October 2026

Let them eat cake on layaway

Posted on October 2, 2026October 2, 2026 by Wegmaniacal

People in the richest country in the world are having to use buy-now, pay-later plans to eat. Wegmans doesn’t have such a plan, nor does it accept BNPL payments. Yet nationwide, their usage is soaring. According to the Federal Reserve’s 2026 Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households report, one in five people who used BNPL during…

How Wegmans prices compare

Posted on October 1, 2026October 1, 2026 by Wegmaniacal

It’s well established that BJ’s, Costco and Walmart can beat Wegmans prices. But how do the top chains compare? In February, Consumer Reports surveyed the costs of selected items relative to Walmart and produced the following chart: The CR report came out a week before the U.S. bombed Iran, resulting in the closing of the…

Upstate New Yorkers love their Wegmans, with a bond that newer customers in other parts of the East are discovering. As a customer and former employee, I share the obsession.

I launched Wegmaniacal in December 2019, to examine the cultlike following the company has developed since its founding in Rochester more than a century ago.

The site stagnated when I left Wegmans and returned to other endeavors. But with rising grocery prices, lowering environmental regulation, and pharmaceutical challenges, it’s time to resume writing here.

Much of what I have to say is positive. Nevertheless, the company is family owned and most of its operations are conducted in private. As a longtime journalist, I’ll also delve into topics Danny Wegman would prefer to keep behind closed doors.

— Laurie Bennett