Wegmans — Local services in Columbia

Our primary grocery store. Compared to other stores, I generally find the selection, quality, and freshness of produce to be superior at this Wegman's store. The staff is invariably kind, helpful, and capable. Tip: If you want to find something without asking a staff member, look for a laminated directory sheet at eye level located at the ends of some aisles.

The store itself is always clean, brightly lit with clear signage. Tip: Use the restrooms upstairs, which I find are less busy so it's cleaner and more accessible than the one on the main floor.

We find the quality of WEGMAN'S BRANDED items to be very good, from fresh salads to frozen fries, English muffins to marinara sauce...

Good selections in all departments. The PRODUCE is of good quality, the MEATS department offers greater variety than smaller stores can muster. This is true of the DELI and DAIRY sections as well.

The BAKERY uses fresh ingredients from bread to cakes, pies, and pastries. There is an aversion to using artificial flavors and preservatives that we appreciate. Sweeteners, frosting, and fillers use natural products where some stores do. The result is better tasting items with no waxy, artificial, or excessively sweet flavors. The staff is always helpful, from slicing a loaf for you, to checking if they have a frozen pie that isn't on the shelves. You can call ahead to reserve or order an item for pick-up.

In fact, call any department to check ahead for items you missed last visit. There's always a helpful person at the other end of the line.

Tip: Optimize your shopping by using Google to find out peak hours. If you can help it, avoid going right after them since shelves will likely need restocking. It's a good problem to have since this means turnover is high, so perishable items are fresher than in other places.

The PHARMACY is excellent. Staff is efficient, friendly, patient, and always helpful, whether you are picking up or dropping off a Rx. Get vaccinations here, from the seasonal Influenza and CoVID shots to things like shots for Hep B, shingles, pneumococcal virus, RSV, and so on. You can schedule ahead of time or just walk-in and shop while they prep your shot or if there's a line. Request a text message when they are ready for you, or sit in the waiting area.

There is a large DINING area on the second floor. You can shop the ready-to-eat section and enjoy your meal on the balcony. A smaller section is also available on the ground floor.

Plentiful PARKING. There are two levels. The bottom level is great during inclement weather. The cross walks from parking to the store is fully covered on both levels.

Adjacent WINE AND SPIRITS shop available. It's accessible from the second floor. You'll have to exit Wegmans to access it since it's a separate shop. Or, park on the second floor to access...

Even though you might avoid Wegmans because it always looks busy and crowded based on the traffic you can see from the road, DON'T!!! There are two levels of parking and lots of staff inside the store, so my experience has been that there isn't much of a wait whenever I shop there. Also, the sheer size of the store and number of specialty sections can be overwhelming until you get used to where things are located.

I have found Wegmans to be well stocked, to have better prices overall than Giant, Safeway and Harris Teeter, and to have an amazing number of "specialty" sections in their stores. The number of organic and sustainably raised products far surpasses the aforementioned stores as well. But the real reason I love Wegmans is the array of foods and health and beauty related products they carry.

If you don't have a lot of time to cook, they have an huge number of options to pick up and take with you, and even have a counter where you can pick your protein and two sides (which is enough for two people) for a very reasonable price. The also have hot bars with vegan, Asian, Italian, and South American sections, and lots of salad options as well. They have a large refrigerated case of sushi, with someone waiting behind the counter to custom make whatever you might want in that arena as well. If you want, you can even sit down and eat many of their prepared and bakery items right in their cafe.

For grocery shopping, they have competitive pricing on all the normal staples, and have several options for most any household product you are looking for. Their bakery is a constant flurry of activity, and many times when I want a freshly sliced loaf of bread it is still warm when I get it in my hands. The selection of produce and meats they have is quite impressive, with their regular prices on their Family Packs being amazing deals.

If you've never been to a Wegmans, I'd suggest giving it a try. If you're looking for a dry aged steak for a special occasion or a new type of fruit to feed your adventurous foodie, this is the...

In addition to being a great overall grocery store, Wegmans is great for someone with dietary restrictions. Gluten free, dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, low-FODMAP, there are far more food items available here than you'll find in almost any other area supermarket.

Produce is fresh and they have a wide variety of just about everything. The bakery is amazing! Gluten free chocolate fudge nut cookies are to die for (I have to hide them from my family, and none of them are GF). The cupcakes are the only store bought cupcakes my family will eat--I've stolen the frosting off them and it tastes homemade. Once, and only once, I found GF chocolate cake being sold by the piece and holy cow it was delicious.

I do miss the bulk food section; it's still kind of there, but everything is sold in pre-determined sized packages since Covid. But there's still a wide variety of nuts, granola, candy, and many other things last time I was there.

The hot, ready-to-eat food section doesn't have much that I can eat but my family likes it. I think there's a GF pizza crust available at the pizza counter but it's been a while since I've had pizza there so I'm not 100% on if it's still there.

Parking can be crowded if they've closed off the top lot. If the second level parking is open I go there without even checking the first level--second level always has more room and tbh it's kind of fun putting your cart into a cart escalator to get it upstairs 😄

Overall great store, I wish I lived a little closer. (I'm not far, just far enough that it's not practical to shop...