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Is Whole Foods actually pricier than the competition?

BOSTON — The produce at Whole Foods has always looked great, but the reputation was that it could cost a bundle to fill a bag. It’s how they earned the nickname “Whole Paycheck”.

The chain, which is now owned by Amazon, recently announced a big promotional campaign to cut their prices.

By one estimate, a family of four with two teenagers spends $964 a month on food.

Costs like that are the reason shoppers like Wayne Robertson, of Needham, pay attention to where they shop.

"Whichever one has the sales," said Robertson. "There are so many around here that you get to pick and choose."

Boston 25 went shopping to see how four local stores stack up in terms of cost: Whole Foods, in Dedham; Big Y, in Saugus; Star Market, in Brighton; and Market Basket in Waltham.

In order to fairly compare prices, we worked off the same list at each store, buying mostly produce, as well as hamburger meat, chicken and a few grocery items.

We did not use any apps or coupons, so we could get a straight comparison on costs, and shopped at each store on the same day.

Big Y ended up being the most expensive, coming in at $58.11.

Whole Foods was just a few dollars behind at $55.64, close to Star Market, which tallied $55.29.

The least expensive would not surprise its loyal shoppers - the same items at Market Basket totaled $43.34.

Some items, like cauliflower, varied greatly. At Star, a head was $4.99, but at Market Basket it cost just $2.50.

A liter of Polar Selzer could be had for just 75 cents at Market Basket but cost $1.19 at Whole Foods.

Chobani yogurt ranged from 99 cents to $1.25 for a single serving.

Still, Babson marketing professor Lauren Beitelspacher believes Whole Foods is sincere about wanting to make a shopping trip there less painful.

The greatest risk, according to Beitelspacher, is alienating loyal customers.

"There’s a huge correlation between perceived quality and cost, especially with produce and meat," said Beitelspacher. "If you really lower the price point people are going to assume it’s lower quality and you’re not going to be able to sell it."

One shopper told us she shops at Whole Foods and every week and is happy with it.

"I like the whole foods, the organics, and the meat. The prices could be a little high, but it’s worth it for certain things."