Something annoying is going on at Wegmans.

I've noticed several product categories where Wegmans products are becoming the only choice you have.

Take American cheese for example. Today, Wegmans only had the Kraft 2% white slices, everything else was Wegmans brand. And a lot of it. I tried to buy some Sargento sliced Swiss. Sorry, only Wegmans sliced cheeses available (except for pepper jack and provolone - Probably because Wegmans doesn't produce those yet).

In the ice cream isle, 90 % of what is there is Wegmans brand. Bryers is no where to be found. Pasta and pasta sauces are the same way....the shelf space for Barilla and Prego and other brands just gets smaller and smaller.

It's pretty clear that Wegmans is producing store brand products for items that sell well and cutting out the nationally known brands.

It seems like pretty soon the only brand Wegmans will carry is their own. Just like Trader Joe's.

In Wegmans' defense, I've found that a lot of their products are just as good as the national brands and at a lower price point.

Although I would agree with the OP that there are a whoooooole lot of Wegmans products on the shelves

I agree that Wegman's own brands are as good, or better, than national brands. As people become more aware of that, we will likely see even more of their stuff on the shelves.

Go to Giant, then.

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http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

One thing to consider regarding groceries on a shelf, the manufacturers of those products usually pay a "premium" to the grocer for preferred shelf space. If Wegmans is willing to overlook this potential income in favor of selling their own brands, then they must be making a killing on their own brands to avoid that income from other producers.

I've never come across a Wegman's branded item that I didn't like.

WashingTone-Locian Wrote:
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> Go to Giant, then.


+1

DC Giant Fan Wrote:
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> WashingTone-Locian Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Go to Giant, then.
>
>
> +1

When Giant was locally owned, they were a great grocery store. Now, that they're owned by the Dutch, their whole operation is generic and it stinks. They no longer have the great produce they once had. Plus, a lot of other differences can easily be spotted. Heck, I think it's been about 6 months since I've been into a Giant store.

Haven't you heard that Giant doesn't have factories. They are slapping their own label on the name brand stuff. It is all the same stuff, different marketing.

One Thing About Groceries Wrote:
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> One thing to consider regarding groceries on a
> shelf, the manufacturers of those products usually
> pay a "premium" to the grocer for preferred shelf
> space. If Wegmans is willing to overlook this
> potential income in favor of selling their own
> brands, then they must be making a killing on
> their own brands to avoid that income from other
> producers.
>
> I've never come across a Wegman's branded item
> that I didn't like.

Slotting fees are huge and by avoiding them it is one way that retailers like Wegman's and Walmart keep their prices lower compared to the competition. Wegman's invests a lot in developing exceptionally high quality private label products and has selected 15-20 categories where you will likely see limited competition from national brands. Key among these are breakfast cereal, soup, canned vegetables, pasta and pasta sauces, salad dressing, paper products, frozen vegetables, frozen entrees and ice cream.

This approach provides Wegman's with exceptional flexibility in maintaining store level pricing and control over profit margins. While there are times I might prefer a national brand, I have never encountered a Wegman's product that was substandard which is something that I cannot say about other grocery retailers.

FWIW, Walmart takes a slightly different approach and creates competition between manufacturers for shelf space. If you look at a category like plastic trash bags, the shelf will typically have Great Value (Walmart private label), a "second tier" manufacturer and either Hefty or Glad, rarely both. Instead of slotting fees Walmart forces Hefty and Glad to provide product at the lowest price (along with some other criteria). These agreements are evaluated about once every 3 months.

If you to see a real contrast in how retailers approach this take a look at the toothpaste aisle at Target and Walmart. Plenty of Crest at Walmart, but a small amount of everything else while Target has just about anything you might want.

youdontknow? Wrote:
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> Haven't you heard that Giant doesn't have
> factories. They are slapping their own label on
> the name brand stuff. It is all the same stuff,
> different marketing.


Not exactly...private label products come from a variety of sources and Campbell's soup, for example, is not putting their chicken noodle in cans labeled for Giant. Some manufacturers do this, but not many, and the difference in raw material quality and recipe varies greatly. You may have a factory making soup or pasta sauce for Giant (Ahold which includes Stop 'n Shop), Safeway and Harris Teeter, but there is a lot more going on than simply slapping on a different label.

I prefer the Route 11 regular potato chips but Wegman's seems to be phasing them out, Lot less shelf space than they use to have. I have tried Wegman house brand chips. I don't like them.


I got food poisioning from potatoe salad I bought at Giant del. I had the runs every 30 minutes for over 24 hours and my tummy didn't feel very good for a couple of months. The folks at Giant didn't give a shit, so to speak.

This is fine and dandy but some of the home-store labels don't cut it with those who have nut allergies. Almost all Trader Joe's products are labeled with nut contaminants. The same at Walmart. When this happens at Wegmans (where already all of their baked goods contain nut products or are processed on same equipment), it will be a bummer.

Not only have I learned a lot from this post.., but i also agree that Wegmans products are pretty amazing. the only one that doesnt compare to me, (which i have yet to find), is a comparable OJ to the taste of tropicana.

Not one generic has ever tasted exactly like it, therefore Im stuck paying $5 for tropicana brand.

Putterman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> youdontknow? Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Haven't you heard that Giant doesn't have
> > factories. They are slapping their own label
> on
> > the name brand stuff. It is all the same
> stuff,
> > different marketing.
>
>
> Not exactly...private label products come from a
> variety of sources and Campbell's soup, for
> example, is not putting their chicken noodle in
> cans labeled for Giant. Some manufacturers do
> this, but not many, and the difference in raw
> material quality and recipe varies greatly. You
> may have a factory making soup or pasta sauce for
> Giant (Ahold which includes Stop 'n Shop), Safeway
> and Harris Teeter, but there is a lot more going
> on than simply slapping on a different label.



Your right, but with the more generic stuff where no matter who makes it, it should be the same, (ie chicken broth or sugar) comes from the same line as the name brand. There are a certain % that always buy name brand and a % that will not, manufactures are merely tapping into the segment that is looking for deals.

Generriclable Wrote:
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> Your right, but with the more generic stuff where
> no matter who makes it, it should be the same, (ie
> chicken broth or sugar) comes from the same line
> as the name brand. There are a certain % that
> always buy name brand and a % that will not,
> manufactures are merely tapping into the segment
> that is looking for deals.


The less processing involved in manufacturer (e.g., sugar), the more likely it is that private label and branded products come from the same facility and production line. Milk, bottled water, flour, vinegar, and butter are good examples.

lortongal Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not only have I learned a lot from this post..,
> but i also agree that Wegmans products are pretty
> amazing. the only one that doesnt compare to me,
> (which i have yet to find), is a comparable OJ to
> the taste of tropicana.
>
> Not one generic has ever tasted exactly like it,
> therefore Im stuck paying $5 for tropicana brand.

Not much less expensive, but have you tried Florida Natural juice? Tropicana has been using a lot more imported juice from Brazil in their OJ over the past few years to keep costs down (relatively speaking) and I think that this has had an adverse impact on taste. You might also want to try buying Tropicana at Costco, but it does require a lot more storage space in your refrigertor since I think that it comes in a package with 3 half gallons.

WashingTone-Locian Wrote:
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> Go to Giant, then.

+1

Or Shoppers. Wegmans must be doing a lot right, the stores are absolutely packed, while the aisles are wide open and sparsely populated at Giant, Safeway, et al.

Wegmans ice cream is dam good-better than hagendaz imho and cheaper.
I saw mike omerea eating it behind some bushes, while he was on his weight not diet-thats how good it is

Generriclable Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Your right, but with the more generic stuff where
> no matter who makes it, it should be the same, (ie
> chicken broth or sugar) comes from the same line
> as the name brand. There are a certain % that
> always buy name brand and a % that will not,
> manufactures are merely tapping into the segment
> that is looking for deals.

That's just not true. Generic ketchup does not taste like Hienz, and so on. Many private label products may come from the same source, but the branded products are not going to give away all they've put into their brand by putting the same product in a private label. Plus most food manufacturing is in somewhat small facilities - they usually don't have lots of extra capacity to make other brands.
Kellogs had a plant flood last year that made Lego's - you could not find them anywhere for a while.

Wow an informative thread on the "underground". I use Wegmans religiously. Giant is only 3 minutes from me and I am there less than once a month. Checkout speeds and customer service is much better at Wegmans. Soy based milks and ice creams are always in stock at Wegmans, Giant not so much. The quality of meats is much better at Wegmans. Last Summer bought a pork loin at Giant, when I got home and opened it I almost puked it smelled so bad. I have also seen plenty of news coverage on Giant and consumer fraud that has taken place, relabeling expired foods. Lastly and most importantly is price, Wegmans is cheaper and provides a better quality product. No brainer for me.

not true Wrote:
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> That's just not true. Generic ketchup does not
> taste like Hienz, and so on. Many private label
> products may come from the same source, but the
> branded products are not going to give away all
> they've put into their brand by putting the same
> product in a private label. Plus most food
> manufacturing is in somewhat small facilities -
> they usually don't have lots of extra capacity to
> make other brands.
> Kellogs had a plant flood last year that made
> Lego's - you could not find them anywhere for a
> while.


See my comment above...the basic recipe for ketchup is pretty simple...tomatoes, sugar/high fructose corn syrup, salt, water plus "other stuff". It is the "other stuff" and the ratios of the core ingredients which makes Heinz taste different from Hunt's or Safeway brand.

As far as plant size goes, they really vary. Knouse Foods near Harrisburg (maker of Lucky Leaf and Mussleman's apple sauce and related products), is pretty small, but most of facilities used to produce products for ConAgra, P&G, Kellogg's, etc. are HUGE. The Eggo situation is interesting - they made Eggo's (and only Eggo's) for just about every market in one facility and it took Kellogg's about 6 months to get fully caught up.

To add to this thread, one point has been missed. Private label products have incredible profit margins. Many stores are taking various steps toward private label for a few reasons, but prime is the profit. The second is, in a down economy, people do choose to try something that is not name brand. If that product is decent, the store gains more profitable sales.

Some categories of product often are a brand name, though to be honest, I saw ketchup above, that is not one.

Sugar is indeed a finite source item. You have two big choices. C&H and Domino. C&H does do private label sales. C&H is cane sugar from Hawaii. Personally, I buy Domino as the crystals are more fine.

Another. Campbells bought the Progresso brand. They sell it now. Some ready to eat and condensed soups are from them. Not all flavors, but some.

If you look at the label of a Brand name, you will see some information you can reference back to. Unilever is a huge company that does all types of branded products. Ragu is one.

The point I am making is, companies make deals to make profit. A large company that owns a brand may repack a product under an assumed name for private label sale. Larger grocers, such as Safeway own a lot more than stores. They also produce a lot of products for their own stores and others under an owned companies name.

Giant has lost a lot by being sold out of country. It is an investment now and that is it.

Not exactly on-topic, but I've always wondered why large, successful companies (such as John Deere or Honda Outdoor Products) would manufacture models for the "big box" stores under their flagship brand.

That John Deere lawn tractor at Home Depot may be the familiar green and yellow and have John Deere stickers on it, but that tractor is made exclusively for Home Depot and is available nowhere else. It cheapens their brand. People might start to think that all Deere products are shit because their Home Depot Deere fell apart after a few seasons.

I guess it's driven by greed like everything else these days but IMO it's shortsighted. Deere could still build cheapo machines for Home Depot but they should not put the JD name or paint scheme on them.

People that know the difference know that own a real JD tractor, you have to go to a Deere dealer and pay Deere prices.

Same with Honda, their big-box "Harmony" mower is a piece of shit. A REAL Honda walk-behind lawnmower costs well over a thousand dollars at a Honda OPE dealer. I have one that I've used continuously for 22 years and it still starts on the first pull EVERY TIME.

Shanty Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is fine and dandy but some of the home-store
> labels don't cut it with those who have nut
> allergies. Almost all Trader Joe's products are
> labeled with nut contaminants. The same at
> Walmart. When this happens at Wegmans (where
> already all of their baked goods contain nut
> products or are processed on same equipment), it
> will be a bummer.

How come when I was growing up, nobody that I knew had nut allergies? Everybody could eat nuts - no problem. Nowadays, it seems like half the people have nut allergies.

I think they're missing out. I really like to have a good nut in my mouth every now and then.

say Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not exactly on-topic, but I've always wondered why
> large, successful companies (such as John Deere or
> Honda Outdoor Products) would manufacture models
> for the "big box" stores under their flagship
> brand.
>
> That John Deere lawn tractor at Home Depot may be
> the familiar green and yellow and have John Deere
> stickers on it, but that tractor is made
> exclusively for Home Depot and is available
> nowhere else. It cheapens their brand. People
> might start to think that all Deere products are
> shit because their Home Depot Deere fell apart
> after a few seasons.
>
> I guess it's driven by greed like everything else
> these days but IMO it's shortsighted. Deere could
> still build cheapo machines for Home Depot but
> they should not put the JD name or paint scheme on
> them.
>
> People that know the difference know that own a
> real JD tractor, you have to go to a Deere dealer
> and pay Deere prices.
>
> Same with Honda, their big-box "Harmony" mower is
> a piece of shit. A REAL Honda walk-behind
> lawnmower costs well over a thousand dollars at a
> Honda OPE dealer. I have one that I've used
> continuously for 22 years and it still starts on
> the first pull EVERY TIME.

You may have answered your own question...John Deere and Honda (among others) sell at big box retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's because consumers know the brand and believe that it is a higher quality product than, say, a MTD mower. It is really about distribution and sales revenue, so the hit you might take from the (relatively) small number of consumers with a bad experience is easily outweighed by overall brand growth.

One reason that more people don't buy pro-grade power equipment is that they are not that easy to find. Apart from Virginia Power Equipment and Brandell's I could not name another Toro retailer and their hours (often 7-4 weekdays) is not that great for someone who wants to shop on the weekend.

This hits home personally since I bought a Toro mower from HD about 10 years ago and learned pretty quickly that I could have spent an extra $100 for a far superior product with less maintenance. I replaced it this year with a mower from Brandell's and the difference is amazing with the most surprising one being the lower cost of replacement parts.

Putterman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> say Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Not exactly on-topic, but I've always wondered
> why
> > large, successful companies (such as John Deere
> or
> > Honda Outdoor Products) would manufacture
> models
> > for the "big box" stores under their flagship
> > brand.
> >
> > That John Deere lawn tractor at Home Depot may
> be
> > the familiar green and yellow and have John
> Deere
> > stickers on it, but that tractor is made
> > exclusively for Home Depot and is available
> > nowhere else. It cheapens their brand. People
> > might start to think that all Deere products
> are
> > shit because their Home Depot Deere fell apart
> > after a few seasons.
> >
> > I guess it's driven by greed like everything
> else
> > these days but IMO it's shortsighted. Deere
> could
> > still build cheapo machines for Home Depot but
> > they should not put the JD name or paint scheme
> on
> > them.
> >
> > People that know the difference know that own a
> > real JD tractor, you have to go to a Deere
> dealer
> > and pay Deere prices.
> >
> > Same with Honda, their big-box "Harmony" mower
> is
> > a piece of shit. A REAL Honda walk-behind
> > lawnmower costs well over a thousand dollars at
> a
> > Honda OPE dealer. I have one that I've used
> > continuously for 22 years and it still starts
> on
> > the first pull EVERY TIME.
>
> You may have answered your own question...John
> Deere and Honda (among others) sell at big box
> retailers like Home Depot and Lowe's because
> consumers know the brand and believe that it is a
> higher quality product than, say, a MTD mower. It
> is really about distribution and sales revenue, so
> the hit you might take from the (relatively) small
> number of consumers with a bad experience is
> easily outweighed by overall brand growth.
>
> One reason that more people don't buy pro-grade
> power equipment is that they are not that easy to
> find. Apart from Virginia Power Equipment and
> Brandell's I could not name another Toro retailer
> and their hours (often 7-4 weekdays) is not that
> great for someone who wants to shop on the
> weekend.
>
> This hits home personally since I bought a Toro
> mower from HD about 10 years ago and learned
> pretty quickly that I could have spent an extra
> $100 for a far superior product with less
> maintenance. I replaced it this year with a mower
> from Brandell's and the difference is amazing with
> the most surprising one being the lower cost of
> replacement parts.


JD and Toro tractors from box stores only share the namesake with their "pro grade" parents. A JD tractor bought at HD doesnt even come up on the parts list at the counter of Tribble and other such stores....
\
Think Chi-Chis salsa back in the day, the shit you could buy at Safeway couldnt even compare.

JBass Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JD and Toro tractors from box stores only share
> the namesake with their "pro grade" parents. A JD
> tractor bought at HD doesnt even come up on the
> parts list at the counter of Tribble and other
> such stores.

I learned that less the hard way after running over the grass collection bag. Home Depot told me to call Toro who told me to call a local dealer. Brandell's was able to locate the part, but it was something like $65 and took a week. Had I bought the equivalent 'pro' mower from them the part would have been around $30 and available within a couple of days. Same thing with mower blades.

Any mower will cut your grass, so a Murray from Walmart for $189 is just fine for a lot of people and it it lasts 3 years just get a new one. The difference in how my lawn looks with a good mower is pretty surprising and if I can get 12-15 years out of a quality product with regular maintenance that works for me.

Putterman Wrote:

> Apart from Virginia Power Equipment and
> Brandell's I could not name another Toro retailer
> and their hours (often 7-4 weekdays) is not that
> great for someone who wants to shop on the
> weekend.

https://homeownersolutions.toro.com/portal/server.pt/community/dealer_locator/226#resultPage

Here it is, right off the Toro homepage...the 10 closest Toro dealers nearest the 22151.

I love Wegmans, but I draw the line at not carrying Skippy Peanut Butter!! What's up with THAT?

My husband LOVES Kraft fat free American sliced cheese. Wegmans used to carry it, but no longer does. The Wegmans brand fat free American sliced cheese is ok, but does taste slightly different and has a slightly different texture. It also costs almost a dollar less than Kraft. Even when Wegmans sold both brands, I would buy the Kraft brand for my husband and the Wegmans brand for my and my boys, since they eat a ton of cheese and I'd rather save the money if at all possible.

Men who shop at Wegmans are called "Fagmens"

Shoppers has the best store brand products at the best prices. Especially the health/beauty/personal care section. Shoppers store brand OTC medicines are half the price of the Giant versions.