I live 10 minutes from the Wegmans in Bridgewater, NJ, and consider it a great amenity of living here. I previously lived in Greenwich, CT, where there was a Fresh Fields that I liked but Wegman's is miles ahead of Fresh Fields. It has a much better price-value ratio for one thing. Fresh Fields focused on the fresh breads of many varieties. However, in this post-Adkins world who wants fresh bread? I think the fish are fresher generally and of greater variety than the alternatives around here like Kings, Shoprite, A&P, etc. I think the prices are a tad higher but the price-value ratio is better. Now that I realize that farm-raised seafood is of higher mercury levels (due to feeding 'em fish parts to grow) than wild fish like Sockeye I tend to eschew them. Wegman's has things like Sockeye when it is in season. The frozen Sockeye and other fish in Wegmans is wonderful. It is actually relatively unknown since other stores don't have gourment frozen fish like Wegmans so people don't think to look for it and try it. You have choices. And they are fresh and great. The pastry is really better than the bakery alternatives we have around here. We like the fruit tart cakes and the chocolate things. They are not as good as Great Cakes in Westport, CT, that we used to patronize. (Great Cakes had appricot creme filled carrot cakes that sent us to the moon!) However, they beat everything in Jersey. (I wonder if you can special order appricot creme carrot cakes at Wegmans?) The Wegmans popcorn has been on sale for practically nothing and it is better than Newman's own. I get the natural without untoward stuff on it and put in my microwave for 3 minutes. I get mountains more than Newman's and again it is really clearly better. I like the Wegmans brand pasta sauces, especially the garlic one. Again they are on sale with my Wegmans card. I like the way you get your Wegmans card discounts on the spot rather than save points towards turkeys like at Shoprite. The Asian buffet, the fruit buffet, the grain salad buffet, the prepared entree station with crab sandwiches, the soups, the salad to your order station, free tea station for the buffet FREE, the chopsticks not just plastic wear, it all makes for a wonderful place to lunch. It is rapid. Is is tasty. It looks good. It tastes good. I have only been to the Bridgewater store but it has a player piano in the luncheon table area that is really nice. Classy. The staff are usually very friendly NON-UNION. I have interacted once with a nut but I spoke to various managers and coworkers who were genuinely concerned and that man is gone now. Getting someone to help you if want to have help in getting the stuff to the car is readily accomplished. The service desk people are okay. Sometimes more helpful than other times. I have encountered some who do know that they have stuff that they have. I think the service desk is just ordinary. Same as at Shoprite. Oh, one thing I like is the all-natural japanese soup noodle packages. Usually you can only get the Ramen with MSG in supermarkets. Wegmans in its natural food department has them without MSG, though they cost twice as much. However, I love them. Wegmans wine and liquor annex at Bridgewater is great and the prices were surprisingly cheap. I got a gallon of a name brand creme liquor for less than I paid at an unpleasant discount liquor store in Bayonne. They carry Pouilly Fume which before I started to boycott French things was my favorite. Also, I find that if you are boycotting French things, the cheese department is hard to locate non-French things in. I used to go to Schaller und Weber in Manhattan for German limburger cheese. Wegmans has great German limburger, though I have to age it sometimes since they sell it too quickly. Their fresh herbs are wonderful. I buy bunches of dill for my fish. I also think they Southfield yogurt is good, though you have to check the container dates since they seem to leave some outdated ones on the counter.
