What's all the fuss about Wegmans?

Darby_Crenshaw · May 2016

That one passes.

Continue

nhk19 · May 2016

hapster said:

They've pretty much said it all... Wegmans is simply the best

Correct! And when you go you must take home one of their chocolate peanut butter layer cakes for dessert from their bakery. You can thank me later!

Eggcelsior · May 2016

Zippylip said:

They're all over the place here. Overblown hype, I don't waste my time going in there to deal with the mob of idiots that are convinced it's the second coming. Kinda the same happy horsesh!t that catapulted Trader Joe's into the stratosphere, another one I can't figure out.

They have a different layout than most supermarkets, a different feel, & somehow that's translated into it being better than the rest. Give me a Giant any day of the week.

So salty! Thank you, I used some of the extra saltiness in this post to season my dinner tonight.

The way Wegmans treats their employees is the biggest reason I shop there. The level of customer service is only matched by Costco for a large retailer, and they exceed most places I've ever been here in the land of pleasant living.

dougcrann · May 2016

Who? Never heard of him...

The Cen-Tex Smoker · May 2016

Eggcelsior said:

Zippylip said:

They're all over the place here. Overblown hype, I don't waste my time going in there to deal with the mob of idiots that are convinced it's the second coming. Kinda the same happy horsesh!t that catapulted Trader Joe's into the stratosphere, another one I can't figure out.

They have a different layout than most supermarkets, a different feel, & somehow that's translated into it being better than the rest. Give me a Giant any day of the week.

So salty! Thank you, I used some of the extra saltiness in this post to season my dinner tonight.

The way Wegmans treats their employees is the biggest reason I shop there. The level of customer service is only matched by Costco for a large retailer, and they exceed most places I've ever been here in the land of pleasant living.

human centipede = Costco>Wegmans>Dylan

nolaegghead · May 2016

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

Darby_Crenshaw said:

Incorrect meme usage requires public spanking

Zippylip · May 2016

Eggcelsior said:

Zippylip said:

They're all over the place here. Overblown hype, I don't waste my time going in there to deal with the mob of idiots that are convinced it's the second coming. Kinda the same happy horsesh!t that catapulted Trader Joe's into the stratosphere, another one I can't figure out.

They have a different layout than most supermarkets, a different feel, & somehow that's translated into it being better than the rest. Give me a Giant any day of the week.

So salty! Thank you, I used some of the extra saltiness in this post to season my dinner tonight.

The way Wegmans treats their employees is the biggest reason I shop there. The level of customer service is only matched by Costco for a large retailer, and they exceed most places I've ever been here in the land of pleasant living.

hey to each his own, I've got no dog in the fight; there are 3 Wegmans in my area so their presence is huge, shopped there as well as all their competition & it's simply the last place I'd go into & would only do so in a pinch. Not because they aren't nice stores, of course they are, but when you add the volume of people, the lines, the parking, the prices (essentially the headache factor) then subtract the fact that they're not selling anything i can't get elsewhere it makes no sense to step in. Their employee treatment is a well known fact but that doesn't translate into an incentive for me to shop there any more than Walmart's treatment of their employees deters me from shopping there (albeit online, can't stand walking in there either), business is business

Wegmans is like a bright white light in the night keeping a slew of moths busy & outa my way

Texag06ish · May 2016

I don't know much about Wegmans but the grocery store situation in DFW is laughable. Safeway is a joke price wise, you can't get anything quality at Wal-Mart and Kroger tries their best.

I would kill for an HEB in my area. HEB is far and away the best run of the larger grocery chains in Texas.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · May 2016

Texag06ish said:

I don't know much about Wegmans but the grocery store situation in DFW is laughable. Safeway is a joke price wise, you can't get anything quality at Wal-Mart and Kroger tries their best.

I would kill for an HEB in my area. HEB is far and away the best run of the larger grocery chains in Texas.

This is true. DFW area sucks when it comes to grocery. Can't figure that one out. We are lucky down here to be ground zero for Whole Foods, HEB and Central Market. We are overrun with great options. I can't believe HEB isn't up there yet. I think the strong presence of the big boys (Kroger etc) are keeping them out. Bummer. I heard they are headed that way. Just hope you get one of the first stores- they are awesome.

Texag06ish · May 2016

Kroger shouldn't scare HEB. They are killing Kroger in Houston with 1/3 of the stores.

jdsmithii · May 2016

"Their employee treatment is a well known fact but that doesn't translate into an incentive for me to shop there any more than Walmart's treatment of their employees deters me from shopping there (albeit online, can't stand walking in there either), business is business"

This hurts me to hear.

KiterTodd · May 2016

500 said:

A Wegmans is opening up near me this weekend. People are gonna mob the place and talk about how great it is. I've never been to one so tell why it's so great? I'm happy with Kroger and Sam's Club. Is the meat any better? Are the prices more or less than Kroger?

Didn't read the other responses, but here is mine -

They are very expensive! The butcher shop and seafood market in ours has some really nice looking meat but the prices are astronomical. Even if you are not getting a fancy cut, aged beef or exotic fish....your basic steaks, salmon and shellfish is more expensive than whatever else you have around. A lot more expensive.

I like to buy oysters. They have nice oysters.   They are priced per oyster. I can't get them to special order a box/bushel for me and give me a bulk price. The wild salmon there is too expensive. The farm raised only comes pre-sliced in 1" strips, or as huge family size filets. I can't get them to cut a piece to size for me. Only of the higher dollar fish.

The wegman's brand grocery items are a very good value.   They also have a huge selection. If you need particular meats/cheeses/veggies for a special dinner it is the place to shop. Also if you have someone with very picky diet needs, wegman's will have you covered.

Beyond that, I still do all my shopping at Harris Teeter or Safeway.   Wegmans also annoys me because I can't find anything. You want milk or yogurt? You have to go to three different places...they put the Wegman's brand in one place, the organic someplace else, and all the other brands another place. I'm not kidding, I run back and forth all over that f*cking store trying to get basic staples.

That is all. I was excited when we were getting one but now it is my least favorite place to shop. Maybe if ours had an alcohol license I'd change my opinion. I hear the ones that do have a nice selection and a bar inside.

YMMV

500 · May 2016

Thanks for the observations good and bad. I have to check it out myself but I will not go like like the rest of the lemmings and believe it's the best place ever. I don't mind grocery shopping but when I have a list to get I like to get it and get out as fast as possible. I have better things to do than have a grocery experience. I'm glad it came because all the other stores are upping there game. I think I will like my original Kroger better since they are renovating to compete with Wegmans. Competition drives prices down. I'll go Ito Wegmans with an open mind. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Eggcelsior · May 2016

Best part of Wegmans!

They also have an app that let's you add stuff to a shopping list and tells you exactly where it is in the store. In terms of prices, they are less than Safeway, Giant, Giant Eagle, and Weis around me head to head. Some stuff is more expensive, but it's much better quality than surrounding stores. Wegmans choice beef looks like prime, where choice in surrounding stores looks like select. I can only get better quality at local butchers.

500 · May 2016

Going there first time to check it out. It
will be crowded I'm sure. A new
2nd location will open in the west end so until that happens this south side location will have everyone in the city coming to it until they open later this summer. The place is still so packed that Wegmans hired a shuttle service to get employees in and out. The employees can't park in the lot cause it's too full. They have to park at the mall nearby and be bussed to and from.

BrookieP · June 2016

I say give it a week to let the hype die down before you decide to look around. My city just got a Whole Foods and it was a mad house. Planning to get a Wegmans soon, and I can't wait. I miss having one close by, they have a little of everything.

oldgeezeystax · June 2016

I do most of my grocery shopping at the local co-op but I do make a trip to Wegmans about twice a month to stock up on their house brand seltzer water, TP, and a few other items that would be buku $$$ at the co-op. I ALWAYS make sure to peruse the meat department for super sales, I've gotten prime dry-aged ribeye for 13.99$/LB

.

The Good

The seafood department looks pretty good but I think I've only purchased a salmon filet or two there.
The deli puts out some tasty charcuterie
The prepared food section is pretty good and I've used it for BBQ sides a bunch. The pizza is also pretty good for the price.
As stated the Wegmans' house brand is solid
There is more variety and ethnic options available than other big grocery stores
$1.49/lb pork shoulders

The Bad

People... Holy moly, Wegmans is always packed with people moving around aimlessly.
The layout isn't very intuitive at first which probably contributes to the above point
The produce has been very lackluster IMO, I'm consistently disappointed with the quality of the lettuce and there never seems to be standard cucumbers, only english
While the variety is more than other big groceries, I'm still surprised to find something simple (last time Ancho chilis) missing forcing me to make a stop somewhere else

The Ugly

I hear @Eggcelsior hangs there...

Mosca · June 2016

The Wegman's in Wilkes-Barre PA isn't any more crowded than any other grocery in the area. It sits right next to a Price Chopper, and both are thriving, and it doesn't look like the local Weis Markets are closing down either.

That being said, Wegman's is the bomb. The store brand is excellent, and the meat, cheese, and produce are all first rate.

If I'm picking up a few things, I'll go local. If I'm getting an order, I drive 5 miles past 4 closer stores to shop at Wegman's.

northGAcock · June 2016

hapster said:

They've pretty much said it all... Wegmans is simply the best

So is that where you purchase your bacon?

Mosca · June 2016

Here's what Wegman's is, to me: In a small town in rural Pennsylvania I can walk into a supermarket and buy a half pound wedge of Mimolette. Or I can buy the whole ball of it, if I wanted to. I can buy 5 year aged Gouda. I can get real Parmigiano Reggiano. I have my choice of prosciutto imported from Italy, or made locally at Citterio's. I can buy hot dogs from Alpine, or Hoffmann, or Sahlen's, or Oscar Meyer if I want.

It's choice, and even with all that it's still price, because the house brand is so good that there's no reason not to choose it.

And the employees? Many of them have been there so long that you get to know them and greet them by name. It's a chain grocery market, but each store is part of the community, and is planned for the community: a Wegman's in Wilkes-Barre is different from a Wegman's in Buffalo is different from a Wegman's in Ithaca is different from a Wegman's in Brooklyn. And saying that, it makes sense, except how many times does each and every Giant look exactly the same no matter where it is?

I'm not following the lemmings; the store fits my needs, so I go there. That's pretty much all I expect from commerce.

500 · June 2016

So I went there just to check it out and get a quick dinner from the prepared food items. Madhouse. Being the first time we wondered trying to get the layout figured out. Only made it through prepared foods before we had enough and left. Glanced at cheese meats seafood charcuterie and bakery. Looked at the entrance to The Pub. Looked at the Pork Butt. I'm thinking of getting two for a cook this Sunday. The price is better than Sam's and I'm a member there. To anyone that knows; is Wegmans Butts better than Sam's?

Mosca · June 2016

I don't know if they are better, but I do know that they are excellent.

fishlessman · June 2016

Zippylip said:

Everything is now a super-mega market with all the different departments, that seems to be the trend. It's funny, the old school supermarkets from the 70's into the 80's & so on were not a whole helluva lot bigger than your new age CVS or other modern pharmacy.

Remember when pharmacies used to be about the size of a parking space with one dude back there? & there was about 1 in each town? Now they're 50 times bigger with 6 people behind the drug counter & there's one on every corner.

And they're all f'n busy.

Are we really that much sicker?

my cvs added a full wine section

oldgeezeystax · June 2016

I'm thinking about trying my first brisket on Friday, do you guys know if Wegmans stocks them? I've never looked for one before...

500 · June 2016

They have flats that have just a little bit of point in them. I think they were labeled Choice.

oldgeezeystax · June 2016

500 said:

They have flats that have just a little bit of point in them. I think they were labeled Choice.

Would that be good for a first timer? I have literally no experience with brisket.

Eggcelsior · June 2016

@oldgeezeystax I've done a few briskets from Wegmans. I also look for ones with the biggest point leftover. One looked nearly intact the last time I got one from there. If you don't mind venturing over to Mt Airy, Wagner's is excellent and offers full Packers for 5 bucks a lb or so. Last one I bought from them was my best ever.

Mosca · June 2016

oldgeezeystax said:

500 said:

They have flats that have just a little bit of point in them. I think they were labeled Choice.

Would that be good for a first timer? I have literally no experience with brisket.

It's good. My first brisket was from Wegman's. They are expensive up this way, almost $7/lb. The good part is that they are pretty consistent in thickness from end to end. The down side is that price. But, the quality is good.

What's all the fuss about Wegmans?

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