D5 MILESTONES: EDDIE GOES TO WEGMANS
One of the unexpected pleasures of playing music with these fine 4 people, is the opportunity to share important life experiences. Before parting ways for the holidays, District5 accomplished an important goal: introducing Eddie, a Chicago native, to Wegmans. Taking Eddie to Wegmans is something we’ve joked about (rather seriously) for about a year now.
A brief history...
Since birth, I’ve been a loyal Wegmans patron; I grew up shopping almost exclusively at Wegmans because they are so ubiquitous in Syracuse, NY. During my undergraduate years in Rochester, NY a fun Friday night often included an outing to “Mega-Wegs,” the chain’s flagship store. But my love/devotion/obsession with Wegmans truly and irrevocably ignited when I moved to Maryland and attempted to do my grocery shopping at any other (inferior) grocery store.. (If you’ve never been to Wegmans, imagine this... ALL of the best things from Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Costco and a farmer’s market combined into one store.)
Poor Eddie has been suffering through the drudgery that is: grocery shopping at any other store his whole life. I’m not sure how he survived.
As supportive quintet members, we were obligated to introduce him to this magical food-filled world...
December 20, 2015 in Alexandria, VA:
We began our night with dinner at The Pub, Wegmans’s on-site restaurant. It was delicious. Warm pretzels, tuscan fries, fish tacos, and bacon burgers were thoroughly enjoyed in good company with a few craft beers.
Stop 1: Beautiful Bathrooms
After the Pub, we began the grand tour with a trip to the bathrooms. An impressive stop, Wegmans bathrooms are always lovely, clean, and have wonderful smelling foaming hand soap, setting Wegmans apart from most other grocery establishments. Eddie, obviously, is having a great time so far.
Stop 2: Vegetables
Continuing our tour, we circled back to the main entrance and produce section. How could anyone not be blown away by the abundance of colorful fruits and vegetables?!?!
Stops 3 - 5: Cheese, Meat, and Decadent Desserts
We made a pit stop at the cheese shop where a genial employee offered us samples. From there we explored the meat section, deli, seafood area, and drooled over the desserts in the bakery. We briefly scoped out the Wegmans Marketplace Café, but will have to return another time for Eddie to try a sub from the subshop! We explored every inch of the store and here is what he took home --->
Is there a Wegmans ambassador program I can join?
I could write for days about every wonderful detail at Wegmans1- but my favorite thing to do is give tours! (Unfortunately, they have not started paying me to do this yet!) My expert advice is to stick to your normal shopping list and limit yourself to one or two special items. Otherwise you will blow your budget buying extra things and walk away thinking that Wegmans is an expensive store. Happy shopping!!
1Endnotes:
In addition to an incredible shopping experience, you might be interested in the following fun Wegmans facts:
For 18 straight years Wegmans has been on the FORTUNE list of best companies to work- that is every year since the list started!
They started their own organic farm in addition to trying to find local sources of produce and meat
Wegmans actively supports efforts to produce sustainable seafood
Wegmans emphasizes nutrition and encourages people to eat more fruits and vegetables- when you sign up for their free shopper’s club card you can get the Wegmans Menu Magazine for free with lots of ideas for how to cook vegetables (and other things)
