"Wegmans Has Become the Public Face of Rochester"

A great blog posting that talks about the new Wegmans in Henrietta, but then takes the bigger picture and talks about the local importance of Wegmans in Rochester. It also compares Wegmans in 2008 to Kodak in years past.

"Rochester and Kodak were once synonymous. Growing up, it seemed every other kid’s dad worked there. (Mine didn’t, though my grandfather had) “The company treats its people so well that the unions can’t get in”…..I heard that refrain constantly. But it‘s been decades since I heard it last. Struggling to thrive (or even survive) in the digital age, Kodak steadily shed whatever paternalism it once had. At one time it might have ranked high on that Fortune list. But now it is Wegmans' day in the sun."

Why No Wegmans in Albany?

As mentioned in a previous post, a huge new Wegmans store in Henrietta near Rochester will be opening Sunday.

Of course, that's great news for the local Rochester area. Meanwhile, multiple stores continue to operate in Buffalo and Syracuse.

But why has Wegmans ignored the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area all of these years? Let's look at some demographics:

Metro Area --- Population
Buffalo --- 1,170,111
Rochester --- 1,039,028
Syracuse --- 732,117
Jamestown --- 30,726
Ithaca --- 29,952
-----------------------------------
Albany --- 850,957

Of course, population density is not the sole determining factor for Wegmans to consider, but one wonders why Albany, the state's capital, has been left out for so long? It's a relatively wealthy area with Saratoga Springs, universities and other job centers. And plenty of people.

With talk of expanding to Boston, perhaps Albany will finally become a Wegmans town, otherwise, there will be an even larger hole on the store locator map.

The current expansion pattern and new stores are centered in the D.C. suburbs, which makes sense as there is plenty of disposable income and people in that major metro region.

But why not Albany? What's wrong with Albany?

Veggie Bar at Wegmans

A Wegmans in Rochester recently opened a Veggie Bar, according to the Rochester newspaper.

"The offerings appease both the discerning foodie and the strive for five disciples. Green beans with roasted walnuts and walnut oil. Thai curry vegetables simmered in green or red sauce over brown rice. Cedar plank tofu with greens, brown rice and garbanzos. These sides and entrees, displayed in their attractive single serving glory in an adjacent display case, are prepared earlier in the day then reheated."

I've heard of a Seafood Bar, too, at Wegmans. I love the fact that Wegmans is trying to push healthy food, though the prices of the prepared and specialty foods can be expensive for some people, especially many who need to eat better food.

This raises a question: Why does it cost so much to eat good food? You'll notice "My Weekly Wegmans Tab" on this blog and it's so expensive because healthy food costs cash. I simply don't see how we (at least here in America) can propose eating healthy yet it costs so much. No wonder why there's an obesity problem. No wonder why sugar and corn are silently killing us. More Veggie Bars (and I mean real ones, not ones with iceberg lettuce and lousy cucumbers) should be accessible and cheaper for all people.