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Whole Foods fat/skinny discount - Not "discrimination" (IMO)

post #1 of 10
1/27/10 at 8:17am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Weigh more. Pay more.

That's the message behind Whole Foods' drive to cut its health care costs by offering fatter employee discounts to workers who are in tip-top shape.

The pricey grocery chain will give 30% discounts to those who don't smoke and have low blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index (BMI) rates, says CEO John Mackey.

Workers who sign up for the voluntary plan are given free health screenings, he explained in a letter sent to all stores.

Employees will fall into four categories: bronze, silver, gold and platinum.

Those showing "platinum" health will earn 30% discounts; "gold" gets 27% and silver 25%, while "bronze" wins 22% off.

All employees will continue to get 20% discounts whether they sign up or not, but management is hoping the discounts will convince the workforce to trim down

"It's a great discount and it's a great opportunity for free health screenings," said Whole Foods spokesman Michael Sinatra.

Advocates for the overweight and obese are outraged - and are urging a boycott.

"Why are you rewarding people who are naturally thin? We believe it's discrimination," said Peggy Howell, a spokeswoman for the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. "We are encouraging our membership and anyone else who agrees with us to shop elsewhere."

Several customers in the Chelsea store agreed the incentive is outrageous.

"This is really stupid. They are judging people on how they look," said Khalal Jones, 18, of Brooklyn.

Michael Collins, 24, of Queens, said his large size would mean he'd shell out more cash for organic goodies.

"I'm kinda' chubby. If I worked there, I would get less of a discount than skinny workers? It's ridiculous," said Collins.

Employees at two Manhattan stores weren't aware of the perk and said it sounded too far-fetched to be true.

"They don't do such things," said 27-year-old Junior, one of several who requested his last name be withheld for fear of being fired.

The company started alerting staffers about the program last week but didn't have any estimates on how many of the 51,000 employees had signed up for the screenings.

Mackey admits BMI isn't the perfect measure of a healthy human, but hopes the incentive drives down the company's health insurance costs. "We believe this is a win-win program," he wrote.

Customers didn't see it that way.

"That's not a good way to make people lose weight. I would even think of stopping from shopping here," said Jacklyn White, 35, of Manhattan.

Bill Cooke, 49, of New Rochelle, said bluntly, "It's discrimination. There is no other way to describe this."
Source: NY Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle...i_cholest.html

The final quote says it's "discrimination" .. Uh, how is that? It's a bloody incentive program. What do you think? Discrimination? Please.
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post #2 of 10
1/27/10 at 8:30am
I think it would be more of an incentive if the overweight employees were given more of a discount when buying 'healthy' food there - produce as opposed to the sweets sold there, or received a larger discount if they could affirm they were working toward a healthier goal rate (doctor's care, etc.) - then again, the Whole Foods CEO has an interesting take on health care in general. I think he basically only likes healthy people, as long as they're healthy, but doesn't want to help people get healthy. He's been in hot water before over some of his statements.

I would think one point of his whole chain is to help the 'unhealthy' start making healthier food choices.
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post #3 of 10
1/27/10 at 8:33am
I think it is a great idea. It IS an incentive plan.

Quote:
"This is really stupid. They are judging people on how they look," said Khalal Jones, 18, of Brooklyn
People are, deliberately, obtuse. It is a health thing.
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post #4 of 10
1/27/10 at 3:46pm
Well first of all, I think employers shouldn't be allowed to force an employee to take a health exam in order to determine their fitness level. That in itself disturbs me.
I am wondering if that is another scheme to legally attempt to get more healthy looking employees so that the way the employees look can be sort of like a marketing strategy, so that people will think eating whole foods food will make you look that way..

I don't know if it's discrimination, but I don't feel like it's very beneficial to people who are overweight and need to lose weight to be reinforced the idea that since they're overweight they aren't good enough for the full discount. It seems harsh to me.
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post #5 of 10
1/27/10 at 4:51pm
It's a VOLUNTARY plan. How is this discriminatory??

I think it's great, and offers employees both a monetary reward for trying to be healthier, as long as some guidance with the free health screenings.

A lot of employers are offering/implementing ways to get employees into a healthier lifestyle. Some employers ban smoking on he premises. My mothers employer will fine people if they're seen smoking on the property, including in their own vehicles. Other employers are making up their own "Biggest Loser" competitions among employees. A previous employer of mine offered a membership to a local gym for 85% off the regular cost if you committed yourself to a certain number of hours per week. This type of idea is not limited to Whole Foods, and again...VOLUNTARY.
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post #6 of 10
1/27/10 at 7:06pm
Many employers will not employ smokers.
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post #7 of 10
1/27/10 at 9:02pm
I do like the idea ... but also live in reality... Reality here , I was underweight thus BMI great like 19 prior to lots of health issues hitting me... that caused a big gain... I have lost alot but BMI is still high(BMI in my book and MANY MANY Drs is foey)... Truely a program that helped teach better eating and proper wt control and exercise I am for but the diagnostics on this one are a F in my book

Cholesterol and BP actually have far less to do with health than once thought...
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post #8 of 10
1/27/10 at 9:19pm
Its not discrimination?!?!

What if the weight is caused by something beyond a persons control? What if the overweight worker is very healthy? What if the "proper weight" employee is otherwise unhealthy?
This is whole foods punishing people who they see as deviant, and they have just cleverly spun it to sound like theyre doing their overweight workers a favour.
Be honest: its not an incentive for overweight workers to lose weight, its a reward for already skinny people for being "better" in the eyes of whole foods. Overweight employees for the most part will not take advantage of the program because it is humiliating to be weighed and then classified in front of your work. Every naturally thin person will sign up for the free bonus theyve been given because they conform to the ideal.

A definition of discrimination from dictionary.reference.com
"treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit"

This fits that definition 110%. They are discriminating against overweight workers and such a thing would not be tolerated if say, the issue were literacy or language barriers instead of weight.
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post #9 of 10
1/27/10 at 9:46pm
At my work we are reimbursed for gym memberships, weight loss programs (not including food), smoking cessation programs and medications, and other wellness checkups- pap tests, colonoscopies, prostate exams, etc. If you do these things, plus to go healthy workshops and participate in community programs or events (breast cancer walks, corporate health competitions, etc), you get points towards a lower deductible. It's a great program. Once a year you and your spouse, or domestic partner can have a wellness check that includes your cholesterol, risk of diabetes, etc. and the doctor gives recommendations based on you individually. I love it. I have lost a decent amount of weight thanks to this program. Although your BMI is measured and you are weighed, all sorts of factors go into this program and you are rewarded for trying. The doctor doesn't say, "if you don't lose 30 lbs, you won't get a discount", if you participate you get a discount. You aren't made to feel bad about yourself, but to feel empowered. It's fabulous. I think this is what the Whole Foods program is lacking.
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post #10 of 10
1/28/10 at 7:49am
I have to day that it would tick me off a bit. I work out (people who see me think I have a personal trainer), go backcountry skiing, hike up and down mountains with my doggies, swim in the local swimming hole or go canoeing depending on weather, do not smoke, eat healthy food and not junk. OK I do enjoy a couple of glasses of wine in the evening but still I am cursed with high BP. My LDL/HDL is 0.9, which is off the scale for low risk. When I tell people that they are usually surprised since I don't fit into the typical category. Even with ACE inhibitor I am still considered pre-hypertension and for me a good measurement is anything less than 140/90. I suppose if I worked for Whole Foods and I could pump myself full of beta blockers to get it down far enough to get the discount but I am not big on drugs.

It gets an "F" from me too. Nice idea, but not well thought out.
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