8 Precautions Marylanders Should Take When Shopping at Wegmans
You’ve likely been through a Wegmans checkout enough times to feel like you can do it in your sleep.
But we’re willing to bet that at least one of the items we’re about to cover will catch you off guard.
These are the precautions Marylanders should take when shopping at Wegmans.
Note: This is general information, not tax advice. Tax rules and store policies are subject to change, so confirm the current sales tax rules with the Comptroller of Maryland.
1. Sales Tax on Groceries
Maryland’s Comptroller says a substantial grocery or market business generally doesn’t charge sales tax on food sold for eating off the premises, which describes a store like Wegmans.
That exemption has limits.
Hot food is taxable, and so are sandwiches meant for immediate eating.
Yes, that means your Wegmans subs.
Food you eat on Wegmans’ premises is taxable too.
Knowing where that exemption ends lets you check each charge on your receipt.
Taxable Items in Your Wegmans Cart
Maryland’s tax rules don’t count soft drinks, bottled water, alcoholic beverages, candy or confectionery as food, so those items in your Wegmans cart are taxable.
A case of bottled water can carry tax even when the rest of your cart is groceries.
2. Reusable Bags
If your Wegmans is in Montgomery County, every paper carryout bag can add a 10-cent tax to your total.
A cart that fills five paper bags adds 50 cents to the bill.
The county also prohibits plastic carryout bags, though businesses in some of its municipalities are exempt.
With reusable bags, you skip the tax.
3. Shelf Price Versus Receipt
Wegmans pledges not to charge you more than the shelf, sale or advertised price for an item.
The shelf tag and your receipt should match, and a mismatch is an overcharge.
A shopper who points out an overcharge gets the difference refunded plus $1.00.
Only Massachusetts and the Greater Buffalo area have different overcharge terms.
If a store keeps overcharging you, Maryland’s Weights and Measures program will inspect the store when you contact it.
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4. Digital Coupon Clipping
A Wegmans digital coupon does nothing at checkout until you clip it to your Shoppers Club account.
Unless a coupon says otherwise, you can use it once.
Coupons also expire, and an expired coupon disappears from your account.
On a pickup or delivery order, you need to be signed in to your Shoppers Club account and clip your coupons before you check out.
Wegmans accepts digital coupons only through the Wegmans app, not through other coupon apps.
5. Rain Checks
When Wegmans temporarily runs out of an advertised special, it tries to substitute a similar item.
If no substitute works, a manager or the Service Desk can give you a rain check good for 30 days.
A rain check is a one-time certificate that you hand to the cashier at the start of your order.
Limits may apply to the item, so ask what your rain check covers.
You can’t combine a rain check with future Shoppers Club sales.
6. Pickup Over Delivery
Online prices at Wegmans run about 15% above in-store prices.
Pickup carries the same markup but adds no delivery fee, service charge or tip.
Delivery runs through Instacart, and the charges that may apply include a delivery fee, bag fee, heavy order fee and long-distance fee.
Both pickup and delivery have a $10 order minimum.
The delivery fee applies if you don’t have an Instacart+ membership, and you can use your existing membership through Wegmans.
7. Refund Requirements
At Wegmans, all refunds go through the Service Desk.
Without your receipt, you may get store credit at the lowest sale price.
The lowest sale price can be less than what you paid.
Refund totals over $25 require your Shoppers Club account and your valid (not expired) driver’s license or equivalent.
Psst! How much do you know about Wegmans and Maryland’s state dessert? Take our quiz and see if you can ace it.
Quiz
Wegmans Food IQ
Answer these questions on Wegmans and Maryland’s state dessert. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?
A traditional Smith Island Cake, Maryland’s state dessert, stacks how many layers of yellow cake?
8. Recall Information
Product recall information is one of the free benefits of a Shoppers Club membership.
The membership page links to a list of recalled products you can browse.
Browsing that list lets you check whether a product you already bought has been recalled.
Scale Approval Seals
When you buy by weight at Wegmans, the approval seal on the scale is Maryland's assurance that the device is accurate and correct.
You can also make an anonymous complaint to the Weights and Measures program.
Paper Coupon Limits
A few limits decide whether a paper manufacturer coupon saves you money at Wegmans or the cashier turns it down.
Each item can use one manufacturer coupon.
Wegmans doubles manufacturer coupons with a face value of 99 cents or less, with a few store exceptions.
A coupon's doubled or face value can't exceed the item's retail price.
The daily limit is four manufacturer coupons on four of the same brand product.
Wegmans doesn't accept internet coupons over $4.99.
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