Amazon’s $13.7 billion acquisition of Whole Foods (a two-month-long deal) will officially close on Monday, and according to an official statement from the company, their first order of business is one we’re all in favor of: lowering in-store prices.
In the statement, Jeff Wike, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer, says, “Everybody should be able to eat Whole Foods Market quality.” As a result, Amazon will now be lowering prices without compromising Whole Foods’ long-standing commitment to the highest standards. “To get started, we’re going to lower prices beginning Monday on a selection of best-selling grocery staples.” Among the items being marked down are Whole Trade bananas, organic avocados, organic large brown eggs, organic, responsibly-farmed salmon and tilapia, organic baby kale and baby lettuce, animal-welfare-rated 85-percent lean ground beef, creamy and crunchy almond butter, organic Gala and Fuji apples, organic rotisserie chicken, and organic butter.
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Along with price markdowns, Amazon aims to bring more innovation to the Whole Foods brand. To do so, Whole Foods’ private-label brands—these include 365 Everyday Value, Whole Foods Market, Whole Paws and Whole Catch—will be available for order through Amazon.com, AmazonFresh, Prime Pantry and Prime Now beginning on Monday. To make this even easier, customers will also begin to see Amazon Lockers at certain Whole Foods stores, which will provide a place to pick up or return Amazon.com orders (both grocery and personal!) while you do your food shopping.
But the upgrades don’t end there. Amazon explains that Amazon Prime members will receive additional in-store discounts at Whole Foods stores, even hinting at a customer-rewards program based on membership. So, if you’re not a Prime member just yet, it might be time to sign up.
