Wegmans — Local services in Rockville

Edited, Tip #1: Obviously go there at 6am, it opens at 6am everyday, parking available right next to the front door and aisles clear of people. Tip #2: Buy products in their family pack lines, the per ounce savings is so great it seems ridiculous for them to charge the amounts for the smaller containers. Tip #3: To bring up your virtual shoppers club card from the app, at top of home screen, scroll right through buttons to "My Shoppers Club", the UPC for your account will display allowing you to scan before working the self checkout machine. -Works for me. Noticeable emphasis on cheese selection for all the turophiles of the area. But a caveat for the CEO of Wegmans: when customers think of 'Wegmans' we think of international foods and the largest grocery stores ever built with every food item known to humankind for ready purchase. No of course you don't carry every food ever made, but it is closer than most grocery stores. That is why we came in the first place.

Problem is you build stores like these and the City Ridge, DC one down the street. These stores have 80,000 square feet, inline with the size of common grocery stores around here. This is contrary to your Columbia Maryland store which spans 160,000 square feet. It doesn't take a genius to realize we get confused when we notice a incredible reduction in the depth in food selection and the overall comfort level of just being in another grocery store with cramped aisles and and an obviousness that corporate is just trying to save money by going smaller.

My remedy for this is easy: rename these half-sized stores something else entirely. Some suggestions: Wegmans Lite, or Wegmans Express, or a name without 'Wegmans' at all. This will help delineate for customers which Wegmans to visit and whether driving the extra miles to the Columbia,MD one is worth it if they are looking for the traditional 'Wegmans' experience. Still a good grocery store for normal shopping though. Thanks for building a grocery store either way, we can never have too...

My friends and I waited years for this store to open. It is funny - when you’re in your 20s, you’re excited about a new club; in your 30s you’re excited about a new restaurant; in your 40s, you’re excited about a new grocery store. :-D I have always loved Wegmans. It’s always been, for me, the right combo of items I would want from Whole Foods, Giant, and Trader Joe’s combined in one. I had been driving to the Germantown store monthly to stock up on stuff; so when the Rockville store finally opened, I was there on opening day. Having shopped there now steadily every week since then, I have some thoughts. Pluses: the bakery is stellar; the meat/poultry are also stellar; now that the seafood counter finally opened, that is also top notch. Produce is, of course, excellent as well. The grab2go foods are excellent, as is the catering. I’ve done both and have been pleased. Minuses: there is WAY too much grab2go food - it takes up about half the store and means many products I’d find in the grocery section are just not there. The frozen food section is particularly sparse. I really want one-stop-shopping, and I just cannot do it here, unfortunately. Every weekend I make a loop: dry cleaner, Wegmans, Harris Teeter, and home. It’s not just for occasional items - it is weekly for frozen foods and sometimes dairy (the dates on the milk at this Wegmans are not great). All my friends have gone back to their original stores - generally Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. I’m sticking with Wegmans, hoping for adjustments over time, like the opening of a proper seafood counter last week. I have contemplated, though, whether I should just go the extra distance to the Germantown store weekly because it always has what I want and need. ...

I never really understood the hype around Wegmans. I’ve always been a Giant, Safeway, or Harris Teeter person because of their accessibility and convenience in this area. But this Wegmans completely changed my perspective and helped me understand what makes the store and its culture so special.

The layout is easy to navigate, the product selection is great, and the overall atmosphere is calm and welcoming. I always find exactly what I need and often things I didn’t even realize I wanted.

Most recent visit: Special mention to Tannin from the sushi section, who helped me choose what to get and even offered to make something more specific to what I was craving. I wasn’t even planning to buy sushi, but great customer service always wins me over. The checkout attendant was incredibly patient, even when I held up the line for a moment, bagging in my very particular way. The man who helped me switch to a larger cart - quick, thorough, and attentive. The night manager (I believe the name is Ron) also went above and beyond, helping me with my items instead of giving the usual “no” or “we can’t.” In fact, he helped even more than I was planning to ask for, which I really appreciated. And the woman in the cheese section was just as great; I interrupted her mid-task, yet she stopped, personally showed me what I was looking for, and even gave recommendations I ended up loving. Self-checkout attendants at night are always great.

Everyone I’ve interacted with at this location has been genuinely helpful, kind, and professional - EACH TIME. You can tell that great service and care are part of the culture here. I’m officially a Wegmans convert and only brave the grocery store closer to me as a last resort for last-minute...