Wegmans

Deregulation is the culprit Charles Krauthammer would have us believe in his Memorial Day screed on the oil spill that the fault lies with rabid environmentalism and, of course, President Obama ("Many to blame for oil spill," Monday). The word that Krauthammer, the GOP, and their lapdogs in the media forget is deregulation. Krauthammer and the media also refuse to ask BP why it didn't drill a relief well at the same time. BP, Transocean, and Halliburton were operating the rig, and saving cash was all that mattered.

Four years after Dangling Dream became the last horse to cross the finish line at Garden State Park, the dangling dream of many developers, town leaders and residents is finally becoming reality. Two concrete rectangles rise off Haddonfield Road, elevator shafts for the Plaza Grande condominiums. The first of the 608 luxury condos for residents age 55 and over - situated on streets with such names as Citation and Whirlaway - should be ready by year's end. The steel frame that will encase a high-end Wegmans market stands a half-mile south, near Route 70. By May, developers say, Wegmans should be open, followed by five other big-box stores.

As a guy who's spent his entire working life running a beer distributorship, I often ask my customers, "What's good about selling beer in convenience stores?" The answer runs something like this: "It's convenient. You can stop for gas, and get beer and cigarettes at the same time. " Now, I can't be the only person who sees a problem with making it easy to buy beer and gasoline in one convenient location. And even though I live in Luzerne County, I know that people in Philadelphia's neighborhoods already are troubled by "convenience stores" that are more than a little careless about checking IDs for underage drinking and that all too often become nuisances in otherwise peaceful residential neighborhoods.

Cherry Hill, it appears, will still get its downtown. Local and state officials said yesterday that the withdrawal of a developer from the $500 million Garden State Park project would not delay the rebirth of the 223-acre landmark site at Route 70 and Haddonfield Road. Hobbled by delays, mounting financial pressures and two lawsuits, Realen Properties Inc. has withdrawn from the project, which it had hoped would be well under way by now. Florida-based Turnberry Associates said it bought out Realen's stake about a week and a half ago. Realen, of Berwyn, has long been in tax trouble with Cherry Hill over this property.

The watchword for 2009 is less , as in: getting by on less; using less expensive ingredients; eating out less often. And more home cooking. The trend will affect families at all points along the culinary spectrum. Bon Appetit magazine, for example, suggests its home cooks substitute truffle oil for more expensive truffles, while Wegmans supermarkets say sales of supplies for home baking and canning are way up. "Over the last year, we've seen increased sales of baking ingredients such as flour, even over the spring and summer when flour prices were rising dramatically," says Josephine Natale, spokeswoman for the supermarket chain.

Here comes Wegmans - again. The regional grocer's answer to Wal-Mart opened its newest store on the site of a former steel plant in job-rich Chester County. It is the sixth Wegmans in the region and the third in the greater King of Prussia area, which is unusual for a chain that typically spreads its food emporiums an hour apart. The 650-employee Malvern store opened Sunday with a crowd of about 800 lining up outside the doors at 7 a.m. and about 200 Wegmans employees from other areas lodged at local hotels to help with the festivities.

For consumers, free is usually good. When the freebie might help you avoid a heart attack, that's usually better. Retail grocery store competition is fierce, and Wegmans is trying to get an edge by giving away - yes, free - a generic version of what was the world's best-selling drug, the cholesterol medicine Lipitor. Based in Rochester, N.Y., Wegmans has several stores in the Philadelphia area. Jo Natale, Wegmans' director of media relations, would not say how many new customers the program had generated, but the company decided to extend the offer at least through the end of 2013 after first planning to end it in April.

Wegmans Food Markets Inc. said it is taking applications for full-time jobs at its store scheduled to open in November on the grounds of Montgomeryville Mall. Of a total 600 jobs at the new store, 200 will be full-time, Wegmans said. The company will make 500 local hires in all, it said. Applicants for full-time positions may apply online at www.wegmans.com/careers , or call 877-934-6267, for more information. Part-time jobs will be filled at a later time, the store said.

Wegmans Food Markets Inc., is recalling Wegmans Pumpkin Roll products sold at its stores between Sept. 1 and Oct. 30. because the baked goods may contain pieces of clear packaging plastic, the retailer said Wednesday. The Rochester, N.Y.-based grocery chain said the errant packaging, on products sold in its bakery section, could be sharp or present a choking hazard. The pumpkin rolls were sold in all 81 Wegmans stores in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

HARRISBURG - Wegmans Food Markets has decided to pull out of the state's oft-criticized wine-kiosk program, dealing a major blow to the state Liquor Control Board's latest effort to operate more like a private business. In a statement today, the supermarket chain said: "We had hoped that our customers would find the kiosks to be a valuable addition to their shopping experience, but that proved not to be the case. They want the convenience of purchasing wine in a supermarket, but found the choice of items too limited in the kiosk.