172044 Sun Oct 03 16:08:38 -0700 2004 42 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 923854 Being a city dweller and having heard so much about THE STORE in Sterling, my wife and I decided to stop in after a trip to West Virginia. Excuse me, but what's the fuss? The food bar (steam table) looked more like chicken 10 different ways. I'd much rather spend my money in a good ethnic restaurant. The prepared foods didn't send me at all: The guacamole looked like green axle grease, the olive selection was hardly a selection at all and I wondered, Why eight different flavors of hummus, when all of them look over-processed and unappetizing? I was thoroughly underwhelmed when nobody at the meat counter knew where the pork came from, a fatal lapse--as far as I'm concerned--in a day when there are vast differences between that flavorless "lean generation" stuff and the wonderful pork provided by outfits such as Niman Ranch, as featured at Whole Foods, which will gladly give you a brochure on the subject should you inquire. The seafood display, while long and wide, did not have that glistening look of freshness that I expect from a first-rate purveyor, even on a Sunday. Likewise, I found the ethnic sections paltry: You can find more "Mexican" goods at Shoppers Food warehouse, although I was heartened by a selection of dried Spanish legumes packaged in cloth bags, and a selection of Indian dal and spices. I was wowed at first by a huge selection of bulk candy, but then found that key items such as licorice twists were stale. Likewise, there's not much to the bulk dried foods (more at Whole Foods); produce had a great display of large cauliflower (white and purple) from Canada, but otherwise, it was nothing to compare with, say, the Super H in Fairfax. Then at the checkout a shopper inadvertantly knocked a flimsy wine display, which sent at least a half-dozen bottles cascading to the floor and breaking. Our checkout person remarked that it smelled so good, she was tempted to lick it off the floor, a rather gruesome image that didn't improve my opinion of the store. What does shine at Wegman's is the incredible selection of cheeses, but then you have to deal with a staff that needs some polishing. One of our attendants was chewing food and running her hands through her hair behind the counter while she instructed an obvious novice in the fine points of cutting, wrapping and pricing our cheese, which took quite a long time. Altogether, I would rate Wegman's worth a stop if you are in the neighborhood, but if you have a Whole Foods nearby and a basic knowledge of area ethnic markets, there's little reason to make a trip there. Sun Oct 03 16:08:38 -0700 2004 0 EHB 1 923855 Wow first time I have ever read a negative review of Wegmans. Something is wrong. Let's face it..........Wegman stores are far superior to any other supermarket that I have ever seen. They offer many wonderful selections at good prices. Sorry that you had such a bad day. Sun Oct 03 16:14:52 -0700 2004 923854 0 K 2 923857 I think people are too impressed by a huge variety: In fact, except in the cheese department, as mentioned, I don't think their variety really covers the bases, and I'd much rather select from a smaller variety with more attention devoted to quality and knowledgable staff. I'm not impressed with $18-a-pound shrimp, or with Italian plums labeled "prunes" that are virtually all overripe and even moldering in the display case, even while the produce manage is just a few feet away chomping on a pear. (Although I appreciate the image of him tasting the product he is putting on the shelves.) Sun Oct 03 16:29:34 -0700 2004 923855 0 EHB 3 923872 EHB, I think you have your own agenda. This store is on track to do $130 million this year which will be the highest grossing single store of any chain or any single store in America. SOMEONE must like it. I'm surprised that you didn't mention Dean and DeLuca in Georgetown when noting Wegman's cheese shop because it IS superior. Of course there are farmer's markets and individual bakeries (Bread Line) which are superior. Yet for one location, for what is essentially a GROCERY STORE there is nothing in the 8.5 million population D. C./Baltimore area that even begins to approach this. Shopper's Food Warehouse? Really..... You mentioned Shopper's Food Warehouse. Would you really prefer a Shopper's Food Warehouse across the street from you rather than a Wegman's? Super H is excellent as is Grand Mart. Still, neither has the overall breadth nor ambience of Wegman's. For those who read this and wonder how this Wegman's compares to others please note that we are talking about a 135,000 square foot store which is Wegman's largest and this is now the flagship store in the chain-NOT Pittsford which was Wegman's former #1 store. Sorry, but you of course are entitled to your opinions and they are quite interesting. Still, for those who are familiar with Wegman's and know their Pittsford store they will be especially surprised to hear you slam their Dulles store knowing it is bigger as well as now their flagship. I cna't help but ask what you would suggest would be a grocery store that you would offer as superior to Wegman's Dulles store? Sun Oct 03 20:15:30 -0700 2004 923857 0 Joe H. 4 923878 I'm not vested in this at all, as I can get to the store, and have been right by there three times in a couple of months, but as far as the argument: >>$130 million this year which will be the highest grossing single store of any chain or any single store in America. SOMEONE must like it. How much is McDonald's going to do. I do agree with better variety in one location, and I'm growing more for the convenience as I get older (32 now, so I'm "peaking"? on work schedule). But I like knowing that for when it matters, I need to go one place for one thing, and another for another - in order to get what I want. I just do reject the idea of getting out of control on anything that doesn't Really warrant it. Sun Oct 03 22:39:41 -0700 2004 923872 0 Dennis S 4 923879 "Would you really prefer a Shopper's Food Warehouse across the street from you rather than a Wegman's?" Yes, very much so, UNLESS I didn't have the first idea how to cook for myself, and I had an unlimited budget. "Neither has the overall breadth nor ambience of Wegman's." Ambience? I'll take Super H - it feels like a real place where real people go for things - I'll worry about ambience when shopping for groceries at Neiman-Marcus. Sun Oct 03 22:49:55 -0700 2004 923872 0 Wayne Keyser 4 923884 I'd also take a Super H across the street over a Wegmans. They're both great places, but I find the produce section at Wegmans to be disappointingly small. My daughter, however, would vote for Wegmans. She's in love with the in-store play area and begs us to take her to Wegmans. That was a brilliant idea on their part. Mon Oct 04 07:56:14 -0700 2004 923872 0 PollyG 4 923889 I don't know why I should be the least bit interested in how much the Wegman's store sells, or how many people like it, or for that matter, the ambiance. If I want ambiance, I'll go get a martini at The Reef and watch the fish swim around in their saltwater tanks. What does concern me is the huge amount hype surrounding this particular Wegman's store, and the conclusion people might draw that because Wegman's is popular and has a lot of stuff that the store is worth a special trip and their stuff is worth buying. Or just because they have a huge variety that, in itself, signifies quality. We were, on the one hand, extremely pleased that the store carries Little Scarlet Preserve, a rare item. On the other hand, I have an image etched in my mind of the roasted red peppers at the "Tapas" bar: they looked like they'd been poured out of a can without a care. They were dry, floppy, pale and totally unappealing. Someone could have at least sliced them into manageable pieces and drizzled a little olive oil over them. I would have much sooner bought a jar of roasted peppers at the Safeway. And that seemed to be the story all over the store: Except for the steam table, where there were chefs and cooks swarming all over (I imagine the profit margins are quite a bit higher than on the groceries), everywhere you turned there seemed to be a lack of first-rate management, or attention to details. Sorry, I may have issues with Whole Foods, but Whole Foods shines compared to what I saw at the Wegman's in Sterling. And what do you suppose my agenda would be, other than offering the personal observations of someone who shops every day and is a passionate cook? What, exactly, is a comment like that supposed to mean? Mon Oct 04 09:15:52 -0700 2004 923872 0 EHB 5 923893 "Lack of first rate management and attention to details" is, for me, just an incredible statement concerning Wegman's. Anyway, we each have our own opinions. Mon Oct 04 09:54:59 -0700 2004 923889 0 Joe H. 4 923906 I have been reading this thread with great interest. IMO, the comments say more about the commentators than they do about the subject at hand. Anybody may have specific preferences which guide him/her to one store or group of stores over another. Fine. Nevertheless, certain things are, IMHO, evident and even irrefutable: - Whole Foods is a specialty store, catering primarily to those who are economically privileged and oriented to "organic" food. Their prices are high, and the selection is not standard or relevant to the needs of most families most of the time. - Wegman's to me is beyond any doubt whatsoever superior to any FULL-LINE GROCERY STORE in this area. Their selection is better, their upscale departments are very good to great, and their private label items are far superior to any others and comparable to name-brand items pretty much across the board. The ready-to-eat foods are a bonus. Their prices compare favorably with other full-line gracery stores. No they are not perfect--nobody is. What of it? - I shop once or twice a week at Shoppers (and BTW I have posted on this board about the quality of their olive bar). They are good for some things, but on grocery items head-to-head their average prices are not so much lower than Wegman's, if at all, and IMO their average quality is way lower, notably on store brands. If I had to choose which one to be across the street from me, Wegman's no question--in fact, to choose SFW is laughable IMO. - Super H has better produce than Wegman's, or anybody else for that matter. Their fish dept. is good too, but you have to be careful (also true of their produce BTW). - I don't do the Dupont market. Farmers' markets are the chic thing, along with heirloom everything, but again not relevant for the needs of most people most of the time. And I personally suspect that, in blind taste tests, all those supposedly greatly superior produce things you can get there would be shown to be mostly hype and self-delusion anyway. Also true of WF. - I also happened to be in Wegman's Sunday afternoon. It's probably the low point in their week as far as display quality goes. Maybe the plums were not so great--who knows? I noticed the avocados were not so hot, but that's how things are at the end of the weekend. It's a very successful store, and naturally if you have hundreds of displays being attacked by 000's of weekend customers some are going to get shopworn by Sunday afternoon. Anyone who would claim poor management across the board based on a single visit on a Sunday afternoon should not be treated as credible. The comments in EHB's original post (chicken 10 ways, flavorless pork, over-processed hummus, axle-grease guacamole, being a city dweller, etc) seem to me to be dripping with an I-know-food-better-than-you-do view of the world. Maybe EHB knows more than I do; after all, he's a city dweller! But in my view for someone to tear down a good store as a way to show others (and maybe convince myself) of my superiority is unbecoming at best. I don't think it should be taken too seriously. Anyone can compare anything to selected others and find something better somewhere. If folks want to run all over town to find the best of everything, fine with me. I don't know how much time that would take, but I know I have other things to do with my life. Wegman's is clearly a fine store with fine management and a fine quality selection at the highest and lowest levels. It has the bestest with the mostest, and if I had to pick one store for everything that would be it bar none. Mon Oct 04 12:09:41 -0700 2004 923872 0 johnb 5 923915 >>>The comments in EHB's original post...seem to me to be dripping with an I-know-food-better-than-you-do view of the world. Maybe EHB knows more than I do; after all, he's a city dweller! But in my view for someone to tear down a good store as a way to show others (and maybe convince myself) of my superiority is unbecoming at best. I don't think it should be taken too seriously. Wegman's is clearly a fine store with fine management and a fine quality selection at the highest and lowest levels. It has the bestest...>> John--To me, it isn't "clearly a fine store with fine management and a fine quality selection." I've never been there, so I'm not arguing the point of "fine", I'm arguing the point of "clearly". That's the point of chowhound, to discuss these things. What's "clearly" good, bad or indifferent to you may be something totally different to somebody else. If the original poster has a different opinion, it's ok for him to say so. Instead of tearing him and his analytic method down (e.g. "seem to me to be dripping with an I-know-food-better-than-you-do view of the world"), why not just state your opinion and the means by which you arrived at it. Then, all can judge for themselves the opinions and the data upon which they were derived? Smokey Mon Oct 04 12:57:29 -0700 2004 923906 0 Smokey 6 923920 Smokey I agree that what is said here is opinions. I think I said at several points in my post that these were my opinions. After all that, I think it's OK to state my conclusion in the last paragraph, which is based on these opinions, and not have to restate it's an opinion. If it is confusing, I apologize. As to fairness, when a poster posts a serious denunciation of any business, as this clearly was, I think AT THAT POINT it's fair to openly question that poster's motives, especially when so much obvious evidence of an agenda is embedded in the post. It goes beyond opinion, and it brings out issues which help all readers form a better judgement about where to shop and eat, which is the fundamental purpose of this board. Mon Oct 04 13:26:54 -0700 2004 923915 0 johnb 7 923925 >>so much obvious evidence of an agenda is embedded in the post. I have two thoughts on this: 1. I agree with the original poster's response to Joe H., wondering what on earth kind of 'agenda' could a person have about a grocery store? 2. If there was, as you say, 'so much obvious evidence' of his alleged agenda, then it seems to me unnecessary to highlight it. The OP gave information on how he arrived at his opinion (as you aptly pointed out, one, single visit on a Sunday afternoon). Surely, we're all capable of assessing whether that was adequate sampling to draw the conclusions he drew? Mon Oct 04 14:16:32 -0700 2004 923920 0 Smokey 7 923975 I'm sorry if I offended you. I spent several years in a quality control position in the food service business, playing bad cop for highly discerning clientele. I got paid to wander the scene and pounce on things I thought were out of place, and my observations here arise simply out of the specific things I saw at this Wegman's. I didn't go there to find anything wrong, or to beat a drum for Whole Foods. And as a result of this thread, I'm developing a better understanding of what Wegman's is. Still I think you can seriously discuss what appears to be the underlying concept at the store, which is MORE and MORE is better and better, or whether there comes a point when quality sufferes. Tue Oct 05 08:32:44 -0700 2004 923920 0 EHB 5 923958 Johnb's post is right on on several points. I've never been to the particular Wegman's in question, but I have been to many, many up here in their home territory. I'd just like to underline a few things that mostly JB has said: (1)Wegmans is, in the end, just a regular grocery store. In its home original home markets, it still competes with your basic Royal Ahold affiliate. And, in fact, it has actually opened a niche for smaller markets. I wish we had a Whole Foods--I've shopped there--but they really are aimed at a different clientele. (2) Sunday afternoon is a terrible time to go. W's is usually very, very smart about staffing--every day the week before T'giving or Easter, you'll find virtually every one of their many checkouts open and you'll rarely be behind more than one person. But for some reason, Sunday afternoon is a blind spot. It's been that way in the 16 years I've been shopping there and seems to never change. (3) There is a HUGE variance between locations. (4) Yes, if I wanted to spend all day, or even 1/2 the day going from ethnic market to mkt. I could probably come out better on some measures. But my time is worth something too. Wegman's offers, for me, the best quality/convenience balance. (5) But their meat prices are spiralling out of control. Mon Oct 04 20:44:07 -0700 2004 923906 0 bflohl@yahoo.com 6 923974 For the record, this was not Sunday afternoon, but Sunday AT noon. The store wasn't packed. There didn't seem to be any shortage of staff. In fact, quite a number of the staff seemed to be more in a milling around mode, waiting for the rush. Tue Oct 05 08:25:52 -0700 2004 923958 0 EHB 6 924003 bflohl >>(5) But their meat prices are spiralling out of control.<< Apropos your mention of Wegman's meat prices, FWIW during that trip on Sunday I happened to buy some rib steaks (bone-in), from the butcher case (no wrapping), proper thickness, choice grade not prime, for $6.59/lb. Very good price I thought, but it wasn't shown as a sale price. I grilled one Sunday eve. and it was excellent for a supermarket steak. I was in Shoppers today, and noticed they were selling the same item in a foam tray (Angus, "semi-boneless") but thinner cut, for $7.99/lb. A sample of one, but interesting I think. BTW I agree Wegman;s prices for the dry-aged prime stuff are high, but I don't think they're higher than elsewhere for that type of meat. Also, it's kind of interesting that while at Wegman's I bought some of their, what I now know to be, insipid flavorless pork (boneless chops), also from the butcher case. Oddly, I grilled those last night (brief marinade in soy and a few other things) and, trust me, they were among the best pork chops I've ever had anywhere. Maybe I just got it right this time, and unfortunately for me I've never had the privelege of having those Niman Ranch pork chops from Whole Foods that I've been hearing about lately, but these insipid flavorless ones were sure OK for me. Just thought you'd be interested. Tue Oct 05 15:05:42 -0700 2004 923958 0 johnb 7 924031 Thanks; good info. It's a hard question. Up here, at least, you can't really complain about the meat quality. Weg.'s always sells choice--no select, that I've ever seen, and none of that 10% solution added pork, etc. But their new "everyday low prices" means that they are often being beaten like a drum on meat, which, in our house, represents a significant %age of the food budget. As often as not, my solution is to shop early in the day and buy the "reduced for quick sale" meat, knowing that if there's a problem, they will give me my $ back with no questions asked. Tue Oct 05 19:57:06 -0700 2004 924003 0 chris 4 923956 "^^I cna't help but ask what you would suggest would be a grocery store that you would offer as superior to Wegman's Dulles store?" I think the Pittsford store is still the best wegmans. over dulles. sure, dulles is vast, but it lacks the character and panache of pittsford. but that is a discussion for another board.... Mon Oct 04 19:21:05 -0700 2004 923872 0 hoyamatt 1 923863 Just some thoughts - haven't been to Wegman's, but some of the original poster's phrases got me thinking: "the olive selection was hardly a selection at all..." Good old Shopper's Food Warehouse has at least 15 kinds and all of them (DeLallo's) are very good. "Why eight different flavors of hummus, when all of them look over-processed and unappetizing?" I have NEVER tasted a "bought" hummus worth having (whoever told them hummus needed to come in 6 awful flavors?) ... but making excellent hummus is 5 minutes' work and a lot cheaper! (See Robert Farrar Capon's "Party Spirit") "You can find more "Mexican" goods at Shoppers" - Depends on WHICH Shoppers, but yeah you probably can. By the way, driving down Columbia Pike, I thought "where else but here would you see a sign saying 'African-Latin Market'"??? "and a selection of Indian dal and spices" - Have you seen the section of dried Indian stuff and really good prepared Indian foods at the Giant at Bailey's Xrds? Wonderful! Sun Oct 03 18:08:20 -0700 2004 923854 0 Wayne Keyser 2 923869 Thanks for the tip about Indian food at the Giant at Bailey's Crossroads. Since I frequently pass that store on my way to the Eden Center, I'll definitely check it out... Sun Oct 03 19:10:28 -0700 2004 923863 0 EHB 1 923865 Okay, it's off-topic, but while discussing wonderful alternatives to Wegman's... Grand Mart, Centreville. Saturday, mid-afternoon. AAAAAARGH! NEVER seen a crowd this size! Barely escaped with my life! But I DID escape with really fresh produce and fish at unbelievable prices. And yet, though the aisles were literally jam-packed, checkout was lightning-fast. Sun Oct 03 18:15:15 -0700 2004 923854 0 Wayne Keyser (one more time) 1 923866 I'm unsure what the fuss is about the one in Sterling, but having just moved from upstate NY I can definitely report that Wegman's is in a class of its own up there. There's no place else in Syracuse or Ithaca to get the variety of produce, meats/poultry and cheeses. And the quality is top notch for most items. Some Wegman's in NY are less great than others, so I wonder if this is just one of their lesser stores? Or perhaps it's just a good option for those who like shopping in one store, rather than going to several to hit upon every item on their list (I'm one of the latter although I'm getting very tired of it here in Capitol Hill--it's a drag to have to drive to VA to get great produce). Sun Oct 03 18:27:10 -0700 2004 923854 0 sturm 2 923868 My wife, who knows the stores in other locations, feels the NY locations are better. The best produce I've seen is still at the Dupont farmer's market, so you don't have to drive to VA to get the best. But you can't beat the variety or prices at the Super H. Sun Oct 03 19:07:30 -0700 2004 923866 0 EHB 2 923871 Now, the Wegman's in Ithaca, that one is worth a trip! Even the film developing is special. And that farmer's market, nothing like it in this area... Sun Oct 03 20:12:21 -0700 2004 923866 0 Roberto64 1 923874 "the olive selection was hardly a selection at all." There are at least 40 different kinds of olives. What would you consider a good selection? Sun Oct 03 20:47:02 -0700 2004 923854 0 Joe H. 2 923887 Exactly my point: quantity over quality. First, I would prefer olives that really differentiated themselves one from another. Second, I would rather have really good olives. The ones I tasted yesterday were pretty tepid. Mon Oct 04 09:00:15 -0700 2004 923874 0 EHB 3 923968 I am interested in your comments re the olive bar, since that is one of the main reasons for my weekly jaunts up to Wegmans, since I have not found anything else in the area that comes close to rivalling the quality and variety of the offerings at Wegmans. The olives are of different types and tastes, and the baba ghanouj, which they freely admit they do not make themselves (nor do they make the hummuses, which incidentally I think are quite weak), is among the best I have had anywhere (though that is naturally a very subjective statement). Having said all that, however, and despite the posts I have written in the past commending Wegmans, it is after all just a great big grocery store, and I just cannot understand why people are getting so up in arms about someone not liking it. Tue Oct 05 00:37:10 -0700 2004 923887 0 James G 4 923979 You should stick to the olive bar at Wegman's if that's what you like. I'm not an expert on olives, and I didn't make a study of the olives. It's just that from my tour around the olive bar, although there was a very large number of different olives, I didn't find the choice of olives very inspired, and the ones I tasted did not measure up in flavor to what I'm used to from my local Whole Foods. Again, my opinion. As to the hummus, I do think the display at Wegman's beggars the question of where we, as merchandizers and shoppers, are headed. Hummus is rooted in a very specific part of the world and a very specific food culture. It is a fortuitous marriage of the leguminous chickpea, with a protein-rich paste made of sesame seeds: Imagine in ancient times what it took to make that paste from all those tiny little seeds. In the Middle East, you might face such considerations as how much, if any, onion to add to the mix, or cumin, or garlic, or olive oil. And whether you prefered a creamier hummus or something with a little more texture. But eight different flavors of hummus? To me, that just seems like a trend-happy ruination of a classic. And they're just poured into these big, stainless tubs, looking, in the end, like something you'd reject at the Shoney's lunch bar. To it, it smacks of variety run amock. Tue Oct 05 08:59:11 -0700 2004 923968 0 EHB 5 924008 Well, I think that we just have to agree to disagree on this one. If you really think about it, ALL foods that are now available readily in a store were traditionally prepared through painstaking effort and thoughtful considerations of how much of this or how much of that to add. While I am a purist in some matters, and frequently do make my own hummus, I don't think it's a sign of the imminent collapse of civilization that hummus can be bought in bulk at Wegmans. Tue Oct 05 16:33:41 -0700 2004 923979 0 James G 6 924019 James I would even add that, while I too can't stand some of the combinations that have cropped up in recent years (the blueberry bagel, or even worse the chocolate chip bagel, are my personal most egregious examples), isn't it true that the melting pot aspect of the foods being created here is the bedrock strength of American cuisine? Look at the new dishes we have today, based on the melting together of ideas from all parts of the world, and contrast that with the US 20-30 years ago, or with most other nations even today. How else would we have things like Emril's cherished chop suey sandwiches from Fall River, or thousands of other inventions, high and low. Where else but here, with this crazy melting pot, would we get restaurants like Maestro or Minibar whose best dishes can't easily be traced to any one geographical influence? Bring on the pesto flavored humus. In bulk. Even if you think it's bizarre, it's part and parcel of the experimental process that makes American food great. Tue Oct 05 16:58:34 -0700 2004 924008 0 johnb 7 924029 First, make a truly great hummus, make it with care, using the best ingredients you can get hold of, and with thought as to how the first hummus was made. Display it artfully, as if you really cared how people were going to use it. Show people what a really great hummus should look and taste like. Once you have succeded at that, then start experimenting with American hummus. Tue Oct 05 19:45:04 -0700 2004 924019 0 EHB 5 924022 I don't know the source of the 40+ olives that Wegman's carries nor do I know the source for Whole Foods, Balducci's or Dean and Deluca. I do know that the source of the chunky hot pepper gardiniera is DeLallo's of Jeanette, PA which is an Italian food wholesaler. A mixture of three or four kinds of olives and red and green cherry peppers-they are delicious. As a confessed hot pepperaholic since I was just out of the crib, having eaten them extensively around the U. S. and Europe since then, I feel that I must point out that these are among the very best. Immodestly, I actually buy these by the quart. I know of no other store/deli/restaurant in the D. C. area that carries them. I have seen them in Pittsburgh and several other places in Western PA. For me they are worth the trip. I've even put them on Sahlen's, Thumann's, Hoffman's or Zweigle's hot dogs which are all carried at this store along with Weber's horseradish mustard. The latter, with the peppers, is a literal Killer dog! My wife hates them. Perhaps understandably! Tue Oct 05 17:21:39 -0700 2004 923979 0 Joe H. 1 923926 Really, no need to get personal. Maybe because of all the hype and hoopla surrounding the arrival of Wegman's on these shores, I had missed the point that Wegman's really is just a grocery store without a lot more stuff. Truly, I got the impression Wegman's was some sort of supersized Balducci's. But it is a bit disappointing to find that even on such democratic turf as Chowhounds, there are sacred cows that may not be subjected to serious examination without recriminaton and that the honest exchange of ideas only goes so far. I mean, really, none of these posts have addressed the core issues, those being freshness, care in preparation, sanitation, attentiveness, training of staff. Why have so many different prepapred foods on display if so many of them are not something you'd want to put in your mouth? My wife, a food professional who is now familiar with both the Sterling store and the Wegman's outlets in New York, has concluded that the Sterling operation is simply "too big." The question I wanted to answer for myself was, is this Wegman's a store I need to visit more often in my travels for good food? And the answer is, No. Yes, they had the Little Scarlett Preserves, but at $8 a bottle, my wife is banking on Little Scarlett showing up at Rodman's for $5. And the fact is, I do most of my shopping at Safeway, because its closest, and some of my shopping at a multitude of other stores--including numerous ethnic markets--for those special items that Safeway doesn't carry, or are much better elsewhere. No, what concerns me beyond the automobile culture that mega stores like Wegman's only help to perpetuate, is that people will grow up with that model as their standard for food quality. And I, for one, would simply vote that Wegman's scale back and do fewer things, but do them better. And, no, I hope I never have to live across the street from a supermarket, whether a Shoppers Food Warehouse or a Wegman's or a Whole Foods. It is nice, though, knowing that Whole Foods will soon be building a store just up the street... Mon Oct 04 14:30:56 -0700 2004 923854 0 EHB 2 923971 >>Truly, I got the impression Wegman's was some sort of supersized Balducci's. Or Dean&Deluca, or Zabar's, even. Or even a supersized Gourmet Giant, full of treats I've only seen in my fantasies. But no. It's not. It's a grocery store with some cool stuff, none of which is cooler than other stuff closer to my house. OK, let's agree that Whole Food is more expensive, in theory. Once you factor in your time and a tank of gas, did you really save any money driving to Wegman's from, say, Clarendon, rather than just going to the Whole Foods in Clarendon? Tue Oct 05 06:19:46 -0700 2004 923926 0 Ilaine 2 923987 "the automobile culture that mega stores like Wegman's only help to perpetuate" Tue Oct 05 10:46:22 -0700 2004 923926 0 Joe H. 3 923988 LOL Joe, I think we can agree that EHB has a bit of trouble with the space-time continuum. Tue Oct 05 11:03:36 -0700 2004 923987 0 Bob W. 4 923998 I must not be in on the joke. I don't get it -- but it sure sounds to be having a laugh at a valuable poster's expense (and merely by quoting from his post, at that). I'm with Smokey on this one. I just don't understand the vehemence and defensiveness of the reaction to EHB. FWIW, I think that both "sides" of this debate are probably correct. The sheer size of Wegman's brings with it many valuable things -- such as being able to offer the Dinosaur sauces and the D'Artagnan duck products -- but also many less-than-ideal characteristics, such as those EHB identifies (accurately, based upon my limited experience). The important point is that we're better served by the fact that all points of view are expressed here: It gives us a fuller picture of Wegman's, one based on numerous data points, involving many posters both familiar and less-so. There should be no posting presumption against negative criticism, any more than folks should pause before raving. Tue Oct 05 13:12:10 -0700 2004 923988 0 Marty L. 5 924000 The quote that Joe pulled out of EHB's post as I understand it, appears to blame Wegman's, in part, for an aspect of our society -- dependence on cars -- that EHB does not appear to like. That has nothing to do with whether or not one like's Wegman's and is out of place on this board. Given that there are many chowhounds who will drive 100 miles out of their way to a barbecue shack they've heard about, blaming a place like Wegman's for encouraging people to hop into their cars for one-stop grocery shopping seems pretty silly -- especially when the alternatives, such as driving to Whole Foods AND some other places for staples, etc., would involve MORE trips in one's car. I'd like to hear EHB expand on his argument, but he should do so down on the Not About Food Board. Tue Oct 05 13:49:49 -0700 2004 923998 0 Bob W. 1 923932 We will shortly have one in the Baltimore area (Hunt Valley) so I can't wait to be able to chime in here! Mon Oct 04 14:50:28 -0700 2004 923854 0 Hon 1 923969 I agree with your assessment of Wegman's, it's just not worth a special trip to Sterling for me, when I live much closer to Super H, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Harris Teeter, not to mention Giant, Safeway, and yes, Shopper's with a huge selection of ethnic foods. But when Wegman's opens in Fairfax, I will definitely add it to the list. It's all about tradeoffs. Tue Oct 05 05:49:38 -0700 2004 923854 0 Ilaine 1 923997 When I think of a huge market like Wegman's, I think of a scene in an Oliver Stone movie called I think "Heaven and Earth," about a soldier who marries a young Vietnamese woman and takes her back to the US, and all the problems they encounter (it's mid 1970s). The woman was raised in poverty and near starvation, and there's a scene in the movie where she goes shopping for the first time. Keep in mind this is a regular supermarket, not even a big one, but everywhere she looks is shelves & cans & jars & boxes of food, food, food. She was raised in a much simpler society where food was not wasted or in such excess. It emotionally overwhelms her (not in a good way) and she has a mini nervous breakdown in the store. So, even too much of a good thing... Tue Oct 05 13:03:44 -0700 2004 923854 0 Looloo 1 924021 Good God people. Its a supermarket. Go if you like it or go somewhere else if you don't. Tue Oct 05 17:17:41 -0700 2004 923854 0 jaybird