In Dallas-Fort Worth, Whole Foods lives up to its \u201cWhole Paycheck\u201d reputation for selling pricey groceries.<\/p>\n
A study<\/a> conducted by market research company Strategic Resource Group for Consumer Reports found Austin-based Whole Foods is the most expensive grocery chain in DFW compared with Walmart as a baseline. The study examined prices for a \u201cbasket\u201d of comparable packaged goods, produce, and meat.<\/p>\n At DFW Whole Foods stores, groceries were 48 percent more expensive than comparable groceries purchased at Walmart, the study showed. Whole Foods operates 15 stores in DFW.<\/p>\n In a statement, Whole Foods told Consumer Reports that the study didn\u2019t account for other factors that may be important to shoppers, including ingredient standards and product sourcing.<\/p>\n “In the last 18 months, Whole Foods Market has reduced prices on 25 percent of items in our stores, including private-label items, without compromising our industry-leading quality standards,\u201d a Whole Foods spokesperson said. \u201c[Amazon] Prime members who shop at Whole Foods Market have access to a number of benefits year-round, including deep discounts on select popular products each week and an additional 10 percent off hundreds of in-store sale items.\u201d<\/p>\n In DFW, the least expensive grocer was Costco, whose prices were 18 percent below those at Walmart. Prices at San Antonio-based H-E-B were just 0.2 percent below Walmart\u2019s prices.<\/p>\n Costco operates 16 stores in DFW, Walmart operated about 140 in North Texas as of last September, and H-E-B has 11 DFW stores and plans to open<\/a> at least six more.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the full list of DFW grocers included in the study, with the percentages indicating a grocer\u2019s prices compared with Walmart\u2019s prices.<\/p>\n