Reason One to Move to New Jersey: Supermarkets
While I have discovered many reasons NOT to move to New Jersey, there are a few reasons to move to the Garden State. The first reason is Supermarkets. If you like to grocery shop, then this state is for you. I've only been here 18 days and I already have discount shopper cards from 4 different supermarkets, and there are at least 4 others that I haven't even been to yet.
First, there is a charming little Wild Oats right in the center of town. Now, for those of you who know me well, you will remember that I have a huge fear of contracting a serious disease from food gone bad. I interpret expiration dates on food to mean:throw food away 2 weeks before the date stamped on the item. My experiences with Wild Oats in Medford, MA had not been pleasant. Every time I would shop there, I would inevitably bring home (inadvertently) something moldy - fruit, bread, veggies... it was totally gross! I often referred to the Wild Oats in Medford as Wild Mold. So, I was pleasantly surprised when we found this quaint little Wild Oats on our 2nd day here. It's small, clean, and the folks were very helpful. It gives me the impression of what the original Bread and Circus in Central Square must have been like when it first started out.
But, this Wild Oats surprise was just the beginning. Next, I found the Super Stop and Shop, a mere 5 miles north from our house. It's big, clean, and shiny. And, surprisingly enough, there was PLENTY of parking. I went there late afternoon on a Wednesday. The place was empty! I asked the cashier if there were any days to avoid shopping there and she told me that you can always find parking and that there's never more than 2 people ahead of you in the check out line. When I looked at her in disbelief, she told me that a brand new Super (Duper) Stop and Shop just opened 5 miles up the road and that everyone is going there. But, it turns out that the store I was in, has been opened less than 8 months.
Then, I accidentally found McCaffrey's. It's located in the town of Princeton, at the Princeton Shopping Center - a high end shopping center that looks like it was built in 1962. Again, tons of parking. Again, friendly staff. Again, bright and clean. Fun gourmet and prepared items. McCaffrey's seems to be the place for people who live in Princeton Borough, the real heart of the town. The only draw back about McCaffrey's is that the aisles seem to be a little narrow. But there was lots of town gossiping going on in town.
Down Route 1 (more on Route 1 in a later post) there is strip mall heaven, if you like strip malls, strip mall hell if you don't. There is a Whole Foods on Route 1, a Shop Rite, and a Pathmark - all within a 15 minute drive. I was going to check them out, but, then I found Supermarket Nirvana...
Wegmans
It's unbelievable.
When I was in Mr. Altadona's 5th grade class, we studied about "Mega Cities". In the future, Mega Cities would be these huge buildings where people would live and work and shop and do everything that we did back in 1979 (except I imagined everyone wearing jet packs). Well, Wegman's is as close to a Mega City as I've seen yet.
First, it's beautiful. The lighting is really soft and warm. The whole store has a sort of orangey, sunset glow. Great music plays constantly, the staff is super helpful (almost cult like), and they have every food imaginable, all at totally reasonable prices. They have one whole section that feels like a high end food court. They have a liquor store, a photo store, a totally impressive cheese shop... I could go on and on. Then, upstairs is the "Cafe" where you can eat whatever you just bought. Even the restrooms are spotless! People flock to this place. Yet, there's always parking.
Wegman's shares a strip mall with Kohl's, Target, and Michael's. There's a Home Depot, Comp USA, Borders,Sam's Club, and Walmart across the street. And yes, there is ALWAYS parking.
So, the first lesson for today is: if you like to grocery shop, come to Wegmans (yes, I've definitely joined the cult).
The second lesson for today is: strip malls that only have big box stores totally suck! It needs to be all about mixed use development. Princeton is proof of what happens when it all goes (terribly) big box.
First, there is a charming little Wild Oats right in the center of town. Now, for those of you who know me well, you will remember that I have a huge fear of contracting a serious disease from food gone bad. I interpret expiration dates on food to mean:throw food away 2 weeks before the date stamped on the item. My experiences with Wild Oats in Medford, MA had not been pleasant. Every time I would shop there, I would inevitably bring home (inadvertently) something moldy - fruit, bread, veggies... it was totally gross! I often referred to the Wild Oats in Medford as Wild Mold. So, I was pleasantly surprised when we found this quaint little Wild Oats on our 2nd day here. It's small, clean, and the folks were very helpful. It gives me the impression of what the original Bread and Circus in Central Square must have been like when it first started out.
But, this Wild Oats surprise was just the beginning. Next, I found the Super Stop and Shop, a mere 5 miles north from our house. It's big, clean, and shiny. And, surprisingly enough, there was PLENTY of parking. I went there late afternoon on a Wednesday. The place was empty! I asked the cashier if there were any days to avoid shopping there and she told me that you can always find parking and that there's never more than 2 people ahead of you in the check out line. When I looked at her in disbelief, she told me that a brand new Super (Duper) Stop and Shop just opened 5 miles up the road and that everyone is going there. But, it turns out that the store I was in, has been opened less than 8 months.
Then, I accidentally found McCaffrey's. It's located in the town of Princeton, at the Princeton Shopping Center - a high end shopping center that looks like it was built in 1962. Again, tons of parking. Again, friendly staff. Again, bright and clean. Fun gourmet and prepared items. McCaffrey's seems to be the place for people who live in Princeton Borough, the real heart of the town. The only draw back about McCaffrey's is that the aisles seem to be a little narrow. But there was lots of town gossiping going on in town.
Down Route 1 (more on Route 1 in a later post) there is strip mall heaven, if you like strip malls, strip mall hell if you don't. There is a Whole Foods on Route 1, a Shop Rite, and a Pathmark - all within a 15 minute drive. I was going to check them out, but, then I found Supermarket Nirvana...
Wegmans
It's unbelievable.
When I was in Mr. Altadona's 5th grade class, we studied about "Mega Cities". In the future, Mega Cities would be these huge buildings where people would live and work and shop and do everything that we did back in 1979 (except I imagined everyone wearing jet packs). Well, Wegman's is as close to a Mega City as I've seen yet.
First, it's beautiful. The lighting is really soft and warm. The whole store has a sort of orangey, sunset glow. Great music plays constantly, the staff is super helpful (almost cult like), and they have every food imaginable, all at totally reasonable prices. They have one whole section that feels like a high end food court. They have a liquor store, a photo store, a totally impressive cheese shop... I could go on and on. Then, upstairs is the "Cafe" where you can eat whatever you just bought. Even the restrooms are spotless! People flock to this place. Yet, there's always parking.
Wegman's shares a strip mall with Kohl's, Target, and Michael's. There's a Home Depot, Comp USA, Borders,Sam's Club, and Walmart across the street. And yes, there is ALWAYS parking.
So, the first lesson for today is: if you like to grocery shop, come to Wegmans (yes, I've definitely joined the cult).
The second lesson for today is: strip malls that only have big box stores totally suck! It needs to be all about mixed use development. Princeton is proof of what happens when it all goes (terribly) big box.
posted by Susan P. at 8:21 PM
2 Comments:
As a NJ native I am very interested in an "outsider's" point of view. I would also like to welcome you to the most densely populated state in the nation.
Welcome to Wegman's nation! It's a Rochester-based company, and all of us natives have, at one time in our lives, worked for Danny Wegman. I was a "front-end" girl (read: check-out chick) when I was 15, and longed to work in produce with the hotties. Alas. It's the kind of place that really appreciates your business, so if there's anything (right down to Whole Foods kind of stuff) that you don't see, ask for it. They're into customer gratification. P.S., when Cher and Diana Ross are in town, they make it a point to stop at Wegman's. You're in good, diva company. Happy Shopping!
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