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I noticed Trader Joe's being metioned on here. There is one that opened near me in 2007 that drew a huge crowd. I went in there one day and did not understand what the fuss was all about, everything there looked expensive, i went by a package of meatballs that cost $7. There has been a large demand for newcomers to have more of them here. I did notice a large stack of wine bottles there, maybe that's it? Or maybe to each his own?
Though I rarely have any positive comments on my Dallas suburban experience, I can say that I truly miss the Central Market in Plano. That was the best supermarket, albeit expensive, that I have visited.
I will also throw in H Mart. These are Asian groceries located in a number of states where there is a high Asian population. They have the best produce and the pricing is affordable.
I noticed Trader Joe's being metioned on here. There is one that opened near me in 2007 that drew a huge crowd. I went in there one day and did not understand what the fuss was all about, everything there looked expensive, i went by a package of meatballs that cost $7. There has been a large demand for newcomers to have more of them here. I did notice a large stack of wine bottles there, maybe that's it? Or maybe to each his own?
It is the wine. TJ is famous for selling store brand wine for $3/bottle that tastes better than a $3 bottle of wine. That's the major attraction.
It really depends on what a person wants in a grocery store. Some people want the best of specialty service and amenities, bright lighting, a fancy building, and don't care about prices. Other people only care what the receipt says and could care less about a sushi chef or if the produce dept. is full of wooden wagons, other farm decorations, and other fancy decor.
Most people seem to prefer something in the middle, I know I do. Wal-Mart and Aldi's aren't for me with their long-lines, poor selection, poor parking, and generally poor appearance. But neither are Trader Joe's or Whole Foods with their nice stores but prices that I just can't justify paying.
I've never been to Wegman's but I do prefer chains like Food City in East Tennessee, Publix in the South, and I also like Food Lion/Bloom. These chains tend to have nice locations for the most part (with some exceptions), but the specials are also good, and prices are reasonable.
Do they sell Rotisserie Chicken at a modest price? do they have free cookies? do they have specials on pork ribs? do they have a bakery? do they sell rosmary olive oil and sourdough bread? do they sell made-to-order sub sandwiches every day? do they have their own brand of milk thats cheaper than hunter farms milk? Is it easy to navigate?
Wegmans rotisserie chickens (four flavors) are $5. I don't know about free cookies, but they have Spanish-built brick ovens in their bakeries, which do in fact produce rosemary olive oil/sea salt, sourdough, and numerous other kinds of breads and rolls; sandwich counter, in-store Asian and Indian (as well as regular salad bars), pizza/calzones et cetera; unbelievable (almost obscenely large) cheese section; natural/organic food section - this is a section, not an aisle; store brands that are very good (I like their ice cream brand), 200 kinds of artisan beers, etc.
If you love your local deluxe grocery store, chances are that the innovations it has were tried out at a Wegmans first. Wegmans was doing a lot of this stuff in their "ordinary" stores before it was cool... before the rest of the country got super affluent and Whole Foods became popular.
The reason why they are only in a few states is because they are family owned and privately held, and do not believe in overexpansion. (Wegmans used to operate a line of home improvement stores, but wisely shut them down several years ago when they became less profitable.) They are in Upstate New York (their original place), Pennsylvania and in the suburban Washington DC area (Virginia, Maryland). Also a little bit of New Jersey, I think.
My dad who lives in Florida says that Publix compares favorably, but isn't quite the same as Wegmans. The best thing Wegmans has going for it, what they are justly famous for, is their high quality as a career employer, the way they treat their employees and such. They are always on the Fortune magazine list of top 10 employers in the U.S., usually no lower than No. 3. It really makes a difference in the shopping experience. The stores are super neat, incredibly clean, the employees are knowledgeable about the food they sell (Wegmans sends them to Asia and Europe on field trips and they come back and train the regular employees), they have a glorious food magazine they send you for free (Wegmans Menu). None of the luxury stuff would matter if the store is a miserable hectic place to shop with bad service, which it definitely is not. In Upstate NY, Wegmans is almost a public institution... I know more than one person who moved back to the area partly because they could not stand living somewhere with no Wegmans. Really.
"When you've been to a Wegmans... every other grocery store smells like fish"
Last edited by Jeromeville; 03-07-2009 at 02:26 PM..
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