Thrive Market vs Whole Foods

If there are two brands that are very similar to one another, it’s Thrive Market and Whole Foods. Many online vendors can’t compete with Thrive Market’s savings. But Whole Foods gives them a serious run for their money.

How much of a run? For that, we need to look into each brand’s practices and what they offer their customers.

Depending on your needs, you may find one is better than the other. The following information will help you determine which brand is right for you.

Whole Foods

Whole Foods carries a vast assortment of healthy foods. It is their mission to provide nothing short of high-quality, fat-free food items at reasonable prices.

In my research, I found Whole Foods to offer incredible savings on everyday staples.

With 500 stores in the United States alone, Whole Foods is quickly shaping up to be one of the most trusted grocers of health foods. Their selection of organic products is highly respected, so much so that they average $20 billion annually.

That’s nothing to sneeze at, and is rather telling of the impact they have on shoppers of health foods. In 2017, Amazon bought Whole Foods to the tune of $13.7 billion. That alliance has seen Whole Foods increase sales significantly.

Like Thrive Market, Whole Foods sells their own private label. These, along with other brands, can be delivered directly to your door.

So, how do you join this conglomerate? Well, this is where Amazon comes into play. You must first be an Amazon Prime member to shop at Whole Foods. For that, you’re looking at a yearly fee of $119.

Once you’re Primed and ready, you can use either Amazon or the mobile app to add items to your virtual cart. From there, simply schedule a delivery window and your food will be sent out in a timely manner.

Like everything with Amazon, Whole Foods is a well-oiled machine that rarely fails to provide quick and easy services. It works wonderfully and is very user-friendly.

The downside here is the Prime membership requirement. Maybe you don’t want to be one. Maybe you don’t shop on Amazon. If that’s the case, $119 is a bit steep to order health foods.

The plus here is that Whole Foods also has brick-and-mortar stores. In certain areas, you can elect to pick up your items directly from the store. The flip side of this is that you may have to wait for windows to become available for both pickup and delivery due to heavy traffic.

You typically don’t see this with Thrive Market. Very seldom do they run into problems that push out the normal delivery of orders.

Thrive Market

When comparing prices between Whole Foods and Thrive Market, I found Thrive to have better savings. On average, I saved a dollar or two on items. And when you factor in Thrive Market’s free delivery on items totaling $49 or more, it’s hard to beat their offerings.

As where Whole Foods requires a yearly (Prime) membership of $119, Thrive Market charges half of that. For $59.95 a year, you gain access to Thrive Market’s 6,000+ foods and household products.

Current Thrive Market Promo:

This includes their own private label, as well as over 500 other brands. Thrive Market has a huge selection of herbs, spices, fitness supplements, and organic remedies. It’s an impressive amount of items that include natural cleaners and even toilet paper.

Most of what you need in your house can be purchased from Thrive Market. The only drawback is that they don’t stock fresh produce or dairy. So if you need those, it’s going to cost you a trip to your local grocer.

Alternatively, you can always order those items from Whole Foods. But this is only a reasonable option if you’re an existing Amazon Prime member.

While the need for an additional trip might sound counterproductive, one has to factor in Thrive Market’s average savings.

A vast majority of items sold are 25 to 50 percent cheaper than what you’d pay at large retail stores. If you’re only using said stores to buy fruits, vegetables, and dairy, it’s a small caveat to deal with.

Thrive Market also promises that you’ll get your membership fee back in savings. And if you’re buying food and other items that regularly net you big savings, it’s easy to see how quickly that can become a reality.

One must also consider everything that Thrive Market does for people and communities. You see, when you sign up for a new membership, Thrive Market matches that by giving away a free yearly membership.

These go to families that are in need; perhaps one that has recently lost their main source of income due to the pandemic. Suddenly being able to save money on food and household items is a blessing that Thrive Market deserves more recognition for.

They also have a very low impact on the environment. All of their packages shipped to customers are completely recyclable. And all of their warehouses are designed to produce zero waste.

I also appreciate that Thrive Market gives their customers the option to shop with them on an as-needed basis. The membership fee is slightly more on the per-month cost, at $9.95 a month.

But when you’re buying things that are exponentially cheaper than retail stores, $10 a month is reasonable. There’s a good chance you’ll see that fee come right back to your wallet.

There were select items I compared that saw a difference of $15 in Thrive Market’s favor. Yes, it depends on what you’re buying. But by and large, you’re going to benefit from Thrive Market’s services.

Bottom Line

It’s a close call, and a lot of it depends on whether you’re already an Amazon Prime member. But for the most part, Thrive Market makes the most sense in terms of savings.

Whole Foods has a lot more to choose from, including perishables. But if those aren’t important to you, you’re better off saving money on Thrive Market’s cheaper membership.

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