The Williamson's Family: Wegmans Roadies Personified

This story is from an article in The Washington Post published on March 1, 2004. 

At 5:20 a.m. Antoinette and Ramon Williamson, along with their four children between the ages of 2 and 8, where first in line for the 7 a.m. opening of a new Wegmans in Sterling, Virginia. However, they were not alone.  400 people were in line behind them and "by 7:55 a.m., all 850 grocery carts were taken."  The managers estimated up to 10,000 people to meander down the aisles by the 1 a.m. closing time. 

"The Rochester, NY -based grocery store chain--known for its upscale products, moderate prices and cheery customer service -- is placing a sizable bet that fast-growing Loudoun County is filled with patrons like the Williamsons.  Th

e 130,000-square-foot store--four times the size of a typical grocery--is the first Wegmans to open in the Washington area and the 66th nationwide." 

The Williamson's (and the other 400 customers) were welcomed into store by "whooping and clapping" employees.  "Cashiers, sushi chefs and managers clasped hands and chanted: 'Give me a W! W! Give me an E! E!...'"  

Danny Wegman, the CEO of Wegmans Markets Inc., was at the Sterling opening hanging around by the vine tomatoes like a rock star in leather pants and a shiny purple shirt.  (Mr. Wegman has headed the company since the passing of this father and former Chairman, Robert Wegman, in April 2006.  He has been induced into the Food Industry Hall of Fame as a charter member).  

After two hours of shopping, the Williamson's cart was full and they were ready to checkout.  According to Antoinette, she is a "supermarket connoisseur." As they left, they were munching on free slices of spongy green fruit called uniq. 

The Hushed Closing of the Mt. Hope Wegmans

In contrast to the cult-like response to the opening of Wegmans, the Mt. Hope Avenue Wegmans closed before Thanksgiving in 2003.  The reasons?  Financial concerns and lack of space available for expansion.

According to Jo Natale, a Wegmans spokeswoman, the Mt. Hope location was the smallest and oldest store by a considerable amount.

Sustainability Press Release

This is a recent article that I found in the News section of the Wegmans website.

On April 20, 2008, Wegmans added information of their press release stating sustainability being a priority "as Wegmans continues to work on all three [reducing, reusing, and recycling] to steer business practices in a greener direction."

These are some examples they give for their plans in each category:

"In the 'Reduce' category, for example, Wegmans uses one truck to haul two trailers wherever possible - in 2007 this reduced the miles traveled by 1 million, saving 200, 000 gallons of fuel, or the equivalent of taking 320 cars off the road.  The company also saves energy with fluorescent lighting in its newer and re-modeled stores.  In fact, by switching over 4000 distribution cent light fixtures to a new fluorescent technology, the company has conserved enough energy to power 470 homes for one year.  Customers can save on their own electric bills by switching to compact fluorescent bulbs, which use 75% less energy than incandescent bulbs.

In the 'Reuse' category, Wegmans urges customers to witch to reusable shopping bags - a better environmental choice than either plastic or paper bags.  But for those who want paper or plastic, Wegmans encourages consumers to reuse the bags for another purpose and recycle them rather than throwing them away.

In the 'Recycle' category, Wegmans recycled 3 million pounds of plastic bags and wrapping material in 2007 - a figure that includes plastic bags returned to stores by customers for recycling.  Since Wegmans plastic bags are made from natural gas (not oil), recycling this plastic saved enough energy to heat 362 homes for one year.  The recycled plastic bags are made into other grocery bags."

Attractive Exterior?

I remember the first time I saw a Wegmans from the outside, I thought the exterior looked grim and unattractive.  It looked so unappealing.  But when I walked inside, I felt like I had entered a new colorful, busy and exciting world.  I know people don't go to Wegmans to look at the outside of the building, but I just find it funny how buildings are so ugly.  And there is a distinct Wegmans style; boxy, brown fake-brick exterior.

Individual Proposal

When a Wegmans comes to a community, it not only brings along the positive reputation, it also causes some side-affects.  In this project, I want to focus my research on the ways Wegmans, as a cultural community center, directly affects the residents in the surrounding area through its presence.  Since Wegmans is known for its positive community influences by providing a friendly supermarket atmosphere that gives back to the community through college scholarships, charity fundraisers, and excellent working conditions (among other things), I wanted to take a closer look at how Wegmans affects the community when they don't try.  

In order for me to look at the impact of Wegmans, I will need to try and find some patterns about where the company chooses to build their establishments.  From there, I will be looking at the gentrification that often occurs with the arrival of a Wegmans, the socioeconomic status of the people who live in the area around Wegmans and how it changed, who shops at Wegmans, how far they have to travel to get there, and how other supermarkets in the area are affected by Wegmans.

A Cult Following? (Updated)

In early 2006, Wegmans, which originated in central New York, opened a branch in Cherry Hill, NJ.  According to an article on Philadelphia City Paper by Carolyn Wyman, 800 people stood outside on line at 7 a.m. to be among the first to enter the store, some camped out over night. 

It seems this is a trend.  

According to town blogger Kathy Gatas, a 40 year resident of Greece, NY, who was there on July 27, 2007 "bright and early...along with a few hundred Greece residents," to welcome the "new" Wegmans to their community.  

Click here to watch the news coverage of the opening of Wegmans in Greece, NY.  13WHAM is a local Rochester news station associated with the ABC television network.  Includes an interview with Danny Wegman, CEO of the family owned store.

Gatas continues, "It was very exciting at Wegmans just to see all the faces of the employees I haven't seen since they closed the old Wegmans.  They were all just as excited and many said that they had a hard time sleeping last night because of today's Grand Opening."

So, why are people losing sleep over Wegmans?

According to Becky Suchin, a Wegmans costumer who lives just a mile from a store, believes the store is "like a dream come true." In her interview with columnist Carolyn Wyman of The Philadelphia City Paper, Suchin states, 'It's really like two markets--one with excellent fresh vegetables, meats, gourmet and kosher foods--attached to a regular store where you can get toilet paper.'"

Also according to this article, "industry studies say that people are typically only willing to drive about five miles to do their supermarket shopping."

  

"But Tome Cirino, general manager for the Mid-Atlantic edition of trade newspaper Food Industry Advisor, says Wegmans if not your typical supermarket destination.  'With their size and in-store chefs, they're more of an attraction, an extravaganza,' he noted.

Indeed, Mt. Laurel customer Stuart Chaifetz echoed McNully's comments about Wegmans probably not being worth the travel time and $3 toll for Philadelphians with so many other food shopping options but then admitted one reason he shops there is because 

his preschooler loves to watch the model train that clickety-clacks about the dairy case."

Ironically, a major source of Wegmans' popularity can be attributed to how maintains its small-town feel with its local

 employees. Gatas exclaims, "What a great company Wegmans is...they're doing something right to have so many local employees."

Mutilated Beak

I found these two images side-by-side on UR-VEG, The Vegetarian Education Group at The University of Rochester.  

The caption read: "A diagram form the Handbook of Avian Anatomy shows that the sensory nerves in a hen's face extend nearly to the tip of her beak.  Compare this with a photo of a mutilated hen at Wegmans Egg Farm: nearly half of her beak has been burned off."

Poor hen!  But there are many questions that arise from this image, including the authenticity of this hen's snapshot.