8 Secrets Wegmans Shoppers Need to Know

The most celebrated grocery chain in the nation is 100 years old, but you’ve probably never heard of it.

(Image credit: Courtesy Wegmans)

The most celebrated grocery chain in the nation is 100 years old, but you’ve probably never heard of it. And even if you have, you’ve probably never set foot in one of its stores. The retailer recently dethroned Trader Joe’s as America’s favorite supermarket, yet you won’t find its stores in 44 states.

But don’t fret for Wegmans. What the Rochester, N.Y., company lacks in name recognition and geographic reach, it makes up for in other ways. Wegmans stores are bigger and more abundantly stocked than those of rival chains, and its shoppers exhibit a cult-like devotion to its products and service. Case in point: You might need a reservation – a reservation! – to eat at one of Wegmans’ in-store restaurants.

I’m no stranger to Wegmans. I shopped there frequently during my many years living in Upstate New York. I also covered Wegmans and the Wegman family for two decades in my job as a business journalist in Syracuse, getting an inside look at what makes the company tick. Here’s what you’ll want to know before you make your first trip.

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Bob Niedt
Contributor

Bob was Senior Editor at Kiplinger.com for seven years and is now a contributor to the website. He has more than 40 years of experience in online, print and visual journalism. Bob has worked as an award-winning writer and editor in the Washington, D.C., market as well as at news organizations in New York, Michigan and California. Bob joined Kiplinger in 2016, bringing a wealth of expertise covering retail, entertainment, and money-saving trends and topics. He was one of the first journalists at a daily news organization to aggressively cover retail as a specialty and has been lauded in the retail industry for his expertise. Bob has also been an adjunct and associate professor of print, online and visual journalism at Syracuse University and Ithaca College. He has a master’s degree from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a bachelor’s degree in communications and theater from Hope College.