the new Wegman's in Cherry Hill

[Vadouvan]

Gordon have you considered being a food writer ?

I love your descriptions, if I did not know you I would think you were a nutty 60 year old guy.

Mind-numbingly luxurious.

Like Sodium pentathol injection.... ?

[philadining]

if I did not know you I would think you were a nutty 60 year old guy.

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He isn't?!? Jeeze, what a let-down...

[dagordon]

Gordon have you considered being a food writer ?

I love your descriptions, if I did not know you I would think you were a nutty 60 year old guy.

Mind-numbingly luxurious.

Like Sodium pentathol injection.... ?

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I can't write about food for s***.

philadining, that guy can write, also he's got the photo skills... i can't think of any food writer who takes his/her own professional quality pictures, phil could be the first.

[MarketStEl]

Before I left town for the West Coast, my partner's brother-in-law drove us up to the Wegmans in Cherry Hill after a Palm Sunday brunch.

After oohing and aahing over the wonders available in the prepared-food court, admiring some of those same higher-end raw ingredients others have already commented on, nibbling my way through all the samples being thrust in front of me, and wondering "Why can't I buy a pound of ground beef, a quart of milk, Cheerios, Calphalon cookware and a KitchenAid stand mixer all in one place in Center City?", I think I stumbled on the reason why they don't open stores in less affluent city neighborhoods:

Their margins would be ruined because all the Pathmark shoppers would buy their regular groceries at Wegmans while avoiding the prepared-foods area and the high-end kitchenware.

(Well, maybe they would buy the prepared stuff too, if the Freshgrocer at 56th and Chestnut is any guide.)

The razzle-dazzle stuff that leads people to believe Wegmans is pricey hides the dirty little secret that it isn't. I scoped out their prices on many items you'd find in any supermarket, and they were consistently as good as or better than the stores I shop on a regular basis.

(I note that their in-store signage trumpets this fact: "Consistently low prices" signs are sprinkled liberally throughout.)

I also liked the variety they offer in their store brand. I almost walked out with a bottle of Wegmans Kansas City-style barbecue sauce until I noticed that the first ingredient listed was high fructose corn syrup. (They also had a Memphis- and a Southwest-style sauce.)

[rlibkind]

The razzle-dazzle stuff that leads people to believe Wegmans is pricey hides the dirty little secret that it isn't.  I scoped out their prices on many items you'd find in any supermarket, and they were consistently as good as or better than the stores I shop on a regular basis.

(I note that their in-store signage trumpets this fact: "Consistently low prices" signs are sprinkled liberally throughout.)

I also liked the variety they offer in their store brand.

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That's true today, Sandy. But until about five years ago Wegmans was very pricey on its regular groceries. They saw that some budget-conscious folks were shopping at Topps and other competitors in Wegman's home territory of upstate NY for their staples, and just occasionally visiting Wegmans for prepared foods or specialty items, and responded with the current pricing scenario.