Keeping the brand out there

Whole Foods really is ripping you off.  At least, they are in New York. 

The city has launched a probe of Whole Foods Markets after investigators nabbed the upscale food purveyor for routinely overcharging customers on groceries during dozens of inspections dating back to at least 2010, the Daily News has learned.

The most recent spate of violations came during a sting operation the Department of Consumer Affairs conducted in the fall that specifically checked the accuracy of the weight marked on pre-packaged products.

This isn't new. Whole Foods was fined for similar violations last year  in California.

A couple of years ago, Whole Foods executives were a little bit worried that they were "diluting their brand" with a pilot program to expand into impoverished neighborhoods designated as so-called "food deserts" in New Orleans, Chicago, and Detroit.

Really, what they were doing was taking advantage of federal Fresh Food Retailer Initiative grants in order to launch stores in rapidly gentrifying markets.  That's worked out well for them. And they've managed to keep the brand intact as well.