This petite mama was tired of all the hype and decided to find out for herself if shopping at Trader Joe's was going to save her bundles of money compared to Whole Foods. I went to both places on the same Monday am, and both stores are 0.25 miles apart on the same road so extremely comparable. I wrote down prices for similar products, the closest comparison I could find. If it was TJ's brand, I went with Whole Foods 365 for comparison. Organic for organic. Same size containers/weight. I tried to make it as fair as possible, so I could really see the bottom line. And here it is, side by side.
Item TJ's WF
1 lb. bag baby carrots $1.99 $1.99
Bananas $0.19/each $0.34/each
Organic Gala Apples 2 lbs $2.49 $5.00
bagged organic lettuce $3.29 $3.99
onions 2 lbs. $1.79 $2.58
red pepper $1.29 $0.85
broccoli 2 crowns $3.99 $4.73 (contained 50% more in bunch)
1/2 gallon organic skim milk $3.69 $3.69
gallon organic whole milk $5.99 $5.99
Fage yogurt $1.79 $1.79
ground fair trade coffee $6.99 $5.99
1 lb. hamburger $4.49 $5.99
chicken breast $6.99 $8.99 (Bell & Evans, couldn't find comparable)
salad dsg $2.99 $3.79
peanut butter 1 jar $2.99 $2.39
store brand cheerios $1.99 $3.39
Kashi Autumn Wheat cereal $3.69 $3.69
1 box clementines $5.99 $6.99
3 russet potatoes $1.08 $3.46
2 lbs. white rice, organic $3.99 $5.99
12 oz. chicken sausage $3.99 $5.99
1 doz large eggs with omega 3 $2.49 $3.49
organic olive oil 16.9 oz bottle $5.99 $6.49
canola oil $3.49 $3.49
wheat crackers $1.69 $1.99
12 oz. frozen organic raspberries $3.69 $3.69
12 oz. frozen organic strawberries $1.99 $1.99
bread multi grain organic $2.99 $3.89
1 lb. shredded mozzerella $3.79 $5.99
OJ 64 oz with calcium $5.49 $2.99
15.4 oz can black beans $1.09 $1.09
total for the above items at TJ's: $93.85
total for the above items at WF: $124.41
I would have saved $30.56 for shopping for the above items at Trader Joe's instead of Whole Foods.