One woman’s recent visit to Whole Foods illustrated just how pricey the grocery chain can get—even when it comes to getting a simple ready-to-go meal.
In a recent TikTok video, viewed more than 500,000 times, user Via (@via…li) said she hadn’t prepared her lunch for the day and decided to get groceries at Whole Foods since it was her closest grocery store.
She opted to get some food from the store’s “hot bar,” thinking it would be cheaper than ordering food from a delivery app. However, when she went to pay for the food, she found out her order cost $26.
“I could’ve ate out. I could’ve literally did DoorDash,” Via said in the video. “But there was nothing I could do when I was paying for it because I can’t just dump [all the food] back. I better be enjoying that fucking meal.”
@via..li THIS MEAL WAS WAY TOO EXPENSIVE 😭😭😭😭😭I BETTER BE ENJOYING THIS MEAL🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝🌝never getting this again
♬ original sound – Via
The Daily Dot has reached out to Via through Instagram direct message.
According to a 2020 article from PopSugar, food at Whole Foods hot bar can run customers around $9 a pound. Investopedia reports that historically Whole Foods’ prices are about 10% to 20% pricier than other grocery chains. The store’s hefty price tag has earned it the name “Whole Paycheck,” which points at just how much one may have to splurge to buy simple goods.
The average income of a typical Whole Foods shopper is a woman 25-34 years old who makes around $80,000 a year, Business Insider reports.
Whole Foods has not responded to The Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
Commenters on Via’s post seemed to poke fun at her ordeal, while also relaying their own costly experiences.
“Literally happened to me, got excited and my total was $35,” one commenter said.
“I worked at Whole Foods and couldn’t afford to eat the food on my break,” another person said. “It’d cost like 2 hours worth of money.”
