whole foods

Call it conscious capitalism or just good business, but these five companies have all prospered in every measure over the last decade by doing good for their employees, suppliers, customers or the general public.

If you're one of the many people planning to start using more paper checks to avoid incurring a monthly debit-card fee, think again. While many merchants continue to accept paper checks, some are moving in the opposite direction, among them national grocery store chain Whole Foods.

By now we're all accustomed to hearing about the "two-speed economy," in which the wealthy flourish and the less affluent fall farther and farther behind. The widening gap between rich and poor has not been lost on the stock market: The valuations of luxury goods companies are much higher than those of lower-end firms.

If the line at your local Whole Foods Market is a little longer than usual over the next few days, don't blame it on a surge in popularity of soymilk or organic cherries. Instead, you can thank LivingSocial's national deal which offered $20 worth of groceries for just $10.

What's the secret to good worker attendance, retention, productivity, and the ability to attract top-notch recruits? Employee benefits. Which companies thrive and grow their businesses faster than their peers? Same answer: Those that offer better benefits to their workers.

Keeping track of the latest product and food recalls can be a challenge for any consumer, so Consumer Ally has collected them all in one place for you to check each week. Here is this week's roundup: Homelite Consumer Products Inc. recalled 41,200 pressure washer attachments sold exclusively...

It's been an exciting week on Wall Street. Not only did investors get a taste of how earnings are stacking up for companies like Apple and Chipotle, Zillow's stock really took off during its first day of trading. We asked Chris Hill from The Motley Fool what the numbers really mean.

Last year, grocery sales were up a modest 1.8%, yet sales of organic items more than doubled that growth rate, up 4.4%. Clearly, we're shopping differently. But are we even sure what an "organic" or "all natural" label means? It's more complicated than you might think.

Food shopping on Saturday afternoon: It's survival of the fittest. First, the parking lot: near misses with stray carts, oblivious drivers backing it up and errant pedestrians walking in the road. It can send even the most Zen driver into fits of road rage. (And parking lots at Walmart have been...

Food shopping on Saturday afternoon: From the parking lot the checkout line, it's survival of the fittest. Now, imagine it all set to music. Grocery store music videos on YouTube are the latest addition to the culture of consumerism devotionals. Can't believe it? Watch these...