I live in an area with large populations of Asians, West Asians, and Middle Easterners. As a result, we have many shops serving those groups.
I buy my spices, rice, and some cooking sauces at those shops. MUCH cheaper than Whole Foods and even TJs, and the stuff is authentic, and because of high turnover, very fresh. in my opinion Whole Foods' spices are garbage, likely because they are constantly exposed to light and air in those bins, which causes the essential oils that carry the flavor to oxidize and change/lose flavor.
I did the same thing when I lived in Chicago.