Retail Watchers

I think this would be their first closure outside of their typical territory of Western NY.

https://wcvb.com/article/wegmans-natick ... g/44068051

Well, looks like Wegmans has some problems now. Multiple cancelled locations, The Pub gone, post-pandemic cutbacks, no new territory, no new pharmacies, and now this.

BatteryMill wrote: ↑June 1st, 2023, 4:19 pm Well, looks like Wegmans has some problems now. Multiple cancelled locations, The Pub gone, post-pandemic cutbacks, no new territory, no new pharmacies, and now this.

That can't possibly be the case. I'm sure it's because the unwashed masses who reside in this locale simply do not appreciate the perfection that is Wegman's.

The mall has lost all of its high end anchors and Wegmans replaced a JCPenney. Part of the problem may be size of the store 134K and the location. The mall seems to be trying to experiment with things, like golfing and a Wayfair pop-up.

BatteryMill wrote: ↑June 1st, 2023, 4:19 pm Well, looks like Wegmans has some problems now. Multiple cancelled locations, The Pub gone, post-pandemic cutbacks, no new territory, no new pharmacies, and now this.

Prepared foods are priced ridiculously high, I have heard they have gone to pre-sliced lower quality deli meats for things like the subs (possibly the Deli counter as well), and more name brand items are disappearing in favor of the Wegmans brand (that doesn't bother me, but it does for some). Their stores are too expensive to run in this kind of economic environment.

mbz321 wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2023, 8:15 am

BatteryMill wrote: ↑June 1st, 2023, 4:19 pm Well, looks like Wegmans has some problems now. Multiple cancelled locations, The Pub gone, post-pandemic cutbacks, no new territory, no new pharmacies, and now this.

Prepared foods are priced ridiculously high, I have heard they have gone to pre-sliced lower quality deli meats for things like the subs (possibly the Deli counter as well), and more name brand items are disappearing in favor of the Wegmans brand (that doesn't bother me, but it does for some). Their stores are too expensive to run in this kind of economic environment.

There was a time that the higher quality of Wegmans product justified the cost, especially in the prepared foods sections. For the past few years I have noticed a decline in the quality and selection of said prepared foods even as prices went up and up. I recall even five years ago or so when I was a more consistent Wegmans shopper they were pre-slicing meats and cheeses in the deli. A simple request like slicing something thicker or thinner was met with a kind of "Do I have to attitude". The overabundance of store brands makes people think twice because you don't necessarily know if you will like the store brand versus the national brand that you already know. People aren't always willing to take the risk. You'd think the quality would be higher because it is Wegmans. Lastly, the stores are just too big for a lot of people. Shopping might be an "adventure" and an "experience" for some. But most people now just want to get in and get out, not wander 120,000 sq feet of space, if they are even shopping in store anymore.

rwsandiego wrote: ↑June 1st, 2023, 9:30 pm

BatteryMill wrote: ↑June 1st, 2023, 4:19 pm Well, looks like Wegmans has some problems now. Multiple cancelled locations, The Pub gone, post-pandemic cutbacks, no new territory, no new pharmacies, and now this.

That can't possibly be the case. I'm sure it's because the unwashed masses who reside in this locale simply do not appreciate the perfection that is Wegman's.

Love it!

The closing store is about 5 years old and is a 2 floor store in a mall. Maybe the location and store structure were the problem?

This chain decided to implement a bag fee of 5 cents and only offer paper bags chainwide, even in areas or states with no bag regulations of any kind and no competitor other than Aldi with a bag fee. The 5 cent fee is for a non handled paper bag and they say they donate 100% of the fee to local Food Banks. Cost on paper bags is well above 5 cents so they aren't making any money on this initiative, though customers do not know that part. When an already high priced store is pushing bogus fees on customers in regions where no other stores do so, some customers will not return.

I suspect the above policy is hurting their business in certain markets.

I have also heard of quality cuts on prepared foods and a lot more comments lately about their perimeter pricing, which was always top dollar. I'm not hearing much comment on their center store pricing so I assume that is still strong?

I also think the store size, chaotic parking lots, and time investment necessary to shop there may just be too much to get the visit frequency needed. Expansion into less dense markets also appears to be a problem.

storewanderer wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2023, 8:56 am The closing store is about 5 years old and is a 2 floor store in a mall. Maybe the location and store structure were the problem?

This chain decided to implement a bag fee of 5 cents and only offer paper bags chainwide, even in areas or states with no bag regulations of any kind and no competitor other than Aldi with a bag fee. The 5 cent fee is for a non handled paper bag and they say they donate 100% of the fee to local Food Banks. Cost on paper bags is well above 5 cents so they aren't making any money on this initiative, though customers do not know that part.

It wouldn't be a post from you if you somehow didn't tie their problems into plastic/paper bag usage.

mbz321 wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2023, 10:40 am

storewanderer wrote: ↑June 2nd, 2023, 8:56 am The closing store is about 5 years old and is a 2 floor store in a mall. Maybe the location and store structure were the problem?

This chain decided to implement a bag fee of 5 cents and only offer paper bags chainwide, even in areas or states with no bag regulations of any kind and no competitor other than Aldi with a bag fee. The 5 cent fee is for a non handled paper bag and they say they donate 100% of the fee to local Food Banks. Cost on paper bags is well above 5 cents so they aren't making any money on this initiative, though customers do not know that part.

It wouldn't be a post from you if you somehow didn't tie their problems into plastic/paper bag usage.

Anything you do that puts you at a competitive disadvantage will cause some customer loss. You may like bogus bag fees, or maybe you just imply it, but most customers don't.

I also listed multiple other unrelated issues.