Wegman’s a grocery store chain in the northeast has addressed the issue of the grocery shrink ray, and shed some light on why even store brands are affected by its malevolent beam. Wegmans says that their store brand merchandise is manufactured by companies that also make products for other stores — so they have little say about the size of their products.
Customers have asked why at least on Wegmans brand, we couldn’t keep size the same and just increase price (or better yet, keep size and price the same!). Wegmans brand suppliers often make products for other retailers (different recipes but same package size). It’s more costly for them to produce varying product sizes for different customers. So they often limit production to only one size; when costs rise sharply, it’s a new “smaller” container.
Well, that was refreshingly honest.
Up or Down? [Wegmans](Thanks, Aaron!)
(Photo: Tom Simpson )
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I heart Wegmans. I wish we had them in Pittsburgh.
I hate to sound condescending, but do people really believe Wegmans, Shoprite, Foodtown etc… actually make the products that are branded with their names? I hardly trust the cashiers and clerks at some stores, I’d trust them even less making food.
they just built one in my area and its everything you want a grocery store to be, mean while two giants bit the dust and bottom dollar is the devil.
theres a reason wegmans is always near the top (if not on top) of the best companies to work for. Compare them and like the next nearest retail company and its freaking shocking.
Wegmans is more important than god in Rochester NY. If you want a grocery store experience you ahve to check out there flagship store in Pittsford NY. Its the only grocery store I would actually consider going on a date to.
Wegmans is indeed the best. I just wish they were out here on the west coast…
Part of why I <3 Wegmans.
Wegman’s is the best! i dated a girl in Rochester NY, and loved going to Wegs when i traveled up there from NYC. Never thought to go on a date there ibored, but maybe it’s something for future consideration. I was beyond happy when they started opening stores in NJ.
God I miss Wegmans. And WPOP. And Dr. W. And Mountain W. And all the other Wegman’s brand products…whether they’ve been shrunk or not!
Wegman’s is what I miss the most since moving from Syracuse, NY to the middle of nowhere, NH. Wegman’s offered great variety & price and their store brand items were just as good as name brand. Also most of them were open 24/7 so it was fun for us bored teenagers when there was nothing to do at 3am. Wegman’s RULES!!!
Wegmans rules all. Their own brands are in a lot of cases a LOT better and tastier than major brands. Wegman’s Organic line of salad dressings, tortilla chips & salsas are better than anything else in the aisle.
Just on Saturday, my spouse brought home a watermelon from Weggie’s, opened it up– it was rotten inside. Called the store, not only did they refund our money for the bad one, they gave us a free watermelon just for the hassle of having to go back to the store.
What a refreshing way to do business.
@womynist: At ;east we have Market Basket here in NH! (I live in VT, but so close to the NH border I might as well be in NH). I’ve never been to Wegman’s, but everything at MB is so cheap I can’t really complain.
@ibored: I agree, Wegmans is always a great company to work for, and shop at. They have the best selection around for the price.
Ever since I started shopping at Wegmans, I have a hard time shopping at other grocery stores. The only down side to the place is that every time I go in there, I get the urge to play make believe and pretend I’m a lot better at cooking than I actually am. It’s hard for me to walk out of there without buying $10 blocks of cheese and $13 bottle of truffle oil.
I love Wegmans!!! They just opened a huge one up the street from my sister’s house and I stock up whenever I visit.
God forbid Wegmans shouldn’t acknowledge its existence. It’s becoming all too clear.
The shrink ray is all about price points. The manufacturers believe that they will lose sales if their price per unit goes beyond a certain point. If it wasn’t for the shrink ray, consumers would be more aware of inflation at work.
Oh, and Wegmans is a good store. It’s just not the cheapest. But you get what you pay for, a good shopping experience.
@am84: ah but you have giant iggle which IMHO is much nicer…Wegmans is fun the first time but it’s full of self-entitled pricks who think that they’re better than you and have more of a right to walk down an eisle than you because they’re eating organic…or just because they’re at Wegmans…at least the one in Fairfax is like that. also way over priced.
(FD: I work at Wegmans when not at school)
Wow, I can’t believe all the Consumerist commenters agreed to like one company. Makes me want to get back home and start working as a Wegmans cashier again. I hate shopping at Acme, I miss Wegmans too.
Bravo for confronting the shrink ray.
wow. look at all the wegmans shills here.
glad i’m in good company. =) worked for them in high school – best job i ever had (to date). i had an h.r. manager there that actually knew what h.r. meant. she’d walk around & ask people how they were doing, if they had any problems or suggestions, what she could do to make my work experience better & actually took the time to get to know me & all the workers.
unfortunately, i was spoiled by that early on in my time in the workforce & every h.r. department since has been grossly incompetent in comparison. =(
cheers, wegmans! glad to see you’re still keeping it real.
This week I noticed that Price Chopper’s Central Market brand ice cream was specifically marked as being “still a half gallon”. And it’s good – I’ve liked every Central Market brand item I’ve ever tried.
I think now that the jig is up & the cat is out of the bag, more companies will just give up on that tac, and just use the fact that they’re not doing it as an advertising hook.
Wegman’s is, indeed, awesome. If the barcode on a product doesn’t scan, they will give you the product for free rather than make you wait while they go check the price. This happened to me with some expensive cheese (not, like, a $0.99 roll of toilet paper).
Wait, there’s an actual RAY? that is what this headline leads me to believe.
Best grocery store ever!
I do love Wegmans so!!!
@grood: really? Where is your Wegmans? Mine has never done anything like that. We’re happy enough to run back and do the price check ourselves, but I don’t think we’ve ever given away food just because it didn’t have a barcode. Wonder if you just have a lazy cashier or manager.
Popped my Wegman’s cherry in NJ last month while visiting a friend, and I am a convert. DO WANT in Rhode Island! *sigh*
Um, wow, my comment echoed the previous commenter’s screen name in a sort of creepy way.
@ibored: Also felt I should mention I grew up within walking distance of this Wegmans, and for everyone who thinks it’d be weird to take a date there, they do have a restaurant attached called “Tastings.” If I recall correctly, they provide information on how to make everything in the restaurant from ingredients available in the store. The grocery store itself also has an area with tables where you can sit down and eat, and a lot of freshly prepared food available.
I’m also a little surprised no one has mentioned the premium Wegmans chocolates. They’re incredibly good and have some unique flavors, like PB&J. I’d take them over Godiva any day.
Wegman’s does really well. The one adjacent to Chautauqua NY caters to the snobbery of the summer people while selling to the local hillcretins. Decent prices, good selection, great staff and support from the management.
Many local hillbillies also shop here as many of the stores only carry hunter’s foods-jerky, beer, toilet paper-at elevated prices.
@snowburnt:
I think that is mostly because of the location. Other areas that have a large number of different Wegman’s stores to shop at, don’t have this issue.
People in Fairfax act the same way at any other area grocery store (Safeway, Whole Foods, Giant, Trader Joe’s, etc.)
I’m starting to wonder if the extra packaging required to buy more units for the same amount of actual product means that the packaging and shipping become a larger percentage of total product cost.
I just recently quit Wegmans after working there over six years.
I worked in produce and from time to time would get product with another stores name on it. Boxes were always labelled with the real companies logo, so mix-up would happen.
I always thought it was common knowledge that store brands aren’t actually made by the store, but are a wide-spread product that get different labels slapped on them for different stores.
Wegmans will lie right to your face about their irradiated beef though, at least mine did.
I’m committed to Wegmans! There is one 20mins away, yet 2 mins away are Genardis, Giant and Acme. None can compare (nor open 24hrs) like Wegmans.
I’ve been buying their (wegmans) store brand and been pretty happy. I can get 2x the amount of groceries for same price (which is odd as Wegmans near Princeton is far higher in price, not 24hr, smaller aisles, and..gasp…much ruder consumers).
Wegman’s shrunk my favorite muffins!! Now they are much smaller and seriously not worth the original price. Did they think I wouldn’t notice shrunken muffins????
@nataku
I have been to tastings twice and was very impressed but compared to other fine dining its a little steep pricewise.
I go to RIT in Rochester and took the wonderful woman who is now my fiance to the Pittsford Wegmans as our first date. She (a Rochester newb) was thoroughly confused until we got there.
@jigen, what about the meat? I am curious about this because I tend to not buy meat there instead I use a local butcher
I have lived in Rochester my whole life and I’m not surprised at their honesty. There are simply THE best shopping experience anywhere. PERIOD!
@snowburnt:
Surely you’re confusing Wegmans with Whole Foods?
I’ve never been unhappy with a single thing I’ve bought at Wegmans, ever. No one else comes even close.
@Git Em SteveDave is a poor substitute for LindsayJoy: I don’t think people believe Wegmans actually manufactures their own pickles and cheese but it’s not unreasonable to commonly believe Wegmans can dictate things like package size and quality levels.
The fact that they have to share one single package size with other grocery stores is what they are addressing, not the misconception that the have their own Wegmans factories.
It’s nice to see Wegmans getting its props here. It’s a company that treats workers well, stocks great products, labels their store brands helpfully (gluten/vegan/allergens/etc.), and has good customer service.
My former employer. Not as good as they sound, but they are very honest to the customers.
@ElizabethD: i don’t know if you have big y in RI, but that’s the closest thing we have to wegmans in CT. it’s not quite wegmans, but pretty close.
@snowburnt:
You’ve just described 99.9% of Northern Virginians. They’re arrogant and selfish everywhere they go – can’t blame Wegman’s for that. Great store, but I only go there (or any other grocery) very late on weeknights.
I miss Wegmans an incredible amount. It’s as nice as a whole foods, except 1/3 as expensive. And their bakeries are the best!
So…are there so few store brand manufacturers out there that supermarkets really DON’T have a choice? And are all of them doing it?
If that’s the case, could the grocery shrink ray be a form of price fixing?
I live 5 minutes away from the Faimount one in Syracuse. I do enjoy going there, especially when they are giving samples to try. I wish I could cook at home as good as they seem to taste in the store. In an effort to find at least one criticism (its tough), I was disappointed when the in-store cafe decided to stop letting customers get free refills when purchasing food/drink. It was nice when doing weekly shopping to grab a pizza and soda for lunch, then have a re-fill for the ride home. Thats all I can think of.
@snowburnt: I go to the one in Dulles all the time, and I don’t have problems like that.
@BigPapaCherry: Maryland. Must have been a lazy cashier then, but I was very pleased
@ibored: Nothing too bad. They will just deny the fact that there is radiation involved in the irradiation process, I assume because many people would question the safety of bathing food in radiation. If you’re like me, they will tell you how you are wrong and have no idea what you’re talking about in front of a large group of people. Lie to the customers to make a buck.
To people wondering about the store product branding, it’s pretty common. There is a supermarket chain in Indiana called Marsh which, like most other decent-sized chains, has their own brand. The Marsh-branded milk actually comes from the same manufacturer that makes the ‘name brand’ Deans milk. The only difference is that they received different labels at the manufacturer. So, even though they are the same milk, by the same manufacturer, the Marsh milk is cheaper.
@mac-phisto:
No, no Big Y in RI that I’m aware of.
We are, however, finally getting a Trader Joe’s… and in my own town. W00T!