Weighing In on Employee Discounts at Whole Foods

Most every retail store I have heard of usually offers up discounts to its employees. Sure there are differences in how much of a discount one can earn depending on their years in service or the type of position they have; but Whole Foods, the popular supermarket, has come under a bit of fire for the way they implement their employee discounts. It was recently brought to light (by protests and lawsuits) that the company's policy to adjust employee discounts based on an employee's weight was a form of discrimination and has led to some discussion on whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that the management at Whole Foods has done.

These days there is a lot more focus on the fact that obesity is on the rise and good eating habits are on the decline. Despite the fact that there is more awareness of the need to be healthy, there hasn't been a great deal of success in curbing the bad habits of some. So now here comes Whole Foods, a supermarket that prides itself on quality food and organic products which are supposed to be healthier for us. That being said it isn't surprising that their prices are higher than the average grocery store. For an employee it would be incentive to shop at the store if you're getting a discount on their prices but to base it on your general health level (i.e. weight) is a bit much for some people.

Now I haven't always been of a relatively healthy weight. I was much heavier for a number of years before I finally managed to work off a lot of the poundage, still, it's hard enough trying to maintain a healthy weight in the face of so much temptation. Perhaps the discount is meant to motivate people who might be on the heavier side feel motivated to lose more weight and get healthy if it means getting a bigger discount on their grocery bill. It's a good theory but I don't know if it will have the effect that Whole Foods manangement expects. Weight issues are a touchy subject for a lot of people and I know that some will retort by stating that their weight is a result of glandular problems or because they are predisposed to having a heavier body type which is fine, but then again that can't be the case for everyone who is of a unhealthy weight type.

As much as it may be a painful or hurtful discussion point for some people, there sometimes needs to be a tangible benefit to attaining a goal (in this case weight loss) and reaping the benefits. I agree that there must be some resentment over this policy at Whole Foods but if the managers figure that the employee, overweight or not, is working there then they are already halfway to getting into a healthier lifestyle when you figure that an employee would want to use their discount to purchase groceries which are a necessity rather than a luxury. So then why not add an extra carrot in front of the employees if it's going to motivate them to lose weight and get in shape?