Shoshy Ciment / Business Insider
Irene's face upon entering Wegmans for the first time.
- Wegmans, a family-owned grocery store chain on the East Coast, has one of the most loyal followings in
retail . Fans travel from far and wide to attend the grocery chain's store openings, and Wegmans was this year's most beloved brand according to The Harris Poll. - As a native of the Pacific Northwest, I'd never visited a Wegmans store or even heard of the chain.
- After the 101st Wegmans store opened in New York, I went with Business Insider's Shoshy Ciment to grab some snacks and see what all the hype was about.
- I am now a (non-certified) Wegmaniac. Everything about my visit felt extraordinary, from the quality to the quantity of produce, to the variety and affordability of products, to the kindness of the employees.
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"What's so great about Wegmans?" I once asked a coworker. I was immediately met with shock and even a hint of disgust.
Apparently, Wegmans is the kind of grocery store that inspires fans so dedicated they'll fly in from states away just for a store opening. Privately owned by the Wegman family of Rochester, New York, Wegmans has ranked among the most beloved brands in America even though it's a regional chain.
But as a native of the Pacific Northwest, I'd never even heard of Wegmans until the store opening in Brooklyn, New York, started a social media frenzy. And even then, I didn't quite understand the buzz. After all, isn't Wegmans just a grocery store? And even though grocery stores are definitely not all equal, I couldn't imagine how a grocery store could inspire the kind of fervor and loyalty I was seeing from Wegmans fans.
I tagged along with Business Insider's Shoshy Ciment on a trip to the Brooklyn Wegmans, and boy, was I proven wrong.