the cult of Wegmans
Mar. 10th, 2004 12:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geekchickToday is Prickle-Prickle, day 69 in the season of Chaos, 3270.
I have to admit that I really couldn't understand what all the fuss was about a week and a half ago when the new (and only, in this area) Wegmans opened. People standing in line at 5:30 in the morning for a 7 AM store opening. Ferchrissake, people, it's a grocery store. You go stand in line at 5 AM, and wake me up at noon so I can go buy my Diet Coke and romaine at Giant without the crowds, mmkay? I'm sure I must've been in one when visiting friends in Rochester years ago, but it obviously didn't make enough of impression on me that I could get all worked up about having one here.
Tonight I stopped in on my way home from picking up our Futurama Vol. 3 DVDs, figuring it wouldn't be quite as crazy on Tuesday night.
I have seen the light -- and more lazy-ass yuppies who can't be bothered to park their Lexus SUVs just five yards further down the row and so have to block two lanes of traffic to take that one closer parking spot, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. Much. The butcher's display looked incredible; I passed on getting anything there only because I was not up for cooking tonight, but I'm plotting a return. Oh, the seafood counter. (See comment about the butcher.) Then there's the bakery. (I brought home an insane chocolate fudge/raspberry brownie as a peace offering for going without taking C.) Varieties of greens I don't tend to find elsewhere, at least not very often. I picked up flavors of Luna bars I didn't know existed, and some Burt's Bees stuff I hadn't seen before. Cookware. I wandered through the ethnic food aisles, but I'm spoiled by the existance of Grand Mart nearby for all my adventurous (and sometimes scary) Asian food needs. A normal conversation in the aisles of Grand Mart goes something like: "Hm. There's not a single word of English on this packaging, and I don't read Korean at all. I wonder what it is?" "I don't know, but the picture on the front looks pretty tasty, let's try it!" I was vaguely amused to see that they had a British food section, small though it may be, included in with the Thai and Indian and other foods. (Not amused at the idea of a British food section per se, amused because at least around here just about the only place I ever see it is at World Market, and even that's pretty limited.) Once I moved into the more run-of-the-mill items, spot-checking prices didn't seem to show enough difference from our normal grocery store to justify the trip out to Sterling, but I think that section of the store nearest the cafe is worthwhile all on its own. I am officially a Wegman's convert.
Still not a fanatic though; you couldn't pay me to go there on a weekend afternoon. Nor would I be there at the 6 AM opening. They are, however, open until 1 AM every day.
Now if only we had an Andronico's within walking distance (or at all, for that matter)...
I have to admit that I really couldn't understand what all the fuss was about a week and a half ago when the new (and only, in this area) Wegmans opened. People standing in line at 5:30 in the morning for a 7 AM store opening. Ferchrissake, people, it's a grocery store. You go stand in line at 5 AM, and wake me up at noon so I can go buy my Diet Coke and romaine at Giant without the crowds, mmkay? I'm sure I must've been in one when visiting friends in Rochester years ago, but it obviously didn't make enough of impression on me that I could get all worked up about having one here.
Tonight I stopped in on my way home from picking up our Futurama Vol. 3 DVDs, figuring it wouldn't be quite as crazy on Tuesday night.
I have seen the light -- and more lazy-ass yuppies who can't be bothered to park their Lexus SUVs just five yards further down the row and so have to block two lanes of traffic to take that one closer parking spot, but that's not what I'm here to talk about. Much. The butcher's display looked incredible; I passed on getting anything there only because I was not up for cooking tonight, but I'm plotting a return. Oh, the seafood counter. (See comment about the butcher.) Then there's the bakery. (I brought home an insane chocolate fudge/raspberry brownie as a peace offering for going without taking C.) Varieties of greens I don't tend to find elsewhere, at least not very often. I picked up flavors of Luna bars I didn't know existed, and some Burt's Bees stuff I hadn't seen before. Cookware. I wandered through the ethnic food aisles, but I'm spoiled by the existance of Grand Mart nearby for all my adventurous (and sometimes scary) Asian food needs. A normal conversation in the aisles of Grand Mart goes something like: "Hm. There's not a single word of English on this packaging, and I don't read Korean at all. I wonder what it is?" "I don't know, but the picture on the front looks pretty tasty, let's try it!" I was vaguely amused to see that they had a British food section, small though it may be, included in with the Thai and Indian and other foods. (Not amused at the idea of a British food section per se, amused because at least around here just about the only place I ever see it is at World Market, and even that's pretty limited.) Once I moved into the more run-of-the-mill items, spot-checking prices didn't seem to show enough difference from our normal grocery store to justify the trip out to Sterling, but I think that section of the store nearest the cafe is worthwhile all on its own. I am officially a Wegman's convert.
Still not a fanatic though; you couldn't pay me to go there on a weekend afternoon. Nor would I be there at the 6 AM opening. They are, however, open until 1 AM every day.
Now if only we had an Andronico's within walking distance (or at all, for that matter)...
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no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 01:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 06:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 04:53 am (UTC)Last October when Al and I were there waiting for Toni to get out of the hospital, we went into what we thought was a grocery store a little way east of Main on Lee Highway and it was an Asian supermarket of some sort. We ended up at the Giant on Main near I-66 because we couldn't read enough of the packaging or aisle signage to find what I needed (band-aids and topical antibiotic ointment - I had ripped open my finger tripping over a step in the hotel room and landing my hand on the shower door track). I wish I could remember the name of that market; it was pretty large, but "Grand Mart" doesn't ring a bell.
no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 06:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 06:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 10:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-03-10 10:39 pm (UTC)I certainly recall going to Wegman's in Rochester with you. I was quite impressed with the store. Far above the average especially in baked goods, prepared foods, quality cheeses, etc.
Nicola