Pajiba

Lay off, Dustin! Those Italian-Style Stewed Tomatoes in Aisle 5 aren't gonna sell themselves, you know! Would you rather have Carrot Top representing the greatest grocery story in all the land? Didn't think so.

And hey, maybe they just copied his voice and movements from his freshman year at Princeton without his knowledge.

I'm guessing that Alec Baldwin just really likes Wegman's, which makes sense. It's pretty awesome, as grocery stores go. For all you know, his contract stipulated free Wegman's hot bar for life, which is just too good to pass up.

What I found most disturbing was the apparent soliloquy regarding prices and helpful people. What the fuck are you looking at, Baldwin?

A "Buffalo Run" shopping trip from Toronto is just not complete without a stopover at one of these stores.

Now being from Massachusetts, I grew up on Demoulas Market Basket- a grocery chain that even now is still perpetually stuck in the early 1970's. No really, it's like stepping through some twisted time-warp. Not only do I think they still use the same uniforms, I think the store brand items were made from that era. So as such I had no idea the fun that Western New Yorkers had until I moved to Toronto. Every other month we take a trip over the border with hoards of Canucks. There must be some kind of shopping system, because they all hit the same stores at the same time. First place they all hit is the Target right after the U.S. Customs. The parking lot is just a sea of Ontario plates. This is usually followed by any number of commonplace chains that can't be found on the other side of the line (and a few that can but way cheaper) After the malls and shops, Wegman's is usually one of the last place hit. So if you see one of them there you know chances are they plan to go home shortly. Usually we go there to get the munchies otherwise unavailable and so the food isn't sitting in a car all day. You can find who the Canadians are in the dine-in area because they are the ones clearing their plates even if they look full as they can't legally bring any leftovers with meat or produce back with them.

Oh, and one other thing that is worth noting is that they have really nice bathrooms. So instead of a sterile industrial gas station crapper you'd sooner soil yourself than use, it is this rather homey designed one with comfort level toilets, multiple scented moisturizing hand soaps, and someone who usually comes in to clean them to military specs every half hour. If the Pope ever visited Buffalo, he'd be proud to take a dump in here.

I like to think that he was just wandering through the aisles and they taped him. If you had his voice, you'd proclaim every thought that came into your head too.

He did it because he told a story on Letterman about his mom loving Wegmans so much she refused to move to California to live with the rest of the family.

I thought it was sweet - he was with his mom.

I'm sorry but this warrants an abuse of punctuation: Oh.My.God. I grew up in Buffalo and LOVE Wegmans--the grocery stores in North Carolina just pale in comparison. However, these ads are cognitively jarring--it's Alec Baldwin, without a touch of irony!

And Rowles, I know the hippie stench in Ithaca can be a bit much, but you have to admit it's absolutely beautiful there.

I get the feeling he did these ads pro bono. Watching that ad brings to mind reading The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Bill Bryson does such a wonderful job of describing how it used to be in America. Funny as hell, too.

maybe he owns shares in wegman's?

early onset dementia? that would fit OR's explanation

Yep, he tells the best stories on Letterman! He recently mentioned that his mother won't leave NY because it means leaving Wegmans. That's so awesome he did an ad for them.

His next best stories are about his conservative evangelical brother (Billy, Stephan? not sure which). Worth spending a little time on YouTube!

No one? Really? No one made a Schweaty Balls joke? Can't believe it.

You people are losing your edge.

No one? Really? No one made a Schweaty Balls joke? Can't believe it.

If Alec hadn't landed "30 Rock," I'd be right there trying to creatively incorporate Schweaty Balls into my ramblings. But he's moved on and is currently inundating us with beautiful quotes on a weekly basis, so there's no reason to hang onto his past glory. By casting him, Tina Fey gave us permission to stop beating his old SNL references to death, so come, superasente, join us. Drop your yoke and immerse yourself in the Ocean of Donaghy. The water is fine.

I love Wegman's. I love Alec Baldwin. I love this.

*may very well be

oohhh, did not realize that his mom lives in Syracuse. Now this commercial makes total sense to me. Wegmans is the shit.

"Wegman’s, the greatest grocery story in all the land. It was like a grocery store mecca. And as as far as grocery store dining went, it was infinitely superior to Whole Foods."

Dustin, you realize you just pitched for Wegman's. But it is the shizz. Whenever we travel to an area without a Wegman's we get to see how the peasants live.

Albertsons? Publix? Hmmmph. Fucking rubes.

And now, the world comes to know the glory that is Wegmans. Fun facts:

- Wegmans is one of the few success stories in upstate New York, which has been essentially rusting out for the last 30 years.

- Current head-Wegman, Danny was also "smugtown's" corporate brat-prince for a time, with rumors of the sense of entitlement, hot cars and hot women. (Discrete rumores, of course. Rochester, AKA "smugtown" is a tabloid-hostile zone.)

- Wegman's territory served is contiguous. Most segment competitors won't even try. For example, look for Trader Joe's in NY / PA. There's a few in a circle around Wegmans land.

- Privately held (still). And aggressive innovators, from first grocery chain to adopt bar code scanners (also developed in upstate, BTW), to local supply chains & supplier management, to store layout. They have an entire CAD / architecture department supporting their store design. They always build their own stores, getting better traffic, higher purchases an easier operations from their design.

- Better bennies and career path than comparable businesses.

No, I don't work there. I just like seeing some good execution, especially in the sea of entitlement and past glories where Wegmans started.

I remember taking my mother to Wegmans when one opened N of Allentown in PA. She didn't get the big deal until she finally went. "Oh. Just, oh. And everything is so clean & fresh."

Couldn't keep her away after that. Hey, maybe that's why she wants to come visit me.