Tuesday, January 29, 2008

If I could only get there, then I could enjoy...

There's an interesting dynamic between people, neighborhoods and grocery stores that, had I more time or inclination, I would like to explore further. Perhaps another time.

Suffice to say, you can tell a lot about a community by its grocery store(s). And with all the fuss surrounding the Wegmans, now seems like a good time to take a closer look at the source of the fuss.

Determined to find out just what a Wegmans is and whether its worthy of Columbia (or is it vice versa?), I set out last Sunday for Hunt Valley to see first hand how -- in this day, in this community -- a big-box development could actually rouse as many supporters as opponents.

I'm certainly not one to shy away from hyperbolic love for grocery stores, but some of the odes to Wegmans I'm hearing are making even me blush.

So, here, with pictures, is my take on The Wegmans Experience.

Unfortunately for the Hunt Valley Wegmans, it's in Hunt Valley, which now has one of those vanilla Town Centers -- basically a mall without a roof or, perhaps more fittingly, Disneyworld's Main Street without large stuffed animals. To say these projects represent some great advancement in community/retail planning and development is kind of laughable, but hey, people seem to like them.



But in its favor, Hunt Valley's lifestyle center has transit.


So, there's that.

Anyway, I didn't go to look at stores that we have in Columbia. I went to see this:


Let's take a look inside.

Hey, a "Convenience Case" with milk and butter right up front. That's nice, if a bit silly in concept for a store like this.


Lots of prepared food in the "restaurant" part.


Bagged salads galore, always good for the health-conscious family on the go.


Plenty of fresh produce, too, and, as advertised, it all looked pretty good.

(That's the best picture of produce I got. Sorry.)

Although the size is a little overwhelming at first, Wegmans does a good job of clustering things to make the store feel like a collection of smaller, specialty shops. For instance:

Cheese.


Bread.


Tea.


Kosher stuff.


Cliff bars. (By the box!)


And this, which I dubbed the "Trader Joe's" section.



Navigation, at least on Sunday, was tricky. Not only was it super crowded with many folks wandering around, mouths open, soaking up the enormity of it, but the middle lane that breaks up each aisle served mainly as a traffic bottleneck. Which was frustrating at times.


The "traditional" section had everything you'd expect to find at your local grocer, including, importantly, a healthy selection of Utz.


Despite the crowds, check out was quick, with plenty of lanes open and many without any line whatsoever.

I was less impressed with the total cost, however. Even with a bunch of store brand products in my cart, I easily spent more than I would for a normal trip to Food Lion or Trader Joe's. But unlike those stores, I can complete my entire shopping trip at Wegmans. (Ah, if only Trader Joe's sold Coke and Gatorade.)

The million dollar question, then, is: Will I do my routine shopping at Wegmans once it opens in Columbia?

Unfortunately, I can't say. Sure, it's big and nice and full of good food. But it's size, in my opinion, is actually a drawback. One of the things I like most about Trader Joe's is that its small and manageable, though it, too, can get crowded.

That said, comparing the experience at Wegmans to Trader Joe's probably isn't fair to Wegmans. Trader Joe's has built its reputation, to an extent, on its quirkiness, which alone helps make for a more enjoyable and entertaining experience. Wegmans serves a different need, one that is perhaps less in line with what I'm looking for than with what others want.

Also, when it comes to food, I'm a creature of habit. Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you I have a very consistent diet. For instance, I've had the same lunch -- apple sauce, sugar snap peas (sometimes carrots), yogurt, crackers, chips, protein bar, pistachios, and some other random fruit (the wild card) -- for the past three years.

So, for me, what's the point of going somewhere that has everything I need and a million other things I don't? If I'm not saving money, am I at least saving time by making one lengthy stop instead of two shorter ones?

(Aside: An interesting anecdote that relates to elements of the controversy surrounding the Columbia Wegmans. Thrice, while eavesdropping on other shoppers (a bad habit of mine), I heard folks extolling Wegmans' treatment of its employees and how it is consistently ranked among the best places to work.)

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think Wegman's will be nice to have around for a special occasion, and the competition will help elevate the quality of our current stores in Columbia (if it doesn't put them out of business). But I probably won't shop there on a regular basis simply because it is so big. I prefer Trader Joe's.

B. Santos said...

I agree, I do not see myself shopping at a Wegmans more than four or five times a year.

BTW, my lunch usually is a large bowl of spinach, topped with 2 oz of italian dressing, and a bowl of soup.

Anonymous said...

I was surprised last night when finally paying attention at the grocery check out when she scanned my salad. $6.50!!

I love convenience, but that will probably change my salad buying habits.

Q: If Wegman's prices are high, how does that relate to the wages they pay employees? Do they just provide better benes than the union shops? Are they just nicer?

Anonymous said...

Anon,

I have no idea what benefits union members get, but Wegmans seems to offer a pretty comprehensive set to employees, including part timers. (More here.)

FWIW Trader Joe's also seems to have good benefits. And here a Giant's benefits for "non-union associates" -- whatever that means.

Bill, thanks for sharing your lunch menu. How about others? What do pack in the old lunch bag? Or do you, like seemingly everyone I work with, go out to lunch?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the tour. My sister-in-law does say that she *can't* shop at Wegman's because it too large for her to handle with two kids in tow.

But I crave the variety. I love finding new things to fill the lunch bag, and Wegmans has an array of cheese, vegetables, bread, etc. that makes it easy to try new things and fun to shop and to cook. Plus, the prepared food section is a quick trip. They have all kinds of chicken, beef and fish in a semi-prepared state -- marinated or wrapped or spiced -- with easy directions to toss right in the oven.

alison said...

Umm-Utz potato chips. How I wish we had them here. Unfortunately, the only non-kettle cooked brand of potato chips available around here is Lays/Ruffles. Can you end my misery by bringing as many bags of Utz as you can in all flavors?

Seriously, our grocery stores out here do not have the selection that your stores do, although many of them are just as large. Prepared food sections, salad bars, and "Trader Joe's" sections are all non-existent. And most of the time, quality of the fruits and vegetables, well, just doesn't compare to what you're used to. Don't even get me started on the empty shelves and missing items if you hit the store at the wrong time (Sunday evening). How they can be out of anything when they devote so much shelf space to each product. I'd take any of your stores-Wegmans, Trader Joe's, even Giant, although I've heard it's gone downhill since I moved away.

Hayduke said...

Hmm...maybe I'll need to bring a whole suitcase full of food with me. Unfortunately, I don't know if I'll have space, what with the multitude of layers I'll be packing to prepare for cold weather, the likes of which would probably close schools in Maryland.

Oh, but what's this? You can order Utz chips online. $18 for a 5-pack of family sized bags. Looks like if we order in the next day or two, they'll be in MT by the end of next week or the beginning of the week after. You in?

Chris said...

man...utz chips are the best.

For lunch i've been eating TJ's multigrain pilaf or TJ's Dal Makhani with a cup of minute rice from food lion. of course, there's the small bag of plain utz and a diet soda to go with it..

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