A typical, disgruntled employee with a very large ax to grind against his employer and the people around him.
The prices turn me off from Whole Foods. It should be called "Whole Paycheck."
Does Employee's Resignation Letter Turn You Off From Whole Foods?
SodaHead Living
2011/07/25 21:03:42
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Austin-based Whole Foods Market has enjoyed a very quick ascent to its current position as one of the nation's most health-conscious and socially responsible businesses, but not everyone is happy with the way they're running things.
A former employee, whose name is being protected, submitted a longwinded resignation letter to his Whole Foods employers at the Toronto branch, comparing his five years' experience with the company to a rocky tumble into a firy Nickleback concert.
We're not sure what that means, but it sounds awful.
Among other things, the employee criticizes Whole Foods for failing to follow its own "core values," particularly in terms of wastefulness and the environmental issues they supposedly champion.
He begins by accusing them of forcing him to wear latex gloves while handing out gummy bears, installing energy-wasting televisions throughout the store, wasting ink on "bureaucratic nonsense" and overstocking.
He also wrote, "Oh, you like to manage 'systems' instead of people? You don't hold critical thinking and discretion in high regard? You encourage blindly following rules? I.e., no recourse in challenging write ups. Employees given cold shoulder when they attempt anything like this."
We assume this means he was written up at some point, and was not happy about it.
But perhaps the former employee's most crippling blow was this comparison: "You're kind a faux hippy Wal-Mart [sic] now."
Ouch.
Click here to read the whole thing. It's long.
A former employee, whose name is being protected, submitted a longwinded resignation letter to his Whole Foods employers at the Toronto branch, comparing his five years' experience with the company to a rocky tumble into a firy Nickleback concert.
We're not sure what that means, but it sounds awful.
Among other things, the employee criticizes Whole Foods for failing to follow its own "core values," particularly in terms of wastefulness and the environmental issues they supposedly champion.
He begins by accusing them of forcing him to wear latex gloves while handing out gummy bears, installing energy-wasting televisions throughout the store, wasting ink on "bureaucratic nonsense" and overstocking.
He also wrote, "Oh, you like to manage 'systems' instead of people? You don't hold critical thinking and discretion in high regard? You encourage blindly following rules? I.e., no recourse in challenging write ups. Employees given cold shoulder when they attempt anything like this."
We assume this means he was written up at some point, and was not happy about it.
But perhaps the former employee's most crippling blow was this comparison: "You're kind a faux hippy Wal-Mart [sic] now."
Ouch.
Click here to read the whole thing. It's long.
Read More: http://gawker.com/5824287/read-a-disgruntled-whole...
Top Opinion
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KingdomNow 2011/07/25 21:45:09
I have enough money to shop there, and there are no farmers markets near me or even in my area. Also, I like the restaurants and I don't go there for health reasons. If I want health, I just buy bio, or Ja Natürlich.
And although he might be a disgruntled ex- employee, sometimes its a disgruntled employee who is able to blow the whistle on a company that employed people couldn't do without fear of reprisals.
But as for this employee, he doesn't sound any different than most people who get in on the ground floor of something very good - very community based and positive - only to see it harden and corrode from the inside out as the business turns more towards becoming a wal-mart than a local shop. I've certainly experienced this in the small IT startups I worked at during the IT boom in the 90's, and the kind of managerial acrimony that develops - that kind of false company vision where your interests should always reflect that of the company, even when the company develops really stupid and draconian policies and business processes, while keeping this facade of sophisticated nuance.
Yes I know this employee, I've met many like him, and I can empathize with his response. But the company will go on doing what its doing long after he's left, and he's just going to have to get over that. Best thing he can do is take away from his job all the experiences that he didn't like, and ma...
But as for this employee, he doesn't sound any different than most people who get in on the ground floor of something very good - very community based and positive - only to see it harden and corrode from the inside out as the business turns more towards becoming a wal-mart than a local shop. I've certainly experienced this in the small IT startups I worked at during the IT boom in the 90's, and the kind of managerial acrimony that develops - that kind of false company vision where your interests should always reflect that of the company, even when the company develops really stupid and draconian policies and business processes, while keeping this facade of sophisticated nuance.
Yes I know this employee, I've met many like him, and I can empathize with his response. But the company will go on doing what its doing long after he's left, and he's just going to have to get over that. Best thing he can do is take away from his job all the experiences that he didn't like, and make sure that his next venture into the job market doesn't yield the same results. Or better yet, he can start a local shop of his own and run it the way he thinks it should be done. I wish him all the best.
Lots of Hot Chicks to enjoy, too!
he makes seem a little farfetched.
Cleanliness is important as well as protecting consumers.
Char
Honestly, though? Every WF I've been to in Portland has been great. Staff is always cheerful and helpful, and I can always find a few things there I can't pick up at farmer's markets, TJ's or New Seasons.
As for overstock and waste? The stores here donate anything they're legally allowed to to local homeless shelters (including lotions and hygiene products), and they send a lot of food to neighborhood "feeds". And, they carry tons of products from local artisans, many of whom I plied wears with side-by-side at the Saturday Market.
So, no... one disgruntled whiner's disjointed missive hasn't put me off from shopping there. Any truth to it? Probably. But, it's the same story, no matter what corporation you work for.
I just don't see the point of paying more to get the same product (that tastes the same) with an organic sticker on it.
I don't have to read the whole thing to see that this person is just a disgruntled and bitter employee. The way he presents his argument on why he's unhappy, the tone and wording. If anything he makes his own self look bad. Reminds me of that person ranted on about his ex on his blog.
We don't have Whole Foods here. I'd check it out but if it's true about the prices I probably won't shop there. Unless they have something I really like. Then I'm willing to splurge.