The Change You Might Notice The Next Time You Go Into Whole Foods
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By Ralph Schwartz/Updated: Oct. 18, 2021 9:03 am EST
A new dress code for Whole Foods employees takes effect on November 2, and employees who spoke to Business Insider aren’t happy. Employees won’t be able to wear clothes or face masks with busy designs. (Trader Joe’s workers, famous for their loud Hawaiian shirts, are rolling their eyes right about now.) If a Whole Foods staffer wants to express themselves with a button or pin, well, that’s not allowed, either. Jeans can’t be ripped. Athleisure is just a bad idea in general but is specifically called out in the new Whole Foods dress code as well. Don’t advertise anything or otherwise make a statement on your T-shirts – and that even includes apparel handed out by Whole Foods’ vendors. Finally, no flags of any kind are permitted – presumably, not even on Flag Day.
Employees sued Whole Foods over Black Lives Matter messaging
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Whole Foods said the same thing back in July about the lawsuit that it’s saying now about the new dress code: “Our dress code is in place to ensure that we are prioritizing operational safety and serving our customers by keeping the focus in our stores on selling the highest quality food,” a spokesperson told Business Insider. While the new dress code hasn’t gone into effect quite yet, a Whole Foods customer on Twitter is already unhappy about it. @ImaginativeMom tweeted her thought that the new rules were “unfortunate.” Suppressing employees’ creative flair will make shopping at Whole Foods less appealing, she added. She also threatened to switch to Trader Joe’s.
