Wegman's, a new store in my area

[eldereno]

A new Wegman's has opened not far from my work. I have taken a brief walk around and it looks fabulous (20 different kinds of fresh mushrooms, including morels and truffles, many different cured hams, the cheese dept. looks great, lots of interesting things in the produce dept. that I cannot usually find elsewhere, and the bread looks terrific). Those who have experience with such a "grocery store" please give me all of the inside information and tips that I need to take as much advantage as I can!!!!!

[Margo]

I love Wegman's. It was actually part of the tour of the town when I had my on-site interview for the job I have now. (Me to husband on the phone afterwards: "Honey, they have a Wegman's here! I hope they offer me the job!")

That said, what can I tell you. The store brand of roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes are good. The olives are great. The bread *looks* really good, and it is fresh, but read the ingredients: the baguettes have been kind of a disappointment because of the sugar and fat they use to make them.

We do our regular shopping there and always find there's something we didn't know we needed.

Plus, the staff is really really friendly and helpful. Wegman's has a reputation as a great company to work for.

Interested to hear what others recommend...

[rickster]

I visited a Wegman's in NJ not long after it opened and was very impressed. But I wonder if the great gourmet selection, especially on fresh items like the 20 types of mushrooms, is something they maintain over time or does it get pruned back/

[pax]

I find their customer service phenomenal, compared to other grocery stores.

Our Weggie's is HUGE and has at least four aisles devoted to different ethnicities, I live in Ithaca, home of Cornell University. Cruising those aisles is a lot like going on a mini-holiday.

They have the best produce during the winter (during the summer I go to the farmer's market.) In the summer to compensate for the Farmer's Market, they bring in a lot of exotics, which is kind of fun. Not so much in the winter (which is odd, don't you think? Because aren't those things growing in our winter time? Wouldn't they be cheaper then? Sorry, I digress...)

Some of their breads are great, some not so much. I like their bagels but either eat them or freeze them RIGHT AWAY because those suckers get rock hard in two days.

One thing I don't like, they keep their "Health Food" ie, organics, etc, segregated in a couple of half aisles. Since so many normal companies are also producing organic versions of their products, and those are shelved with their other products and not the natural ones, it makes it hard to comparison shop on those kinds of thing.

I also love that I can dump my husband and kid at the food court (with a vegetarian bar!) and shop by myself. I hate it when they trail me around interrupting my dreams of fantastic Indian meals and things I could do with X, X, and X.

[Sony]

---Full disclosure- I was contracted to provide services to Wegmans at a single local event in 2007, so the company has paid me. And I've become acquainted with the company dietitian and the local store manager through my line of work. But in general, I'm just a regular customer in the crowd.---

Wegman's store brand is generally just as good, if not better, than the brand name product for a decent price. (Regular purchases for me are premium OJ, canned tuna, light mayo, extra virgin olive oil, everyday balsamic, frozen vegetables, canned vegetables, bagged organic lemons, yogurt, and cheese, both the fancypants and pedestrian kind. Every once in a while, I'll pick up their frozen tater tots, which bake up beautifully in the toaster oven.)

I like that often, their "club pack" meats are already frozen into separate portions, so I don't have to mess around with labeling freezer bags....

I go to the same store as pax (hi neighbor!) and like that they seem to carry some assortment of local produce when it is in season. Corn, strawberries, lettuce, even locally-raised freezer beef are also reasonably priced (or have been in the past).

Customer service at every level is generally top-notch. For example, I once dropped a comment card off as a plain old customer (remarking about the packaging of store-brand eggs), and got a phone call from the local manager the very next day! They really do listen to their customers.

Every now and then, they will have clearances in certain sections, which can produce some great bargains in pantry items and even cookware.

Have fun exploring your new food destination!

ETA disclosure.

Edited June 27, 2009 by Sony (log)

[CaliPoutine]

Do all the wegman's have a sub shop? I go to the Wegman's in Buffalo and area and the subs shops are great. The bread is fresh, the dressing they use is great( and they sell it separately). I'm not too impressed with the turkey they use on the subs though, next time I'll just get a cheese sub. But, everyone raves about the meat subs.

[MelissaH]

Do all the wegman's have a sub shop?

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Even the one closest to me, which is still a good 50+ minute drive from my house and is by far the smallest Wegman's I've ever been to, has a sub shop. And a wokery. And pizza.

Their produce is always marvelous. The cheese counter's extensive, even at the littler store. And the stuff we've gotten from the deli is good. On the shelves, I can get things there that I can't find in my local not-so-super supermarket, such as Pickapeppa sauce.

The club-packed meats are sometimes a good value. But we have a local place with a great butcher counter here that's not an hour's drive from home, which is often better and cheaper.

When we first moved to CNY, I commented to my husband that it's the only supermarket I've ever been to where the employees, without fail, are smiling and actually seem happy to be there.

Wegman's has a reputation as being expensive, but we haven't found it to be so if we're shopping carefully, and especially if we're getting our meat elsewhere. Many things are actually less expensive than the not-so-super place, such as King Arthur flour and store-brand cereal.

The only problem I have with them is that they're not closer to where I live. And these days, I'm near a Wegman's every week anyway, which means it's easy for me to indulge.

MelissaH

[JTravel]

From the home of Wegmans in Rochester we have watched as "our" supermarket expand all over the East Coast. People are usually very happy they have been chosen to have a store. The stores DO become a tourist attraction for guests from places lacking a Weggies.

I believe they only build the huge stores now, they have a plan, they know their demographics, and they check out the new areas very carefully.

That said, and agreeing that the workers are very agreeable and helpful....we usually shop at a mix of places, including Wegmans, Aldi and now Price Rite. At Wegmans we MUST have their diet (only in diet which surprises me) Wedge...a grapefruit flavored soft drink that we unfortunately live on. As someone said their house label stuff is very good and well priced. A pound of frozen veggies of various types for $.89 this week for example. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts have been $1.99 a pound for several weeks. When I read in other posts what people are paying for groceries I think we have it very good.

If for some reason you are not happy with anything, take it back, no problem.

I do not usually buy the high end things....prepared foods, expensive cheeses etc. But if you want the best, or the exotic, you will find it there.....and someone will serve you. Or if you are feeding a family you can get everything you need, and if you buy the store brands you will get quality at a fair price.

They are known as a good employer, the high school kids who work there get scholarships toward college. They do a lot of educating of the public and they have lots of info about products they carry. We personally are proud to see them doing so well. And NOW they have gone into the wine and liquor business, so we'll watch that.

Webpage at Wegmans.com.......and NO , I am not connected to Wegmans.

J

[eldereno]

Thanks, JTravel, for making me aware of checking out the webpage. Though it is on the card, I would not have thought about going there, registering, and seeing how much it has to offer. Incredible!

Donna

[KatieLoeb]

A resounding second on the Wedge soda. I love that stuff. The flavors are good too. There's Cherry Wedge and Peach Wedge too. And the regular Wedge tastes less fake than Fresca.

It's all good with a bit of tequila and a squeeze of lime in it over ice in the hot summer sun. But don't tell anyone I said so. I have a reputation to maintain as a "mixologist".

Edited June 29, 2009 by KatieLoeb (log)

[mrsadm]

Wegman's has a lot of good things going for it, but I've become more and more disappointed in them recently. They have been carrying store brands more and more, and getting rid of many competing brands for the same items, or making them difficult to find (for example, on the bottom shelf behind a free-standing display). I've emailed them about this and their reply was basically tough.

They have great produce and a great bakery and I see those as their strong points. On everything else, they are OK.

[JTravel]

A resounding second on the Wedge soda.  I love that stuff.  The flavors are good too. 

It's all good with a bit of tequila and a squeeze of lime in it over ice in the hot summer sun.  But don't tell anyone I said so.  I have a reputation to maintain as a "mixologist". 

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I do that drink too, and I"m NO mixologist. Plus, when I make a smoothie with yogurt and fruits I freeze it, Then I put lumps of that into a glass of Wedge, Chills it, and it is really tasty.

Getting the "Shoppers Club" card is essential. I hate that deal when traveling...all the good stuff is on sale with the card. But at home many of the discounts are on the card too so you must sign up to save.

I agree with the comment on Wegmans pushing their own brands. I like their house brands, but sometimes you really want the national brand, and there seems to be less choice.

I noticed today (stopped in for berries 2/$3.) that they had nice roses for $9.99, and their bouquets were lovely.

All this is at one of the smaller, old, almost origianl store. The big new stores require a whole lot of time.

J

[Emily_R]

Getting the "Shoppers Club" card is essential.  I hate that deal when traveling...all the good stuff is on sale with the card.  But at home many of  the discounts are on the card too so you must sign up to save.

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I'm a huge Wegmans lover (also in Ithaca -- hi pax! We should meet up sometime!), but my experience is that the Shoppers Club card there is hardly worth the bother... Wegmans sells itself on its "everyday low prices," and in its circular each week essentially argues that consumers don't have time to be shopping for super-duper sales. Honestly that's been something I missed from Stop-And-Shop land -- as my husband and I always had fun shopping the sales and stocking up. I hardly ever find "sales" at Wegmans unless they are discontinuing an item -- though it is always worth checking out their international aisle(s) closely as they often have great deals on discontinued items there.

[KatieLoeb]

I do that drink too, and I"m NO mixologist. Plus, when I make a smoothie with yogurt and fruits I freeze it, Then I put lumps of that into a glass of Wedge, Chills it, and it is really tasty

Yeah, and that sounds really good too!

::scurries off to experiment with yogurt in cocktails::