Oysters for $1. A $2 discount on rotisserie chickens on Tuesdays. Price reductions on 25% of its assortment. Breaking with its "Whole Paycheck" reputation for priciness, upscale grocer Whole Foods has been cutting prices on many of its food items this year in a concession to the punishing toll high grocery inflation has taken on shoppers—even those in the middle and upper-middle class who frequent its emporia.
In that sense, Whole Foods is pulling a page from the playbook of less-bougie rivals like Walmart, Aldi and Kroger, which are offering shoppers deals too. Food inflation has spared few Americans: With grocery prices up 22% since 2021, spending on food-at-home takes up a bigger chunk of Americans' discretionary spending than it has in 30 years.
