In June 2015, the company announced a millennial-focused, and more affordable version of its regular stores, called "365 By Whole Foods Market".In addition to using digital price tags, in-store communication will largely be done through a smartphone app. In addition, the stores will have the goal of zero waste, donating all leftover food and using LED lights, as well as carbon dioxide-powered refrigeration cases.Jeff Turnas is president of the division.
To cut costs, customers unload bulkier products directly off a pallet.Some items, like produce, are priced per item instead of by weight. For items that are still sold by weight, the customers weigh, barcode, and tag those items before they reach the check-out counter.Unlike the regular stores, the 365 stores offer a rewards program.
The first 365 By Whole Foods Market store opened in May 2016 in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles.A second location opened two months later in Lake Oswego, Oregon, followed by a third store two months after that in Bellevue, Washington. Other future locations include stores in Texas, Illinois,Indiana,Ohio, Georgia, and Florida.
In reviewing the new retail format, a reporter for The Motley Fool wrote that the new stores were "closer to a combination of a fruit stand, convenience store, and a restaurant than a traditional grocery store"while a MarketWatch reporter called them "hipster havens" due to their use of high tech as a cost cutting and efficiency measure.Most reviews were very positive although a few customers said that they miss talking to a person when placing food orders via tablets.
In January 2008, Whole Foods Market was the first U.S. supermarket to commit to completely eliminating disposable plastic grocery bags to help protect the environment and conserve resources and many stores serve as a collection point for shoppers to recycle their plastic bags.
On Earth Day, April 22, 2008, Whole Foods Market eliminated the use of disposable plastic grocery bags company-wide in favor of reusable bags or paper bags made from recycled paper. The company also began offering "Better Bags", a large and colorful grocery bag made primarily from recycled bottles. The move from the traditional paper/plastic system to environmentally friendly and reusable bags has been packaged as an initiative the company calls "BYOB – Bring Your Own Bag".The campaign is aimed at reducing pollution by eliminating plastic bags and reducing waste by encouraging bag reuse with "bag refunds" of 5–10 cents, depending on the store.