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Hannaford's Health Programs and Boycotting Whole Foods
I do quite a lot of shopping at my local Hannaford super market — which is kind of a cross between your standard Stop & Shop and Whole Foods (although it's waaaaaaay cheaper than Whole Foods).
Even better, unlike Whole Foods, Hannaford's actually buys locally (where possible) for its dairy and produce.
Anyway, in light of the awful stories I'm reading about where my fellow Americans are essentially left without health care because they can't afford insurance or can't buy insurance at any price due to pre-existing medical conditions, I thought I'd at least offer some kind of solution to people in my backyard that they might not know about.
It appears that Hannaford's holds free nutrition classes (pre-reg required) at select locations.
It also appears Hannaford's has a prescription drug plan for $7 a year.
Just FYI, I'm not a paid shill for Hannaford's. I just happened to be on the Web site and I was floored by some of what I found there. I don't know if the above programs are any good, but it might be helpful to people living in the following states: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York.
Now, the reason why I was on Hananford's Web site was because I was discussing my decision to boycott Whole Foods and offering alternatives for grocery shopping.
See Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, in a show of breath-taking ignorance about his customer base, wrote the most insane libertarian rant against not only any kind of nationalized health insurance scheme, but against regulating health insurance plans at all for The Wall Street Journal.
My favorite part is how he brags about giving his employees absurdly cheap insurance that sticks them with, get this, a $2,500-a-year deductible. But that's okay! The company deposits up to $1,800 in a health savings account for those insured employees (note: up to, which is to say, the odds of the person running the cash register getting that amount is practically nil).
Yeah. No. Not a penny more. I sent a politely-worded email to my local Whole Foods and CC'd corporate to inform them that due to their CEO's dickery, Whole Foods will never see another penny out of me. (I was a lot more polite about it.) I further added that I will be henceforth make do with Trader Joe's and Hannaford's, and that Whole Foods can just suck it (again, a lot more polite about it).
To be fair, I only shopped at Whole Foods every other week, and mostly for foods that I couldn't find elsewhere (food allergies suck!). Most of my grocery dollar was spent at Hannaford's anyway, in large part because I can find most of what I need there at a much cheaper price. However, there are some foods I could only get at Whole Foods and nowhere else. I'll just have to find alternatives, or do without.
In any case, for those of you who wish to withdraw your business from Whole Foods, but don't know about any alternatives, here are two Web sites you should check out (via Hullabaloo):
And thank you everyone who's chosen to participate in my Project: Time for a Little Truth, Baby.
For your reference, you can post your stories and/or questions in one of the following posts:
Once again, please keep the stories for both posts coming, and please pass the links around far and wide so people can read for themselves about the screwed up system in the U.S., and the reality of health care in other countries.
Thanks again everyone.
Even better, unlike Whole Foods, Hannaford's actually buys locally (where possible) for its dairy and produce.
Anyway, in light of the awful stories I'm reading about where my fellow Americans are essentially left without health care because they can't afford insurance or can't buy insurance at any price due to pre-existing medical conditions, I thought I'd at least offer some kind of solution to people in my backyard that they might not know about.
It appears that Hannaford's holds free nutrition classes (pre-reg required) at select locations.
It also appears Hannaford's has a prescription drug plan for $7 a year.
Just FYI, I'm not a paid shill for Hannaford's. I just happened to be on the Web site and I was floored by some of what I found there. I don't know if the above programs are any good, but it might be helpful to people living in the following states: Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York.
Now, the reason why I was on Hananford's Web site was because I was discussing my decision to boycott Whole Foods and offering alternatives for grocery shopping.
See Whole Foods CEO John Mackey, in a show of breath-taking ignorance about his customer base, wrote the most insane libertarian rant against not only any kind of nationalized health insurance scheme, but against regulating health insurance plans at all for The Wall Street Journal.
My favorite part is how he brags about giving his employees absurdly cheap insurance that sticks them with, get this, a $2,500-a-year deductible. But that's okay! The company deposits up to $1,800 in a health savings account for those insured employees (note: up to, which is to say, the odds of the person running the cash register getting that amount is practically nil).
Yeah. No. Not a penny more. I sent a politely-worded email to my local Whole Foods and CC'd corporate to inform them that due to their CEO's dickery, Whole Foods will never see another penny out of me. (I was a lot more polite about it.) I further added that I will be henceforth make do with Trader Joe's and Hannaford's, and that Whole Foods can just suck it (again, a lot more polite about it).
To be fair, I only shopped at Whole Foods every other week, and mostly for foods that I couldn't find elsewhere (food allergies suck!). Most of my grocery dollar was spent at Hannaford's anyway, in large part because I can find most of what I need there at a much cheaper price. However, there are some foods I could only get at Whole Foods and nowhere else. I'll just have to find alternatives, or do without.
In any case, for those of you who wish to withdraw your business from Whole Foods, but don't know about any alternatives, here are two Web sites you should check out (via Hullabaloo):
And thank you everyone who's chosen to participate in my Project: Time for a Little Truth, Baby.
For your reference, you can post your stories and/or questions in one of the following posts:
- Americans Only: Uninsured and Underinsured
- Countries with Government Health Schemes: Talk About Your Health Insurance/Health Care Here
Once again, please keep the stories for both posts coming, and please pass the links around far and wide so people can read for themselves about the screwed up system in the U.S., and the reality of health care in other countries.
Thanks again everyone.
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And the Whole Foods we shop at here in Cambridge does offer locally produced dairy, beers, and produce (when in season). And I like that the CEO of Whole Foods doesn't make zillions of dollars as the head of a corporation.
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You can leave a comment at his blog and I hope more people do because the majority of comments there now seem to support him.
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A very disappointed and now former shopper Says:
August 14th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Another thought- if Canadians are so very unhappy with their health care system, please tell me why the man who created that system (Tommy Douglas)was named in 2004 as “The Greatest Canadian” of ALL TIME?? To put that in context, Wayne Gretzky only came in at #10.
They seem to have their priorities in order up there in Canada. No doubt there are some detractors, but no system is without its critics. At least the ones up there will live to criticize!
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In the Northwest, Haggen/Top Food and Drug is a little high-end on some stuff (I buy my canned and frozen foods mostly at Fred Meyer's, which used to be local but is now Kroeger) but preferentially buys from local companies and farmers.It provides its employees with a good-to-better health care and retirement package that starts at 20 hours a week and sixmonths employment. The company is also an active participant in community anti-hunger programs and does outreach to the homeless (at least in my town, for the latter). I believe they also do deeply discounted prescription drugs, but since I am covered under GHC I'm not sure of that.
Julia, there's no WholeFoods in my grocery catchment, and from what I know of them I vastly prefer to get specialty items from Trader Joe's, the local food co-op, and Radiance, Bucks and The Tea Lady
Thanks
(Anonymous) 2009-08-14 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)no subject
I used to live near a Whole Foods. Luckily, there was also a co-op even closer. WF (note the missing 't' in the middle) is just a corporate cash-in on natural foods. Over half the stuff they carry is overpriced, and it's conventionally chemical anyway.
WF USED to be considered a top employer. Then, I presume, corporate sharks decided to gut the employee benefits and just coast on the reputation.
Healthcare reform doesn't mean taking away the individual's responsibility to eat sensibly and get exercise... but a head of organic cabbage won't do diddly if you're hit by a truck.
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I'm frustrated, because I mostly use Whole Foods for fancy cheese, bread, and Icelandic products -- skyr (which no one else carries) and Sirius chocolates.
I can get almost everything that they carry elsewhere, but it means joining the local co-op for $100/year, having a long trip by bus to the Trader Joe's, or considering alternatives that are pricer or less eco-friendly in some way... sigh.