Thursday, June 30, 2011

New in Wegmans: your ankles

Say "Wegmans" to anyone who's spent more than three days in Rochester. You'll see their eyes glaze over.

For many people, Wegmans is the Valhalla of supermarkets. Better than Whole Foods. Better than Target. Almost the Nordstroms of groceries. Former Rochesterians who move to bigger cities pine for Wegmans. You can send them a Wegmans reusable shopping bag as a gift, and they tear up.

I never dispute Wegmans' greatness. I love them. Sure, Wegmans can be pricey at times, but they outshine most competitors for two simple reasons:
  • Wegmans gives a ton of philanthropic support to the communities in which its stores and workers live. Including scholarship money for young cashiers.
  • Wegmans is open ALL THE TIME.
  • (Third Reason: my feet never stick to the floor in a Wegmans market. Ever.)
So I'm cruising the Eastway Wegmans last night for some essentials: nonfat vanilla yogurt, oat bran snacks, skim milk, etc. About $40 worth of groceries. I pull into the checkout lane, and suddenly notice my feet. They are glowing. I can see I have a shoelace about to go AWOL.

I drop coins all the time, and think this is a handy convenience. I ask the cheerful cashier, "What's with the lights at my feet?"

Wegmans has installed illuminated ankle-level cameras at every checkout line, she tells me. "It's so we can see what's in the bottom rack of your shopping cart."

Really? Shopping carts are transparent, gridded contraptions: basically, upended cages on wheels. You can see through the baskets to the lower deck, where you'd put big sacks of dog food or cartons of soft drinks.

So, my friends, the jig is up. If you're smuggling Slim-Fast or meatloaf out in your socks, Wegmans' ankle-cameras will nab you. Or they'll report that you need new polish on your toenails.

1 comment:

pmaley said...

What's nest shoe mirror's?