Wegmans and Stop & Shop or two of the most well-known supermarkets in the United States. Well each of them serves a bit of a different demographic, at the end of the day they still both sell groceries.
But which one is better? I compared these two grocery stores based on three different shopping factors. These shopping factors are:
- Price
- Quality
- Variety
By the end of this article, you should have a much better idea as to which grocery store is right for you based on your shopping needs.
Which is Better: Wegmans or Stop and Shop? Wegmans is anywhere from 10% to 44% cheaper than Stop and Shop for a majority of common shopping products. Additionally, Wegmans has slightly higher product quality than Stop and Shop according to the FDA. There is also more product selection available at Wegmans.
Is Wegmans Cheaper Than Stop and Shop?
Most customers consider price as one of the most important decision making factors when looking at two stores to shop at. Majority of customers would rather shop at the store that gives them the best deal, or the best bang for their buck.
So when comparing Wegmans and stop and shop, which one is cheaper? I took a look at each of these stores’ online websites and collected the prices for their most commonly shopped store brand items. Below is a table showing which store has cheaper prices on average.
| Category | Wegmans Brand | Stop and Shop Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
Wegmans is significantly cheaper than Stop and Shop for store brand items. More specifically, Wegmans is anywhere from 10% to 44% cheaper than Stop and Shop in a majority of shopping categories. However, Stop and Shop is 140% cheaper for bread and baked goods and 43% cheaper for cleaners.
Above is a graph that displays the average price for the common items in each shopping category. For a majority of the options, Wegmans is the cheaper option. However, something to note is that for the couple of categories that Wegmans is the expensive option, they are significantly pricier than the Stop and Shop products.
So, it may be worth coordinating your shopping list so that you can get the best deals at both stores. If you are a price conscious shopper, you are much more likely to save money and get cheaper deals at Wegmans.
Product Quality: Wegmans vs Stop and Shop
Product quality is also something that many shoppers consider when making the choice between two grocery stores. So between Wegmans and stop and shop, which one has higher quality products.
To see which store has better quality, I looked at the FDA’s recall database to see which store has had more product recalls in recent years. The store with more recalls is likely to have lower quality products.
| Category | Wegmans Recalls | Stop and ShopRecalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 0 | 0 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 0 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 1 |
| Drugs | 0 | 4 |
| Food and Beverages | 23 | 19 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
After looking at the information from the database it appears that Stop and Shop has had slightly more instances of product recalls in recent years. More specifically, Stop and Shop has had 24 product recalls, whereas Wegmans has had 23.
Both stores have had nearly the same amount of recalls, with Stop and Shop having more, it suggests that their product quality is a little bit lower than Wegmans.
With this being said, while you are likely to find very similar quality products at each store, you are more likely to find higher quality products at Wegmans. So, if you are a shopper that prioritizes quality when shopping, you should shop at Wegmans.
Product Variety: Wegmans vs Stop and Shop
Although product variety may not be as prevalent of a factor as price and quality, it still is a big consideration for most shoppers. Product variety is essentially the amount of options you have available at each store. So which store has more options to choose from?
| Total Wegmans Products | Total Stop and Shop Products |
| 50,000 – 70,000 products | 30,000 products |
Wegmans has many more items to shop from when compared to Stop and Shop. More specifically, Wegmans has anywhere from 1.6 times to 2.3 times more products available at their stores.
In total Stop and Shop has 30,000 products and Wegmans has 50,000 – 70,000, which means you will be able to have more options at your disposal at Wegmans than at Stop and Shop.
For reference, the average supermarket / grocery store has about 31,000 items available for purchase. So, while Stop and Shop is just below the industry average, Wegmans will typically double the average at most of their locations.
What Does Each Store Sell?
Something to note is that each store generally carries the same items, however there are a few differences in certain types of products. Wegmans is more focused on providing extensive organic options. Many of their products are organic.
While Wegmans does carry the typical non-organic options, they specialize in more health conscious foods. Stop and Shop does not carry as many organic options in their stores. So, if you are more of a health conscious shopper, then Wegmans is a great option.
Which One Should You Shop At: Wegmans vs Stop and Shop?
When to shop at Wegmans: Not only does Wegmans offer cheaper prices, better quality, and more product variety, but they also offer an extensive amount of choices for health conscious and organic food.
There are almost no instances where you shouldn’t choose Wegmans over Stop and Shop.
When to shop at Stop and Shop: unless Stop & Shop is your only option, then you should be shopping at Wegmans. After this analysis, it is clear that stop and shop is more expensive, has slightly lower quality products and fewer products to choose from.
Final Thoughts: Wegmans vs Stop and Shop
All in all, Wegmans is the hands-down winner in this grocery store feud. It’s not to say that Stop & Shop is a bad supermarket, it is just that Wegmans seems to offer so much more value to customers. If Stop & Shop is your only option, then you will still get great products at a great price.