Things Whole Foods Doesn't Want You To Know

Like any big company, there are plenty of things going on behind the scenes at Whole Foods that they'd probably be happier if you didn't know about. 

For items like nuts, you'll save money by shopping elsewhere. Instead of $9.99 per pound at Whole Foods, you'll pay closer to $5.99 per pound for the same product elsewhere.

All employees get a 20-percent discount, which is quite generous. But in an effort to drive down their own health care costs, employees are screened for BMI, cholesterol, blood pressure, and nicotine, and those who pass can get their employee discount bumped up as high as 30 percent (the screening is mandatory in some states but not in others). That's a pretty good motivator to stay in shape!

While you can expect to pay more for organic produce at Whole Foods, even conventional produce is more expensive at Whole Foods, sometimes by more than a dollar a pound.

If you arrive about a half hour or so before they close, some locations will discount meat from the butcher case. 

There are plenty of reasons to shop organic, but being eco-friendly isn't always one of them. If you're in New York, organic tomatoes trucked all the way from California are far worse for the environment than non-organic ones from New Jersey. And while some of the produce at Whole Foods is local, not all of it is, so double-check the source before buying. 

Earlier this year, the chain was sued for overcharging customers in California, and agreed to pay an $800,000 settlement. Violations included selling customers less food than listed on labels on foods sold by weight, and selling food by the piece, not the pound, in the deli. 

Any food that's openly accessible to the public isn't going to be sanitary, and those bulk bins are no exception. One shopped who complained to ConsumerAffairs.com noted that she's found half-eaten malt balls in the bins, another shopper on Reddit noted that he's seen kids stick their arms in them up past the elbow. 

Some people don't take too kindly to being offered the meat of an animal they keep as a pet. The chain started selling rabbit meat earlier this year in several regions as part of a pilot program, and protests have sprouted up all across the country.  

While Whole Foods doesn't charge you for bags, if you bring your own they'll take about 10 cents off your total for every bag you use. Also, if you bring your own containers and ask the customer service desk to weigh it before you start shopping, the weight of the container won't be factored into the final sale.