A Shopping Experience Like No Other

Anyone that knows me knows that I am in love with Wegmans. Seriously it's almost hysterical how excited I get at even the thought of going there. Ruby Red has picked up on this by now and asks weekly when we're going again, knowing a trip is sure to be around the corner. I am proud of myself, though, because I don't go just to to buy stuff but simply use this as my almost exclusive grocery store. Many have argued with me telling me it's more expensive than the other local grocery store and I politely ignore them.

This actually brings me to the point of this post:
In an attempt to prove people wrong and prove to myself and my husband that I wasn't wasting money going there instead of the other grocery store, I decided to "painstakingly" compare prices for every item on my rather large bi-monthly shopping trip. Painstakingly here is in quotes because except for the two separate stops with two kids who wanted to be in and out of one store only, it was easy peasy. Why? Because Wegmans is awesome, that's why! Before we went I printed up a shopping list on Wegmans website for the store location that we use- they listed every item on my list with prices by aisle, making it a quick in and out trip for a momma! So, with my printed Wegmans list in hand we first went to the other grocery store, going up and down every aisle and comparing the prices. I would only put in my cart what was cheaper than Wegmans- not even what was equal in price (there weren't many things equal in price anyway). Why would I want to give them the business when they are clearly not the superior grocer?! Am I crazy? Probably a little. I ended up with a very small shopping cart and spent only about $15. These items were on sale- if they hadn't been, none of them would have been cheaper! I'm not even kidding you! In fact, I found that overall, items ranged from $0.20-$3.00 more expensive per item! For the little amount of money I saved, I've resolved that except for the quick trips (since Wegmans is about 2-3 miles farther away) Wegmans is for us. And, except for some things at VitaCost, Wegmans usually has many health-food items for a pretty decent price! Also to mention, they have W-kids, which Ruby Red loves, so why wouldn't I go there?!

Now on to my Wegmans shopping experience. Oh yes, there's more....  Once Ruby Red is dropped off and happily playing, Baby Blue and I make our way down the aisles that the Wegmans shopping list has carefully organized for me so that we're not back-tracking our footsteps. My husband was amazed by the ease of the list when I used it again for a different trip. I would have him look at the list and he'd go off and get me a few things. He told me the list was incredible and that he'd be able to do all my shopping with no mistakes once baby comes saying it's "husband-proof" (his words, not mine). I mean, they do have cute little pictures and everything so it's really quite hard to mess up.

When my husband isn't with us I also ask for a carry-out. I get the kiddos buckled into the car and they load my groceries, and since they're not allowed to accept tips it's all very easy for the mom with kids in tow. At first I was really awkward about asking for this and only tried it after seeing two other moms ask for one. It really was quite wonderful. However, I have to point out that I only use this for big trips when my husband isn't there.

I know it may seem funny that I'm writing a whole post about my favorite grocery store, but I really really love this place and I didn't even mention the awesome cafe or bakery!

I don't know about other grocers, but if you don't have a Wegmans around you, you should check the websites of local stores to see if they print lists. It really does make it easier!