I had another stupendous shopping experience at Wegmans this weekend. Motivated by the new year and the promise of a new me, it was time to throw out all those holiday leftovers and head to the Disney World of supermarkets to load up on some healthy food! For those of you who know me personally, I understand how tired you must be of hearing me talk about this store. But greatness deserves repeating since so few things in life actually measure up to my expectations! As usual, when I entered the store it was light out...
and when I exited it was dark out. God knows you could easily spend half a day there or more, there is so much to take in.
Like always, I was on a mission. So I headed straight to the fresh fish market and was overwhelmed by all the choices. Cod, Snapper, Grouper, Flounder, Mahi-mahi, Rainbow Trout, Bronzini, Monkfish, Salmon, Bass, Halibut, Pollock, Tuna, Swordfish, Orange roughy- the list goes on and on. It's not just that they have an outstanding selection of fresh fish, but more the variety of ways they have prepped it for cooking. One of my favorites is the Pesto Salmon. A close second is the Panko-Macadamia Nut Encrusted Tilapia. Though you really can't go wrong with any of the selections. Whether it's Cedar-plank Salmon or fresh Sushi they have it all! They also provide perfectly paired sauces like lemon-butter or Thai-sesame to go with your fish.
It is clear that I have not been getting enough fish in my diet. I do not dislike fish as much as I dislike BAD fish. Living in a land-locked state greatly reduces your exposure to fresh caught fish. Most of the "fresh" fish around here, if you'll pardon the pun, looks a little "green around the gills" and the frozen fish offers almost no variety beyond Haddock or Tilapia. Since discovering Wegmans I have increased my fresh fish consumption by about 200%.
Wegmans is also my organic food headquarters! What an incredible selection of international and organic foods they have. I laugh because other supermarkets THINK they have a great organic/international foods section. You know, it is about two isles long, if that, and has almost no true international products or variety, plus outrageously hefty price tags. Wegmans is a HUGE store and every square foot is taken up by some worthwhile product. The store I frequent has a fresh seafood market, a prepared foods market that will tempt you to never cook from scratch again, a sushi bar compete with sushi chefs slicing and dicing on the spot, a pizza shop that has so many people coming in and out of it that it needs its own entrance, a hoagie shop, one of the finest bakery and dessert bars known to man, a restaurant and bar where, yes, there is a wait to dine of sometimes two hours or more on the weekend, a beer market with so many micro-brews my husband gets lost for hours, a bulk candy store where you can hand pick your own assortment of colors of M&M's, a cheese and olive store that makes you feel like you're in the Mediterranean, wine kiosk, a vitamin/natural health and medicine area, a buffet, cafe, and a lounge area complete with TV and fireplace.
Now I know other stores have some of these amenities as well, but they stink! Wegmans is on top of their game! There was a wait list just to get a pizza last Saturday that's how good it is. I have to storm the bakery the minute I arrive to ensure there isn't a complete sell-out on my favorite items and that's despite the bakery team cranking it out while I'm there. The bathrooms impress me! They have seat sanitizer spray in the stalls and actual bottles of their store-brand hand soap for you to sample.
Here is what really sets them apart. KNOWLEDGE. My favorite game to play is, "Stump the Wegmans Worker." I haven't been able to win that game yet! I asked for Kaffir leaves once. Not only did I have no idea what they were, but had never seen them before either. Within seconds I was led to them. And no, you don't have to hunt down a certain person from the right department, it seems everybody knows they're stuff! My husband was looking for Chimay cheese, a Belgian beer producer who also has a small selection of imported cheeses. They had both the beer and the cheese. I asked for Surchoix Appenzeller cheese- within seconds it was in my hands. I have actually started dreaming up items to request just to see if they carry it!
Anything you ask for that is not already there is put on order immediately. They have the attitude, "if one person asked for it there's bound to be more so let's just go ahead and order it." For instance, we buy our bottled Mexican Coca-cola there (because it is made with natural cane sugar and not HFCS.) I said to an employee, I so appreciate that you even stock this item, but it would be nice if we could get a case and not have to buy individual bottles. Next visit, guess what, they had cases.
I have shopped at Giant, Weis, Walmart, Redners, Shoprite, Pathmark, Acme, King's, Safeway, Stop and Shop, Weaver's, Boyer's, Shurfine, Super Fresh, Genuardi's, even the Piggly Wiggly. While stores like Whole Foods may be the most comparable to Wegmans, let me tell you, it is a store absent of all personality. They simply do not hold a candle to Wegmans. I travel nearly an hour both ways to shop there, as we do not have a Wegmans in my town, and I always feel it is worth it. They have even offered up free bags of ice to keep my groceries cool on the long drive home.
If you are on a health program finding good quality fish and poultry, whole foods and vegetables, and organic, minimally-processed foods is a must to serve your dietary needs. Every time I shop Wegmans it is a pleasure. My questions are met with answers, I always learn something new, I have NEVER EVER waited more than one person deep to get checked out, nor have I been asked to use a self checkout. It is the only grocery store my husband happily accompanies me too. What more could you want!?! Wegmans is only available here on the East coast. For more information about this store or a location near you, please click on the links below. Happy shopping!
Like always, I was on a mission. So I headed straight to the fresh fish market and was overwhelmed by all the choices. Cod, Snapper, Grouper, Flounder, Mahi-mahi, Rainbow Trout, Bronzini, Monkfish, Salmon, Bass, Halibut, Pollock, Tuna, Swordfish, Orange roughy- the list goes on and on. It's not just that they have an outstanding selection of fresh fish, but more the variety of ways they have prepped it for cooking. One of my favorites is the Pesto Salmon. A close second is the Panko-Macadamia Nut Encrusted Tilapia. Though you really can't go wrong with any of the selections. Whether it's Cedar-plank Salmon or fresh Sushi they have it all! They also provide perfectly paired sauces like lemon-butter or Thai-sesame to go with your fish.
Wegmans is also my organic food headquarters! What an incredible selection of international and organic foods they have. I laugh because other supermarkets THINK they have a great organic/international foods section. You know, it is about two isles long, if that, and has almost no true international products or variety, plus outrageously hefty price tags. Wegmans is a HUGE store and every square foot is taken up by some worthwhile product. The store I frequent has a fresh seafood market, a prepared foods market that will tempt you to never cook from scratch again, a sushi bar compete with sushi chefs slicing and dicing on the spot, a pizza shop that has so many people coming in and out of it that it needs its own entrance, a hoagie shop, one of the finest bakery and dessert bars known to man, a restaurant and bar where, yes, there is a wait to dine of sometimes two hours or more on the weekend, a beer market with so many micro-brews my husband gets lost for hours, a bulk candy store where you can hand pick your own assortment of colors of M&M's, a cheese and olive store that makes you feel like you're in the Mediterranean, wine kiosk, a vitamin/natural health and medicine area, a buffet, cafe, and a lounge area complete with TV and fireplace.
Now I know other stores have some of these amenities as well, but they stink! Wegmans is on top of their game! There was a wait list just to get a pizza last Saturday that's how good it is. I have to storm the bakery the minute I arrive to ensure there isn't a complete sell-out on my favorite items and that's despite the bakery team cranking it out while I'm there. The bathrooms impress me! They have seat sanitizer spray in the stalls and actual bottles of their store-brand hand soap for you to sample.
Here is what really sets them apart. KNOWLEDGE. My favorite game to play is, "Stump the Wegmans Worker." I haven't been able to win that game yet! I asked for Kaffir leaves once. Not only did I have no idea what they were, but had never seen them before either. Within seconds I was led to them. And no, you don't have to hunt down a certain person from the right department, it seems everybody knows they're stuff! My husband was looking for Chimay cheese, a Belgian beer producer who also has a small selection of imported cheeses. They had both the beer and the cheese. I asked for Surchoix Appenzeller cheese- within seconds it was in my hands. I have actually started dreaming up items to request just to see if they carry it!
Anything you ask for that is not already there is put on order immediately. They have the attitude, "if one person asked for it there's bound to be more so let's just go ahead and order it." For instance, we buy our bottled Mexican Coca-cola there (because it is made with natural cane sugar and not HFCS.) I said to an employee, I so appreciate that you even stock this item, but it would be nice if we could get a case and not have to buy individual bottles. Next visit, guess what, they had cases.
I have shopped at Giant, Weis, Walmart, Redners, Shoprite, Pathmark, Acme, King's, Safeway, Stop and Shop, Weaver's, Boyer's, Shurfine, Super Fresh, Genuardi's, even the Piggly Wiggly. While stores like Whole Foods may be the most comparable to Wegmans, let me tell you, it is a store absent of all personality. They simply do not hold a candle to Wegmans. I travel nearly an hour both ways to shop there, as we do not have a Wegmans in my town, and I always feel it is worth it. They have even offered up free bags of ice to keep my groceries cool on the long drive home.
If you are on a health program finding good quality fish and poultry, whole foods and vegetables, and organic, minimally-processed foods is a must to serve your dietary needs. Every time I shop Wegmans it is a pleasure. My questions are met with answers, I always learn something new, I have NEVER EVER waited more than one person deep to get checked out, nor have I been asked to use a self checkout. It is the only grocery store my husband happily accompanies me too. What more could you want!?! Wegmans is only available here on the East coast. For more information about this store or a location near you, please click on the links below. Happy shopping!
Wegman's Website
"Anyone who believes the competitive spirit in America is dead has never been in a supermarket when the cashier opens another checkout line." -Ann Landers
Great Post! :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE WEGMANS!
ReplyDelete