more money (it doesn't want to see the largest
East Coast food co-op fail).  Charging high
prices is an act of desperation by Management to
postpone the inevitable.
  I won't bore you-all with a long discussion of
how Membership development could work--unless I
had some indication that you care.  But I'll make
one point:  Management cannot do it (or they
would already have).  Membership-development can
only be done, by Members, acting independently of
Store Management.  This wasn't an approach that
Jeff was willing to consider when he was on the
Board, and it probably isn't something that any
of you want to take responsibility for.  But
there it is anyway.

 Joshua Laskin    


--- Jeffrey Rosenblum <rosenblum.jeff at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I was surprized by this, just wanted to pass
> this info on to other
> coopers. I'm not sending this to discourage
> shopping at Harvest (I was
> on the Board for 5 years), just to encourage
> coops to get active in
> communicating their concerns to the Board.
> 
> Jeff
> Bishop Allen Drive Coop
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Jeffrey Rosenblum
> <rosenblum.jeff at gmail.com>
> Date: Jan 5, 2007 8:58 PM
> Subject: produce comparison between harvest and
> whole foods prospect street
> 
> 
> All--
> 
> I'm catering a party for 100, and part of the
> menu is lamb (which I
> rarely cook), so I bought that at Whole Foods
> Prospect Street store.
> While I was there (I'm never there, I'm always
> at Harvest), I did some
> comparisons pricing of organic produce, and
> ended up buying all my
> produce there. I thought you might be
> interested in the difference,
> which surprized me quite a bit.
> 
> Best,
> Jeff
> 
> 
> January 5, 2007
> 
> All items are organic.
> 
> item -- harvest price -- whole foods price
> 
> leeks -- $4.89/lb -- $2.98/lb
> yellow onions -- $1.50/lb -- $1.98/lb
> red onions -- $2.39/lb -- $1.98/lb
> yukon potatoes -- $7 for 5lbs -- $3.98 for 5lbs
> parsnips -- $3.79/lb -- $2.19/lb
> carrots -- $5.99 for 5lb bag -- $4.49 for 5lb
> bag
> beets -- $4.29 per bunch -- $2.49 per bunch
> turnips -- $2.29/lb -- $1.98/lb
> parsley -- $2.19/bunch -- $1.49/bunch
> romaine lettuce -- $3.99 /head -- $2.49 /head
> dates -- $9.99/lb -- $7.98/lb
> arugula -- $2.99 /bunch -- $2.49 /bunch
> cilantro -- $2.99 /bunch -- $1.49 /bunch
> watercress (harvest did not have any)
> endive (harvest did not have any)
> local massachusetts boston-head lettuce --
> $2.49 /head -- (harvest did
> not carry)
> _______________________________________________
> BCN mailing list
> BCN at lists.bostoncoop.net
>
http://lists.bostoncoop.net/mailman/listinfo/bcn
> 






__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com