A kiss-off letter from a disgruntled former Yorkville Whole Foods buyer makes it to Gawker; Internet explodes
A disgruntled former employee of the Whole Foods Market in Yorkville has become an Internet sensation after an incredibly long and pissy letter penned to his employers made its way to Gawker. The author, a former bulk foods buyer for the high-end grocery chain, sent his resignation out late on a Friday night (after more than a couple of brews, we presume), and the letter is peppered with funny one-liners, Star Trek references, self-aggrandizement and jabs at his co-workers and Nickleback. But beneath the petty barbs typical of any unhappy employee, there’s actually a fairly scathing indictment of Whole Foods and their sometimes-hypocritical (alleged!) practices. Some highlights, after the jump:
“The sandwiches are the stuff of nightmares. (It’s amazing what advertising can make people think. It can even trick their senses.)”
You don’t say.
Ten to 20 per cent of bulk foods end up in the garbage because Whole Foods wants their bulk bins brimming with product and over-orders.
That’s a bad habit for food retailers to get into, but considering the alternative, it’s not surprising that it’s not uncommon.
“Every second end-cap is potato chips or pop or some sort of salt-filled snack.”
Well, they still have to make a profit, don’t they? Healthy treats can only get you so far.
The corporate side wastes an incredible amount of “energy, ink and paper…for useless bureaucratic nonsense.”
Let us know when you find an office that doesn’t.
“Oh, you let some customers abuse your employees and then actually reward the customers for their behaviour and then trample on the integrity and honour of your abused employees?”
Sounds like every retail job we’ve ever had.
“Oh, you don’t actually audit or evaluate each product you sell?”
If this is true of a company built on providing “the highest-quality natural and organic products available,” then it’s actually kind of a big deal.
The letter was clearly written out of rage, so we sort of expected most of its “findings” to reflect that. But as it turns out, an anonymous co-worker confirmed to the Toronto Star that not only was the letter the result of two weeks of edits and rewrites, but it’s actually fairly accurate—if perhaps a little hot-headed. And Gawker has since received more than 100 anecdotes from Whole Foods employees, the vast majority of which it says sided with the quitter.
Whole Foods, for its part, seems to be taking the bad publicity surprisingly well. A spokesperson told the Star: “We disagree with this former team member’s statements, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
• Read a disgruntled Whole Foods employee’s epic resignation letter [Gawker]
• The Whole Foods Experience: Part One [Gawker]
• Whole Foods employee’s scathing resignation letter goes viral [Globe and Mail]
• Fed-up Whole Foods employee’s resignation letter goes viral [The Star]
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/food/whole-foods-kissoff/&title=A kiss-off letter from a disgruntled former Yorkville Whole Foods buyer makes it to Gawker; Internet explodes&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/cat-whole-foods-bag-624x430.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_81831" align="aligncenter" width="656" caption="Is the cat out of the bag for Whole Foods? (Image: Alisha Vargas)"][/caption]
A disgruntled former employee of the Whole Foods Market in Yorkville has become an Internet sensation after an incredibly long and pissy letter penned to his employers made its way to Gawker. The author, a former bulk foods buyer for the high-end grocery chain, sent his resignation out late on a Friday night (after more than a couple of brews, we presume), and the letter is peppered with funny one-liners, Star Trek references, self-aggrandizement and jabs at his co-workers and Nickleback. But beneath the petty barbs typical of any unhappy employee, there’s actually a fairly scathing indictment of Whole Foods and their sometimes-hypocritical (alleged!) practices. Some highlights, after the jump:
“The sandwiches are the stuff of nightmares. (It's amazing what advertising can make people think. It can even trick their senses.)”
You don’t say.
Ten to 20 per cent of bulk foods end up in the garbage because Whole Foods wants their bulk bins brimming with product and over-orders.
That’s a bad habit for food retailers to get into, but considering the alternative, it’s not surprising that it’s not uncommon.
“Every second end-cap is potato chips or pop or some sort of salt-filled snack.”
Well, they still have to make a profit, don’t they? Healthy treats can only get you so far.
The corporate side wastes an incredible amount of “energy, ink and paper…for useless bureaucratic nonsense.”
Let us know when you find an office that doesn’t.
“Oh, you let some customers abuse your employees and then actually reward the customers for their behaviour and then trample on the integrity and honour of your abused employees?”
Sounds like every retail job we’ve ever had.
"Oh, you don't actually audit or evaluate each product you sell?”
If this is true of a company built on providing “the highest-quality natural and organic products available,” then it’s actually kind of a big deal.
The letter was clearly written out of rage, so we sort of expected most of its “findings” to reflect that. But as it turns out, an anonymous co-worker confirmed to the Toronto Star that not only was the letter the result of two weeks of edits and rewrites, but it’s actually fairly accurate—if perhaps a little hot-headed. And Gawker has since received more than 100 anecdotes from Whole Foods employees, the vast majority of which it says sided with the quitter.
Whole Foods, for its part, seems to be taking the bad publicity surprisingly well. A spokesperson told the Star: “We disagree with this former team member’s statements, and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”
• Read a disgruntled Whole Foods employee’s epic resignation letter [Gawker]
• The Whole Foods Experience: Part One [Gawker]
• Whole Foods employee’s scathing resignation letter goes viral [Globe and Mail]
• Fed-up Whole Foods employee’s resignation letter goes viral [The Star]){kind=link}
And we thought this looked stale yesterday on the Globe and mail’s website, two days after it was on Gawker. Thanks for being slower and later, Toronto Life.
Well said JJ. This site is in danger of becoming a laughing stock if it isn’t already.
They needed to clear it with the sales department first? Couldn’t afford to lose Whole Foods ads in Toronto Life.
What a moron! So you hate your job, who doesn’t?
Go ahead and throw brickbats at your employers,
but leave your co-workers out of this slanderous and
self-indulgent rant.
They signed up for the detail, so did you.
The true art of the Quit is to do so, shut the fuck up
and move on.
That may no longer be an option for you in the food industry,
so congratulations on your thirty seconds of fame…hope you
qualify for E.I.
BEBE: …..wah wah wah on YOU!
Good for him for venting and telling the TRUTH!
Whole Foods projects an ‘all good and glorious’ showcase of lies.
I would love to see a letter like that written by Restaurant Employees about how Toronto’s Food Industry kicks it’s Servers in the a—!
Stealing tips and belittling your staff is the norm!
Love the kitty…
I stopped shopping at Whole Foods after a few visits. The prepared food I chose was horrible. Amazing how you can spend so much on something that is so bad. I accept that my experience may have been just bad luck, but I’ve heard the same story too many times. Now I spend my hard earned bucks at Fiesta Farms or Essence of Life!
My friends and I call Whole Foods Whole Paycheque. What’s wholesome about ripping people off?
JJ is right, I don’t even know why I still read TO Life, I guess I am still hanging on with some shred of hope that something interesting will come of my efforts. Ha, half kidding. Bebe you are a moron, do you work for your parents or something? I hope you get a pie in the face one of these days. Anyway why shouldn’t there be some kind of expose on them from a former insider? And what’s with the author? Who are you to defend Whole Foods?? Either way, who cares, Whole Foods in Canada is so lame. The only reason it does so well is because we have nothing else going for us on that same scale.
No sorry BoBo. Whole Foods period is a store filled with pretentious crap. It just goes to prove that rich people will spend lots of money on bad products just “beacause”. They’re a smart company for it I’ll give them that…