Wegmans Opens in Northern Virginia

I had some pulled pork from there the other day that was pretty good. They make it with Dinosaur BBQ sauce though which is probably why it was so good. Not very smoky but saves me 7 hours off cooking and I can't get it to come out any better from my oven.

Did you get the pecan-smoked pulled pork that was packaged and for sale near all the D'Artagnan duck and sausage stuff? It's by a local outfit called "Texacan Beef & Pork Co" and seems reasonably priced. I only tried their beef brisket and what I got was high quality especially for something pre-packaged. The company is based in Ashburn, Va

I wouldn't be surprised if Wegmans uses these products as well.

my roommate brought the pork home so I am not sure, but it was not prepackaged, it was just in a clear disposable container without a brand name so I assume they either made it themselves or opened a package and mixed their own sauce into it. Either way it was damn good.

Just wanted to pass on that I think the crowds have subsided.

I was at Wegmans on Sunday afternoon and it was not crowded at all, barring the prepared food section which was a little crazy.

I shudder to think of the volume of business that Wegmans has sucked from all of the other grocery stores in the area.

Had my first Wegxperience Saturday morning. I was there a 1/2 hour before I realized I hadn't even gotten out of the produce section yet. Wow. Bought a dozen baby artichokes for $3, a handful of fresh porcini's, some tiny potatoes, perfect dandelion greens, lotsa herbs, and I even fondled a durian briefly.

I'll be back next Saturday! Next time, perhaps I'll try out the fish after having bought duck breast, short ribs, and a 7 1/2 lb brisket.

Had my first Wegxperience Saturday morning. I was there a 1/2 hour before I realized I hadn't even gotten out of the produce section yet. Wow. Bought a dozen baby artichokes for $3, a handful of fresh porcini's, some tiny potatoes, perfect dandelion greens, lotsa herbs, and I even fondled a durian briefly.

I'll be back next Saturday! Next time, perhaps I'll try out the fish after having bought duck breast, short ribs, and a 7 1/2 lb brisket.

I got a duck breast there Sunday afternoon. I am saddened to report that, when I went at least, it was absurdly crowded still. Being my first trip out there, the only thing I was disappointed with, besides the crowd, was the lack of a walk-in beer cooler a la all the upstate NY stores. I did amange to get some absurd deal on cans of coke that came out to 16 cents/can though!

One thing to note at Wegman's. As of this Sunday they are going to begin closing at midnight (I didn't see the re-opening time) - "in order to better serve our customers".

My guess is that the level and consistency of business is higher than they expected and they need the overnight hours to keep the place stocked and clean.

Of course, this could have been the plan all along.

very un-wegman's like since all the NY ones are 24 hours that I know about. I wonder if the demand for late night isn't there because of the location out in the boonies

Northern VA (Dulles) may be the "boonies" to some but everytime something good happens in Loudoun County then we are considered the Metro DC area.

It is not that people were not shopping in that Midnight to 1am timeframe it was due to the lack of time needed to restock all of the shelves and departments and provide and efficient clean up before re-opening at 6am.

Mike

Leesburg, VA

"Proud to be a resident of the now #1 fastest growing county in the US"

very un-wegman's like since all the NY ones are 24 hours that I know about. I wonder if the demand for late night isn't there because of the location out in the boonies

Piffle. It's across the street from Worldcom and AOL - believe me, there's 24-hour demand.

very un-wegman's like since all the NY ones are 24 hours that I know about.  I wonder if the demand for late night isn't there because of the location out in the boonies

Piffle. It's across the street from Worldcom and AOL - believe me, there's 24-hour demand.

That it may be, but I know enough people who worked at those places to know that there are not many people STILL working at those places.

very un-wegman's like since all the NY ones are 24 hours that I know about.  I wonder if the demand for late night isn't there because of the location out in the boonies

Piffle. It's across the street from Worldcom and AOL - believe me, there's 24-hour demand.

Most of my friends are IT people who are forced to drive out there every day and believe me, they are not working until midnight. What is this good thing in Loudoun county besides wegmans and golf? It might be something I have to trek out into the great plains of VA for.

I finally made it out today. It's amazing that I didn't get lost since the signage is not great.

First, a Sunday trick. If you are not a church-goer, and must go on a Sunday, get there before noonish. I arrived at noon to find the lot about 2/3 full. When I left 2 hours later there were a few empty spots way in the back. Either everyone in Virginia dresses up on Sunday, or a lot of people head to Wegmans after church.

Frankly, not that impressed. But I think that's because I live in DC and enjoy going to multiple markets. If I lived out there, I would be thrilled.

I agree with previous comments that they clearly aren't targeting higher end or gourmet food. I found their international section lacking and oddly organized. There was a mango juice from Egypt in the S. American section. The Italian and French sections were disappointing. Not a lot of product, and nothing I couldn't find elsewhere. Seperating the French and Spanish section was Regional America, which mainly consists of the Sylvia line of soul food products.

The organic section was what you expect, although the prices for many items were the same as the nonorganic produce.

There were two things I went shopping for and neither was there. I am sad to report that Wegmans does not carry peanut butter slices. They also don't carry a drink that I love called Aqualibra.

But the did have pink Hostess snowballs.

My other problem was there were a lot of complimentry displays that were hidden. For instance, around the corner from the sushi bar is a small display of soy sauce, nori, gari, wasabi, etc. But because it was dark and overshadowed by the side of the sushi case, I didn't see it the first time around. That happened all over the store.

So who'll admitt to stopping at the BK?

I stopped in this evening at around 5:30 and the place was moderately crowded. The one thing I went in for, tasso ham, they did not have (nor did the staff have a clue what I was looking for). Perhaps we should make it a eGullet DC goal to goad Wegman's into carrying it. So, whenever anyone goes in, find a staffer wearing a tie and toting a cell phone and ask for tasso ham and then get them to call the office on thier phone. If they get enough requests, maybe they will stock it. Or, does anyone know where to get tasso ham in the DC area (other than Glutton Place/Balduccis)?

Count me in on the search for tasso ham, Mnebergall. I stocked up while in Louisiana recently, but the gumbo will not be stopping when I run out. (Not if I know what's good for me!)

Count me in on the search for tasso ham, Mnebergall. I stocked up while in Louisiana recently, but the gumbo will not be stopping when I run out. (Not if I know what's good for me!)

So, go to Wegmans and demand tasso ham. They carry anduuwy (and Wegman's brand too boot) sausage after all. Should they not also have tasso?

I visit once a month and hereby vow to dew my dewty.

BTW, the people in my husband's choir (who rehearse not too far from Wegman's) think I'm insane to schlep out just to shop there once a month.

I live smack dab in the middle of Wegman's country - their Syracuse flagship store is ten minutes from my house. Even at their biggest stores (the one here is probably exceeded in size and selection only by the main flagship store near their Rochester headquarters. It's absolutely correct that their Internationaql section is lacking but that doesn't appear to be what they target. They're shrewd enough to realize that people who are cooking specific to a cultural or ethnic cuisine wil not only have some loyalty to specialty markets for certain items but will inevitably want some obscure brands that will sell in limited volume.

That said - their produce department continues to amaze me with the quality and selection. They're well known for responding to customer requests - if they get a fair number of request by phone, email or tree mail for tasso ham or any other item - they WILL start stocking it. As for gourmet items.... expect them to get into that gradually as they see what the demands are. They're good at advance demographics when choosing store locations but they're also conservative on certain fronts.

I still go to a smaller, easier to access and quicker to browse store for basic staple items but Weggie's is on my "must go once a week" list.

I have been fortunate enough to be at Wegman's on numerous occasions.

I have eaten many different things in the cafe, and have been impressed.

It is kind of like being in Las Vegas at one of those buffets that are new and improved.

That said they go the extra mile that other supermarkets fail to achieve by offering

quality at reasonable prices. Some things are a bit pricey but other things like their generic brands are very reasonable, also much better than the generic brands of other stores. I like the fact that the store remains well stocked and

organized even after a month of frantic hordes of anxious shoppers and one major holiday. I shop there once a week and have eaten there many times.

My favorites, 1 Sushi and fresh fruit bar. 2. Fresh prepared Salmon Club

3. Wokery buffet 4. The prepared foods you can heat up on your own " sensory overload" 5 Desserts Desserts Desserts! Yum! Chocalate Dome is awesome.

I will now give all the new Loudounites a little history lesson on Loudoun County.

First and foremost. Wegman's used to be a Wal Mart. When that store opened in the early 90's it was considered a big deal, when Giant opened up in Purcellville this year it was like the invention of electricity, if one considers IGA and Food Lion a place to buy healthy food for you family, well I guess you wouldn't feel good about Wegman's. Loudoun County until the early 90's and even as late as 95-96

was mostly farmland west of rt. 28 But that has changed with the Dulles Greenway opening up and people selling off their farmland to developers.

When the Leesburg Outlets opened about 5 years ago the writing was on the wall.

Private Golf Communities and upscale public golf courses helped legitimize the

bloated real estate market...but I think the fact that Loudoun is now the fastest growing county in the country, and Ashburn and vicinity have alot to do with that,

What better place to open a store that caters to a middle to upper income bracket with families on the run and Mom's with lots of mouths to feed. MCI and Aol is a huge factor to. Kudos to the Wegman's planners they hit a homerun with that location, call it boonies or whatever, but Loudoun property tax is now higher than

Fairfax County. Average home costs over 550,000 dollars, that is some expensive boonies!

First and foremost.  Wegman's used to be a Wal Mart. 

Sounds to me like it still is!

First and foremost.  Wegman's used to be a Wal Mart. 

Sounds to me like it still is!

In what way, Don?

In what way, Don?

Here's an interesting comparison/contrast:

http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2003/1124/166.html

Not having been to Wegman's, it sounds distressingly close to an Oklahoma Wal-Mart for upscale food lovers: one is a big, rural monolith where you can spend three hours buying a pair of Levis, your weekly groceries and a lawnmower; the other is a big rural(-ish) monolith where you can spend three hours buying buffalo meat, Del Monte peas and sea kelp.

I guess it's convenient, cheap and a huge time-saver, but isn't Wal-Mart as well?

Heading to the Farmers Market (in spirit),

Rocks.

Perhaps I missed something? The Forbes article actually points out exactly why Wegman's is NOT like Wal Mart. The fact that they both a have enormous stores with a large selection is just about the only thing they have in common. I'm no Wegman's cheerleader but I find myself shopping there because they do so much better a job than any of their competitors.

The article does mention an interesting approach that Wegman's is particularly strong on and has huge appeal for families with two working parents (not to mention busy single people who don't want to cook) - that is the "meals ready to heat" department. I've heard estimates that as much as 40% of their net profits come from this area and by all counts they do a good job with it (never having purchased one I'm in no position to comment personally).

I have a retired acquaintance who works for them specifically so that he'll have health insurance. As a twenty hour per week employee he receives full medical benefits, an employer match 401K plan and (noyt that he needs it) even tuition benefits for ongoing education. In central NY state, a region where the payscale is relatively low and employers are leaving in droves, they represent a bit of a bright spot. They also get elected to the "100 best Companies to Work For" list every year (can't recall who does that list - probably Forbes or Fortune).

When they expanded and began offering their bigger, deeper more upscale selection in Syracuse they weren't putting small specialty retailers out of business - they were offering products and selection that simply weren't available before in the area. They also have a virtually transparent system that seems to put more cashiers on duty in tandem with increases in customer traffic. I rarely if ever have waited for more than five minutes in line with my groceries, even at busy times. Furthermore, I don't recall ever having seen anyone have to do a "price check". That can hardly be said about places like Wal Mart or Home depot, where "price checks" tie up lines for inordinate amounts of time.

I hardly believe that bigger is better but I give them credit for running a tight ship and figuring out what the market needs. Comparisons to Wal Mart are not simply unfair - they're irrelevant.

First and foremost. Wegman's used to be a Wal Mart.

Actually it didn't. It's on the site of a Wal-Mart, but they bulldozed the old Wal-Mart building and built from scratch.