- Trader Joe's versus Whole Foods
which grocery is going down?
- Let's talk about that!
(uplifting music)
(liquid bubbling)
(UFO whirring)
(flames igniting)
- Good "Mythical" summer.
- We are about to let two massive grocery store chains
throw down in aisle seven!
(Link imitating siren)
But first, we wanna let you know
that this is last week of "Good Mythical Summer."
Next week, there's gonna be no episodes.
But hey, don't panic because the following Monday,
September 12th, we'll be back,
bright tailed and bushy eyed with "GMM" season 22,
5 episodes a week.
- Dang, so the summer's almost over for us?
- Yeah!
- Alright today, we got another "Food Feud."
But instead of restaurants, it's grocery stores.
Trader Joe's versus Whole Foods, all of the foods.
- Whole Foods has more variety on the shelves.
Trader Joe's has the friendlier staff,
but the more frustrating parking lots.
But, who's got the gooder goods?
It's time for "Food Feuds: Whole Foods versus Trader Joe's!"
- We're gonna taste and compare popular store-branded items
from both places.
Only the store brands, okay?
- Yup.
- Head-to-head and rate 'em.
- Yes, that's what we're gonna do.
- We're each gonna rate 'em.
- Whichever chain scores highest
will be dubbed the Globe's Greatest Grocer
and will win a chance to sponsor a future "GMM" episode.
Is somebody ever gonna take us up on this offer?
- Please!
(upbeat music)
So, these groceries are gonna be delivered
because that's how I get my groceries.
- Oh yes, oh hello.
- Hi.
I'm Whole Foods Harlow.
- Hi.
- Namaste.
You guys have really great auras.
Let me guess, hang on.
You're both Aries.
- Nope.
- Libra.
- Well listen, when you lie to all of us,
you lie to your inner child so.
- (Rhett laughing) Okay.
(Whole Foods Harlow laughing amusingly)
- You're definitely Aries.
- Cauliflower crust.
- This is our cheese pizza
with rich pureed cauliflower for the crust,
mozzarella, and egg whites.
- Okay, okay.
- Is that a smokey eye?
("Mythical" crew laughing amusingly)
- And voice.
- Hey!
- What up?
- Hi, I'm Trader Joe's Teddy.
And did you guys find everything okay today?
- Yeah.
- We did, we kinda sat here and you just... Yup.
- That's wonderful.
- Other than a parking spot.
- Yeah, no, we don't have those.
So this is Trader Joe's ready-to-bake cheese pizza
with a cauliflower crust for $4.99.
It is so good, just smell just...
- It does smell. (Rhett laughing amusingly)
- You guys smell really good.
- Oh, thanks.
I didn't shower, so I went for a little...
- That's what I'm smelling.
- Yeah.
- They're very friendly at the Trader Joe's.
- You know the cologne shower days,
where you don't take a shower
so you just put on a little extra spritz?
- No.
- That's what I did today.
- Now, this one smells weird compare...
Smell of that.
- Don't get 'em mixed up, brother.
- See that smells decent, this smells weird.
It's tangy, it's not overly cheesy,
or anything to really brag about.
Is this one better?
- Immediately, the big difference for me is the...
Is that oregano?
There's a really strong oregano taste
coming off of the Trader Joe's,
which feels like an improvement
'cause this does feel a little bland.
- To put it simply, this one doesn't taste great.
- I'm not particularly excited about either one.
- But, this one's definitely better.
- I'm giving the Whole Foods a five.
- Out of 10, is that how we do this?
- Yeah, out of 10 today, yeah.
- I don't like the smell, I don't like the taste.
I'm gonna give it the benefit of doubt
and still give it a four.
- The cheese is not bad.
- Over here, this is markedly better.
I gonna give it a five, six, seven... Should I go to seven?
You know what? I'm gonna go to seven.
I think there's that much of a discrepancy.
- I don't.
I do think there is some discrepancy,
but it's just a six for me.
Six for Trader Joe's. - Okay!
(upbeat music returns)
- Man- - We ordered some sausages.
- You are so lucky.
So, these are Trader Joe's chicken sausages.
It's got little bits of apple in there,
it's got cinnamon spice, it's got maple syrup flavor,
and it's also got delicious chicken leg meat,
for only $4.29.
- Chicken leg meat, how do you know that?
- Well, 'cause they take it from the legs.
- Oh, yeah.
- That's what that is.
And also these are of course Trader Joe's
delicious hot dog buns for only $2.99.
This is so delicious, I eat it every day.
- You're so nice, you're too nice.
- You need to leave this spiritual plane to go over there.
- [Trader Joe's Teddy] All right, see you later!
- Chicken leg meat.
Dark meat sausage.
- Hello again.
- Hi. - Hey.
- So, this is our nitrate-free chicken sausage,
with organic cage-free chickens,
they're fed in all vegetarian diet.
- Is it their legs?
- I don't know.
- Okay.
("Mythical" crew laughing amusingly)
But you know, the world is full of legs.
Anyway- (Whole Foods Harlow laughing amusingly)
- That's true.
- It's $7.99, but then the buns are $2.99,
and I have it on good authority that the chicken is at peace
and you can enjoy it's flesh.
- Oh.
- The chicken is at peace.
- I don't like hearing chicken and flesh
right before I bite into meat.
- You know,
Trader Joe's started just down the road in Pasadena.
- Yeah, 1967.
- And that operation is still in operation.
- And then in 1979, they sold to the owner of Aldi,
or Aldi, it depends on where you're from.
- Did you know that?
- Yeah.
- Did you know that Whole Foods was bought by Amazon?
- Yes, I did know that. - Years ago.
- Did you know that Trader Joe's, in 2008, in Business Week,
was ranked as the highest merchandise
per square footage sold in a grocery store chain?
And then in 2016, in a Forbes article,
that number was $1,750 per square foot,
which is double that of Whole Foods?
I just read all that a second ago.
I retain that kind of information very well.
- So, how do I interpret that?
Per square inch, Trader Joe's is more expensive?
- I didn't say anything about expense, brother.
("Mythical" crew laughing)
Revenue, sales. - Oh, revenue.
- Trader Joe's sells twice as much food per square foot-
- Per square foot.
- Brother, do you mind if I call you that?
- But, they're a lot smaller.
I'm just gonna eat the sausage again.
- I'm experimenting with calling you "brother."
- Alright, sister.
That's a good sausage.
It's real good.
- Typically I would have mustard on it, or like something.
("Mythical" Crew laughing amusingly)
I'm not a psychopath. (Rhett laughing amusingly)
It looks a lot better
than the Trader Joe's leg meat sausage.
I'm kinda blown away by that.
- I've had this before.
- Push it to the edge.
- It was Fortune Magazine, not Forbes,
I did miss one detail.
- It's not nearly as flavorful as the Whole Foods.
- The bun is distracting, can we just say that?
The buns are equal.
- Yeah, I'm done with that.
I like the Whole Foods a whole lot better.
- Mmm, there's a pop to that sausage too.
- I mean, I'm gonna give
this organic apple Whole Foods sausage-
- An eight.
- An eight, it's strong man.
- Agreed.
- And I think this one...
Yeah, I'll give it a six.
- And you know what? I completely agree, brother.
- But, we're not actually related.
- We're not, no, we're just friends.
(upbeat music returns)
- I like the rustic environment of a Trader Joe's.
- Oh, yeah.
- Hello, these are our non-GMO mac and cheese bites
from Whole Foods.
They're made with real cheddar cheese
and encased in whole wheat bread crumbs.
And if you think about it,
aren't we all just crumbs floating through the universe,
waiting for someone to heal our trauma?
- Yup-
- Space dust.
- Right, yeah, I get that.
- Hmm, I bet they're good for you too.
- Yeah, probably.
- It's my two best friends!
What's up, guys?
- Yeah, we're tight now.
- Oh, I love you.
- Yeah.
("Mythical" crew laughing amusingly)
- So these are our new and improved
Trader Joe's mac and cheese bites.
We have all sorts of cheese blends in there.
We have cheddar, havarti, we got...
Oh, Pecorino Romano.
- Oh, wow!
- $3.99.
That's the way my grandmother used to say it
before she died.
- Thanks a lot, Teddy.
- So upbeat.
- Thanks a lot, Teddy.
- You guys have any dead grandparents?
- Yup, all of 'em.
- Be our friend over there.
- All of them.
("Mythical" crew laughing amusingly)
- [Trader Joe's Teddy] I tripped.
- Now I'm gonna tell you right now-
- Those are bigger.
- Whole Foods...
I'll bring in the box here.
Trader Joe's is bigger.
- The Trader Joe's looks bigger and better,
- But look, I don't know, this looks pretty good.
See that cheese coming out? That's nice.
I'm gonna pull it apart.
Ooh!
- Did you know that as of 2019,
there were 500 North American locations of Whole Foods?
And in 2017, what's the name of that company?
- Trader Joe's.
- Yeah, I think I was wrong about that.
("Mythical" crew laughing amusingly)
- Oh, you're trying to act like you know facts?
- As of 2019, there were 500 Whole Foods.
But also, did you know that Whole Foods sold to Amazon
for $13,700,000,000 in 2019?
- Billion?
- Do you think it was worth it?
- Well, that's what we're being the judge of.
This is a great invention.
- These ones are better.
- I mean it's mac and cheese, what's not to like?
You thinking it's not salty enough?
- Precisely.
- Maybe that is it.
- I really thought that it needed more salt.
- Ooh, yeah.
- Oh my gosh.
- They're hotter.
- You must have gotten the hot one.
("Mythical" crew laughing amusingly)
- Whoo!
- This is more than twice as good as this.
You can taste the cheese.
All those cheeses that Teddy was talking about-
- It's definitely hotter.
- Well get one that's not hot
because I feel it's throwing you off
'cause mine wasn't hot at all.
This is so much better.
- Can I touch all of 'em?
- This is bland.
- Yeah.
I think that got one on the edge was super piping,
this is better.
- Everything about that's better.
- Creamy cheese over here on Trader Joe land.
- If this had a sauce,
again you don't need sauce for mac and cheese bites.
If your mac and cheese bites need sauce,
you've done something wrong.
Three.
I mean, I actively dislike this
'cause the bar is set so high for a mac and cheese bite.
- Yeah, you're going in on a treat just to treat yourself-
- I'm gonna finish this.
- Then, you show up with these.
I'm gonna give 'em a four.
You're definitely right though.
These are creamier, they're bigger, they're more flavorful,
they're just all around nicer.
Seven.
- I'm not gonna go all the way to nine
because I know what a mac and cheese bite can be.
Have you had those at the Cheesecake Factory?
Have you seen those mac and cheese balls
at the Cheesecake Factory?
Good God.
- Gracious.
- I'm gonna go to eight though.
- Wow, he's goin' to eight.
- I've gone to eight, I did it.
(upbeat music returns)
- Once upon a time, we put cheese wheels on a car.
- But today, we put a car with cheese wheels on a shirt!
Check out the new Rhett and Link cheese wheel racing T!
Look at that!
- It's an action packed shirt.
- Boy, it looks like a lot of fun with those boys.
Are they brothers?
- Yup.
- No, they're just good friends!
- Oh that's right, cheese and...
This happened in real life, now it's happening on his shirt.
Grab one for yourself-
- Mythical.com.
- At Mythical.com.
- That's the website.
- Hey, this-
- What up, bestie?
- Yeah,
so this is Trader Joe's Thai vegetable gyoza for $4.79.
I have never been to Thailand, I've always wanted to go.
- Thailand's great!
- We should go to Thailand!
- Let's go. - I'm already buying tickets.
What's your social security number?
- Okay. - We're not...
- Why do you smell so good?
- Thanks a lot.
- Overly friendly.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's a little overbearing.
- I like numbers too.
- Oh.
- For example, your birthday is September 16th, 1912.
- You're off by a little bit.
- You got the year right.
- This is it, yes.
- June 1st, yeah.
- I mean, that's your spiritual birthday, sorry.
(Whole Foods Harlow laughing)
- Yeah, maybe a previous life.
- Yeah, yeah, totally.
So this is Whole Foods' vegetable pot stickers-
- Pot stickers.
- It has shiitake mushrooms and other vegetables in it,
like celery and bok choy.
- I love bok choy.
- Now, we do know that there is a difference
between gyoza and pot stickers-
- But, we don't know what it is.
- But, it's very subtle and we don't know what it is.
Garvey knows.
We don't want him to tell us.
- Do you know that the average grocery store
has 50,000 items on its shelves?
But Trader Joe's only has 4,000, less than 10%.
- It's a small place and the shelves aren't that tall.
- The best part of going to Trader Joe's
is the going to the grocery store after it
to get all the stuff that you didn't get at Trader Joe's.
- Yeah.
- [Rhett] You know?
- Don't be expecting any meat now, it's the vegetable.
- Thanks for letting me know because I was expecting meat.
- I was, I was disappointed.
- No I was and I am disappointed.
I'm not joking, brother.
- Right, sis.
- I don't know about you calling me sis, but...
- It's good for what it is,
but keep it's not what I wanted it to be.
- Keep trying it.
- These are vegetable as well,
but they're handmade in Thailand.
- I don't know if I believe that.
- Well, it says it right there, "Handmade in Thailand."
- I still don't believe it.
Oh my goodness, there's so much more flavor at Trader Joe's.
- I think you're tasting the Thailand.
- Don't you feel it there's that much more flavor?
Like, "Is there meat in this?" is what I'm thinking,
but there's not!
- This is just a weird consistency.
I think it's the mushrooms in it make it not as-
- It's not bad.
- These are so much better, good gosh!
- They are much saltier.
I think our North Carolina pallets
may be responding to the salt content.
Let's just look quickly and see.
So in three pieces of this, is it's serving size-
- Three pieces of this.
- You get 11%, 250 milligrams of sodium.
- 13%, 310.
- Yeah, it needs to be 310.
- So, it's not that much different to be-
- Well I mean it's-
- I mean, it's another percentage point.
- Two.
The difference between 13 and 11 is two, brother.
- Two percentage points if you're counting.
- Yeah, and I am,
and I think that 2% makes all the difference in the world.
- I'm gonna give these in eight.
I've gotta give those-
- Oh, you went the other way, you've thrown us all off.
- Okay, start here.
- Six.
I would keep eating 'em, I don't dislike them.
- I'm gonna give those-
- For what they are.
- I'm gonna give 'em a five.
- Okay.
- And I don't know if you knew,
but I'm gonna give these in eight.
- I'm gonna give those a seven.
- Oh.
- Two points different for two percentage points of sodium.
- Yes!
(upbeat music returns)
The Whole Foods has that whole buffet part.
- Yeah, we'll eat there. - That's the thing.
Hi.
- This is my final offering
to the altar of whatever this is.
And this is-
- This is an awesome internet show.
- This is our mini dark chocolate peanut butter cups
made with fair trade ingredients.
It's been a pleasure.
- Okay. - Thank you.
- So, these are dark chocolate?
- Yes!
- These are dark chocolate.
- Okay, and they are mini.
- And these are also dark chocolate peanut butter cups.
- But, they don't have any foil.
- Well they don't need it,
it's about the deliciousness of it, you know?
- They have a belly button.
- They have dark chocolate made of high quality cacao beans
for $4.49.
Listen, I know I come on like a little bit strong-
- A little bit too strong.
- But, I just wanna let you know
it comes from like a place of caring and love.
- Okay, thank you for letting us know that.
- Can I-
- No.
- I know it's been trained in you.
- Take a picture of your feet?
- No, no, no, no, no.
- I just wanna see 'em.
- You know what?
From over there, where our friendship thrives.
- [Trader Joe's Teddy] Okay!
- Link, did you know
that the president of Whole Foods' North Atlantic Region
is Rick Bonin?
- Yes, Bonin.
- (Rhett laughing amusingly) Rick Bonin.
- Rick Bonin.
- Rick Bonin! (Rhett laughing loudly)
- Shout out to Rick Bonin!
- He actually changed his own last name legally to that
when he was 13.
- [Rhett] Rick Bonin?
- Yeah.
- Rick Bonin! (Rhett laughing amusingly)
Rick Bonin.
- The 365 is a lot darker of a dark chocolate
than the Trader Joe.
Interesting.
- [Stevie] Rick is about to have the weirdest morning ever.
("Mythical" Crew laughing amusingly)
- Ah, look at the coloring of that peanut butter.
- It wasn't that great!
- It's shorter and it's like real...
The peanut butter's pasty white.
- I've had this before.
Oh, bring in the package, that package is pretty iconic.
- Mm-hmm.
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!
These are so much better at Trader Joe's.
- It's so smooth!
- I mean, I would say these are better than Reese's.
- No!
Come on, man.
- Alright, if a Reese's is a 10,
then I'm gonna give this a nine.
- Alright, I mean...
I'm not setting the scale at Reese's.
Or maybe I should
because it is the perfect peanut butter cup.
- What are you gonna-
- Again, you're ranking this first which is throwing me off.
But I know you're gonna go with a nine, right?
- Yeah, but let's say I haven't done it.
Let's go over here.
I'm disappointed.
There's not anything I can pinpoint about this
that will make me not disappointed,
except when you keep saying Rick Bonin.
- Bonin.
You know what?
I'm gonna give it a five-
- I'm good with that.
- But I'm giving it one big old point for Bonin, six.
- Rhett, they suck. Don't do that.
- No, Bonin, man.
- I'm gonna give these a one, and then-
(Rhett and "Mythical" Crew laughing amusingly)
- What?
- And then when you get-
- Give it a point for Bonin, man.
- And then, I will give it a point for Bonin.
- So, two.
- I'm giving this a two and I am not gonna apologize for it.
- Okay.
- I am gonna apologize to Rick on Rhett's behalf.
(Rhett laughing amusingly)
Sorry, Rick. - What?
- Over here.
You know what? I don't know what I'm gonna give this.
Why don't you go first?
(Rhett laughing happily)
- I think it's very good.
I'm gonna give it an eight.
- That's what I was thinkin'!
- I thought you might give it a nine,
you seemed to like it so much.
- I already said eight, right?
- No, you said nine.
- Oh, I did?
- Yeah! (Rhett laughing amusingly)
Yeah, I'm gonna give-
- Hold on, you can't give it a point for Bonin
because Bonin had nothing to do with that.
Are you goin' eight plus one for Bonin?
- I bet Joe's been doing his share of bonin'.
- Yeah.
- Alright, so I'm giving these a nine.
- (Rhett laughing amusingly) Yeah, okay!
- Which is what I intended.
- Yeah, right, uh-huh.
- Let's tally up the scores!
- Okay, so we got 51 points for Whole Foods
and 72 for Trader Joe's!
This is a blowout!
- Biggest blowout since Buca di Beppo.
- (Rhett laughing amusingly) Yeah.
So Trader Joe's, congratulations,
you are the Globe's Greatest Grocer,
and you just want a chance to sponsor a "GMM" episode.
- And congratulations to Rick Bonin.
- Hey listen, if you wanna sponsor a "GMM" episode,
Rick Bonin, you can also call us.
- Thanks for subscribing and clicking that bell.
- You know what time it is.
- Call me Rick Bonin.
- Bonin.
- Hello, I'm Mia from Florida.
This is Bugsby and this is Darwin.
And we say
it is time for you to spend the Wheel of Mythicality.
(Mia laughing happily)
- I thought it was a radio frequency.
- I know, that's the noise that they make.
Isn't it awesome?
- Clip the top link
to learn your state's favorite Trader Joe's item
in "Good Mythical More."
- And to find out
where the Wheel of Mythicality's gonna land.
- [Rhett] The Rhett and Link cheese wheel racing T
is coming in hot on mythical.com.
Blink fast and you just might miss it.