7 Wegmans Secrets Employees Wish Virginians Knew

You can know your favorite Wegmans aisle by heart and still get surprised at checkout.

Some store policies only come up once something goes wrong, and Virginians who shop there may not hear about them until then.

Here’s what employees wish more shoppers knew before their next trip.

1. Home & Entertaining Price Adjustments

Wegmans lets you request a refund or credit if it puts a Home & Entertaining item on sale within 30 days of your purchase.

The amount is the difference between what you paid and the sale price.

If you paid full price for a Home & Entertaining item last week, check what it costs now.

The catch?

Several kinds of merchandise sit outside the policy.

2. Stores That Skip Coupon Doubling

Wegmans doubles manufacturer coupons worth 99 cents or less, with a few exceptions.

In Virginia, the exceptions are the Midlothian, Short Pump and Charlottesville stores, which don’t double manufacturer coupons.

Those three are among the 15 Virginia stores on Wegmans’ locator.

If you shop at one of them, your 75-cent manufacturer coupon won’t double to $1.50.

It’s a short list.

Wegmans accepts only four manufacturer coupons on four of the same brand product per day.

3. Instacart Coupon Credits

Wegmans says ordering through the Instacart Marketplace changes how a digital coupon pays out.

Instead of lowering your order total, your Instacart account receives a credit for the coupon’s value.

You can apply that credit to your next Instacart Marketplace order.

Credits aren’t instant.

It may take several weeks for the credit to be added to your account.

Enter your Shoppers Club number at checkout.

Wegmans doesn’t let you share a digital coupon with someone else.

Each one is only available to the Shoppers Club account holder who receives it.

Each coupon stays with its account.

4. Weighted-Item Charges

What does Wegmans do to your payment method when you place a pickup or delivery order?

It puts a temporary hold on it for slightly more than your order total, according to the online ordering FAQ.

The extra covers changes like weighted items, substitutions and additions while someone shops your order.

Your total can shift.

You’re charged for the weight you receive, so an item that comes back heavier than your estimate costs more.

If you pay with an Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card for SNAP, Wegmans handles a weighted item that goes over its estimate differently.

It charges the first 10% of the price difference to your EBT card and the remaining difference to your credit card.

5. The 9 p.m. Pickup Cutoff

Wegmans lists typical grocery pickup hours as 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Once you get a notification that your order is ready, you can pick it up any time before 9 p.m. on the day you scheduled.

Orders not picked up by the end of the day “will be closed out,” the FAQ says.

You have until nine.

6. The 24-Hour Receipt Wait

Wegmans says a receipt from an in-store purchase becomes viewable online within 24 hours of your transaction.

Tomorrow is soon enough.

To see it, you have to use your phone number or your Shoppers Club card at the register.

The card can be scanned from a physical card, a keytag or the Wegmans app.

If your transaction includes a pharmacy purchase, that part won’t be accessible online.

7. Online Alcohol Orders

Can you get alcohol from Wegmans delivered in Virginia?

Wegmans lists Virginia, Massachusetts and North Carolina as the states where you can order alcohol for both grocery pickup and delivery.

Not every store delivers alcohol.

You’ll be asked for proof of age (21+) when you submit your order, and again at delivery.

At the door, you have to show a federal or state ID with your date of birth.

Coupons and rebates aren’t available for alcohol purchases.

Discontinued Products

Wegmans doesn’t offer special orders for products it has discontinued.

If you need the product for a special diet or a medical condition, use the contact us page, and the company will try to help.

Manufacturers introduce approximately 10,000 new food products every year, Wegmans says, which makes deciding what to carry a constant juggle.

Space runs out.

To request a product, you email Wegmans through the contact us page with the product name, size, where you’ve seen it carried and the bar code number.

Its decisions depend on a product’s availability, how many people ask and the existing category selection.

The 30-Day Raincheck

Wegmans tries to substitute a similar item first if it temporarily runs out of an advertised special.

When it can’t, the Customer Service Desk, the front end or a department manager will provide you with a raincheck good for 30 days.

A raincheck is a one-time purchase certificate, and you hand it to the cashier when you begin your order.

Wegmans may place limits on these items.

Don’t lose it.

Rainchecks can’t be used with future Shoppers Club sales.

Payments Wegmans Won't Take

Wegmans takes personal checks, but a third party decides whether yours clears.

If you shop at its Astor Place or Brooklyn store in New York City, you can't pay by check.

Online is different.