
Amazon Cuts Prices at Whole Foods by Up to 43% on First Day - uptown
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-28/amazon-cuts-prices-at-whole-foods-as-much-as-50-on-first-day
======
merricksb
Discussed 4 days ago: (341 points, 219 comments)

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15094529](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15094529)

~~~
emodendroket
It was discussed in theory; now we have actual numbers.

------
rayiner
Not looking forward to this at all. I trust Whole Foods--it's highly
transparent. If I want to know what kind of oil they use in their prepared
foods, they have a blog post on it. I don't trust Amazon, not even a little
bit. I used to, back when you ran a search and it would list stuff sold by
Amazon. These days, who knows what you're getting. I can deal with that for
USB cables, but not food.

There is also the issue that Amazon is big on wage theft:
[https://www.google.com/amp/s/thinkprogress.org/the-
supreme-c...](https://www.google.com/amp/s/thinkprogress.org/the-supreme-
court-just-rejected-a-wage-theft-suit-against-amazon-what-does-it-mean-for-
other-workers-24849991afeb/amp/;) [https://consumerist.com/2015/10/28/amazon-
prime-now-drivers-...](https://consumerist.com/2015/10/28/amazon-prime-now-
drivers-accuse-company-of-wage-theft;) [http://gawker.com/true-stories-of-
life-as-an-amazon-worker-1...](http://gawker.com/true-stories-of-life-as-an-
amazon-worker-1002568208)

~~~
dragonwriter
> I trust Whole Foods

After the systematic fraudulent overcharging and false “all natural” labelling
of their in-store products, why?

~~~
rayiner
I don't imagine overcharging in some New York stores of mislabeling some
things containing an artificial leveling agent was a conscious corporate
policy. It's certainly not central to the business model. Trying to optimize
the human labor chain, trying to obscure the source of products, etc. are
conscious decisions Amazon makes at the highest levels. And it's central to
the business model.

~~~
dragonwriter
> I don't imagine overcharging in some New York stores

...and California, just of the states where officials investigated and caught
them.

~~~
rayiner
Okay. Do you think overcharging is a conscious business decision on the part
of WH?

~~~
dragonwriter
> Do you think overcharging is a conscious business decision on the part of
> WH?

Honestly, I don't think it matters when the question is trust in Whole Foods.

Whether the widespread systematic overcharging is due to executive malicious
intent, executive neglect, or executive lack of control despite best best
intent, or some shade in between or combining elements of these, it's a
negative signal for trustworthiness of the organization as an organization,
though some explanations are not negative for trustworthiness of executives as
individuals.

------
archagon
I wonder if the beer aisle is getting some of those discounts? Whole Foods has
one of the best craft beer selections among the big-name stores, including
BevMo and the like. (Actually spotted Cantillon on the shelf one time!) Really
hope this won't change with the acquisition.

