What The Hell Happened To Wegman's

When it was first announced that Wegman's was opening one of their distinctive supermarkets in these parts there was unbridled glee. People were so excited that legend has it some of them camped out in the store's parking lot the night before the grand opening so they could be among the first to treat themselves to the Wegman's experience.

And what an experience it was! A huge array of foodstuffs beckoned them: incredibly fresh fruit and produce all beautifully displayed and clearly marked; a vast individually prepared take out food section; a self-serve take-out area; a sit down eating section overlooking the entire supermarket floor; a galaxy of cheeses, olives and similar fare; a deli, sub shop, pizza parlor, coffee bar, bakery, florist and so much more. The store regularly introduced customers to new culinary treats along with demonstrations and instructions on how to cook certain dishes. And the variety of products and brands was staggering. Plus, if you couldn't find what you wanted they had an attentive and superbly staffed customer services center that would find it for you or make sure the store began to stock it just for you! It was a paradise for foodies.

But today's Cherry Hill Wegman's pales by comparison. Oh sure, lots of people will blame the COVID lockdown and all that went with it. And others will cite today's ubiquitous staffing shortages. But our Wegman's started losing its edge long before that. The store seemed to cut back on staffing quite some time ago. The number of brands and product selections began to shrink. Whole sections were redesigned to feature cumbersome bulk sales items. More exotic or less popular food items began to disappear.  Parts of the sit down eating area were cordoned off or closed completely. The whole lunch or dinner to go section seems to have pretty much disappeared. Again, this was pre-COVID. And, if you asked about such things, you never really got a direct answer. 

Today, no one knows if the dinner plates prepared just for you will ever come back. Ditto, the self-service prepared food-to-go area. Within the supermarket section, whole shelf areas are often depleted or empty. Things are shuffled around frequently Finding a staffer to answer a question or direct you to the right area can be difficult. 

And here;'s the rub: I've been to other Wegman's stores that are a lot spiffier and offer much more in the way of selection, specialized services, features and accommodations. Not here. Not now. Not in Cherry Hill. We're getting less and less, not more.

Excuse me for suspecting that the whole operation has become hopelessly bottom-line oriented: Cater to the masses; get 'em in, get 'em out; to hell with anything that's even a bit more specialized. Now, if you think this has automatically sent me rushing into the arms of the nearby Whole Foods (aka "Whole Wallet") you'd be wrong. I'm not and never will be a sucker for Bezosland. No way!

I have found another supermarket -- a place with a huge selection, lots of different choices and brands, plenty of knowledgeable and cheerful staff on the floor to help you, honest, competitive pricing and surprising food offerings I might have never known about it. Even the in-house brands that this place offers are good! And the management is local, hands-on and grateful for your patronage. Maybe you've found this place too. If so, you no longer have to ask: "What the hell happened to Wegman's?" Instead you can just simply wave BuhhhBYE and be on your merry way!