Based on what I was told, there are a lot more options here so the competition is spread out and they just haven’t had the impact that they thought they would, particularly with Publix coming around the same time. In some of their markets, Wegmans dominates and has put other smaller chains out of business - but there is just so much competition here.
For me, several HTs are closer to my house and generally have what I need, though if I’m near Wegmans I might stop in to get a vanilla pea milk I like. Spring through late fall I buy almost all my produce at the farmer’s markets (more competition).
People migrating from the north love being able to have a taste of what they had back home. If Charlotte and Raleigh are both being considered, Wegman’s could easily be the tipping point to lead them here.
For the record, I once drove an extra 4 hours during a trip to see the Bobcats (RIP) because a friend of mine wanted Del Taco.
There is a Wegmans near where I live in DC. It opened in the old FannieMae HQ building. I’ve never been to it before. The fact Raleigh also has a Wegmans would not be the tipping point for me to make the decision to move there.
Every time I go to the one in Raleigh, it is PACKED. Like State Fair on a weekend packed. Maybe the one in Morrisville/Cary with all the other options is underperforming, though?
I’ll be honest, I go to the Midtown Wegman’s probably twice a week at all kinds of random times and the crowd is pretty variable. It’s almost never sparse, but it’s also almost never packed (but I never go at the immediately after work bumrush time). Just medium busy.
In my experience, the store is bigger, has a better selection, better prices, better alcohol options, and better produce. And cheaper truffle butter. I don’t go in for the prepared food thing, so that’s kind of lost on me.
Wegmans is closer to me but HT stocks Howling Cow ice cream.
(I kid, I’m far from an expert, especially in Harris Teeter, which has never been my closest grocery. Wegman’s is pretty inexpensive and has good quality store brand stuff, but much less name brand-name stuff compared to Publix, which can be frustrating if you have a particular staple you like - in my case Buitoni pesto).
Almost next to Wegmans there is Trader Joe’s and Costco. And just up the road from that about a mile you Have Wal-Mart, Lidle, Aldis, and Food Lion. With HT in North hills pretty close by. That’s 8 grocery stores all very close to each other in midtown. There used to be a Krogers too, but it closed down.
I had visitors from Atlanta recently who actually had a very good first impression of Raleigh. They stayed at Longleaf Hotel and absolutely loved it. We walked around downtown instead of driving through. We visited the history and science museums, walked past the Governor’s mansion and the restored mansions on Blount street, and had lunch at Ish Delicatessen on Person St. Later we went to the art museum on Blue Ridge and walked the trails. They were very impressed. I think it’s true that it helps for a local to show visitors around.
That is not what the person I got my info from said. Remember, Wegmans dominates certain markets they are in so in comparison it’s underperforming (drove a lot of other stores out and basically only competes with Wal-Mart in some markets). I also understand that they rely heavily on their store brands and that’s not attractive to people who want their name brands, as oakcityyimby has also said. Apparently, the quality of employee here is also an issue (but that could be training issues), compared to their established markets. Just the messenger…
I am totally a house brand shopper at Wegmans. They are much cheaper products. I always buy my milk and eggs there too because they usually have the cheapest prices in town. Before the bird flu/egg crisis, Wegmans eggs were insanely cheap.
I feel the proposed Wegmans in Holly Springs, if it’s ever built, would do pretty great right there off 55. Holly Springs and Fuquay are home to tons of transplants from up north and would be a taste of home as someone mentioned. Personal example, my in-laws moved to FV from Pennsylvania and are hoping that the Wegmans opens but have been perfectly fine with the Lowe’s Foods and HT’s in the area.
I would definitely include NCMA + art park in a first-time visitor tour, but my picks are also usually a lot more under the radar:
-Glas (neon workshop and gallery) + beers and food at Linville Brewing/Wilson’s
-LUMP Gallery
-JC Raulston Arboretum (my personal favorite place to take out-of-towners visiting for their first time, it usually gets rave reviews)
-Person St Bar + surrounding Person St shops (esp. So & So Books!)
‘recall’ that raleigh prior the the 80s…RTP began gathering great steam then, was just a small sleepy southern capital city, with a few quirks, ie, the underground at cameron village, dorton arena, etc. that someone in the area coaxed a few national acts into. roughly half a million people now. why? solid place to live.
I didn’t know where else to put this but here’s my hot take: I don’t think Raleigh looks its age. What I mean is that many of our beautiful and historically significant buildings were demolished. With that said, I think the appearance commission should require new buildings to resemble buildings from the 1800s-1900s to emulate what the area could’ve looked like . (Preferably in the warehouse district and original CBD)
Lafayette Village is a neat little place although I will admit that unless you are getting food, it can be quite boring. The design of the buildings are nice as it is unique for the area. It’s disappointing that the Eiffel Tower is on the edge of the parking lot. I’m also disappointed that for this to mimic a European feeling, there was absolutely no bicycle parking here. Bicycle connection here is a bit disappointing, although there is a larger sidepath that runs along Falls of Neuse that I’ve ridden on quite a bit. I will say a positive is that I was able to lock to a rail in the covered parking below.
I really wish the center was larger to give more variety of shops or places to walk around. If I measure it on Google maps, the largest walking distance directly through it is between 400-500 ft. If you walk around the outside of it, then it’s about 1/4 mile.
These are just some photos of something I was able to enjoy within the city limits today. Lafayette Village wasn’t really a stop I had planned for today. I was mainly riding but I figured since I wasn’t too far away, I could take some photos.
As a random bonus, here’s some photos of a bike rack and two bikes waiting out the rain last night at North Hills. My riding partner didn’t have a rain jacket.
. (Preferably in the warehouse district and original CBD)
