rough outline

for draft of produce/meat, see Eric Ouellette's personal blog.

Wegmans Produce

Some people may find that Wegmans is just too large for their taste. Some people blog on the internet about how the meat is overpriced. Then there are those who are in love with the place. Evidently, it is not without good reason. Wegmans is a model for large-scale grocers when it comes to supporting local farmers. They carry an average of 60,000 products compared to a normal grocery's 40,000. Of this huge number of products, approximately 700 are of local, in-season produce. Usually presented near a profile of local farmers, the majority of people who purchase these products are made aware that they are local products. This is definitely a part of the "Wegmans Appeal". Many grocers do not provide this service. It is easy to become fixated on profit when produce from far-away lands can be so cheap (and filled with pesticides and oddly-named chemicals). However, Wegmans does seem to give you their best everyday, and this is just another small way in which they do so.
That said, Ann Hyatt of Wegman's Syracuse District, pointed out in a brief interview on 4/18/08 the obvious fact that it is very difficult (to put it lightly) to obtain local produce in this part of the world throughout the dead of winter. It is then that produce may be coming from half-way around the globe, but is this not the challenge in any supermarket outside of California? As stated above, however, Ann does make a point of stressing that when produce is in season, there is much local support. Could this be why there is a push for Wegmans near Laurel, MD? It is certainly a factor. See
What about organic produce, you ask? Wegmans does it again, if you can imagine. According to Acton Ryann of the CNY Business Journal, 10% of produce sold at Wegmans is organic, and at much more competitive prices than Whole Foods, for example. Not only that, but Wegmans has increased their sales in organic foods by 50% each year over the past 5 years. Obviously they are bringing healthier foods to more people at a more affordable price. Once again, a job well done.

This will all be incorporated into a powerpoint presentation and more pictures will be added as well. The search continues, however, for more information on wegman's produce.

To visit sources, see:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3718/is_/ai_n17220563

http://www.justupthepike.com/2008/02/industrial-park-west-laurel-potential.html

http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/food-stores/4259358-1.html

First Group Post

We are talking about Wegmans here.  This blog is the culmination of group efforts to conduct research to understand all things pertaining to Wegmans and its effect on the community.  For those of you who don't know, Wegmans is a Rochester-based supermarket that has taken much of the Northeast by storm.  Especially in CNY, Wegmans seems to do no wrong.  It has been on the top of Fortune Magazine's list of the best places in the nation to work since the list was formed.  They give scholarships to employees, they give back to the community in many ways such as donations to schools for new buildings and even sponsoring a charity LPGA tournament.  Wegmans has even made an appear on cable television, for those of you who enjoy the office.  Boss Michael does in fact prefer Wegmans strawberry corn flakes and soy milk to all other brands.  But is Wegman's truly the infallible, wonderful establishment it seems to be?  We aim to find out, and our findings will be made available here to all who are interested.