Wegmans Opens in Northern Virginia

[Malawry]

I too went this morning...saw Bilrus, Mrs. Bilrus, Hannah and Mr. Hannah while there. People seemed pretty friendly and there were employees everywhere...clearly every hand was on deck to deal with today's crowds. I arrived at 9am and didn't have too much trouble parking...lucked out fairly quickly reasonably close to the store.

It was hard to get to everything but I tried my best to winnow my way around the prepared foods, cheeses, meat and seafood counters, and the organic goodies. (It helped to abandon my cart periodically to get to things on foot.) It's wonderful to visit a store where I could actually get everything I might want in a single place.

Though there were a couple of things I was seeking which they did not stock: Ben and Jerry's Carb Karma low-carb ice cream, and I didn't see frisee among the salad greens (though I didn't check bagged lettuces or look super-closely at the green selection). There is a Kosher deli section and also a Kosher groceries department which was impressive. I would have purchased sturgeon had it been available, but they made up for the lack of sturgeon with an impressive variety of cured salmons.

I sampled next to nothing, but saw people chowing on chips, scarfing fat slices of bread, and crowding around a lady preparing roasted veggies with the basting oil I'd received a coupon for in the mail. Some of my favorite purchases: petit Pont L'eveque cheese from the cheese counter(you can sample any cheese before buying), a beautiful New York strip steak, Driscoll blueberries at 2 packages for $5 (compared to $3-4 each at Giant or Whole Paycheck).

I brought a book and read while standing in line to pay for my groceries, which made the time seem to pass more quickly. It was impossible to avoid bumping and being bumped by shoppers but most people seemed pretty nice about it.

I was impressed. Worth the monthly trip I anticipate taking from Maryland. And when I went to Costco from there they were surprisingly empty.

[JennyUptown]

Just got a call from a college friend who made the trek to Dulles. Having attended school in central NY, we're very familiar with the magic that is Wegman's, but I personally don't miss it enough to drive out of my way. My neighborhood Safeway is huge and spotless (especially compared to the NYC supermarkets I endured for 6+ years) and I'm a fan of the Whole Foods nearby.

Back to my friend's visit...she said it was incredibly crowded with people parked on sidewalks, grassy patches, etc. Some of these folks had planned ahead, bringing lawn chairs and coolers. Interesting. The friend said it was all you'd hope for in a Wegman's HOWEVER the one condiment she went there for (something from the Dinosaur Barbecue in Syracuse, NY) was sold out. Huge bummer. Her other complaint was that the selection of NYS wines was disappointing.

[Steve Klc]

Speaking of which, does anyone down here have a good selection of NYS wines? That said, I'd rather see more Ontario wines than upstate NY wines, but that's just personal preference. Wegmans did have a very nice selection of VQA icewines--from Niagara-on-the-Lake--four varieties of the Inniskillin for $62.99, including the cabernet franc oddity which I really like but Corby Kummer does not--and even another VQA cabernet franc icewine by Pelee Island Winery, which is excellent and more affordable at $42.99. Look for the black bottle with the pretty red cardinal on the label. These are all hidden away in the Vineyard room with the expensive stuff.

[jparrott]

Cooked up the Wegman's dry-aged prime ribeye I bought last night--very, very good, at least as good as the dry-aged that Whole Foods occasionally sells, and right up there with Sutton Place's. My only quibble is the slightly thin cut (mine was 1lb, didn't see any in the case that were much larger or smaller) and the apparent unavailability of bone-in cuts. Still, now that I live west of Manassas (i.e., where the dragons are on all those medieval maps), it's nice not to have to schlep in any further to get pretty good beef.

[doctoro]

Well on my way home from a nice brunch at Tuskies in Leesburg we ventured into Wegman's around 4:30pm, and the place was still very crowded, we didn't bother to grab a cart, since we live in Sterling and would come back at a more sane time.

Just walking around was a chore, but I have to say that if all grocery stores paid

this much attention to what the consumer likes and wants, everyone would be

volunteering to do the grocery shopping, we still managed to spend 80.00 dollars on wines and cheeses for an evening get together with friends and family. I started to understand why this store has such a loyal following.

Well we were in the store for at least two hours looking and listening to the people that worked in each station or section. Quite impressive.

I can't wait to try some of their prepared items in the cafe.

Go Wegman's!

[JPW]

Speaking of which, does anyone down here have a good selection of NYS wines?

Steve,

Having spent 7 years in school upstate, I'm always on the lookout but I have yet to find a good selection. Even the massive Total Wine in McLean has a lamentably thin selection that is largely populated by the well-marketed but otherwise forgettable Bully Hill.

If anyone finds any, I too would be interested, especially Hermann J Weimer Gewurtz and Reislings or Lucas Seyval Blanc.

[JPW]

In today's metro section of the post.

Wegman's

I see it now, next stop Silver Spring!!!!!!!!! (Please?)

[bilrus]

And on WTOP's website - with pics.

wtop - wegmans

Edited March 1, 2004 by bilrus (log)

[Free Wilma]

How was the floral department at Wegman's? I saw the roses in the pic from the WTOP site. Did anyone have a chance (or care) to see how the selection, variety and prices compare to other stores.

[PoorLawyer]

Just got a call from a college friend who made the trek to Dulles. Having attended school in central NY, we're very familiar with the magic that is Wegman's, but I personally don't miss it enough to drive out of my way. My neighborhood Safeway is huge and spotless (especially compared to the NYC supermarkets I endured for 6+ years) and I'm a fan of the Whole Foods nearby.

Back to my friend's visit...she said it was incredibly crowded with people parked on sidewalks, grassy patches, etc. Some of these folks had planned ahead, bringing lawn chairs and coolers. Interesting. The friend said it was all you'd hope for in a Wegman's HOWEVER the one condiment she went there for (something from the Dinosaur Barbecue in Syracuse, NY) was sold out. Huge bummer. Her other complaint was that the selection of NYS wines was disappointing.

I just buy my Dinosaur BBQ sauce by the box from their website.....can't live without a little Wango Tango in my life.

[bilrus]

How was the floral department at Wegman's? I saw the roses in the pic from the WTOP site. Did anyone have a chance (or care) to see how the selection, variety and prices compare to other stores.

This from my wife - the flower person in the family:

"I think it was much nicer than most grocery stores floral department. The prices, at least at the opening, were extremely reasonable. The flowers seemed in better condition than at other stores and a couple of people were available to help."

Hope that helps.

[mikec5426]

I was back at the store for lunch today. My office is only one intersection away and therefore great for lunch visits!!

The store was immaculate but was just as busy as yesterday! It took us 20 minutes to get back to Route 28. The parking lot in and out of the store was jam packed. I am NOT complaining just reporting! :-)

FLORAL- Floral selection is extremely better then any other stores. They can also provide custom orders as well. I don't think you will find any wilted flowers here. The prices are extremely competitive and that is year round.

Dinosaur BBQ sauce was fully stocked today as well as the Zweigels White Hots which were sold out by late morning. I guess they must have had an overnight shipment because yesterday they said all of the product including what was in back was already put out.

I heard well over 11,000 people in attendance and the store numbers looked very promising. I am sure it may very well be Wegmans stores best week ever.

As for lunch we all tried different items- pizza, sub, fresh to order caesar salad, wokery and made to order pasta. We all shared some and everyone was very happy.

Tonight I am making there Chicken Cordon Bleu I bought in the meat section (only $5.99 already prepared and they shrink wrap with cooking directions). The pan it comes in you can cook it in as well!

I also bought two bottles of Ice Wine and look forward to that this weekend.

Mike

Leesburg, VA

[hannnah]

Swung by on the way in this evening to check out the bits we didn't get to see yesterday and pick up a pizza for dinner. The pizza's very good - nice crisp crust, tasty sauce, right amount of toppings. Plenty of samples available today as well - the cheese counter was doing parmigiano reggiano, the deli area had Wensleydale and cranberries on fresh bread. I also got to take a good close look at the dry-aged steaks and Sunnyside Kobe - might have to pick up a couple of steaks later in the week. Next runthrough, I suspect we'll try the "wokery."

Unsurprisingly, things were much less crazy today - plenty of parking, in and out in 25 minutes, 20 of which was cooking time on the pizza.

[hjshorter]

I am sorry to miss the opening, Even standing in line to check out would have been more fun than unpacking boxes. Maybe next weekend.

[Free Wilma]

Thanks for the flower (as well as the food) reports!

[mehmeh82]

I just logged on to the Wintranet this morning and apparently Wegmans is delaying the opening of their Fairfax store until 2005. This is the full text:

Monday

March 22, 2004

Fairfax and Ocean Township Opening Dates Change

It was recently announced that the opening of the Fairfax, Virginia store would be delayed until the first quarter of 2005, while the opening of Ocean Township in New Jersey will be moved up to November, 2004.

The success of the Dulles opening, in addition to some construction delays at Fairfax, prompted the decision to delay the opening.

[Al_Dente]

Is the new Wegman's calming down a bit yet? I hate shopping in huge crowds.

[ozgirl06]

i went out there yesterday (sunday) - arriving at just past noon. It was packed -- particularly the Marketplace section (meats, fish, bakery, prepared foods etc.). The store was manageable if you had a very zen attitude about crowds and weren't pressed for time. I did overhear a couple remarking that they were surprised it was so busy that day, as it was "empty" the day before (saturday). Not sure what their definition of "empty" was.

It was certainly worth the trip, although I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a greater offering of "unusual" products (ie. imported items I can't get in other grocery stores, without spending a fortune at Sutton Place, etc.). I was hoping to find really good imported yogurt - but no such luck. Oh well. I'll still go back.

[hannnah]

It's getting a little better, especially on weekdays, but weekends are still a zoo. I can't imagine how anyone could have considered Saturday "empty" - the Ben-Hur signature shopping cart with the spiky wheels would still have been a great help.

[bilrus]

I was there on both Saturday and Sunday. Neither made me think "empty".

My only problem with the crowds is that in an effort to avoid the crowds in certain aisles I end up forgetting something that is on my list. I remember it driving home and end up still having to go to Giant (if it is something I can get there). This is more a problem with my organization than with the crowds though.

I had a strange thing happen yesterday. One of the things I have learned about the crowds is that it is easier to get around the produce and other areas by leaving my cart in a completely out of the way area and go into an asile to get what I need. Yesterday I left my cart sitting while I went to weigh two produce items. When I returned, my cart was not there any more. I looked all around the produce and wine sections and had pretty much resigned myself to having to start my shopping from scratch. Then I see that someone had taken the 10 or 12 items I had accumulated to that point (including a 10 pound pork shoulder) out of my cart and stacked them on top of one of the scales. I wonder what they would have said if I had caught them in the act? I can't believe how ballsy some people can be.

[PoorLawyer]

I haven't been yet, but got a report that they have Sahlen's hot dogs here which is reason enough to rent a car and make the trip!

[Joe H]

Bilrus, something very similar happened to me about a year ago at the Harris Teeter in Ballston. Someone literally removed a half dozen or so things from my cart and the many items they were carrying were dumped into it. My guess is that they picked up far more than they had expected and were really struggling to hold everything. This is how I noticed them. Anyway, I was furious.

I noticed that they placed a bottle of red wine in the cart. I went back upstairs (two floor store) and picked up a bottle of first growth from the Eurocave they have. I think it was about $80.00. I went back downstairs and, when they left the cart alone for a minute, I switched the cheap bottle they had with the $80.00 bottle-label down so they wouldn't notice.

I suppose when they checked out the mistake was caught but I'm still laughing about it!

[bilrus]

Wish I had had the chance. Serves them right.

Sometimes I find myself becoming a cranky old man and crowds bring out the worst in me.

[Steve Klc]

Resist that cranky old man impulse Bill. It really has nothing to do with chronological age or being "ballsy" but more the age we live in and where we live. This can be a very self-important, self-entitled region. Take a Monday off from work sometime, go out to Wegmans or check out the As-is room of Ikea or visit Tysons Corner mall or whatever you'd be tempted to avoid during "prime time" and revel in the sheer sanity, the tranquility, of the experience. Think about it--do you go out to dinner on Valentines Day or do you know better than to do that?

This new Wegmans with only a two-third's full parking lot is a hard-to-describe joy. You have no guilt whatsoever asking the sushi counter to make you up a $4.99 dynamite roll (one of the only rolls they never make up ahead of time--it's very labor intensive and a real bargain) because you're the only customer standing in front of them--you know they'll have to stop and run over to the salad bar station to pick up a handful of scallions since they never have them stocked at the sushi bar--and you don't mind because they don't mind--it's very zen like when you purposely avoid the crowds. And you get that dynamite roll in record time and can move on to the Herme patisserie or the Kobe beef or the Zweigles or the D'Artagnan andouille or wherever your thoughts have drifted to anyway.

[sextons]

It was certainly worth the trip, although I was a little disappointed that there wasn't a greater offering of "unusual" products (ie. imported items I can't get in other grocery stores, without spending a fortune at Sutton Place, etc.). I was hoping to find really good imported yogurt - but no such luck. Oh well. I'll still go back.

I was disappointed in what I couldn't find as well (and I was also looking for good imported yogurt). The market and the wine are the best parts. I buy wine at cost through the restaurant I work in and was amazed at the low mark-up on their wine. My husband and I are off on Mondays so we made a trip up there last Monday. The staff said it was the quietest day there since they opened but there was still a decent crowd in the store. We'll definitely go back - more for the market than anything else.