Harris Teeter Rant/Wegmans Rave

Boy, I really wanted to like our neighborhood Teeter - I really did. We used to live in Charlotte, and HT was the premier grocery store in the area - but I've found our local HT's to be quite a step down. Couple of rants:

1. HT - please quit badgering me to use the U-checkout line - if I want to check myself out, I'll do it. This has happened every time I've gone in the store, and on all occasions, the lines for the regular cashiers are minimal. Today, I wanted to buy 1 jar of mustard - $3.17. The cashier manning the U-checkout duped me - "Here, let me check you out over here". 10 minutes later I was checked out - after having to deal with dollar bills which the machine wouldn't take because they weren't flat and crisp - he finally had to go to a cashier and get my bills exhanged for crisp ones - AAARRRRGHHHH!!!

2. HT - Check your sell by dates. Twice now we have bought products only to find that they were expired. Yes, I could have brought them back -but what a pain in the rear that is!

3. HT - Why do you force me to buy your premium Angus beef??- each time I've wanted to buy beef, their regular packaged beef is woefully bereft of selection, "forcing" the consumer to their more expensive Angus meat selection under glass. Sometimes I don't want to buy the premium beef!!!

I could go on with more...I started shopping there thinking they would be my primary shopping destination. This changed to convenience shopping only. I've now abandoned them even for convenience shopping. Such a shame as they aren't the same store we used to enjoy in Charlotte.

Now - to contrast - I've grown to love Wegmans. Not only do they have pretty good prices, but excellent selection and quality. I'm not a huge fan of their layout (I still haven't quite figured it out and find myself backtracking quite a bit) - but they more than make up for it in other ways. Not always that convenient for me, but given my closer alternatives, Wegmans will keep me as a loyal customer.

Harris Teeter - you blew it!!

 

I to enjoy Wegmens, but I will have to say that overall, HT is much better than Weggmans. It's a really pain in the a__ to get in and out of Wegmans, traffic is always bad, and it's really time consuming. Don't get me wrong, I love Wegmans, but for general grocery visits, HT has them beat hands down. Plus I love the online purchase service. I use it all the time. Just order and pick up on the way home. excellent.

 

I'm with you, StevieD. There are a few items that I like at HT but my family eats a lot of fruit and veggies and the selection is one of the worst. Sometimes, I am able to get fruit that will last for more than a day but those instances have been few and far between (although, I did once find rock hard peaches but decided to pass). And don't get me started on their meat selection--it simply is just poor quality.

I think Wegman's has the best selection and best tasting fruit and veggies. Plus even their meat (not the premium) is excellent.

 

ONE more rave for Wegmans! the deli meat at HT is GROSS. even my 8 year old said "this doesn't even LOOK like black forest ham"- and he was RIGHT. their produce at HT is more expensive and less flavorful.

I don't like anything about HT- not the layout, not the check out, and not the prices.

Wegmans is worth the inconvenince- but I shop during non peak hours so I am rarely bothered there...

 

i'm in agreement about wegman's, however, i do have to say that the new HT is *leagues* better than either giant or safeway. the people that work there have always been friendly and it's just a lot more pleasant to shop there over the giants and safeway. i worry a lot more about the freshness of things at the other stores, and wegmans is just cheaper than the others. i really have no idea how they all stay in business, and would be curious to see how huge of a loss they have every month. you can practically see the giant from the HT parking lot! but that's been discussed here many times...

 

I agree about wegmans being set up in a starnge way but, if you go to their website and do your grocery list online, it saves so much time. They have it set up so that you can print out your list and it is sorted by the aisles of the store.

It has saved me so much time and I don't end up doing as much backtracking as I used to.

 

I totally agree. I tried the Broadlands Safeway and just found it a little gross. The produce was never good.

I love Wegmans produce, but I used Wegmans and HT for speciality items. I do not shop there for major weekly shopping.

It's funny how somedays I feel as if I need to go to 3 stores to get what I want - however - when I try just one it never works.

 

I've actually been pretty impressed with Harris Teeter. Their employees are definitely two steps above most grocery store staff. Haven't had any problems with meat or veggies. Just be selective.
I like Wegman's, but it isn't worth the drive and hassle getting in and out of that disaster of an area. I look forward to the Leesburg one opening.

 

We are definitely Wegmans followers. I've also had problems with expired items and even with them not putting some of my purchased groceries in my cart, so it gets left behind. HT people are very nice, but the store itself has implemented a convenience store approach, especially on prices. After the one near the intersection of Old Ryan and LCP opens, they'll practically be a HT on every corner! We just plan our trips to Wegmans when the Redskins games are going on--much lighter crowd ;-)

 

HT is my go-to for a gallon of milk, since it's only $2.99 through mid-November. I know Wegman's milk price used to be comparable, but that right-turn stoplight and the long lines it creates have killed my desire to go there, as much as I love the store. Can't they at least set the light to blink after a certain time? What a mess that intersection is.

 

My 2 cents: I like both stores. The prices at HT seem a little higher than Wegmans. Regardless of what store I'm at, I always check the expiration dates since I've experienced that at pretty much every store. Especially with yogurt.

I like Wegmans for their overall grocery prices, but their deli and specialty items cost a lot more, which I imagine is why they can keep their regular grocery items priced low. I have not been impressed with the prices on their meat at all - it seems awfully high, even if the selection is good quality stuff.

Shoppers has good prices and the best selection of meat I've seen at any of the stores. They also have spices at really low prices (hey, I rhymed!).

So basically if I'm shopping for everyday grocery items I shop at Wegmans but if I specifically need meat, I go elsewhere. The SuperGiant by Home Depot is good for sale items, especially since hardly anyone shops there! Easy in and out.

 

I will gladly pay a little bit more for certain things to have far better customer service, ease of entry and exit, and a better overall shopping experience at HT than Giant, Bloom or Safeway (esp Safeway!!). We usually do our large shoppings at Shoppers and then use HT for the things like bread, milk, cereal, etc.. that we buy more frequently. HT also has very good sales on the items we buy a lot of so we stock up on them when we are there.

I can get in and out of either HT within a few minutes and am always greeted when entering and thanked when leaving. They have self serve lanes to reduce the wait and the customer service manager jumps to a register frequently if you have to wait even one person in line. Safeway probably has the worst customer service of any grocery store I have been to (the one here in the Broadlands and esp the one downtown next to my office). You can have five people in line with lots of groceries and they still won't open another lane.

 

I've always assumed that HT's higher prices were the reason they can have random samples available all day, since I've never seen them at Safeway, Giant, etc (although Food Lion used to have some, too). And the "Special Today" discounts are usually a good deal, IF I happen to need something that's being discounted. HT isn't my first choice for a good deal, but if I need something desperately at 2 a.m., it's the only choice at the moment!

Just biding my time for Trader Joe's!

 

Which is sad, because when Safeway first opened, the service was GREAT. The store was clean, the produce was actually decent, and there were employees everywhere. Seems like the same thing happens with every new grocery store opening, although the downturn with Safeway is more drastic than the others have been.

 

HT is a nice looking store but way too over priced I will take wegmans anyday.
When stores don't get the expected business you really need to watch the expirations on their products. Especially worries me when it comes to the fresh food such as meets and produce. Food lion got into major trouble about ntheir meats many years ago.

Again way too many grocery stores for the current population which translates into stale and out of date food.

Giant over by home depot might as close for the amount of business they are getting. I know someone that works for the corporate office and said the Home Depot giant is a huge disappointment and they wish they did not open this one at this time.

Lee j

 

I completely agree that once you shop at Wegmans, you're spoiled for life! I do all my shopping at the one in Fairfax, except for some things I get at Trader Joe's, but I hate Giant and Safeway now. The few times I have to go into the Broadlands Safeway, I get in and out as soon as humanly possible. Yeah, Wegmans is crowded, but it's crowded for a reason!

 

The only gripe is the horrible light configuration when leaving Wegman's. Why they added the right turn light is beyond me, but it takes what would be a 2 minute intersection and turns it into a minimum of 5-10 minutes. Is there a reason they just don't force the right lane of waxpool to be a turn only lane?

 

I am a regular at Wegman's but I must say, I have been spending less time there because of the convenience and quality HT is offering. No comparison to Safeway.

Also, if you look for them, the HT coupons and discounts can be extremely good.

 

Our local Teet continues to be a go-to for me.... you just know how to shop there. I group their products into three categories: (1) great deals; (2) average price; (3) overpriced. I stay away from type 3 and focus almost exclusively on type 1 with type 2 thrown in based on immediate need. I pull up their web site and create my own shopping list based on VIC card sale items. And with the coupons that we've been getting in the mail for the past several months, it's great that they're paying us $20/week to shop there. And the $2.99 milk is the cheapest around. I hate self-checkout and am not afraid to express my opinions, and never once has a real checker not respected my preference or been anything but swift and courteous. Clean store, decent layout, friendly people, community minded (auto donations via VIC card registration: 5980/5981 for Briar Woods and the Music Boosters)... not a bad place.

Giant near Home Depot? Pathetic.

New Bloom? Overpriced with a horrendous layout; I miss the old basic cheapo Food Lion.

Safeway? Can be great for sale items, but their advertised specials often require very specific purchases based on quantity minimums or selected varieties... ya gotta be careful or you'll get hosed.

SFW? Pretty good produce (except lettuce) and consistently fair-priced overall.

Wegman's? Love 'em, but the traffic situation is a real turn-off.

Bottom Dollar in Sterling? Skanky but cheap; great produce.