Wegmans Among Businesses Putting Catholic Social Teaching to Good Use

NC Register ^ | May 1, 2017 | Peter Jesserer Smith

[NYer]

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — “Never think about yourself; always help others.”

The motto of the late Robert “Bob” Wegman, who pioneered the Wegmans Food Markets founded by his father and uncle, hangs up with his portrait in his one-stop supermarkets. But the business philosophy on which the Catholic merchant founded the family-owned company came from the lesson the Sisters of Mercy taught him as a boy in Catholic elementary school: The most important thing in life is getting to heaven.

Today, Wegmans Food Markets, headquartered in Rochester, New York, has 92 stores in six states and is recognized as one of 12 companies in Fortune magazine’s “Great Place to Work Legends.” In fact, Fortune recognized Wegmans in 2017 as the second-best place to work in the U.S. — runner-up only to Google.

The company attributes its success to Robert Wegman’s vision that it is “essential to treat customers and employees right.” Wegmans is among a cadre of privately held companies that have put into practice the Catholic social vision that the dignity of persons, not the pursuit of pure profit, must be at the center of the marketplace.

Sarah Kenton has worked at Wegmans since 2010, when she was 15 years old working part time as a cashier at the Canandaigua, New York, store and, later, as a customer-service representative in the produce section.

“Everyone at Wegmans is a family,” she said. While it may sound “cliché,” Kenton said it “really is true.”

Wegmans later invited her at age 17 to think about a permanent career in the company, providing her an internship that allowed her to experience various store operations under department managers. She has an offer for a full-time position as a team service leader after her graduation from Niagara University in May.

[NYer]

Wegmans considers its employees as their “most valuable asset,” Natale explained, so they provide competitive pay and benefits, including health care, dental care, prescription plans and retirement options. They also provide flexible scheduling to their employees, so they can care for their families.

Catholic ping!

[grimalkin]

I miss Wegmans. There are none here on the west coast.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Wegmans aren’t in the south either. We love Wegmans, it was a pleasure shopping there in Rochester. Our now #1 store here is Aldi’s and coming soon Lidl? (Too bad they don’t have the same beer they have in Germany)

[EEGator]

Wegmans is awesome!

[Mears]

One of my grandsons works part time at Wegmans——they are VERY good to their employees.

.

[Gay State Conservative]

There's a Wegman’s that's scheduled to open soon a couple of miles from me.I've heard and read many good things about the chain and to know that they also treat their staff decently is a big plus to me.

[loungitude]

Wegmans kicked a$$ when I was in college in NY. That was a long time ago. I hope the keep up the good work!

[Opinionated Blowhard]

Wegmans is among a cadre of privately held companies that have put into practice the Catholic social vision that the dignity of persons, not the pursuit of pure profit, must be at the center of the marketplace.

Exactly. Why is this so hard for liberals to understand, including some liberal Catholic clergy. Catholic social doctrine is that you respect the dignity of persons in your PERSONAL business interactions. Its not a call for a massive Welfare State.

[Undecided 2012]

same here, are u in conroe?

[jaz.357]

We have two Wegmans here in Richmond, VA. Great store. Very clean and the workers are very kind.

A bunch of Aldi and now Lidl opening up half a dozen stores. Kroger still the big dog and now Publix from Florida has a few ready to open this year.

[Redmen4ever]

I’m not sure about Wegmen’s motto, “never think of yourself, always help others.” I think “love others as you love yourself” is the true commandment. But, the management practices of the company (described in the article) are great! They orient everybody to working together and working for the long-run. If I could tweak the motto, I’d say, “don’t worry about yourself, always help others.” In a decent, well-run company like this one, employees shouldn’t be worried about their jobs and this should free them to be helpful to the company’s customers. But, since I infer from their management practices this is what they actually mean, I’m o.k. with their motto.

[SkyPilot]

I grew up with Wegman's waaaay back when they were much less known and smaller. They were great stores even then.

Danny Wegman did the "undercover boss" thing years before it hit reality TV.

In one store, he worked in the cheese department. When they built the store, someone thought it would be quaint to have the floor in the cheese shop full of cobblestones, like an old European street.

The problem was, the floor was murder to work on. It was uneven, killed your feet, and a tripping hazard.

Danny Wegman closed the cheese shop the next day in that store and ordered a new floor put in. He relocated the cheese department into a temporary area, apologized to all the workers, and gave them all a raise.

[Salvation]

I would shop there if I could. To me, service is of utmost importance. And it sounds like that is one of Wegman’s priorities.

[Dr. Scarpetta]

I love Wegmans. They will open 20 registers when it’s a busy time. No waiting in line. They have chefs preparing food & you can have meals there or take it home. Catering dept is very popular. Plus, it’s just so pleasant & the desserts are beautiful. There is no supermarket like it anywhere.

[Gerish]

The best grocery store ever!

[JimRed]

Our local Wegmans is five times as far as our Acme, Shop Rite and Foodtown, but the quality, variety and cleanliness make the trip worthwhile from time to time. They have a small dining area where you can buy a buffet-style lunch and sit down to eat.