Alexa, lower the prices. 
 
 Amazon said Thursday that its takeover of Whole Foods (WFM) will close on Monday, and its first order of business will be to make some items more affordable, according to a release. 
 
 "Whole Foods Market will offer lower prices starting Monday on a selection of best-selling grocery staples across its stores, with more to come," the company said in a statement. 
 
 Items that will be marked down on Monday include organic avocados, organic brown eggs, organic salmon, almond butter, organic apples and organic rotisserie chicken. Amazon said it'll keep the markdowns coming, and that Amazon Prime members will get additional discounts at Whole Foods. 
 
 "Everybody should be able to eat Whole Foods Market quality -- we will lower prices without compromising Whole Foods Market's long-held commitment to the highest standards," Jeff Wilke, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer, said in a statement. 
 
 Related: Amazon-Whole Foods merger gets green light from U.S. government 
 
 That's good news for Whole Foods critics, who have long bemoaned the grocery store's high prices. 
 
 Its prices even sparked a legal controversy in 2015 when New York City's Department of Consumer Affairs accused Whole Foods of "systematic overcharging for pre-packaged foods," like sliced fruit and sandwiches. The chain paid $500,000 in fines to settle the matter. The city's inspectors called it the worst case of mislabeling they had seen in their careers. 
 
 And there was more bad press when a photograph of a $6 bottle of "asparagus water" at a California store went viral. The beverage appeared to contain nothing but several asparagus stalks soaking in water. Whole Foods later pulled the beverage and said it was prepared incorrectly. 
 
 Comedian John Oliver, host of HBO's "Last Week Tonight," ridiculed Whole Food's pricing in a memorable 2015 sketch. (HBO, like CNN, is owned by Time Warner.) 
 
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 The segment featured parody ads for items including tilapia wearing yoga pants for $84.99, a pomegranate listening to NPR for $64.99 and a block of ice with an avocado balanced on top for $25.99. 
 
 Oliver may have felt a small personal victory on Thursday. Amazon (AMZN) specifically said "organic tilapia" is among the items that will be marked down on Monday. (Note: It's never been sold with yoga pants.) 
 
 Some other updates Amazon says it has in store: 
 
 -- Amazon lockers -- where customers can pick up or send back items purchased on Amazon.com -- will pop up in "select" Whole Foods stores. 
 
 -- Whole Foods-brand products will now be available through Amazon.com and other Prime platforms, such as Prime Now, the same-day delivery service available in some markets. The store's brands include the Whole Foods label, 365, Whole Paws and Whole Catch. 
 
 --CNNMoney's Patrick Gillespie and Paul La Monica contributed to this report. 

 Amazon today announced that it expects to close the deal on acquiring Whole Foods on Monday after the FTC and shareholders approved the sale this week. Amazon says shoppers can expect lower prices at Whole Foods stores starting that same day on “best-selling grocery staples” such as organic eggs, bananas, butter, salmon, ground beef, and — our Vlad Savov’s favorite — avocados. (Maybe he’ll change his mind about Amazon Prime now?) 
 
 Later down the line, Amazon Prime will replace Whole Foods’ current customer rewards program and offer Prime members additional savings. Additionally, Whole Foods’ private label 365 brand will be available for order via Prime Pantry, Prime Now, AmazonFresh, and Amazon.com. Amazon Lockers will also be placed in some Whole Foods stores, where customers can pick up online orders or place them in lockers for returns. 
 
 "We're determined to make healthy and organic food affordable for everyone,” Jeff Wilke, CEO of Amazon Worldwide Consumer, said in a press release. Whole Foods CEO John Mackey adds, "By working together with Amazon and integrating in several key areas, we can lower prices and double down on that mission and reach more people.” 
 
 Exactly how much the price of a single avocado will be reduced by or how that price compares with competing supermarkets is to be determined, but for now it does alleviate concerns from critics who were skeptical about Amazon’s intent in buying Whole Foods. Many were worried that the online giant would use Whole Foods’ demographics to expand its food delivery services instead of focusing on making healthy produce available to more people. For its part, Amazon recently announced a discounted Prime membership for those on government assistance, which should make these products more accessible.
– Amazon expects to wrap up its acquisition of Whole Foods on Monday and is apparently ready to start combating that "Whole Paycheck" joke on day one. CNET reports Amazon will immediately be lowering prices on a number of products at Whole Foods, including eggs, salmon, avocados, kale, ground beef, apples, rotisserie chicken, and almond butter. "Everybody should be able to eat Whole Foods Market quality," CNN quotes Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO Jeff Wilke as saying in a statement. The Verge notes it's unclear how much prices on those items will be lowered and how the new prices will compare to other grocery stores. Amazon says further price cuts are expected in the future. Amazon had been fairly quiet on its plans for Whole Foods until Thursday, when it offered a number of details. In addition to the price cuts, Amazon will soon be offering deals and benefits to Prime members shopping at Whole Foods. It will also install lockers for picking up and returning Amazon purchases at some Whole Foods locations. And items from Whole Foods' own brands will be available for purchase on Amazon. The FTC and shareholders approved Amazon's $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods this week.