5 Big Differences Between Wegmans and Tops Every New Yorker Should Know
Ask around Buffalo, Rochester or Syracuse, and you’ll hear strong opinions about Wegmans and Tops.
Halloween is Saturday, so a last-minute candy run could put those opinions to the test.
Here are the big differences New Yorkers should know before choosing a side.
1. Ownership
If you shop at Wegmans, the company behind your store calls itself a family company and one of the largest private companies in the U.S.
Danny Wegman is chairman, and his daughter Colleen Wegman is president and chief executive.
Tops filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February 2018.
In February 2021, Tops and Price Chopper/Market 32 announced a merger.
By November 2021, the merger had closed, according to Tops’ history page.
Tops and Price Chopper/Market 32 were then owned and overseen by a new parent company, Northeast Grocery, Inc.
2. Store Locations
Whether Wegmans or Tops is closer to you depends on where you live.
Wegmans lists more than 100 stores across nine states and Washington, D.C., in its store locator.
Tops has 146 stores across New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, according to its About Us page.
Tops’ New York store list includes Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Elmira, Rhinebeck and Carmel.
Wegmans sorts its New York stores into six regions: Rochester, Buffalo, Finger Lakes, Metro New York, Southern Tier and Syracuse.
The Metro New York region lists Astor Place, Brooklyn, Harrison and Lake Grove.
3. Hometown Roots
If you shop at Tops, you’re shopping a chain that began in Niagara Falls.
Ferrante Castellani’s family opened its first grocery store there in the early 1920s.
Tops opened its first modern supermarket on Portage Road in 1962.
Tops’ history page puts that store at 25,000 square feet.
Wegmans began in Rochester, where the company has its headquarters.
John Wegman peddled produce from a pushcart before he opened the Rochester Fruit and Vegetable Company in 1916.
His brother Walter followed a year later.
4. Rewards Programs
Whichever chain you shop, you’ll meet a different rewards program: Shoppers Club at Wegmans and BonusPlus at Tops.
Shoppers Club is a free membership that lets you clip digital coupons to your account from wegmans.com or the Wegmans app.
Receiving those coupons takes an active account.
Members can also save shopping lists organized by aisle.
A BonusPlus application is available at the Customer Service Center in your local Tops.
Tops BonusPlus members get one wallet card and two key tags.
Each family member qualifies.
Tops says the cards link automatically by household address for savings purposes.
You earn 1 Tops GasPoint for every $1 spent on groceries.
GasPoints can be redeemed at any Tops Gas Station.
Tops also has Young at Heart Day on the first Tuesday of every month, for shoppers 60 and older.
5. Combining Coupons
If you shop at Tops, each item takes one coupon, either a paper coupon or an eCoupon but not both.
Any card linked in your household can redeem an eCoupon.
At Wegmans, a digital coupon and a Shoppers Club discount for the same item can both be redeemed.
A digital coupon can also pair with a Wegmans paper coupon on the same item.
The total discount can’t exceed the retail price.
How Tops Doubles a 99-Cent Coupon
Tops doubles the value of manufacturers’ paper coupons for customers with a BonusPlus card.
Under Tops’ double coupon policy, doubling covers coupons with a face value of up to 99 cents.
A 99-cent paper coupon works out to $1.98 at the register, while a $1.00 coupon stays at $1.00.
Tops excludes eCoupons from doubling.
Manufacturer coupons printed with a no-doubling notice are excluded too.
Delivery Apps
In May 2025, Tops announced a partnership with DoorDash for on-demand grocery delivery.
Those orders are delivered through the DoorDash app or website.
Wegmans has partnered with Instacart for online ordering, shopping and delivery.
Tops also has an Instacart page that promises pickup or delivery in as fast as one hour.
For pickup, Wegmans says an employee will shop your order and load it in your car.
Shared Rules
Wegmans doubles manufacturers’ coupons with a face value of 99 cents or less, with exceptions listed in its coupon policy.
Tops uses the same 99-cent cutoff for its BonusPlus members.
Both chains accept up to four manufacturers’ coupons on four of the same brand product per day.
Tops’ store policies page lists the same limit.
For refund totals over $25, Wegmans’ replacement and refund policy asks for your Shoppers Club account and a valid driver’s license or equivalent.
Tops’ refund policy asks for your BonusPlus card and a valid driver’s license or equivalent.
Without a receipt, Wegmans may give store credit at the lowest sale price.
At Tops, store credit comes as a Tops Gift Card at the lowest sale price.
Psst! How much do you know about grocery shopping in New York? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
New York Grocery IQ
Answer these questions on New York bags, bottles and grocery chains. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
Which of these drinks is covered by New York’s Bottle Bill deposit?
Tops Store Remodels
If you pull into the Tops at 1000 Portage Road in Niagara Falls, you'll find a store that finished a $1 million remodel in August 2026.
The 73,000-square-foot store received a new exterior storefront with updated awnings, building signage, exterior paint and cart corrals.
The project also included a new pharmacy, that opened Aug. 10, according to The Shelby Report.
Tops called it the 52nd major remodel in six years.
As of August 2026, Tops' capital improvement program has exceeded $100 million across its three states.
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