<p>sax - I don’t notice the dropping of national brands because we largely use Wegmans store brand. It’s much less expensive and comparable in quality. I have a friend who complains regularly about this. After five years he says if he ever reaches for Jiff pnut butter and comes up empty he’s never going back. We all have our limits. :)</p>
<p>I am not a fan. I have been to the Wegmans in Manalapan and West Windsor NJ and I think beside their indoor restaurant the grocery isles leave a lot to be desired.</p>
<p>My brother shops at the Wegmans in Woodbridge but I do not think he buys the prepared food.</p>
<p>My family is a big Wegman’s fan - we drive about 30 minutes to get to the closest one - my husband could not live without those olives (see picture on number 4 - the olive bar really looks like that in our store)</p>
<p>There was some sort of thread that talked about Wegman’s before recently…I remember asking how the prices compare to Whole Foods?</p>
<p>I like Trader Joe’s prices with the Whole foods selection, but I think Whole foods is just quite expensive, imo.</p>
<p>There is a Wegman’s about an hour away that we would love to try…</p>
<p>Love their small size and indivdual desserts in the bakery!
The wegman brand products have great prices and quality.</p>
<p>When the wegmans opened in our area shortly before christmas, the place was mobbed. They had staff in every aisle to help you find items in a new unfamiliar store. Then when you check out, they had every register going and no lines. That’s how to run a grocery store.</p>
<p>Greatest supermarket in the world is WINCO. Totally employee owned and operated. 20% in addition to salary goes into retirement every yer. Full health benefits for everyone. A person who became a checker in 1985 and stayed - in that same job - would have well over a million dollars today. Prices are cheaper than anywhere else, and the quality better. Lots of bulk and organic foods.</p>
<p>I’ve never noticed a lack of national brands at the Wegman’s I frequent when I’m in the Rochester area. There’s never been an occasion when I haven’t been able to find my favorite national brand item. </p>
<p>Oh, and their subs are the closest thing to a hoagie I’ve found outside south Jersey. :)</p>
<p>Wegmans was thinking of coming to my town until Walmart built a superstore. They are rated as one of the best companies to work for.</p>
<p>People, including my sister, seemed to be addicted to them. We don’t have one here and I’ve never been to one. I don’t need, or want, grocery shopping to be an “experience”. I want to get in, get out, and have the cheapest prices. I don’t want coffee bars or anything else restauranty. I eat plain, no fancy ingredients, All-American food. I don’t buy meat because we raise our own.</p>
<p>So…do they fill the bill on all of those counts? I would like to visit one. We have one supermarket in town. Competition would be nice.</p>
<p>I cross state lines to shop at Wegmans. I save an average of $70 per week at Wegmans from the next closest competitor in price, which is shoprite. I am a vegetarian so I greatly appreciate the price and variety of produce, and I appreciate the ease of flow through the store and parking lot.</p>
<p>Oh Lord, this thread could reduce my daughter (and sometimes me) to tears! My kids were born in Rochester and we’re now scattered to Seattle, Chicago and Cleveland. Two of them were here with me at Christmas and it was all I could do to convince them that driving 2.5-3 hours to Erie to the nearest Wegmans in nasty winter weather was not a wise decision!! My D is at grad school in Chicago and her neighborhood grocery store has just closed, meaning that she has to take a 15 minute train ride to an Aldis, which is now the closest store. Several times a week, I hear about how much she misses Wegmans and all of the great things they had that she no longer has access to! Luckily, a classmate of her’s turned out to be from a Rochester suburb and his mom sends frequent “care packages” so she’s now included in their "family’!
I have to admit that I wish Wegmans would move into NE Ohio because although Giant Eagle tries, they just don’t measure up!</p>
<p>Sryrstress - I can appreciate if people think of Wegmans as a destination thinking it’s overkill, or perhaps it’s not ‘all that’. For me, it’s literally my corner market, not even a stoplight. I don’t frequent the coffee bar, and rarely turn left when entering the store…that’s prepared, patisserie, sushi, the seafood bar, etc. When I head that way it’s the equivalent of eating out. To the right is a really nice grocery store, with great fruits and veggies from local growers, and very good prices on store brands that are national brand quality. It’s far less then the super Target or Walmart, and beats Giant, Harris Teeter, and Safeway by a mile. Their club packs on beef and chicken are comparable to Costco. One of the few things I still grab at Costco is crab and salmon since I’m feeding 4-5ppl. We did a lot of comparison shopping as I was so used to clipping coupons and chasing loss leaders from every store each week. Doing all of our shopping at Wegmans is less expensive, not to mention easier. We do have Trader Joes and Whole Foods about 45-50min away but I’ve never gotten in the habit of either one.</p>
<p>Do you think part of the Wegmans love is due to the fact that they embrace the regional food culture of upstate NY? I’ve lived many places and eaten at many great restaurants but few meals have compared to the great Polish, Italian and German food I ate growing up in upstate NY. Wegmans is a modern grocery store where you can also feel like you are going to the Italian bakery or the German butcher.</p>
<p>Love, love Wegmans! Shopped at the flagship store for 20 years. Now I live near one in MD thank goodness.</p>
<p>The prices are very, very good at Wegmans - - less expensive than most other grocery stores. And their produce is really above and beyond what you’ll find at most grocery stores.</p>
<p>Yes, they have other things - - cafe, fresh bakery, giant buffets, sushi, incredible fish and cheese markets - - but I really go there regularly for the prices and the produce.</p>
<p>We were introduced to Wegmans when my middle son started at U Rochester. We love the place and wish they would come to our area of PA!</p>
<p>Okay, that’s what I wanted to hear. Wegman’s is less expensive than Whole Foods with same variety…I will definitely make the hour trip at some point to go shop there then. I do enjoy destination food shopping on occasion and usually bring a cooler with me! In the NY/CT area, there is Stu Leonards…that store is okay on some items and very pricey on others…if you know your prices it’s easy to shop! As I said earlier, I like Trader Joe’s prices with Whole Foods selection, so this seems to be a good match. If S2 goes to his first college choice, then there is a Wegman’s only 10 minutes further! 
So hopefully we’ll know soon enough! :)</p>
<p>Last time I was at a Wegmans outside of Rochester I walked in to the soulful sounds of a sax player. They had hired someone to play during the lunch hour in their eating area. It was actually really nice.</p>
<p>I never thought prepared foods would catch on as it was always more expensive than making it yourself. What a surprise to realize the new generations of shoppers don’t really know how to cook from scratch. People don’t seem to mind spending money on prepared foods.</p>
<p>I will say my favorite thing at Wegmans was picking up Friday night fish frys to go. Back then it was haddock and beer batter. Hoping for something similar when they move here. </p>
<p>The Rochester regional item I look forward to is Spiedies Marinade .</p>
<p>on the top of my block is a truly exquisite bakery that has won multiple Food Network challenges and international awards. Amazing. But I find the quality of Wegman’s baked goods to be ever bit as good (although less exotic). We buy all of our celebration cakes there because they are excellent and the price is fantastic. Less than half the price of the gourmet bakery.</p>
<p>Chocchipcookie - From the Wegmans website you can set the store location and look up products, populate a grocery list with prices. You can be very specific with brand, or more general to see what they carry and compare prices of store brands. It will tell you the location in the store (aisle). If you have a smartphone you can load the wegmans app and simply scan UPC items in your home to check prices. I’ve never done a direct app to store comparison to see if they are accurate to the penny, but I’d be surprised if they were off by much. This may give you an idea of the prices and products before you make your trip. Enjoy! :)</p>
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<p>What I find surprising are the cases of prepped veggies-- trays of sliced peppers, bagged mirepoix, cups of pomegranate seeds. It seems like people are cooking from scratch but don’t want to be bothered with the grunt work (which I find relaxing). And the prices for that stuff are incredible. Wegmans prices are great, as long you don’t get into the habit of buying that sort of thing.</p>