My kids would tell you an emphatic YES! They both buy their groceries there; one lives fairly close to the store and one does not. I go to Wegman's when I'm in the vicinity, but don't shop there regularly because it's off my beaten path.

The offer a wide variety of foods, including a well-stocked natural foods section. I can find things like barley flour, packages of poppy seeds, and Icelandic yogurt. They have a tempting array of international foods. A large, nice produce section . . . with snow peas at a good price. Shrimp that's not farmed. Organic meats (I can't afford these, but it's good to know they're available somewhere). Loads of fairly sophisticated prepared foods. A good bakery. A wonderful selection of cheeses. And on and on.....

Definitely an upscale store, but they have good sales. Plus their store brand is reliable.

I'm guessing your Wegman's isn't isolated . . . perhaps there are other stores nearby to make the trip more worthwhile for you.

Definitely worth the drive IMVHO !

Depends on what you have locally I guess. It's the only place in this area I can usually find unusual ingredients (sometimes even not so unusual). They also carry run of the mill groceries at good prices which is nice. They have a lot of international foods, a great cheese selection, definitely lots of organic foods. They have great produce. Ours sells nice beers by the six-pack. They have prepared foods so you can have lunch there. I would say that it's worth checking out at least once.

My closest Wegman's is only about 5 miles from the house so I visit once a week. I think their prices for non-perishable goods have come down since they first opened the store. Like many other chains they have eliminated many of the national brand names in favor of their own Wegman goods. They still have national brands but instead of having 6 or 7 different brands of canned tomatoes you now Wegmans plus a couple others.

I really like their produce department but they have eliminated some items and now only carry organic ones. For instance last week I couldn't find a 1 pound bag of carrots, only organic. When I asked the fellow working there he said that they only have organic carrots - I didn't check to see if that was true of other vegetables - or if that was something that might change depending on the season and pricing.

I really like the fact that it's well staffed. There is always someone nearby who can answer questions.

Their meat department is good but pricey so I tend to purchase their club packs which are larger packages but more reasonably priced per pound.

They have excellent fresh baked breads and rolls. But I've decided that while their desserts are beautiful they are rather tasteless. If I'm going to splurge on a high caloric treat I want it to taste like it! It's a real disappointment but better for my waistline.

They have a beautiful floral department and a nice selection of cards, magazines, books and gift items. Ours also has a liquor store but I'm not knowledgeable enough to say anything about prices or selection.

I feel fortunate that I have so many places to food shop - Wegmans, Whole Foods, Shop Rite. On occasion DH and I will run into Philly to shop at the Italian Market or the Reading Terminal with it's huge variety of foodstuffs - especially the baked goods and fresh meat at the Amish shops.

Thanks All! we have Whole Foods and Trader Joe's closer. I would imagine those two would have similar things to Wegman's. We will definitely make one trip, at least. Just to see. And yes there are other stores in the area that I would visit.
I was hoping there was an Ikea but that is up closer to DC.
:(
We will probably drive up one day next week, if the weather is good. Nice afternoon outing. Will let you know what I find. I am hoping for a decent price on grass fed beef.

I shop at Wegman's every week. Their prices on regular groceries are competitive, but their cheeses and meats can be pricey. One exception is their roasting chickens which I buy almost every week in the winter. Their floral dept. is wonderful and their own store brand is good.

There's a Wegman's near my late mother's house. It's worth a drive but you obviously won't be able to go regularly. They have great produce, "bulk" foods, and were voted a best company to work for. They are very good to their employees. I agree with Lily, abovce, they are expensive. But a nice place to visit.

Wegman's is exactly 3 miles from my front door. We're there constantly. It's the best place to shop!

I agree with all that's been said, but would add this. Definitely go at mealtime and go to their buffet. Best Chinese food around, IMO. We often meet dd there for dinner. You get your food from the hot bar (they have a salad bar, too), then go upstairs and it's a nice quiet place to eat. Always busy.

I'm very lucky that at the moment ours is only minutes from the house, but even once we move to the country, we'll be heading up to Wegman's (an hour+) frequently, because there just isn't any other store that's like it.

Expensive? Well, in some ways, I guess, but their food is of excellant quality--it's the only store that I will buy store brand stuff. And on a lot of things they're no more expensive than anyone else.

It sounds a lot like Whole Foods, but I am definitely going to take a trip there. will be sure to go for lunch Azzalea. Sounds good!

Wow you all are lucky. I have one grocery store a mile away. A WM 30 miles away and a couple of chain grocery stores 30 miles away. I have no whole foods store, no Wegmans and no trader joes. I think I must live a sheltered life. LOL

We live 30 minutes from our Wegman's, and have been shopping there weekly for over 2 years (since opening day).
Whole Foods is a very poor second to Wegman's.

Their produce department is about the size of the Whole Foods down the read. Both organic and organic produce are carried.

Unlike Whole Foods, Wegmans hires real butchers. They will cut meat to order, carry prime meats(Whole Foods "butcher" didn't even know the difference between Prime and choice - and they only carry choice, saying that it's better than Prime).
The fish department carries a wide variety of fish selections (not frozen), and will cut to order.
Their bakery is to die for, and they bake in ovens out in plain sight - many varieties of bread, cakes and rolls.

If you can't find something, just ask any of the many employees, and they will walk you to the proper location.

Wegman's has a reputation for high price only because they carry high priced mdse that you can't get at a Safeway - like truffles, prime tenderloin beef, specialty vegetables, foie gras, etc.
BUT, they also carry popular branded and store brands on the shelves, undercutting the other "regular supermarkets" in price.

Between the excellent meat/fish/produce, excellent employees and wide offering of prices - it's worth a 30 minute drive every week.

Monica.... wow, if WF is a poor second... we are definitely making the trip to Wegmans. Found out today that we will have to postpone our trip until after March 1st, some business with father in law.
Looking forward to going , and will let you know what i find. thanks!

We live about 40 minutes west of the original Wegmans store - it continues to operate as a family owned company. We love it!

Jenna -- where in Va. are you? Are you closer to the Fredericksburg store?
Ikea is a hop, skip and a jump from the Wegmans in Dale City (I consider it all part of the "greater Potomac Mills" area).

And there's a hotel right off the interstate! Make it a shopping excursion when your life clears up a bit!

About Wegmans, I think it's really a mix of basics and some more upscale items. The things I pick up there usually aren't much more money than my groceries from Giant or Harris Teeter.

Maire's comment about the organics reminded me that last time I went, the organic red bell peppers were less expensive than the non-organic ones. That was weird!

The only dessert that I like from Wegmans is the seasonal pumpkin roll -- nice flavor. Their lemon cake is dull, not enough lemoniness (is that a word?), and I wasn't crazy about their Ultimate White Cake (they have a chocolate version which I'd bet is great, but I'm not a chocolate cake gal).

The only negative? The one I usually go to (Fairfax) is always full of shoppers! There's no slow time, like at other grocery stores... (The Dale City store is a little less frantic!)

Time for you to pull out your cooler for a road trip, Jenna!

Their every day prices are about the same or less than Giant. They tend not to carry a lot of brands like Minute Maid for example. Their own store brand is as good as any national ones. I don't know about their bakery since I don't eat sweets. I know some of their cheeses sell for $20 a pound. I do equal shopping between Giant and Wegman's. The Wegmans is less than ten minutes from my house, the Giant less than 5..and I have five other Giants which are within 15 minutes but I go to their state of the art store..I like Wegman's produce especially in the summer when it's mostly local. One gripe is they run out of things in the produce dept. Their supplier needs to be more in touch. I love their $6 meals to go. Very good. They heat up in a few minutes in the microwave. You have your choice of an entree and two sides and they are all very good.

I don't find Wegman's to be expensive at all. As Monica said, they carry a lot of higher priced merchandise but I think it is fairly priced. Their regular items are also competitively priced. Make sure you sign up for their shopper's card.

Your prices may vary depending on location. Put in your zip code and have a look around your closest store.

We have a wegmans less than a mile away and love the store and prices. I find even their health and beauty products are often better than the weekly drug store circulars.

Do be sure to get their Shoppers Club card--lots of things consistently low priced with card.

Here is a link that might be useful: grass fed beef

Pammyfay... we are south of Richmond, so we will be going to the Fredericksburg store.
I think I will check the distance, it might just be worth it to go to Dale City, and hop on over to IKEA. Went to IKEA when i was visiting DD2 in San Diego, love it!
Lily... we no longer have Giant in the Richmond area, mostly Kroger, Martins, (they bought out our local family owned Ukrops),we tend to shop more at the Krogers here now. Do like the Whole Foods and Trader Joe's when I get to that side of the city.
Breenthumb...thanks for the link for Grass Fed Beef.. and the reminder to get the shoppers card.
I am really looking forward to the trip!

Love the store .It's like taking a vacation.You find things there you only find when you are vacationing.Price to fit your pocketbook no matter what the size.

After all this Wegman's talk, I went today. It's a special trip for me although not really that far. Yes, I do love that store. So hard not to buy too much there but I told myself it was mainly a scouting trip. They just carry so many things that I absolutely cannot find anywhere else around here.

YES YES YES!

I go to the Wegman's Potomac Mills/Dale city one often! And yes it's very close to the IKEA! I probably pass 5-6 other stores but LOVE Wegman's. For one thing, their milk usually runs $2.58 for a gallon of skim. At most of the local places it can cost $3.99. And I buy 2-3 gallons at a time-so right there I've saved 3-4 dollars. I think they are high quality and the prices are pretty good on all my basics-produce, bread etc. Then they have a good variety of meats and fish. Or unusual things that I can't find in other stores.

Their organic, or gluten-free section is HUGE compared to other places. I don't shop in that area much, but friends do.

My one "complaint" is that their Hot Food Bar is TOO good! lol I spend a fortune sampling the foods (Chinese, Indian, Thai) I try and not go at lunch time, but I usually get lured in there! The breads are wonderful and fresh. They have a Spinach Parmesan that I might sell my first born for!

They even have a Gelato counter. YUM!

One other comment about Wegmans: Another reason I like the store is that no matter which of the 2 in my neck of the woods I go to, I never stand in line long. They have a staff employee monitoring lines, directing shoppers to the fastest one, and are quick to open another register.

It generally takes a miracle for my Giant or Harris Teeter to do that (and my nearby Safeway? never). At those stores, when I see that the lanes are clogged, I'm at the customer-service desk pronto to ask for another lane. It's not that I'm terribly impatient -- I just want efficiency!

Forgot to mention we get a little booklet every 7 weeks in the mail for a free item and two coupons per week. One week free tissues, free eggs, free tuna, free p-nut butter..all their store brand. My SIL's parents live in State College and are mad because they don't get this booklet in the mail from their Wegman's. I think it's because Wegman's has so much competition around here.

BTW - Safeway is backing out of Eastern PA. They are losing business and are trying to sell the stores they bought/built.