A day after Tropical Storm Isaias wreaked havoc in the Northeast, customers flocked to the newest Wegmans location drawing a crowd even before it opened its doors for the first time in Westchester at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 5 in Harrison.
The market, on Corporate Park Drive near I-287, I-684, I-95 and the Hutchinson River Parkway, was originally scheduled to open earlier this year, but the grand opening ceremony was forced to be pushed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Due to the virus, Wegmans opted to forego any formal ceremony or ribbon cutting, and the market will be limiting the number of customers in the store at any given time to maintain social distancing.
Online ordering, curbside pickup, and delivery will also be available for customers.
The massive new 121,000 square-foot market is offering a variety of restaurant-prepared foods, including The Burger Bar, fresh salads, sandwiches, kids meals, soup, sides, and beer and wine by the glass.
The store includes nearly three dozen registers, hundreds of designated parking spots, and has been outfitted with measures designed to stop any spread of COVID-19 and promote social distancing.
In total, approximately 500 full and part-time staff members are being employed at Wegmans, most of whom were picked and trained out of Westchester.
Last year, Wegmans was named as the top place to work in retail, according to Great Place to Work and Fortune, which takes anonymous surveys of nearly 650,000 employees in the retail industry to determine which are the best employers.
It was the third consecutive year Wegmans took home the top honor.
“Every year, one of the things we look forward to most is opening our new stores and the opportunity to get to know and serve our newest communities,” the company said in a statement. “Faced with the coronavirus pandemic, the opportunity to serve the needs of these communities is more important than ever, and we are committed to opening the three stores planned for this year (including Harrison).”
Wegmans will be open at 106 Corporate Park Drive from 6 a.m. to midnight seven days a week. A live feed of the outside of the market can be viewed above to determine how long the line to enter the grocery giant will be.
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