Costco vs. Whole Foods
I just got a Costco membership after being taken there on two trips by different folks who swear by the low prices there. (You must be careful, however, to not buy bulk items that you don’t really need.) I shop at Trader Joe’s for most of my groceries, but on occasion I have a hankering for things like Gatorade, Skippy, and deluxe macaroni, so I go to a normal grocery store for those items. Costco seemed like a better option.
But what about Whole Foods? Isn’t that supposed to be the feel good, environmental grocery store? Sure, but it’s damn expensive. I simply cannot afford to go there and shop regularly. The location near me, in West Los Angeles, has prices sometimes double or triple that of Trader Joe’s.
On my trip to Costco today, I considered whether Costco might not sometimes be a better environmental option than Whole Foods. Don’t get me wrong – there are huge problems with the big box retail model and the sprawl it creates. Costco has also done stupid things like build on wetlands.
Whole Foods is far from spotless, however, and critics say that it is the grocery equivalent of Starbucks, barreling into town and destroying the local co-op “competition.” It is also very anti-union, apparently.
Given that, I don’t think a perfect green store exists. By their very nature, stores have negative environmental impact. Here are some upsides to Costco, however:
1. When you buy in bulk, you’ll (hopefully) need fewer trips to the grocery store, thus saving gas and impacting the environment less.
2. Bulk items (I presume) are potentially more efficient to package and ship and therefore impact the environment less.
3. Costo saves money by reusing its boxes instead of grocery bags. The two grocery bags I did receive were made from recycled boxes. Better yet – they did not have those ubiquitous paper handles on them, thus saving more trees. (Whole Foods makes recycled paper bags that are larger to save on bags, but they still have handles.)
4. Let’s face it: Many regular people don’t have money to shop at Whole Foods unlike a lot of wealthy Californians. At least Costco provides some organic food for less and recycles its boxes. It’s better than Wal-Mart, at least.
5. Certainly, Costco has to be at least a little bit better than a regular grocery store for those reasons? Hm.
6. Here’s one way that Costco beats out Trader Joe’s environmentally: Costco gives out free samples, but they use paper cups. Trader Joe’s uses plastic cups. For shame, Trader Joe…or shall we call you Trader Waste?
As for the sprawl: At least my Costco happens to be very near me and right next door to a yoga center I go to. I went to Costco right after yoga class today. So if I combine trips, my impact driving there is minimal.
I went today with the intention of buying canned goods and non-perishables to stock my kitchen shelves. Then I plan on getting more perishables at the Trader Joe’s I can walk to. So today at Costco I bought:
16 cans of tuna fish (no, I’m not vegetarian and I understand the tuna overfishing problem)
6 cans of white chicken breast
36 organic Nature’s Path toaster pastries
45 packets of organic oatmeal, Costco’s own Kirkland brand
8 cans of Progresso chicken soup (I have a cold)
12 fresh bagels (Noah’s bagels brand)
2 lbs of pepper jack cheese (to put on bagels with tuna fish)
4-pack of Lean Cuisine frozen panini sandwiches (they just looked good and sometimes you are tired and just want something quick and easy)
Total cost: $67. In a pinch I could live on that for a month. I’ve got my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. No, it’s not super premium organic fresh food, but it’s good stuff to have around. I do live in earthquake country, you know.
Tags: Costco, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods
I, too, love Costco (and Trader Joe’s). And I love tuna. LOVE it. It’s one of two seafoods I actually like at all- the other is salmon. And tuna only when it’s canned. But…. you cannot actually “Understand the tuna overfishing problem.” I know this, because if you did, there isn’t a chance you could bring yourself to buy 16 cans from Costco. I know this because since gleaning a *tiny* understanding of the REAL tuna overfishing “Problem” I haven’t been able to myself… And that absolutely kills me! I miss it… one of the truly healthy, affordable foods I love is gone, until a world wide agreement and compromise is found. And what’s more, if Costco– one of the world’s Largest wholesalers and a gigantic influence on fishing, farming and manufacturing policies– would change it’s ways, tuna wouldn’t have a problem. IF Costco demanded sustainable seafood, clear labeling of where and how it’s seafood was caught, safer and better (less plastic) packaging, Industry would follow suit and supply what was demanded. That goes for canned tuna. ( check out: http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/content/usa/press-center/reports4/taking-stock-of-tuna.pdf )
Not only are tuna overfished (estimates are 20,500 caught every 15min!), but the primary fishing practices of long-lining and purse seining catch hundreds of thousands of pounds of by-catch every year. We’re talking sharks, turtles, birds- anything and everything. Wasted. (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/content/media/MBA_SeafoodWatch_Longlining&PurseSeiningFactCards.pdf)
Now that I “understand,” I can’t bring myself to contribute to the problem. Not even when it’s affordable and I’m broke/poor (cause I am). There ARE alternatives- American Tuna ( http://www.americantuna.com ), for example- use sustainable fishing practices, which are transparent and traceable. It IS more expensive, but that’s the problem– there is a limited quantity of tuna and other large fishes! They aren’t chickens that we (somehow) mass produce every year. They live for decades, have huge migratory areas and are wild animals. And we’re catching and stuffing them into tiny cans sold by the millions (billions?) for $.82- 1.50 each at Costco and every grocery store on the planet. That’s not taking into account tuna steaks and Sushi, which is a whole other can of worms, so to speak. But if you look at Costco and it’s tuna Supplier, Bumble Bee Tuna (aka Kirkland), they are worried about your dollar, not your ocean. Not your world, not your childrens’ world. But they like to use big words and make simple answers look very complex so the average consumer will think “See? It’s not so bad. I understand the overfishing problem.” (http://www.bumblebee.com/Sustainability/Tuna%20Bycatches%20and%20discards.pdf )
But you’re aren’t supposed to be the Average Consumer, are you? You’re “GreenTech Girl.” People look up to you, read your opinions and take them out into the world. I know this is only one of many problems, but it’s a big one. Please, please do some more research. (The links here are a great place to start.) As a whole, Tuna is in Bad shape. Costco could fix it; you (and I) can help. Salmon is a good example of consumer/retailer partnerships changing the fate of a whole species and the plates we like to put them on… But change doesn’t start until we say “No. Do better and then you get my dollars.” (http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/issues/wildseafood.aspx )