Where's The G-D Peanut Butter???

Our Wegmans has been making changes to the store over the past week that they claim are based on customer response. I can understand two of the three things that are being changed, and am quite happy about those two things. Let's start with the positive:

1. Our Wegmans will finally have a sushi bar by Mother's Day


2. The Nature's Marketplace section has been expanded

Now the notso pleasant change:

1. Aisles shortened by inserting a break in the middle of each aisle

Now, putting in that break wouldn't have been so bad if they also didn't change where all the products were located. Every single aisle is different. Those who know me know I plan my grocery list and coupons based on where items are in located in the store. I knew our Wegmans so well that I often found myself giving directions to out-of-towners who had driven over from the Lake to pick up groceries (more fan girl action here).

Anyway, one of the basic items I needed to pick up today was peanut butter. This used to be located across from cereal. I couldn't find it in cereal. I looked in the next two (four with the aisle breaks) aisles for it. I found hot fudge and other sundae toppings, but not peanut butter. I think I spent almost five minutes going up and down aisles looking for this staple. Eventually, I broke down and asked an employee. She directed me to aisle 10 and told me to "turn right" when I got there. Peanut butter and jelly products are now located in the snack aisle near bulk food, which was moved to accommodate the larger Nature's Marketplace.

I watched other shoppers wandering around with the lost sheep look on their faces. What is normally a highly enjoyable experience for me became almost stressful. And of course I forgot to pick up a store directory to look over so I could avoid this next weekend.

I'm thinking the Jamestown/Lakewood shoppers could have used a little "Get To Know Your Wegmans!" video like they created for the new store in Potomac, VA.