Wegmans - a large grocery store chain in the NE, refuses to enforce mask mandates

[Dennis Donovan]

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1331426084613656576.html

Since I've been asked about this numerous times, I'll address it here. More than two dozen Cayuga County restaurants and stores have been fined for violating COVID-19 rules. But there is one I get asked about more than any other: Wegmans.

Since the state's COVID-19 mask mandate took effect, I have received several messages from readers about Wegmans not enforcing the mask rule. Their stories are consistent: They observe a customer not wearing a mask and they report it to an employee.

These people tell me the same thing: A Wegmans employee (or management) responds with some variation of "There is nothing we can do."

These comments stayed with me as local businesses, many of which are small businesses, faced fines for either not abiding by the mask rules or not enforcing them.

And then I sat down to watch the Cayuga County Board of Health meeting in September.

At that meeting, the board approved four consent orders against businesses that violated the COVID-19 rules, specifically the mask order. I knew about these ahead of time because it's a public meeting and the materials were made available in advance.

What I wasn't prepared for was a long discussion about Wegmans. It was revealed, for the first time, that the board issued a consent order against Wegmans for violating the state mask mandate. But that wasn't the highlight.

A consent order is the first penalty in the enforcement process. The offender takes responsibility for their conduct (in this case, not following or enforcing the mask mandate) and they agree to pay a $50 fine. If they don't sign the order, the $50 fine *should* be off the table.

At the board of health meeting, a county official says that Wegmans paid the $50 but *did not* sign the order. That's significant because not agreeing to the consent order should trigger a hearing and the possibility of a stiffer penalty.

The same county official said that a Wegmans attorney sent them a letter. This official summarized Wegmans' stance — that the company "felt that they were not responsible for their customers."

This was surprising to some members of the board. One said that he "always thought of (Wegmans) as taking the approach of being a good corporate citizen."

And then came the big blow from a health department official.

They said that they had a conversation with someone at Wegmans' corporate office. Based on that discussion, she offered this assessment: "I just don't think they believe in it. That's the bottom line."

That's quite a statement about how this supermarket chain is responding to the pandemic. That has stayed with me for two months because I wondered what would come next. Would Wegmans face a stiffer penalty? Would there be additional penalties for these other complaints?

The answer to both questions, it appears, is no. There has been two board of health meetings since September. Wegmans hasn't been mentioned once.

I planned on following up on this two months ago, but then our COVID cases spiked and there may have been an election I had to cover. I am following up on this after Thanksgiving.

Some of the people who have contacted me about Wegmans do so after seeing local businesses, including locally-owned grocery stores, fined for not enforcing the mask mandate. One grocery store was fined today for the second time.

Their message is clear: How is this fair? Why is there one standard for certain businesses, while others face no penalties? These are good questions, and I plan on asking them.

-/snip-

Originating tweet:

Link to tweet

This is our local Wegmans. I tend to not shop there because their parking is horrible. I shop at Tops and they enforce the mask mandate.

[The Roux Comes First]

1. Sounds Like Time for a Thorough Boycott

[3catwoman3]

2. How very disappointing. I grew up in Rochester...

...NY, and still visit there. Always look forward to a return trip to Wegmans. They have everything one could possibly want, in terms of variety and quality.

I am surprised by this.

[bullwinkle428]

3. Not surprised. Hy-Vee, the huge chain in the upper Midwest, does not attempt

to enforce mask usage either. They are the "800-pound gorilla", so nobody wants to upset the apple cart. Big Republican donors. Recall Pence meeting with a bunch of their execs in Des Moines during the summer, and one of Pence's people told the Hy-Vee people to take their masks off for the big roundtable discussion. Of course, they all willingly complied.

[Lilaclady]

4. Wegmans

I also grew up in Rochester and enjoy visiting but I avoid Wegmans because they are too big. My niece lives in a newly declared Orange area in Brighton and they should definitely be enforcing the wearing of masks.

[Hotler]

5. Boo to my Kroger (king Sooperrs) and Home Depot.

Woo-hoo to my local Sprouts.

[LuvNewcastle]

6. Well, if they don't "believe in it,"

I think it's time to make a believer out of them. Send enforcers out to all the stores and constantly call management about mask violations. They will eventually get tired of being called about each individual case. If they still won't comply after daily attention to all the stores in the county, and if thousands of dollars in fines per store per day don't make them comply, get the health department to shut them down. Counties and states should not play when it comes to protecting public health. That's one of the most important things government does!

[Sherman A1]

7. This is absolute crap

Their customers need to find another place to shop.

[NJCher]

9. there's one in my area

and after this, I won't be shopping there.

Too bad for them because the RG spends profligately on gourmet food.

Too bad for me because I enjoy shopping there, but hey, there are King's, Stew Leonards, and many other choices in our northern NJ area.

[liberal_mama]

8. I live in Erie County, New York and we have lots of Wegmans stores

It's a shame to hear this. My daughter used to work for them. Covid cases are exploding in my area and then I read that Wegmans isn't enforcing masks. I'm so disappointed. Are they practicing food safety rules?

[mtnsnake]

10. Wegmans shouldn't be singled out. I don't see enforcement in any of the big Western NY stores

I go to. Nor have I seen enforcement in stores when I've been in Northern NY in recent months.

Maybe there are some stores that enforce it, but if there are, I sure don't see it because in just about every store I've been in there is always some mask-less asshole or two walking around like they don't even know a pandemic is happening. I've heard that some Walmart stores enforce it, but I haven't been in any Walmarts for a long time.

[jumptheshadow]

11. This is a tremendous disappointment

I would want to confirm 100 percent that it's true. If so, it would be such a self-destructive way to ruin a good brand name that was built slowly and incrementally for years and years.

Wegman's used to be the gold standard around here for customer service, quality and variety of products. It perennially seems to top lists as a good employer. It is the type of store you would drive well out of your way to shop at.

It also is part of Gov. Cuomo's partnership for the distribution of Thanksgiving meals.

https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-cuomo-announces-partnership-walmart-community-service-society-new-york-coca-cola

If this is true, then I would like to see the reasons for it. It is a Western New York chain, and operates in some of the reddest areas of the state.

[Marius25]

12. My Wegmans requires masks to enter the store,

and they even announce on the loud speaker that they will provide free masks if you forgot yours.

[Bayard]

13. Masks are required here in KY too

But its not enforced. Clerks, many with their own masks down under their noses, aren't going to do it. Some have even told me they were instructed by management not to try.

On the rare occasions I'm out, I always complain. Its sloughed off. I've even called a corporate office, and was put on hold so long, I finally gave up.

They put up these faded little notices on the doors that per the governor, masks are required. I want to see a big sign:

STOP RIGHT THERE!! IF YOU ARE NOT WEARING A MASK, DON'T COME IN HERE. GO AWAY!!

[Midnight Writer]

14. Same here in Illinois. Many maskless in stores, even some employees.

[sdfernando]

15. I've been to the Wegman's in Wayne, PA (company has a branch office in Wayne. PA).

I had to go there on a trip and a coworker who used to live on the east coast said I HAD to go to Wegman's. It was a nice store, parking was not a hassle. I liked the huge selection of prepared food for take out....and on one of my visits, as I was walking toward the entrance I saw a curious little man in a suit with a briefcase outside the store. Looked like he was waiting for a car to be picked up. Well I passed him and went into the store. Once inside the store you see a huge picture of Mr. Wegman hanging right inside the entrance (I assume this is true for all Wegman stores). Well wouldn't you know that it was the same guy I passed as I was walking into the store. When I left he was still there so I introduced myself and it was indeed Mr. Wegman. I'm disappointed that they aren't enforcing mask policy but I'm not all that surprised.

[Hortensis]

16. Consumer Reports once rated Wegman's as the best supermarket

chain in the nation. I even put picking up groceries at a Wegman's on my itinerary while we were traveling in the NE as a result, to see if it was noticeably special.

Wonder if this will affect CR's evaluation, or no. It would certainly knock them off my list in any case.

[fescuerescue]

17. $50 fine eh

Sounds like the bean counters did the math and determined that forcing customers to wear masks would cost more than the $50 fine.