Wegmans lovers

[spanikopita]

I'm making a trip there soon. I've only been once before & didn't really look around. What is so awesome about the store? Do they have great store brand stuff like TJs? What should I try?

[orangeblossom]

For me it's not so much any extra special items they carry, but the atmosphere of the store. They think of everything when it come to their prepared foods.

I like being able to have a lunch date with a friend and either get food from the many many food bars or from the restaurant.

I do like the Meal Deals. You can pay for a whole meal with sides for what you'd get at a fast good place and not half as good. The have meals in the cold case that you just hear up.

They also have seasoned meals that come already in the contained to cook it in, with instructions on top. Of those I like the seafood dishes.

From the cold case, I like the sweet potato pancakes, pasta salad, crab cakes, chicken Marsala.

The food bars are awesome and have lots of choices. I like the vegetarian bar, Asian bar.

There's mass to order pizza/sub/coffee/sandwich/etc.

To make this MM, I think the prices are good.

[Deleted]

It's more of a full service grocery store than TJs. Many of their store brand items are just as good if for better than the name brand equivalents. I particularly like their specialty dry pastas, their canned tomato products are pretty good. H loves their PB filled pretzels and chocolate covered PB filled pretzels. Their breads are quite good, but I think their other baked goods have gone downhill. The cheese department is fantastic. Their store brand deli selections are also good. Their produce selection and quality is the best in my area on par if not better than Whole Foods. Okay, I kinda love the whole damn store. There are very few Wegmans brand items I don't like.

[compassrose]

I agree the appeal is partly the atmosphere. At mine, they also have a great antipasto bar. Their seafood and meats are always really fresh. And the international aisle is well stocked. Oh! And the bakery. Try a chocolate or almond croissant. Yum.

[cosmos]

It's the atmosphere, the fact they have EVERYTHING, and it's not insanely priced for everyday things.

In terms of store brand stuff I love-

Store brand pasta and sauces
Frozen rising crust pizza
Triple crime Brie

everything in the bakery. Store made bread, muffins. Zomg

And if you love cheese, you will be in heaven.

And yes, the international aisles are great

My local-ish one also has alcohol, which is a rarity for NJ.

Wegmans is the only thing I miss from my old town. I may make a run there today.

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

Their chocolate covered macaroons are great. They are flat instead of mounded and just delicious (if you like coconuts, obviously!). I shop there for the staples, there isn't really anything specific. I save a lot of money there, because their staples are always the best price.

[kayakjenn]

I loved it when my parents had their vacation home in PA and I could go to Wegmans! I loved their cheese and bakery sections, their freshly made sushi rolls are tasty and I would also stock up on their store brand pasta sauces, barbeque sauces and tortellini. I'd be really excited to travel to a town that had a Wegmans right now, lol

[dragonfly08]

I will never live anywhere without a Wegmans. Severely limits our options when DH retires, which amuses him.

The stores are clean. Employees are friendly and knowledgeable. Product selection is excellent and store brand products are overall really good (better than TJs, if you want my opinion). Regular merchandise is priced competitively, actually less than the other major chains around here. The prepared foods can get pricey but 1) at least they're an option (most stores don't have hot/cold food bars, sushi, premade meals, etc. and those that do have nowhere near the same amount or quality, and 2) IMO they're well worth it if that's what you're shopping for.

[looksgood]

They have the best made-to-order subs in their cafe section.

[fortmyersbride]

It's been several years since I lived near one, but I loved their mushroom Marsala sauce. I even contacted their online customer service rep to see if I could get it shipped to me--sadly no.

[everafter07]

Marathon bread in the bakery
Basil sun dried tomato feta
Sushi
Southwestern veggie burgers
THE OLIVE BAR

[marcyiam]

Jul 13, 2014 10:29:45 GMT -5 looksgood said:

They have the best made-to-order subs in their cafe section.

YES.  YUUUUM.

[whitepicketfence]

It's definitely the atmosphere.

Their cheese section is freaking amazing. I also love their bakery and the fact that they are the only grocery store in my area that sells alcohol. You can also buy wine by the glass.

As for everyday food, we mainly buy their store brand. The prices are good (comparable to Target) and they have such a great variety. My kids love their mac and cheese ravioli.

[livinitup]

It's not like TJs, it's like a big grocery store ... that is really awesome - because you can find every single kind of food and the customer service is really good. They are very quick to open lines, the staff is never rushed or over whelmed and always drop whatever they are doing to help.  The produce is fresh, the prices are great and you can go for dinner and have 100 different options. 

[tacokick]

I like the Wegmans brand stuff. I don't think they always have the best prices on meat and seafood. I love that they have various unusual or "international" dry goods/fruits and vegetables that I normally can't find at a regular supermarket. Saves me the hassle of going to speciality stores.

[wildfloweragain]

Their quality of everything is the very best. They make sure of it. I used to work there, and the employee training is extensive. There's no such thing as "I don't know, its not my department." The answer is "I'll find out." Even if you are on break.

They great their employees well: stay inside the minor/labor laws with a buffer, offer a scholarship for college.

We do the shopping where quality matters at wegmans (produce, dairy, deli, bakery...) and the stuff that is cheaper but quality would be the same at Walmart (dry goods, cleaning supplies, health and beauty.)

We also eat there a few times a month. Pricey, but something for everyone and a band on Friday evenings.

...sent from my Jedi Mind.

[wildfloweragain]

H says they have let some little details go recently to cut corners. Still the best around and the cleanest. We live near their organic farm.

...sent from my Jedi Mind.

[minzy]

Two details I haven't seen mentioned:

1) Silly, but they have really nice bathrooms, which (at least at the ones I've seen) include a baby seat in the big stall, a pull down stool for kids to use the sink, and the option of paper towels or hand dryers.  I've been especially appreciative of that when I've been there as the only adult with a recently potty trained kid and a baby who cries at the really loud hand dryers.  If we're in the neighborhood, it is a go-to place to pee.  They know how to lure me in, and once there, I'm bound to drop a hundred bucks.  Genius.

2) They have cooking classes at a reasonable price that you can attend.  @supergreen alerted me to the kid ones, and they have been great.  The last time we did one with two of my three year old's friends, grabbed lunch as a big group afterwards, and listened to some guy covering Howie Day acoustic live.  I think my concert loving self in college would have snickered at future me as a thirtysomething mom of two bobbing my head and tapping my foot in a grocery store, but I was in heaven!  

[froggy76]

I agree with PPs. There's not one thing that makes Wegmans awesome- it's just the overall atmosphere and the fact that they have everything you need.

The store brand is good. A couple of my favorite items are Fall Harvest cereal and Wegmans O's (better then Oreos.) In the cheese section near the brie, they have really awesome toppings for brie. My favorite has apples, pecans and craisins. The bakery items are also really good. I love the chocolate chip muffins.

[raangoli]

I will echo the PP's and say that it's not just one thing that makes Wegman's awesome, it's the whole concept, the service, the offerings that make it awesome. We moved away from our local one and we've been known to drive the 30 mins to go do our grocery shopping there.

We really like their subs, their pasta sauces (the Italian Classics line), greek yogurt and really anything that is their store brand. I have been spoiled by how good their produce section is; I think I miss that the most.

[cmarie11]

Jul 14, 2014 6:17:17 GMT -5 minzy said:

Two details I haven't seen mentioned:

1) Silly, but they have really nice bathrooms, which (at least at the ones I've seen) include a baby seat in the big stall, a pull down stool for kids to use the sink, and the option of paper towels or hand dryers.  I've been especially appreciative of that when I've been there as the only adult with a recently potty trained kid and a baby who cries at the really loud hand dryers.  If we're in the neighborhood, it is a go-to place to pee.  They know how to lure me in, and once there, I'm bound to drop a hundred bucks.  Genius.

2) They have cooking classes at a reasonable price that you can attend.  @supergreen alerted me to the kid ones, and they have been great.  The last time we did one with two of my three year old's friends, grabbed lunch as a big group afterwards, and listened to some guy covering Howie Day acoustic live.  I think my concert loving self in college would have snickered at future me as a thirtysomething mom of two bobbing my head and tapping my foot in a grocery store, but I was in heaven!  

Yes, their bathrooms are very nice. Ours have diapers available in a basket on the counter, baby wipes, etc. Flowers on the counter.

Really, Wegmans is all in the details. Their cafe section has disposable baby bibs out for kids next to the silverware, they have umbrellas at the exit that you can use to get to your car, then just leave them in your cart. Free car side carryout (they refuse to take tips as well), ours has a childcare section where you can leave you kids to play. They just really think of everything. 

Plus as others said, their customer service is fantastic, and the are always at the top of the "best employers to work for". I think their prices are pretty good, but I'd gladly pay a little more to shop somewhere with good customer service and where treat their employees well. 

[Miss Phryne Fisher]

Jul 14, 2014 11:47:37 GMT -5 cmarie11 said:

Jul 14, 2014 6:17:17 GMT -5 minzy said:

Yes, their bathrooms are very nice. Ours have diapers available in a basket on the counter, baby wipes, etc. Flowers on the counter.

Really, Wegmans is all in the details. Their cafe section has disposable baby bibs out for kids next to the silverware, they have umbrellas at the exit that you can use to get to your car, then just leave them in your cart. Free car side carryout (they refuse to take tips as well), ours has a childcare section where you can leave you kids to play. They just really think of everything. 

Plus as others said, their customer service is fantastic, and the are always at the top of the "best employers to work for". I think their prices are pretty good, but I'd gladly pay a little more to shop somewhere with good customer service and where treat their employees well. 

See I had always heard this but our Wegmans has never had this. Then I went to the Pittsford Wegmans (it is the flagship) and oh man do they have nice, diaper-full bathrooms! They just re-did ours and they took out the child seat in the handicapped stall, that was a bummer. They did put in Dyson dryers though. My kids also love WKids! I do love being able to wander Wegmans alone. 

Two problems though: One, their cereal is ALWAYS over priced. It is like bizarro world. It is about double the price from Target. And two, anyone who has ever had a sub at Publix would know that the Wegmans subs are just OK :-) 

[Deleted]

Jul 14, 2014 6:17:17 GMT -5 minzy said:

2) They have cooking classes at a reasonable price that you can attend.  @supergreen alerted me to the kid ones, and they have been great.  The last time we did one with two of my three year old's friends, grabbed lunch as a big group afterwards, and listened to some guy covering Howie Day acoustic live.  I think my concert loving self in college would have snickered at future me as a thirtysomething mom of two bobbing my head and tapping my foot in a grocery store, but I was in heaven!  

Thanks for the tag minzy! I didn't weigh in on this thread since it seems like you guys have already covered all the high points.  But yes, the cooking classes are AWESOME. We go to the kid's class every month. They're supposed to be for ages 4+, but they let DS attend who is a well-behaved 2.5yo.  Last month was "Chill out with ice cream" where we made homemade ice cream from scratch, no machine needed! We've since done it at home several times. There was also a fruit class (fruit tart and smoothie), a Easter class (fruit parfait and Peeps bouquet), and a pizza class (sliced their own veggies and put it into a toaster oven to "bake"). The instructors are sweethearts, the food is prepped in advance (pre-measured and laid out), so the kids get to enjoy cooking and the parents don't have to hover (well I hover b/c DS is so young). We also go to lunch afterward. It's a great way to spend an afternoon!

[cmarie11]

This sums it up nicely as well.

25 Reasons Wegmans is the Greatest Supermarket Ever
www.buzzfeed.com/rachelysanders/why-wegmans-is-the-greatest-supermarket-ever