I guess it's because Whole Foods markets themselves as being a "better" and "healthier" supermarket alternative. They're like the Vitamin Water of food stores.
I almost always have a good experience at WF though. The staff is knowledgable and the place is easy to navigate and is well presented. Grocery shopping is something most people do on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. Why shouldn't people want to do it in a nice environment. For me, when I pay an extra 20% for the groceries there, it's for this as much as it is for the "quality" of the food. One thing that is really annoying though is that when I check out I will often get asked if I would like to donate to the "whole earth foundation". The answer is always "no". I go there to get food, not to be pressured in to donating money. -I find it very annoying.They're like the Vitamin Water of food stores.
Good analogy.
Except that at WF you can buy high quality food, whereas Vitamin Water is soda without the carbonation. WF is a corporate machine with a good marketing operation, but in the end it's still a place where you can buy locally sourced products, minimally processed foods, and very high quality produce. Vitamin Water is none of those things. I don't get the analogy at all, save for the fact they both advertise, which puts them in company with 100% of other businesses.