Whole Foods was once the most popular place to go for  all things healthy and organic, but it seems that many shoppers are expanding their horizons - and reeling in savings - by shopping elsewhere. One of the nation's most popular big-box retailers, Costco, has stepped up their organic offerings and consumers are definitely taking notice.

For the last three years, Costco has managed to outdo other conventional retailers when it comes to the sale of organic produce. And in 2015, the wholesaling giant's $4 billion in organic sales surpassed Whole Foods, which reported only $3.5 billion.

Costco's organic sales are growing so rapidly, that in 2016 the retailer announced that they would be pursuing an initiative to help their farmers purchase more land, so they can grow more organic food. CEO Craig Jelinek reportedly told investors, "We cannot get enough organics to stay in business day in and day out."

On the other hand, Whole Foods continues to encounter difficulties of a different sort. While Costco is doing their best to keep with extremely high demand, Whole Foods has hit what the Chicago Tribune reportedly described as their "worst sales slump in more than a decade."

After six consecutive quarters of same-store declines, Whole Foods was forced to close the doors of nine different stores.

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