[justinator]

Are these grocery stores you're comparing to also in Manhattan? If so, there may be other pressures at work to keep prices in most all stores high, with perhaps the boutique store (Whole Foods) being able to have slightly lower prices for strategic reasons. I've worked in a store that never, ever pulled a profit, but felt like more advertisement for another location that certainly did. I mean, you did mention the store by name, here.

The most expensive food I've ever bought were in small bodega stores (unhealthy food), or like the pantry of a camping place (where else am I going to?)

Your post piqued my interest with your price of 2 dozen eggss: $4-$6 seems on the steep end. Lots of prior HN discussion on chicken egg economics ;)

[dustinmr]

For what it's worth, I recently compared orders using Instacart between a Whole Foods and Publix (in Miami if it matters). I chose equivalent items from each (I.e., if I got the organic version, that's what I got at both stores). Whole Foods was about $3 cheaper on an $80 order.

It wasn't an exact comparison, as they don't always have the same products/weights, etc. But it was indicative of how I would buy at each store.