Is it me, or is Fairway in Paramus taking a turn for the worse?

[zhelder]

Now, don't get me wrong. I still love the place. But I can't get over how much some things have changed over the past several months.

First of all, their prices on most items have gone through the roof. Now I know they couldn't maintain those ridiculous grand opening prices for long, but they held the line for quite some time on most items. But recently, the prices have skyrocketed, and their sales have become... meh, for lack of a better term. No more "pick of the week" high-end cheese specials (and no more sales on parmigiano reggiano), no more cake specials in the bakery, and ever increasing deli and produce prices. I know it's a tough economy and I know they've had to raise prices some (especially on things like coffee), but this isn't exactly a company that seems to be hurting financially.

Also, as the store has gotten busier and busier, they seem to have cut help. Waits are still manageable at the registers most of the time, but the waits at the counters, especially at the deli, can be epic. Yes, there are tons of people, and there used to be tons of help. Now, not nearly as much.

Meanwhile, the Corrados fortresses in both Wayne and Clifton seem to have been holding the line on their prices for the most part. Wayne especially has amazing prepared foods and meats that are every bit as good as Fairway's, but they're charging significantly less for their stuff. (The only beef I have with Corrado's is that they're starting to charge more for some items in Wayne than they are in Clifton, even though they originally stated that prices in both locations were the same. Still, they're charging way less than Fairway.)

Now Fairway still has a lot of positives. Their house smoked salmon, although expensive, may be the best in the country, if not the planet. Even with the price increases, most deli meats are still cheaper than what you'd pay in a typical supermarket. Their fresh coffee is great. Their cheese department is the best of any area market, hands down. And you could never get Jewish treats like the smoked salmon or noodle kugel at Corrado's.

But the huge prices increases and decreasing help have had me going there less and less recently. Is it just me?

[tomwocat]

We moved to central NJ (Monmouth Cty.) from NYC 20+ years ago. Fairway was our go-to market in the city and boy did we miss it when we moved to NJ. Now shopping at Wegman's and Whole Foods is an option, and finally Trader Joe's came to the area as well, but there is nothing like Fairway. When we venture to the Paramus area, we always stop by and stock up on items no purveyors carry in our area.

As for the prices, well, I see food prices skyrocketing across the board, no matter where I shop. Unfortunately, with the way things are going, I'd venture to guess the economic pressures on all food purveyors are only going to increase, and so they'll pass along the increases to their customers, either directly by price increases, or indirectly, with employee and service cutbacks.

Even with that, I'd still prefer Fairway over anyplace else. Enjoy your shopping at Fairway, many of us wish we had one nearby!

[charmel]

I wish they would open a Fairway here in the Marlboro/Manalapan area. Wegman's prices keep going through the roof and I find that their produce has not been up to par lately at all. I love Fairway and have been to the Paramus store when visiting friends. It is wonderful...and yes, they carry alot of items that can't be found elsewhere.

[menton1]

They are under a major expansion, they opened up 4 new stores in 2 years, perhaps CNJ is on their list...I believe I heard that these expansions are due to a new partnership with overseas investors!

[zhelder]

And it would be great if they opened a Wegman's in Northern NJ! Fairway's departments, even with the price increases, are cheaper than Wegman's, but Wegman's is a full supermarket, and has some awesome stuff too (and their general grocery prices aren't bad)! They're both great places!

[menton1]

We had this discussion about Wegman's a few years ago... Apparently, there just isn't enough space in Bergen for the size of store they want, and they don't want to go into any other county in NNJ.

For something different, you can take a little trek to Stew Leonard's in Yonkers-- a very unique supermarket.

[zhelder]

I love Stew Leonard's too, Menton. I've been there three times already, and I'm planning for trip #4 soon. I wish they'd build a store in NJ too, but I guess the space issue is a concern for them, too.

I know space in Bergen County is tight, but I find it hard to believe there's nowhere they can build. I'd think Mahwah would be great for a Stew Leonard's, and maybe Wayne for a Wegman's (not Bergen County, but close enough)!

[glutton]

It's not just space -- Bergen County is a miserable place to do business. Taxes are high, but that's true everywhere in NJ. The bigger issue is all the antiquated regulations and hassles from inspectors and the like. I've heard people say that there's no reason to build in Bergen County when there are other parts of the state that are also attractive with fewer hassles.

On the main topic of this thread, I will only say that Fairway destroys Wegmans. Wegmans does a few things well -- their corn is great right now -- but the service sucks and the stores are deceptively large. Once you dismiss all the low quality crap food they're selling at Wegmans, the portion of the store that actually impresses you is pretty small. The same is not true of Fairway. They don't waste their space by stocking low quality foods in huge quantities. And they don't banish foods to an "international" section in the corner -- they keep things organized by food type, which is more efficient for the shopper and, frankly, a lot less provincial than Wegmans.

[bogsidebunny]

I shop in the Manalapan Wegmans on a fairly regular basis and find your observations very, very accurate.

When I began shopping there years ago it seemed like a better bet than Shoprite or Food Town. I was impressed at the "Health Food" section although WholeFoods is certainly much better because they specialize in those products.

About 2 years ago i was talking to another customer while in Wegmans and she told me the Original Wegman's owner had died and it was since then the entire chain had been going in the wrong direction. I'm almost 70 years old now and Rte-9 terrifies me so I'm not going to travel very far to food shop.

By the way where is the nearest Fairway store to Manalapan?

[ectuohy]

It's up in Paramus unfortunately; if Rt 9 is terrifying, the Parkway may well be even moreso :(

[Snorkelvik]

I was so disapointed in Stew Leonard's. It reminded me of a Disney ride, only 1 way through the whole place, winding around & around - I could never shop there on a regular basis. It's such a time-waster.

Fairway is still a prize, it's the only place I'll buy seafood. I love the way the deli guy slices my salmon & always gives me a taste. Then I visit with the coffee guy or the cheese guy, and then check out the seafood counter. It's like a bunch of mini-purveyors in 1 location. And it's the real deal. Not gimmicky like Stew's.

[menton1]

You mentioned price increases at the top, then down below you talk about stuff being "cheaper than the supermarket". Do you have some specifics on what items are expensive in Fairway? I still find them to have better quality and lower prices on the items in there that supermarkets carry--

In fact, I've noticed some lower pricing in the local ShopRite lately, I have a feeling that it's due to Fairway. Supermarkets are feeling its pinch.

Corrado's is a different experience than Fairway. Lower quality means lower prices. I haven't been to Wayne, but the Corrado deli in Clifton looked poisonous last time I was there...

[zhelder]

OK, to get real specific...

When Fairway opened, their hot and cold salad bars were $4.99 per pound, an incredible price, even 2 1/2 years ago. Then they raised it to $5.99. Still good, but quite an increase. Now, it's $6.99 per pound. Still cheaper than most supermarkets, which would probably charge around $7.99 per pound for comparable (but likely lower quality) items, but a big increase in the span of 2 1/2 years.

Boar's Head deli meats were mostly $6.99 per pound when Fairway opened, again, an incredble price. The meats are now around $8.99 per pound. Still a little cheaper than the typical supermarket, but again a bit much for an increase in a 2 1/2 year period, IMHO.

The olive bar is now $6.99 per pound, and sun dried tomatoes are $8.99 per pound.

These are a couple of examples. On top of that, the sales haven't been nearly as good lately. For example, every few week Fairway would put parmigiano reggiano on sale for $8.99 per pound. Now, the regular price is about $16.99 per pound, and it never goes on sale anymore. Ditto for bakery cakes, which seem to sell in the $17 range now for a 7" cake. The Fairway smoked salmon used to be about $23 per pound when they opened, but went on sale every few weeks for about $16 per pound. Now, it's about $30 per pound and goes on "sale" once in a blue moon for $28 per pound.

Meanhwhile, Corrado's in Wayne charges around $4.99 per pound for most of their prepared foods. Sun dried tomatoes are $4.99 per pound in Clifton, $6.99 per pound in Wayne (this is what I was talking about when I said Corrado's was starting to charge more for some items in Wayne, although both places are still cheaper than Fairway.)

Now, again, I love the store, and still go there regularly. In fact, they are primarily responsible for making my mainstream supermarket very rare. I just think that they're increasing prices too much too quickly on a lot of items.

[Ted in Central NJ]

"Corrado's is a different experience than Fairway. Lower quality means lower prices. I haven't been to Wayne, but the Corrado deli in Clifton looked poisonous last time I was there..."

Amen

A few years ago, I decided to visit the famed Corrado's location in Clifton. Although the prices were good, the produce looked...not so fresh, and a lot of the packaged goods seemed to be very low-end products. However, I would still have spent additional time in the store hunting out bargains if not for the offensive smell permeating the store.

I couldn't quite nail down the exact nature of the smell (it was not cheese!), but it was definitely unpleasant and it seemed to echo the overall unclean appearance of the store. Based on that experience, I don't plan a return visit to Corrado's anytime soon.

[RUK]

Ted, a few years ago Corrado's in Clifton was perhaps a bit "colorful", but it looks great nowadays. The store is really clean, the isles are less crowded, I find it a good place to shop.

[tommy]

The Wayne store might as well have a different name. It's worlds apart from the Clifton store, although I've noticed a dip in the quality of their meats since they first opened.

Fairway is still cheaper than anyone around, and with better quality for the most part. Once their prices actually get higher than those of its competitors, I'll consider being upset. Until then, regardless of how quickly there is a change in price, it doesn't matter to me. It's expected.

[menton1]

I agree. Food prices are skyrocketing everywhere. But Fairway's prices remain lower than just about anywhere else in NNJ... Even the olive bar, which can be quite good, at 6.99 is cheaper than the horrible ones in the Supermarkets at 8.99! Bagels are good and cheaper than the average bagel store-- coffees are well priced-- And Fairway has a variety of specialty goods unmatched by any of these stores. I'm really glad Fairway is in Paramus.