Wegmans Case

BUS359_Operations and Supply Chain Management Case study: Wegmans Food Markets

Question 1: The quality of a supermarket in customers’ mind depends on a variety of factors. There are some basic criteria supermarkets must achieve if they want to be success. 1. They should keep a wide range of products so that customers can choose and buy all they need in one place. In addition, a variety of goods allows customers to compare the price, ingredients or nutrient information between food stuffs. 2. Not only keep the quantity of products, a successful supermarket must ensure the quality as well. Vegetables, fruits and meat must be fresh or be preserved in a cold place. For example, Wegmans offers a “farm to market” system that allows local growers deliver their produce directly to individual stores, by passing the main warehouse. 3. Offering comparative prices is an advantage for a supermarket to overtake others. 4. People tend to choose a supermarket that is near their home or working places. Hence, location is an element influencing the success of a supermarket. 5. The store layout is also important. Products should be organized so that customers can easily find what they want. 6. The working attitudes and behaviours or employees directly affected customer’s choice. Employees have to be honest, polite, professional and enthusiastic when serving customers.

7. Good supermarkets will have additional services like free car parking, dry cleaning department, etc for customers. 8. Based on the success of Wegmans, we can see that the functions of a supermarket is not only selling goods for customers, but also provides food stations like a sandwich bar, a salad bar, or a dessert station. Therefore, customers can get full shopping experience in the supermarket. 9. Customer services like refund policy or gifts for loyal customers will reflect the quality of a supermarket.

Question 2: Indicate how and why each of these factors is important to the successful operation of a...