The store in Chestnut Hill is not a "real" Wegmans. It's a concept store for a new "urban-style" store with a much smaller footprint and much less variety. A "real" Wegmans is much larger with much more to offer. I know because I grew up with Wegmans in central New York state. I suspect that some of the other Wegmans stores are closer to what you would find in New York.
Now when can we finally get confirmation about the Fenway Wegmans at Landmark Center??? It was announced almost 2 1/2 years ago, but (apparently) the lease still hasn't been signed--and there has been no update!
I did speak to a manager at the Burlington store - at issue is parking of all things. They could very well just open like Target and let customers be on their own. But on the other hand very few people do use the parking lot at the Fenway Star.... I guess it's just a sign that Wegmans does want to put out their best everyday and won't settle for less.
Is a terrible "urban concept" store with insanely high prices, and is unfit as a benchmark for Wegmans. The Burlington store is everything it can and should be-it's actually better than every Upstate NY location I've been to aside from the flagship store, and it sounds like this will be a full sized store as well.
I believe the worst part of the story is that we were coming from the Burlington Mall (I need my Chick Fil-A from time to time) when the missus wanted to see what she could get for a prepared meal (for the next day.) If only we went to the Burlington one.
Has a decent prepared food selection, but admittedly not the best I've ever seen in one of their stores. However they have a real sub shop with fresh house made rolls, and that is the most important part.
With that store, there is a very heavy focus on organics, and much of the "regular" stuff was picked over, so I guess I wouldn't know.
Also, the prepared foods section isn't as good as a full size store, and not only does the sub shop lack the signature fresh rolls, but the subs are significantly more expensive than "regular" stores' sub shops. Seriously, they, and I hate using this word today, literally have 2 sub shop menus: Chestnut Hill, and All other stores. Seriously. With a $2 markup on a large cold and $2.50 on a hot. That's a 22% and 26% markup, respectively.
Between all of that and the size, I'll still stand by the fact that this is nothing like a true Wegmans, as someone who is from Upstate NY and frequented many stores in Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester. You can also see it all over the Yelp reviews, and how collectively underwhelmed a lot of people are with that store.
It beats the pants off of the Shaws I used to go to. I can tolerate their produce until I can get over to Russo's for a proper produce run. Even getting the occasional lunch or no-cook dinner there is reasonable quality (although just as expensive as any other pay-by-weight buffet).
It's not a Mega-Wegs, but it'll do for what I need it to do. There's probably 3-4 products they don't carry that I wish they did (No salt creamy Teddie's, please!), but for its size, they do really well with their coverage.
it works fine, and for what it is, it's still better than Whole Foods. But comparatively to the Wegmans I grew up with and can now access just as easily, pass.
I'm really not a fan.. I've been to the store in Burlington, and I'm unimpressed. The store layout absolutely blows. Whatever happen to putting like items together? (i.e. Cereals, frozen food). It just seem like the crammed as much as possible into what store they head and didn't put much thought into the layout.
Roommate likes to shop there, I'll stick with Market Basket. It's still cheaper than Wegman's on many items. And the layout makes sense.
Prices at Wegmans are still more often lower than higher. 90% ground beef is $3.69/lb at Wegmans; $4.99/lb at MB. Boneless chicken is $1.99/lb everyday at Wegs and they don't push the "broth added" stuff which is 15% salt and water - otherwise the proper stuff is $2.99/lb regularly at MB and an occasional sale matches Wegs price.
I find Wegmans is very well organized and the only stuff that is really separated is the natural/organic stuff from the big mass produced stuff. Still, I think Wegmans interpretation of natural/organic food is better than MB's as MB tries to cram trail mix full of preservatives onto the "all natural and healthy" snack section while they still have some better stuff in their regular aisles.
Wegmans does also have a broader assortment of store brand items, which means more of my carriage can be store brand which saves me $$. And Wegmans consistently sends me $7 in store coupons that only requires a $25 purchase weekly. So amongst all the factors, Wegmans is way cheaper than MB - it really isn't even close.
Basket, essentials, 12 items or less. Shopping there on a weekend is like a contact sport, and I now know what it feels like to be a running back. My spin move is on point though.
Another Wegmans in the area also means more Rochesterian hipsterism.
Here's my contribution: my high school teacher enjoyed mentioning how he used to shop at the original Wegmans which was a tiny store comparable to R's Market.
LMFAO. WF charges at least $.79/lb for bananas, Wegman's $.39/lb. Corn 4/$1. Every piece of produce at WF is more expensive and closer to rotting than everything at Wegman's.
Congrats, you've found 2 items which are more expensive at WF. I know the original post specified produce, but let me say - while Wegman's has a great selection of cheeses, their prices aren't much better than WF.
Agreed. My former boss demanded I start shopping at the Chestnut Hill Wegmans for her because she heard it was so much cheaper than WF. She's an actual billionaire that I used to joke would trip over a dollar to pick up a dime.
Anyway, she's got me on the clock for $30/hr with WF a half mile away, yet sends me 5 miles away to that world of traffic Hell that is Chestnut Hill, calling me every 20 min to ask why the heck I was taking so long. (I justified her abuse every payday)
To make a long story short. I am a self described veteran food shopper. It's my friggin wheelhouse. The very little cost difference between WF and Wegmans or any grocery store easily cancels itself out when factoring in the ease of access.
It's like driving 20 miles to save a penny on gas.
Also, does anyone bring a flashlight with them to shop at Wegmans? It's wicked dark in there.
Comments
Like we need that? Bad
Like we need that? Bad enough that there is one in Newton. Clearly I'm not a fan
I'd prefer JCP over Wegman's any day.
Who are you to decide what "we" need?
I'd take Wegmans over JCP 10 times out of 10.
Not a "real" Wegmans
The store in Chestnut Hill is not a "real" Wegmans. It's a concept store for a new "urban-style" store with a much smaller footprint and much less variety. A "real" Wegmans is much larger with much more to offer. I know because I grew up with Wegmans in central New York state. I suspect that some of the other Wegmans stores are closer to what you would find in New York.
What, like 3 aisles and 150
What, like 3 aisles and 150 over-processed versions of the same product?
Sometimes simple is better.
Now when can we finally get
Now when can we finally get confirmation about the Fenway Wegmans at Landmark Center??? It was announced almost 2 1/2 years ago, but (apparently) the lease still hasn't been signed--and there has been no update!
Hard to sign a lease in a
Hard to sign a lease in a project which doesn't have a building permit yet.
I did speak to a manager at
I did speak to a manager at the Burlington store - at issue is parking of all things. They could very well just open like Target and let customers be on their own. But on the other hand very few people do use the parking lot at the Fenway Star.... I guess it's just a sign that Wegmans does want to put out their best everyday and won't settle for less.
Boo
That's my go-to JC Penney. There aren't a lot in the area.
Of course, I know I will be drowned out by the yays of those who love Wegman's. We went to the one in Chestnut Hill a few months back. It was alright.
The Chestnut Hill One
Is a terrible "urban concept" store with insanely high prices, and is unfit as a benchmark for Wegmans. The Burlington store is everything it can and should be-it's actually better than every Upstate NY location I've been to aside from the flagship store, and it sounds like this will be a full sized store as well.
Ah
I believe the worst part of the story is that we were coming from the Burlington Mall (I need my Chick Fil-A from time to time) when the missus wanted to see what she could get for a prepared meal (for the next day.) If only we went to the Burlington one.
Still, I'm going to have to find a new Penney.
Burlington
Has a decent prepared food selection, but admittedly not the best I've ever seen in one of their stores. However they have a real sub shop with fresh house made rolls, and that is the most important part.
Wrong
Chicken breasts are $1.99/lb, bananas are $.39, corn 4/$1, gallon of milk $2.49, eggs are $2, etc.
In my experience
With that store, there is a very heavy focus on organics, and much of the "regular" stuff was picked over, so I guess I wouldn't know.
Also, the prepared foods section isn't as good as a full size store, and not only does the sub shop lack the signature fresh rolls, but the subs are significantly more expensive than "regular" stores' sub shops. Seriously, they, and I hate using this word today, literally have 2 sub shop menus: Chestnut Hill, and All other stores. Seriously. With a $2 markup on a large cold and $2.50 on a hot. That's a 22% and 26% markup, respectively.
Between all of that and the size, I'll still stand by the fact that this is nothing like a true Wegmans, as someone who is from Upstate NY and frequented many stores in Syracuse, Buffalo, and Rochester. You can also see it all over the Yelp reviews, and how collectively underwhelmed a lot of people are with that store.
Underwhelmed?
It beats the pants off of the Shaws I used to go to. I can tolerate their produce until I can get over to Russo's for a proper produce run. Even getting the occasional lunch or no-cook dinner there is reasonable quality (although just as expensive as any other pay-by-weight buffet).
It's not a Mega-Wegs, but it'll do for what I need it to do. There's probably 3-4 products they don't carry that I wish they did (No salt creamy Teddie's, please!), but for its size, they do really well with their coverage.
I'm sure for some people
it works fine, and for what it is, it's still better than Whole Foods. But comparatively to the Wegmans I grew up with and can now access just as easily, pass.
Weggies
I'm really not a fan.. I've been to the store in Burlington, and I'm unimpressed. The store layout absolutely blows. Whatever happen to putting like items together? (i.e. Cereals, frozen food). It just seem like the crammed as much as possible into what store they head and didn't put much thought into the layout.
Roommate likes to shop there, I'll stick with Market Basket. It's still cheaper than Wegman's on many items. And the layout makes sense.
Prices
Prices at Wegmans are still more often lower than higher. 90% ground beef is $3.69/lb at Wegmans; $4.99/lb at MB. Boneless chicken is $1.99/lb everyday at Wegs and they don't push the "broth added" stuff which is 15% salt and water - otherwise the proper stuff is $2.99/lb regularly at MB and an occasional sale matches Wegs price.
I find Wegmans is very well organized and the only stuff that is really separated is the natural/organic stuff from the big mass produced stuff. Still, I think Wegmans interpretation of natural/organic food is better than MB's as MB tries to cram trail mix full of preservatives onto the "all natural and healthy" snack section while they still have some better stuff in their regular aisles.
Wegmans does also have a broader assortment of store brand items, which means more of my carriage can be store brand which saves me $$. And Wegmans consistently sends me $7 in store coupons that only requires a $25 purchase weekly. So amongst all the factors, Wegmans is way cheaper than MB - it really isn't even close.
My Market Basket Strategy:
Basket, essentials, 12 items or less. Shopping there on a weekend is like a contact sport, and I now know what it feels like to be a running back. My spin move is on point though.
Another Wegmans in the area
Another Wegmans in the area also means more Rochesterian hipsterism.
Here's my contribution: my high school teacher enjoyed mentioning how he used to shop at the original Wegmans which was a tiny store comparable to R's Market.
The final Jordan Marsh
Fun fact: That was the final Jordan Marsh to ever be built (1994). It's great that they're not tearing it down.
ugh... had such high
ugh... had such high expectations for Wegmans. Their produce is more expensive than Whole Foods!
Wrong
LMFAO. WF charges at least $.79/lb for bananas, Wegman's $.39/lb. Corn 4/$1. Every piece of produce at WF is more expensive and closer to rotting than everything at Wegman's.
Congrats, you've found 2
Congrats, you've found 2 items which are more expensive at WF. I know the original post specified produce, but let me say - while Wegman's has a great selection of cheeses, their prices aren't much better than WF.
/TJ FTW.
Agreed. My former boss
Agreed. My former boss demanded I start shopping at the Chestnut Hill Wegmans for her because she heard it was so much cheaper than WF. She's an actual billionaire that I used to joke would trip over a dollar to pick up a dime.
Anyway, she's got me on the clock for $30/hr with WF a half mile away, yet sends me 5 miles away to that world of traffic Hell that is Chestnut Hill, calling me every 20 min to ask why the heck I was taking so long. (I justified her abuse every payday)
To make a long story short. I am a self described veteran food shopper. It's my friggin wheelhouse. The very little cost difference between WF and Wegmans or any grocery store easily cancels itself out when factoring in the ease of access.
It's like driving 20 miles to save a penny on gas.
Also, does anyone bring a flashlight with them to shop at Wegmans? It's wicked dark in there.
Congrats
on being a jackass. Do you need a full price comparison of every item you dweeb? WF sucks ass.
That's disappointing
I lived in Buffalo for three years and there Wegman's was known for having affordable, often local produce.
This is actually pretty neat.
This is actually pretty neat. Now the residences at the mall are even better. Go grocery shopping without going outside!
Oh hooray!
Just what we need, more traffic at the Collection
/snark