<p>the price of blueberries is one reason why I planted them a few years ago-
we have the climate for it- so I will see how they do.
I have been taking the flowers off, so they will put the energy into the roots, but this year I will let them fruit- lets hope the birds save me some!</p>
<p>We used to live within walking distance of WF so justified shopping there by the fact I was saving on gas 
Love their produce, their employees are super nice. We always look for sales.</p>
<p>I used to buy fresh seafood from WF. The minute the gas price gone up, I stopped buying food there. I guess had a choice of being gouge to death or eating non-organic food. I chose the later.</p>
<p>emeraldkity - does putting the netting over them work with the birds? Blueberries are one of my favorite things in the world. I bought tons of them at the end of summer and froze them - they freeze really well, but I’m out now. My winter treat is dates - the fruit that is.</p>
<p>We have a Trader Joe’s, a farmer’s market, a Whole Foods, and a good supermarket (Genuardi’s) with a huge kosher section all within a 10 minute drive from our house. I’m at the supermarket and TJ’s a lot, but only go to Whole Foods a few times a year, usually when I want something special like a leg of lamb. (They also have a very good four-berry pie.) Their prices are ridiculous, so they’re only an occasional indulgence. Plus, their parking lot is even more of a nightmare than TJ’s.</p>
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<p>Yes, that works well to protect the blueberries . . . although it does tend to produce very angry birds. :-)</p>
<p>If you have bath product obsessed daughters (or are similarly obsessed) I think WF’s 360 shower gels and lotions are amazing, cheap, and smell delicious. I adore their grapefruit shower gel.</p>
<p>Like all stores, WFM has its pros and cons. For me, the cons are that there isn’t as much of a selection of organic foods as I’d like. In the store closest to me, there’s a much larger selection of conventionally grown produce. There is almost no local produce and limited local meats/fish and dairy. I belong to a CSA, so I can get great organic produce during the summer/fall months. The pros of WFM–great fish, meat, and cheese departments. I don’t care for most of the prepared foods–those are very over-priced and, frankly, not that good. I can get organic canned goods (e.g., diced tomatoes) and fruit juices at my local grocery store–often the same ones as in WFM. Also, I can get environmentally friendly laundry products at my local grocery store that are a little cheaper than WFM. As a result, I shop at WFM for some very specific things and that works well since I have to travel anywhere from 30-45 minutes to get to one.</p>
<p>Wegmans originated in Rochester New York a long time ago, but they only came to Pennsylvania in the last 10 years. We have one close to where I go to church about 20 minutes from my house and we often stop there afterwards to have lunch and do some shopping. They have a wonderful selection of foods for lunch - everything from soup to Chinese to pizza to salads to sushi. They also have a huge organic vegetable section and a huge vegetarian/vegan whole food section. They’re cheese selection is better the Costco and Trader Joe’s! Besides all the wholesome choices they also have an excellent bakery and all the regular grocery store choices. My only disappointment is that they are not close enough.</p>
<p>Thanks, kathiep–
I’ve know I’ve heard Wegman’s mentioned here on CC before. We’re doing a SUNY and upstate NY loop for S2’s college search this spring. Sounds like a good place for a visit. I hate grocery shopping at home (our local Stop & Shop is the pits) but usually enjoy it on a trip.</p>
<p>I love Wegman’s. I heartily recommend their generic foods, especially cereal. Two dollars a box without any sacrifice in quality. They also have the natural foods bins and a decent selection of vegetarian products. We don’t each much meat but it looks good and the department doesn’t smell like at some other stores. They have irradiated ground beef, not sure if that really takes care of the e.coli issues but I gave it a try and it tasted fine. It’s also the cheapest place for milk in my area.</p>
<p>We are lucky to have a Whole Foods within walking distance and a Trader Joe’s a short drive away. I like both for different items. The milk and half/half are actually cheaper at WF than our local Giant. The bananas are cheaper at WF too. I wouldn’t buy paper towels or beverages like soda at WF though. All the stores are close to us, so we can shop for particular items without using a lot of gas.</p>
<p>Our favorite thing about WF though is on Sat/Sun when my husband asks what’s for lunch and I say toothpicks at WF.</p>
<p>There are certain things I get only at WF: Bubbies Kosher Pickles - the best on the face of the earth, at lest in the USA ;), german breads from frozen section, bulk foods.</p>
<p>Just discovered Wegman’s because S2 is going to school in Rochester. Bought him long-distance a birthday cake at Wegman’s and he said it was the best he ever tasted. Even better than the very expensive bakery cake I had ordered that was lost. (They delivered it to the wrong restaurant on the same block whose name began with the same letter. Duh! Bakery delivered it to the dorm next day and gave it to us for free. Nice restaurant owner went to Wegman’s himself to get replacement cake so surprise party wouldn’t be ruined.)</p>
<p>I LOVE Whole Foods and shop there almost exclusively. I buy mostly organic and prefer foods without preservatives, hydrogenated oils, hormones, antibiotics and artificial ingredients. One of my kids has food allergies and WF carries lots of options for her as well.</p>
<p>My husband shoots for a celebrity chef program that runs on one of the Discovery networks. The set is inside a WF in a very wealthy Virginia suburb of DC. He’s always amazed at how empty and dead the store is. He often wonders how it stays in business. Not even having this famous chef on site increases traffic. Weird. Must be the prices.</p>
<p>I love Wegmans but there isn’t one close enough to use regularly.</p>
<p>I, too, love to fill up on the sample items at Whole Foods! I have frequently purchased items because the samples tasted so good. Our Whole Foods is just a few minutes drive away, and I used to shop there more frequently. Our Jewel store now carries several of the items I used to buy at Whole Foods. That and the higher prices mean that I only shop WF occasionally. </p>
<p>I like their sausages and the fresh turkey for holiday dinners. And their fresh-baked breads are delicious and stay soft for days. I used to buy the prepared foods at their deli fairly often, but am doing lots more home cooking these days.</p>
<p>We hate Whole Foods and comment on the sickly looking people who shop there.</p>
<p>I remember Wegman’s from going to college in Rochester in the 1970s. They opened the first “superstore” there. It was a amazing! The first time I saw it was with a friend that became a photographers’s food stylist in NYC. Now, on LI in NY. I shop at TJ, Costco and Fairways in Plainview. Probably never heard of outside NY and LI. It is similar to Wegmans.</p>
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<p>This is also why my boyfriend and I like it…it really expands the food selection available to him. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him so excited as on the day that he discovered that they had decent-quality gluten-free bagels. ;)</p>