Investing more than $230 million in higher pay and expanded benefits for Whole Foods Market team members

Key takeaways We are investing more than $230 million in the year ahead, one of the most significant investments in our more than 100,000 Whole Foods Market team members to date. Starting January 1, 2027, U. S. team members gain access to Amazon's industry-leading benefits, including new health, family, and financial support.

Later in 2027, team members will also gain access to Career Choice, Amazon's education benefit that prepays tuition for college, skills training, and certifications. On September 28, U. S. Whole Foods Market hourly team members get a pay increase.

The average store team member's total compensation is increasing to more than $29 an hour when including the value of their elected benefits. Every year, my leadership team and I visit Whole Foods Market stores across the country to hear directly from team members about what’s on their minds.

Those conversations matter deeply to me, and I leave each visit with a list of ways we can make things better— f rom improving a process to making bigger investments in team members’ growth and happiness.

Team member feedback has shaped meaningful changes over the years—from our apprenticeship programs, which have helped more than 2,150 team members earn certifications in specialized skills like butchery and fishmongering, to the improved workplace tools we introduced earlier this year based on what team members told us they needed.

Over the years, what our team members have told us matters most is consistent. They want a clearer path for their pay to grow, more comprehensive health coverage, and expanded benefits for part-time roles.

Today, I am proud to share the next step in investing in our team members: $230 million in higher pay, expanded benefits, and new programs supporting the health, families, and futures of more than 100,000 U. S. Whole Foods Market team members. Stronger, more comprehensive health coverage from day one Starting January 1, 2027, U. S.

Whole Foods Market team members will gain access to Amazon's comprehensive benefits, making our offering one of the most competitive packages in the retail industry.

Eligible full-time team members will have access to comprehensive health plans with options starting at $5 a week that provide affordable access to primary care and behavioral health providers with $5 copays. Eligible plans also include a One Medical membership with same-day and virtual doctor visits at no added cost.

Amazon health plans generally have lower deductibles and out-of-pocket costs, too. Those who regularly use their care—particularly team members covering a family or managing ongoing health needs—stand to see the most meaningful savings, along with richer coverage like fertility and specialty care that many current Whole Foods Market plans don't include.

With this move, the total value of benefits available to a full-time team member is rising by more than 75%, reflecting a significant expansion in the coverage, care, and resources behind them and their families. Eligible team members also gain meaningful new support they've never had before.

Company-paid short- and long-term disability insurance begins automatically at no cost. When they enroll in an Amazon medical plan, they gain fertility and family-building care, and cancer support and care navigation. Much of this coverage begins on a team member's first day on the job.

For growing families, there is expanded, fully paid parental leave of up to 20 weeks for birthing parents and up to six weeks for supporting and adoptive parents.

Every hourly team member also gains benefits that make everyday life a little easier, including a free Amazon Prime membership (a $139 value each year), low-cost prescriptions through Amazon Pharmacy, and other extra savings.

These new and expanded benefits are on top of what our team members already love, like our store team members' 20% in-store discount, one of the best in the industry. Inside the grocery operation Amazon built to be pickier than you From cherry taste tests to banana ripening rooms, here’s what happens before your Amazon groceries reach your door.

For our part-time team members, this is a real step up. Nearly 20,000 team members working 20 or more hours a week will get dental and vision coverage, and free basic life insurance—benefits that are uncommon for part-time roles across the retail industry.

More pay, and a clear path for it to grow We continue to invest in team member pay year after year, and today we are taking another meaningful step. Beginning September 28, every hourly store team member is getting more compensation.

For our frontline team members, this also means a simpler, more reliable path for pay to grow, with predictable increases each year as they build time in their roles, replacing the previous performance-review-based model. Today's investment brings the average store team member wage to more than $21 an hour, and their total compensation to more than $29 an