Navigating Space: Wegmans
For this navigating space assignment, I choose to talk about the overall design and feel of Wegmans. Wegmans is an American supermarket chain similar to places like Walmart or Publix. What I enjoy most about Wegmans is the interior and how it seems so different compared to other supermarkets. In other places, the color of the environment is usually white or some other unappealing colors but at Wegmans, most of the interior seems to have this light tan color. Mixed with the light bars and the singular bulbs at the front of the store, it creates a well-lit environment that creates a sense of calmness and relaxation.
Something that also seems to stick out compared to other stores is some of the designs for the structures. At the front of the store right after entering, near the top of certain areas, there are windows with open doors that have a soft light coming through them. Along with this, there seems to be some type of roofing just peeking from the bottom of the wall which is prominently seen near the bakery section and where the pizzas and sandwiches are made. This creates a type of at-home structure making you feel secure buying these items or even just seeing how they are prepared.
On each aisle, there is usually a big sign on top telling you what you can find in each aisle. Something that I found interesting is in certain aisles, there are smaller signs with little details based on what the sign is for. For example, in the section with health-related items, these signs are black with a colorful flower type pattern while the signs for some Asian items have a wood-like design with some watercolor effects. I like how this promotes an environment for inclusiveness for certain areas when one goes out shopping.
One of the most interesting things about Wegmans can be found towards the center of the store. Here you can find a train track hanging from the ceiling with a model train running on it making occasional train noises. It’s a unique structure that I have never seen in any other supermarket. This is a small yet very fun touch to the overall environment creating a feeling of playfulness. The train can be enjoyed by not just children who may not enjoy grocery shopping but people of all ages as well.
As someone who technically worked at Wegmans, I wanted to add my experience to this post! While I did not work for Wegmans, I did work inside the Wegmans in Cary for a few months as an Instacart In-Store Shopper. Before starting the job, I was really nervous about not being able to figure out where each product is in a short enough amount of time. My fears were quickly resolved when I found out that the Instacart app actually tells you exactly where everything is located in the store (I could talk forever about the design elements of Instacart but I’ll just focus on Wegmans). However, I still needed to adopt a system of shopping that allowed me to finish each order as fast as possible. This was extremely easy at Wegmans as the store is organized in a way that allows you to seamlessly move through each isle and section then wrap back around to checkout. I’m not sure which Wegmans you were navigating, but Wegmans seems to have pretty much the same layout at each location which makes it really easy to shop at their stores no matter where you find yourself. Wegmans is well established in Northern states but they are quickly taking over the South. Their consistent design/layout has made it extremely easy for former Northerners to renew their Wegmans dedication after moving to the South.
Although I no longer work at Wegmans, I now regularly buy my groceries at the Wegmans Raleigh location. My transition from employee to customer was super convenient as Wegmans has been pushing their new “Wegmans Scan” app that allows me to shop in pretty much the exact same way as I used to shop for my job. The easy-to-navigate app allows customers to scan their own groceries as they are shopping to avoid long checkout lines. Wegmans provides paper bags at the front of the store for customers using the scan app, so you can also bag your groceries as you put them in your cart. The checkout process is really easy too, you just go to self checkout, scan a barcode on the checkout screen with your app, this then loads all of your groceries onto the checkout screen in under 30 seconds, then you just pay and go. This technology has made my grocery shopping trips so much quicker and relatively stress-free. This sounds like an ad for Wegmans but this has been my honest experience with their stores!