Recently, I went to the new Wegman’s in Lake Grove on Long Island to see what all the hype is about. For those who are unaware, this Wegman’s is the first on Long Island and it across the street from the Smith Haven Mall. For the geography impaired people, Lake Grove is east of Smithtown and the closest exit off the Long Island Express is Exit 58 (near Jake’s 58 Casino).
I was impressed with the size of Wegman’s. Someone told me that it is the largest supermarket on Long Island and I can believe that. They set it up really nice. The market bistro is one section towards the right with plenty of seating. You can get an 18-inch hero, pizza, custom salads, sushi and bowls there. We went with the bowls and salads. They were really fresh and tasty. I have to complement Wegmans on their food selection.
When you finish lunch and you are ready to shop, you can start with clean and smooth shopping carts. Typically, most shopping cars have a bad wheel or do not see to be clean. It may be that Wegman’s just opened so their shopping carts are brand new but they are better than traditional supermarkets. Time will tell if they maintain their carts.
Inside, Wegman’s set up different areas right by the entrance to entice shoppers like the bakery, meat and fish department and fresh fruit.Â
The meat and fish definitely seemed fresher and tastier than my traditional supermarket fare. In fact, we cooked the fish that night and it was a superior quality fish. The best thing we had from Wegman’s was their ultimate chocolate cake. It was fresh and tasty. It even rivaled our favorite chocolate cake, which is from Junior’s
As to the other items we purchased, we found that the aisles were wider and it was a more comfortable shopping experience.
The downside of Wegman’s starts with its location. Being in Lake Grove limits that number of people who will use it. For us, we traveled 40 minutes to get there. I doubt we will make this our primary shopping destination. Also, most of the items we purchased were more expensive than their counterparts at our traditional supermarket.
All in all, Wegman’s did a great job on building this supermarket and it will force other stores to up their game. But in the end, due to its distance from our home, we will come back infrequently when we are in the mood for the drive.