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Is Whole Foods Open On New Year's Day? They Were Closed On Christmas, After All

by Cat Bowen

When you become a parent you start doing things you never pictured yourself doing. Everything from accidentally dipping your finger in poop to going out to buy groceries on a day when you'd normally be too hungover to get out of bed. Now, not only are you well-rested on New Year's Day thanks to falling asleep long before the ball dropped, but you're out of milk and cheese, and the children are about to revolt. Not to worry, grocery stores are open on New Year's Day, right? Maybe? Is Whole Foods open on New Year's Day, at least?

All Whole Foods locations were closed for the Christmas holiday, sending many a frantic baker scrambling when they ran out of the fancy butter and had no quick access to another retailer stocked with the boutique blend. Thankfully, this will not be the case for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, when Whole Foods will be open with only minor adjustments in their operating hours, according to their website (where you can also look up your local store's holiday hours).

Although, if the service from the young people without children is slightly less ebullient than you would normally expect from a Whole Foods team member, you may want to give them a pass. It's the party holiday after all, and they're likely still recovering.

Most stores I surveyed were closing early on the night of December 31 and then opening an hour or two later on the morning of New Year's Day. Whole Foods might be a company founded in the health foods sector, but they do sell snacks and alcohol, so they are under no illusions as to what their team members will be doing to ring in the New Year. The aborted hours will serve us all well in that the employees are able to take some time to party and recover. They'll be happier team members for it.

It makes one wonder if they discount the fancy snacks for the employees. Treats like those delicious marinated butter beans in the olive cart that cost roughly the equivalent of my monthly heating allowance? I mean, they're representing the brand at their parties, aren't they? Put your best snacks forward.

Since Whole Foods is going to be open (and you'll likely be first in line) you may as well download the Whole Foods + Prime app on your phone and make good use of it. There are coupons available that aren't advertised on the shelves, and Prime members save an extra 10 percent off of sale prices, which can be a significant savings when it's all said and done. I've saved upwards of $10 per trip, which I use to increase my Kindle books budget.

Yes, I get that the money I'm saving courtesy of Jeff Bezos, I'm spending at another Bezos store. He gets me every time.

I wish I knew how to quit the Bezos sphere, but I don't and I can't, and I should feel more shame about it, but I am unable to muster it up. Instead, I'm checking the hours of as many stores as I can to determine their open and close times. We need to know, Is Whole Foods open on New Year's Day everywhere?

Yes they are, and they'll be ready with all of your favorites.

I will tell you from personal experience that Whole Foods on New Year's Day is a lot like the gym in the weeks after New Year's. It's resolution makers central, and the aisles are packed with people who are doing their best to change their lives, but they're also a bit overwhelmed with all of the choice. There's so much label reading happening that the aisles end up as crowded as a queue at Disney. It's tempting to get annoyed, but in reality, getting healthy is pretty spectacular, even if it does mean that shopping the shortened hours at Whole Foods becomes a full-contact sport.

After experiencing a traumatic c-section, this mother sought out a doula to support her through her second child’s delivery. Watch as that doula helps this mom reclaim the birth she felt robbed of with her first child, in Episode Three of Romper's Doula Diaries, Season Two, below. Visit Bustle Digital Group's YouTube page for more episodes, launching Mondays in December.