Harris Teeter is fine, and the Piggly Wiggly has crafty shirts, but nothing says welcome quite like Wegmans.
It is with a heavy heart that I must leave my hometown and therefore my favorite super, and I mean super, market. For those readers who have never heard of the beacon of perfection that is Wegmans, here’s the scoop.
Wegmans Food Markets are private family owned grocery stores that have put upstate New York on the
map. Stars like Cher and Alec Baldwin now, famously, rave about what started as a
humble Rochester fruit and vegetable company in 1916.
A customer experiences the inviting atmosphere as soon as they pull into the parking lot. Friendly men dressed in bright orange, called “helping hands,” swarm to be of assistance to the elderly and scattered abandoned carts. When you walk into the double automatic doors you are greeted by open spaces filled with exotic aromas and enthusiastic people. The contagious energy coupled with homey décor makes for an idyllic shopping environment. These entrancing scents lead the shopper to the most crucial part of the Wegmans experience -- the prepared food section.
BuzzFeed Food columnist, Rachel Sanders, claims that when an individual enters this oasis, “you’ll find a bakery, deli, pizzeria, French patisserie, cheese shop, caterer, butcher, sushi counter, coffee shop, florist, pharmacy, take-out food, sit-down restaurant, home goods store, oh, and some groceries, I guess.” It is safe to say Wegmans is a super market utopia. The sushi is superb, the burritos are beautiful, and the lobsters are alive. Wegmans prides themselves on the freshness and downright deliciousness of their pre-made meals. Even the prepared dessert section is perfection. Fruit tarts, cookies, mousses and the signature gooey chocolate cakes adorn shelves that seem to go on forever. If your sweet tooth isn’t satisfied, a trip to the king of candylands is in order. When you walk down the bulk candy aisle you are not only allowed, but also encouraged, to fill and mix your bag with over 500 sweet options.
A major part of what makes shopping at Wegmans so enchanting is the passion of the people who work there. Wegmans treats their employees with respect, offers generous health benefits, and pays each one time and a half on Sundays. It is no wonder Fortune has repeatedly put the market on the list of 100 Best Companies To Work For. This hometown staple cannot trickle down the east coast quickly enough. Luckily, 2015 brings promise of multiple stores expanding into Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.
The thing I’ll miss most about Wegmans? Maybe it’s not the pre-made dinners I have pretended that I cooked, the bulk candy I have snuck into movie theaters, or the smiling faces I have received from the employees. It’s that I can have all of that whenever I need it. Wegmans is open 24 hours a day. Going to Wegmans is not an ordinary shopping outing. It is a familiar place to go when you need to escape, purchase essentials, and feast like a king.