We compared products at Whole Foods and Sprouts near San Francisco to see which store had better quality and prices — and the winner surprised us

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• Whole Foods and Sprouts are popular grocery giants that market healthy, fresh foods.
• I visited Whole Foods and Sprouts in Oakland, California, to compare prices and quality to see which store came out on top.
• Although both had good deals, Whole Foods had cheaper prices on more items, and Amazon Prime members can benefit from additional discounts.

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I recently visited the Whole Foods on Bay Place in Oakland, California, and the Sprouts on Broadway, just a few blocks away. I did a (completely unscientific) price comparison between 14 products from each store. To my surprise, Whole Foods came out the winner, with lower prices on eight of the items.

Amazon bought the Whole Foods chain in 2017, and it seems to be trying to shake the store's "Whole Paycheck" image. Signs throughout the store advertised special lower prices for Amazon Prime members.

Sprouts has a genuine Oakland vibe: mellow, friendly, and laid back. The reusable bags at the Sprouts counter said Turnip For What. (If you don't get it, continue your musical education here.)

The Oakland Whole Foods is larger than Sprouts, but not by much. Whole Foods has a better selection and more stock on the shelves, but the aisles at Sprouts felt more spacious. Even though this Sprouts is the newer of the two stores, it had the look and feel of an older grocery store.

Here's a breakdown of pricing and availability of 14 products at the two stores:

1. MaraNatha peanut butter

Laura McCamy

Sprouts: $6.99

Whole Foods: $5.99

Whole Foods wins on peanut butter price and selection —and jelly, too.

2. Prosecco

Laura McCamy

Sprouts (Lamarca): $14.99

Whole Foods (Presto Prosecco Brut): $12.99

This isn’t an exact apples-to-apples comparison because the brands are different, but I have to declare Whole Foods the winner in the cheap prosecco category.

I like prosecco better than champagne, and I love that both Sprouts and Whole Foods had it on sale at the same time. Prosecco is the right drink for summer dinners at outdoor tables in an Italian vineyard — or in your backyard in Oakland.

3. Organic watermelon

Laura McCamy

Sprouts: $4.99 per melon

Whole Foods: $4.99 per melon

This one’s a tie on the price. Sprouts only had a few melons in stock, while Whole Foods had a large display, so more melons to thump to find one that’s perfectly ripe.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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