Wegman's grocery store coming to my neck of the woods. Should I be excited?

[larry_stewart]

Local news and papers making a big stink that Wegmans will be opening its first store in the area.

I've never been to a Wegmans, so I don't know what to expect, or how to compare it to the local stores.

Should I be excited? What will Wegmans offer me that other stores do not ? or is it just their marketing team doing a good job to pump up their name, or the local papers and news venues looking for ratings ?

Just curious

 

[dcSaute]

Wegmans has a superior and wide selection of products. they have 'specialty' sections like expansive cold cuts, breads, cheese and seafood that may not appear in other local supermarkets.

it come$ with a co$t . . .

we go time to time - one is about 30 mins away, one closer to an hour away. we stock up on stuff that is either not locally available or not at all available. stuff like ethnic/European products is one example.
real German/Italian Speck - they got it. . .
French Bayonne jamon ham - they got it . . .
Corn Flake$ - they got . . .

it's a good 'resource' to have locally - by all means, give them an excited gander.
you may find stuff you just can't get elsewhere.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Wegmans has achieved cult status in my area.

One interesting fact is that Wegmans is a family-owned company and not a publicly-traded company.

I get annoyed because they promote their own private label products over national brands, but that is also their marketing genius.

Wegmans doesn't send out flyers, offer many discounts, loss leaders, or specials.

Wegmans seems to focus more and more on convenience foods and meal prep for the busy consumer with a bit of discretionary income.

I'm amused and flabbergasted when I browse the prepared meals. The other day they were offering stir-fried kale for $9.00/pound and oven-roasted Brussels sprouts for $8.00/pound.

I buy approx. 1/3 of my groceries at Wegmans.

Check the Wegmans website to get a feel for what to expect.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Wegmans has their loyal followers. I have a friend who almost feels dirty if she stops somewhere else. I, on the other hand, am happy with lower prices. Himself did point out that Wegmans still isn't as pricey as Whole Paycheck.

Like dc said, Wegmans has unique offerings, but the prices are high. They also seem to take area pricing seriously. When we moved to MA, we visited family in Allentown regularly. The local Wegmans was reasonably priced compared to the stores I was shopping at in MA. When a store opened in Northborough MA, Himself and I had to check it out. We were shocked at how much higher the prices were - but Northborough is much fancier than Allentown. N'boro is 25 miles away and doesn't really have other places we shop, so we haven't stopped there for several years.

If your selection of current grocery stores have high prices, Wegmans won't be a surprise. With the local chain Market Basket undercutting all the stores near us, I think Wegmans is way pricey.

 

[Andy M.]

Larry, I think you will be pleased with Wegman's variety of goods and sometimes hard to find items.

 

[dragnlaw]

I don't shop in the US but was wondering, could the reason Wegman's is pricier due to the fact it IS family owned? Not having the resources available to plublically owned? and does bring in unusual items?

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Niagara Falls has two supermarkets; Tops and Wegmans. I found that Wegman's had a better variety and lower prices than Tops, mostly because Tops had a monopoly in Western New York for a long time and figured they don't have to compete. In my case they were oh so wrong. The only problem I had at Wegmans was finding the kosher slat,, until I thought like a typical idiot stock person and looked in the Kosher Foods aisle. Another case of eliminating drug testing in favor of IQ testing.

I used to tease the employees, telling them that Piggly Wiggly bought Wegmans and they were going to change the name of the store to Wigglemans.

 

[larry_stewart]

We have a large variety of large grocery stores ( and a bunch of smaller, more ethnic or specialty stores) near me ( within 5 miles).

For me, going to a new grocery store, or a specialty market , is like a night out. Even when we go away on vacation, to different cities, towns , states, regions of the USA, I will always visit the local market, just to see if there are any local Items I can find (For example, the can of boiled peanuts I found in Alabama.).

Im looking forward to checking Wegmans out. They're first starting to build now, so probably wont open until at least 2023.

I was just curious what the big stink about its was.

Kinda like when Chick-Fil-A opened a few years back. People were lined up for miles, waiting for hours , taking pictures/ selfies .... I dont eat chicken, but in my whole life, I have never been that excited for a store to open close to me.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

larry, a lot of it is marketing and zealous disciples. At least that's the way I view it. There are a lot of very nice, fair sized family owned stores that don't get that kind of press: Buehler's (northeast OH), Roche Brothers (eastern MA), and my local favorite Market Basket (eastern MA, a few in RI, NH, and ME). But I'm like you - if there is a local grocery store when we travel, I like to check them out. I'd rather shop a grocery store (or Lowe's) than a clothing or department store. I'm a sucker for kitchen shops, too...

Meijer has moved into OH. Himself loved (as much as he "loved" shopping) them when he had to run into a grocery store when he made business trips to MI. They'll give OH grocery stores a run for their money.

I don't shop in the US but was wondering, could the reason Wegman's is pricier due to the fact it IS family owned? Not having the resources available to plublically owned? and does bring in unusual items?

dragn, they have resources. They've built a brand and market it well. And small family stores don't always mean high prices. There is a little one-off store near us, Big Bunny, that has some of the best prices around. The store is a little warehousey, but it's clean and organized. The family has a second store, Micknuck's, that is a lot smaller and marketed as a bit upscale. It's all the way at the west end of Sturbridge, needing to go through the entire tourist area. I don't bother going there because they offer the same thing as Big Bunny, only further away.

 

[Andy M.]

Wegman's is more expensive because they carry more expensive items to cater to higher income customers.

The Market Basket chain that CG mentioned is huge in NE and family owned. They are the best moderately priced option for the majority of folks in the region.

For example, Wegman's offers prime and Wagyu beef while Market Basket offers choice beef and Black Angus.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Wegmans has some great basic values if you can get past the temptation of the high-end offerings.

I buy Wegmans brand FYFGA* almond milk, no salt added canned vegetables and beans, etc...

They also offer a wider selection of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Wegmans are good for the community. In this area, they sponsor weekly senior citizen shopping buses, donate massive amounts of food to local charities, sponsor many local activities, and generally raise the bar for the competition.

*Food You Feel Good About

 

[jennyema]

YES!

I love, love, love Wegmans.

Their produce is exceptional. So is their meat and fish and cheese.

 

[dcSaute]

this was their mushroom selection some time back - it's no longer there, apparently not enough people were into all-things-schrooms.

I would go just to load up on stuff never seen in local markets . . .

 

[taxlady]

This sounds a lot like a small chain in Montreal, 5 Seasons. They have the fancier stuff, the wider selections on cold cuts, cheeses, and produce, and the exotic stuff. When I lived in town, I often shopped there. Sure, the fancy stuff was more expensive, but the normal stuff was similar prices to other, more regular supermarkets.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

I got to go into a Wegman's just once.
DH had to drag me outta there, it was like my Disneyland

 

[larry_stewart]

Once it finally opens, I'll probably wait for a few weeks before going, to wait til things die down a bit. But, if I cross paths with one among my travels, Ill be sure to check it out, so I know what Im in store for.

 

[Marlingardener]

When we lived in upstate NY, I shopped Wegman's regularly. I loved the produce, meat, and variety of other items. It was a clean, well-organized store.
Now that we are in central Texas, I'd love to have a Wegman's. I really like our local HEB, but there is no competition since it is the only grocery.
Larry, you are smart to let the stampede die down and then see if Wegman's fits your needs. I hope it does.