An instructive way of comparing supermarkets is to compare them to cars: especially around the Washington area, there are a variety of brand names, sizes and price points from which to choose.
For example, when I need the basics and nothing more, I go to the Soviet Safeway on 17th and Corcoran in Dupont Circle. The Soviet is like a late-model Honda Civic you keep around for small errands or to pass on for use as a teenager’s first car. It doesn’t have many features, occasionally has annoying quirks and doesn’t exactly drive like a dream, but it’s functional most of the time and a step up from your old scooter (the corner store).
The Whole Foods in Logan Circle is like a fully loaded top-of-the-line Volvo: safe, expensive and oriented to boring upper-middle class living. Many people would be more inclined to shop at Whole Foods more often if they were cheaper and they got over themselves and sold Coke and Pepsi products.
Trader Joe’s is the Volkswagen Jetta of the supermarket world. Youth-oriented, sporty, friendly and occasionally adventurous, it goes well with catchy indie tunes and spontaneous picnics.
The Wegmans in Sterling, Va. is way beyond the sedan class. It
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10Jun
11 Responses
I grew up in Buffalo, the land of Wegmans and Tops. I have to say, Buffalo doesn’t have much but it does have some of the best grocery stores on the east coast. It’s hard to describe in words how happy I was when Wegmans opened in VA. I live in Gaithersburg and routinely make the trip just to buy groceries. How sad is that??
Don’t forget the Wegman’s in Fairfax…much closer to us central DC-area-ites.
And that Red Velvet ice cream tastes horrible – I don’t understand why it won. It’s super fatty, and tastes like raspberry fat. Seriously.
Wegmans is also by far the best place to buy seafood out here in the western ‘burbs. But you are right that it can be time-consuming–you have to get around gawking families for whom shopping at Wegmans is as much entertainment as anything.
To respond to your thought, it represents all that is good with America. If one were built in DC, you’d be there once a week.
Also being from Buffalo, I agree it’s worth a once a month drive just to ogle the cheese and fresh foods they have. It’s just a beautiful store. Unlike most of the above commenters, I care not what others are doing (gawking families, SUV complaints) but do care about selection, freshness and ergonomics of a store. In each of these departments, Wegman’s is a major improvement over the local competition. No wonder they Safeway and Giant are so scared.
See Radley Balko’s article here on Wegman’s for another perspective.
http://www.techcentralstation.com/053105B.html
To respond to your thought, it represents all that is good with America. If one were built in DC, you’d be there once a week.
Also being from Buffalo, I agree it’s worth a once a month drive just to ogle the cheese and fresh foods they have. It’s just a beautiful store. Unlike most of the above commenters, I care not what others are doing (gawking families, SUV complaints) but do care about selection, freshness and ergonomics of a store. In each of these departments, Wegman’s is a major improvement over the local competition. No wonder they Safeway and Giant are so scared.
See Radley Balko’s article here on Wegman’s for another perspective.
http://www.techcentralstation.com/053105B.html
You can indeed buy wine at the Giant on O Street in D.C.
You can buy beer and wine at many DC grocery stores. However, there is some sort of neighborhood zoning issue, or perhaps it has to be approved by a neighborhood board, so not every grocery store sells beer and wine depending on where it is located.
When I went to Syracuse University (2000-2004) we had a Wegman’s. Basically, it was the most amazing grocery story I’d ever been in. Actually, it was a favorite destination for students, some even prefering it to the mall. When I heard they were coming to this area I was so excited. If only they’d open in the city, they could reign supreme.
I work for Wegman’s in PA. It is a great company to work for. We really are family… I care about my co-workers as well as my customers. I wouldn’t trade Wegman’s for any other grocery store.
There’s a new film about Wegmans Egg Farm available at http://www.WegmansCruelty.com. Check it out@!
For more information about the egg film Wegmans Cruelty and to learn how you can help, please visit:
http://www.wegmanscruelty.com
See also
http://wegmanscruelty.blogspot.com
http://myspace.com/wegmanscruelty