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Whole Foods CEO's Health Care Views Provoke Some Customers to Boycott Store (CORPORATE VAMPIRES!)
FOXNews ^ | Aug15.09 | staff

Posted on 08/15/2009 6:49:29 PM PDT by fight_truth_decay

Protesters are hoping a boycott will cut into the success of Whole Foods, the 10th largest food and drug store in the U.S., which reported sales of $1.8 billion for last quarter, a 2 percent increase from the previous quarter.

Calls to boycott Whole Foods Market are growing louder and more sophisticated following a Wall Street Journal opinion article by the company's chief executive, John Mackey, in which he criticized President Obama's health care plan and offered his own alternative.

Mackey's article first prompted individuals to threaten taking their business elsewhere. But now the Progressive Review, an online alternative publication, is calling for a formal boycott, and campaigns are popping up all over, including on Facebook, a popular online social networking site.

Protesters are hoping a boycott will cut into the success of Whole Foods, the 10th largest food and drug store in the U.S., which reported sales of $1.8 billion for the last quarter, a 2 percent increase from the previous quarter.

As of Saturday, the Whole Foods Internet forum had more than 4,000 postings. One commenter thanked http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/forums/index.php for revealing his political views.

"While it was a horrible business move, it was a great courtesy," a commenter identified as boycottwf wrote. "Now, I know that my dollars spent at whole foods are going to fund your misguided conservative views."

The commenter added, "Until you publically apologize to the nation and pledge that you will provide better benefits to your employees, I will not spend another dime at your store."

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bhohealthcare; ceo; grocery; obamacare; wholefoods
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To: fight_truth_decay

It’s either going to be raised with chemical fertalizer after soil analysis to properly prepare the soil for the particular crop and kept bugfree with pesticides or i’m not eating it!

i’ll continue to drink my 5 gallons of whole milk from the supermarkwt per week that has been homoganized and pasturized. I had all the low fat i’ll ever drink in the 40s when my mother used to skim the fat off and leave the crap for us!


41 posted on 08/15/2009 8:17:12 PM PDT by dalereed
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To: Jedidah

Thanks for clarifying that! I definitely was not confusing two issues. It was stated in many instances on another thread about advertisers pulling from Beck - I know it was Whole foods that was mentioned since my neighbor works there and I thought this was not good news for me.

If I see someone state it again, I will denounce them and send them to your link. Thanks for the link!


42 posted on 08/15/2009 8:18:58 PM PDT by jcsjcm (Upholding the Constitution til my last breath)
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To: fight_truth_decay

I read the WSJ piece and thought it made a lot of sense. I’ll make a point of stopping at Whole Paycheck soon and help offset the leftie boycott. I like their selection of cheeses and can always find something I like. We belong to a local CSA farm, so we already have excellent local produce without shopping for it at a grocery.


43 posted on 08/15/2009 8:22:54 PM PDT by Think free or die (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money - M.Thatcher)
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To: eclecticEel

In my experience, I have much less wastage with produce from Whole Foods. The problem with stores like Smiths and Safeway is their over spraying of much of their produce. Last Tuesday Sweet Hubby purchased a head of iceberg at Smiths because he thought we were out of lettuce. When he cut it open he discovered that the middle was brown and squishy. The lettuce had been over watered. So I searched the depth of our over-size Amana and came up with a two week old head of iceberg (in a brown paper bag)from Whole Foods.


44 posted on 08/15/2009 8:25:30 PM PDT by Irish Queen (This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through ...)
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To: fight_truth_decay

Libs think that the Constitution and all Rights within are only for: Liberals, illegals, and terrorists.


45 posted on 08/15/2009 8:35:47 PM PDT by machogirl (If Obama's handing out Pie, I like Lemon Meringue.)
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To: dalereed

We called that milk “bluejohn” because of its bluish tint after the cream rose to the top and was removed.

But I don’t feel too sorry for you having to drink skim milk. It was healthy — and I’ll bet your mom used the cream to make fresh butter and other goodies. Mine did.


46 posted on 08/15/2009 8:59:21 PM PDT by Jedidah ("Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana)
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To: Jedidah

She did but if I got to it first i shook it up and drank the first quart on the spot!


47 posted on 08/15/2009 9:24:51 PM PDT by dalereed
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To: PrincessB

Organic is all bullshit... But if you scream that at the Farmer’s markets, you’ll be shot.


48 posted on 08/15/2009 9:26:57 PM PDT by ARA
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To: basil

Definitely true.

A few years back, I think it was John Stossel that did a special with the CEO of Whole Foods. The guy is a libertarian, I believe, and that is partly because of the initial failures he faced when trying to run a socialist collective type of store.

It didn’t surprise me at all to see that op ed. It’s funny that now progressives would be upset—for one, they don’t see the connection between the policies he proposed and his general success as a business. Two, I think it’s funny no one saw the Stossel segment-—which was about health care, by the way.


49 posted on 08/15/2009 9:38:45 PM PDT by Skywalk (Transdimensional Jihad!)
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To: fight_truth_decay

Thanks for the idea. I wrote in my support of Mackey.


50 posted on 08/15/2009 10:14:46 PM PDT by KittyKares (.)
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To: basil

Awesome food, but expensive.


51 posted on 08/16/2009 12:11:28 AM PDT by MonicaG (Thank you to our military & veterans, with love & gratitude. XOXOXO)
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To: Caipirabob

I think it was an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal on Friday.


52 posted on 08/16/2009 12:25:30 AM PDT by 31R1O ("Science is organized knowledge. Wisdom is organized life."- Immanuel Kant)
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To: fight_truth_decay

Sigh. I wish we had a Whole Foods store in Knoxville. I’d throw some business their way. Kudos, Mr. Mackey, in honor of your bravery and commonsense, I would be a loyal customer.


53 posted on 08/16/2009 5:04:27 AM PDT by TennesseeGirl
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To: kaehurowing

Whole Foods prices are high, but I would pay extra (double) to get
Wild Caught Key West Shrimp instead of Farm Raised in Thailand (or China). For instance.
I’m guessing that there is very little Chinese ingredients in any of the foods.

We didn’t get a lot there, just some unusual items.
Gluten-free bread, a vitamin supplement recommended by my ophthalmologist, 2 items on the list.

Their prepared foods look wonderful. Haven’t tried them yet.
There are 2 Whole Foods Bakeries nearby. One regular, one Gluten free. (Raleigh-Durham)

The store was packed BTW.


54 posted on 08/16/2009 5:19:30 AM PDT by Vinnie (You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Jihads You)
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To: Vinnie
They really have quality items, not cheap though

My sister nicknamed it "Whole Paycheck"
55 posted on 08/16/2009 7:26:21 AM PDT by PleaDeal (Palin in '12! Built Ford tough not Obama weak.)
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To: fight_truth_decay

Whole Foods CEO Spurs Boycott With Health Care
By Laura Northrup, 7:00 PM on Sat Aug 15 2009, s

Memo to Whole Foods CEO John Mackey: when much of your customer base consists of reusable-bag-using, wheatgrass-munching “progressive” types, it’s probably not such a good idea to publish an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing current health care reform proposals. At least if you don’t want said customers organizing boycotts of your stores.....

http://consumerist.com/5338218/whole-foods-ceo-spurs-boycott-with-health-care-views


56 posted on 08/16/2009 7:26:53 AM PDT by KeyLargo
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To: fight_truth_decay

The Whole Foods on South Street in Philadelphia looks like a rallying point for brain eating zombies. If they’re going to boycott, I might take a run in to get some English cheddar.


57 posted on 08/16/2009 7:36:52 AM PDT by Stentor (.)
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To: KeyLargo
much of your customer base..wheat machine progressive types.

So Mackey should be afraid to give his opinion. He knows his marketplace, and am sure weighed the outcome. He's not an idiot to run a prosperous business even in bad times (so it is written).I think it is a misnomer to think most customers are wheat based progressives. You make a decent income to even afford to shop in many of these "niche" markets.I think we are stereotyping eating healthy with the old term of "Birkenstock granola munchers". Maybe at one time, but not anymore. Nothing wrong with eating healthy. Living now in a more rural area has changed my eating habits... so I must have started thinking progressively. ;)

Small non-government funded Farmers are very "wheat based" and had to be "progressive" to survive.

We put tags on everything..too often so inaccurate in reality.

Perhaps many of the obese in society who are often the "sick" ones (diabetics etc) that continuously "feed" off Health Care should think more progessively. It would be costing all of us far less. After all the COST is taking care of the sick, not those of us that are continously healthly by thinking progressively (even exercise) on how we should eat.

58 posted on 08/16/2009 7:44:23 AM PDT by fight_truth_decay
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To: PleaDeal
If people could just buy what they need and not what just "catches their eye" YUM!...it would not be the whole paycheck. Now, we blame a successful company like WF because we spend too much in their markets. How bout we take some responsibility for our own actions??


59 posted on 08/16/2009 7:47:20 AM PDT by fight_truth_decay
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To: Caipirabob
if it is true..?

The link is in my comments under story on the WSJ article RE: Mackey


60 posted on 08/16/2009 7:49:38 AM PDT by fight_truth_decay
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