Whole Foods Column Not the Whole Truth

In the February Shuttle, GM Jon Roesser gleefully extends the back of his hand to Weavers Way shoppers who also patronize Whole Foods and its parent company Amazon (like myself).

He calls the new Whole Foods store in Spring House a “death star” and indicts Whole Foods employees or would-be employees for working for, or wanting to work for, the “dark side.” To top it off, he disses people who intend a compliment when they liken Weavers Way to a “mini Whole Foods.” 

But when it comes to discussing the legal and political system in the United States that makes it possible for Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to amass the $90 billion that’s made him the richest person in the world, as Roesser makes a point of highlighting in the “Whole Truth About the Competition,” Roesser only glibly offers up “the lust for profit.” So naturally, in his world, Whole Foods recruiters wooing Weavers Way staff are “corporate goons.”

But that’s not the whole truth. That’s not even the truth.

The truth is that Weavers Way’s shiny newish Ambler store, with floor space totaling more than the square footage of the Weavers Way Mount Airy and Chestnut Hill stores combined and its bounty of high-end product, does resemble a mini-Whole Foods store. The problem is that Whole Foods does and will do Whole Foods a lot better than the Co-op. “I wouldn’t count us out. We’ve got a few tricks up our sleeve,” Roesser concludes. 

Tricks, really? My idea of what Weavers Way could be does not include tricks. It is that of a cooperatively owned neighborhood grocery store that:

1. Focuses primarily on fresh and local vegetables and fruit, particularly what we harvest from our own farms. 
2. Depends on all members to contribute some work time to help keep prices down and fulfill an ethic of participation.
3. Pays store employees, perhaps unionized, at least a living wage.
4. Reserves seats on its Board for committee chairs and employee representatives. 

Reactionary/revolutionary thinking, I know.

— Brian Rudnick

Thanks for Information in Whole Foods Column

To Jon Roesser: Just a quick note of thanks for your GM’s Corner piece in the February 2018 edition of The Shuttle. I’ve been searching for the language which delineates the core differences between Amazon Whole Foods and the Co-op so I was better equipped when the inevitable comparison was made.

You elegantly, smartly and meticulously laid bare the differences between both stores and shopping experiences. That you injected humor is the icing on the cake.

I am so grateful and look forward to educating others!  

— Karen Palmer

Our Tap Water Is Tip-Top

I am writing in response to a letter that appeared in the February Shuttle, titled, “Filtered Water Not an Ingredient in Our Soup?”

The letter raised concerns about supposed negative health impacts of using unfiltered tap water as an ingredient in soups and other food products. I am writing to assure Weavers Way customers and Shuttle readers that this is not true and is also a disservice to many Philadelphia residents who do not have the financial means to purchase filtered products.

Philadelphia’s drinking water is top quality and has always achieved higher standards than those mandated by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. Our residents’ health and safety is our top priority and we take pride in the healthfulness of the drinking water that we provide 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

More information about the steps we take to ensure consistent, healthful water can be found on the Philadelphia Water Department’s website, www.phila.gov/water, including our annual annual drinking water quality report.

— Joanne Dahme,
General Manager, Public Affairs, Philadelphia Water Department

Environmental Alternatives 

Pursuant to two items in the February Shuttle, “Electronics Recycling” (p. 15) and “Don’t Be an Idler” (p. 14), I would like to suggest the following:

• The city has an excellent recycling facility on Domino Lane, down from Ridge Avenue. I have utilized it many times. It’s free. Going there again with a flat screen.
• My father was an “idler” and I picked up that habit from him. However, with all due respect, Dad, the best advice I heard came from the “Click and Clack” guys on NPR: 40 degrees and above, start the engine and drive off. Engine heats up driving. 32 degrees and below: give it 10-15 seconds. Do not gun the engine.

— Lawrence H. Geller

(Editor’s note: The Domino Lane facility is open to Philadelphia residents only.)