Representatives from the Wegmans Consumer’s Affairs office gave conflicting reports about whether a manager of the Fredericksburg location acted within the grocery store’s policy when he stopped a political group’s activities in the upstairs dining area on Sunday.
But a sign posted inside the store offers some clarity into an incident that drew the ire of Fredericksburg Republican Committee Chair Scott Vezina.
Vezina released a statement Monday in which he wrote he was “troubled” that a Wegmans manager asked his group to leave after learning members were writing postcards for Virginia gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
Vezina said the manager cited the company’s policy forbidding solicitation as a reason for the request to leave.
“While pointing out that we were not soliciting, the manager said that it was private property, and he could ask any group to leave if he felt it necessary,” Vezina wrote.
Wegmans policy states that solicitation is one of several requests the store cannot accommodate. It also does not permit “leafleting, selling candy, cookies, flowers, etc. on our property by any organization for any purpose.”
The company does not define solicitation, but in the political sense, it generally means distributing or attempting to distribute materials, leaflets or handouts supporting a political candidate.
Vezina said his group was not distributing materials, but was eating, socializing and writing postcards for Earle-Sears.
A Consumer’s Affairs representative named Jill, who declined to provide her last name, told the Free Press that there is a policy against group meetings of any kind. A store manager named Matt also said group meetings are prohibited and noted Wegmans is a “private company” before saying he was not permitted to speak on behalf of the company and would not confirm if the incident took place.
The claim regarding groups is not supported by the company’s website, and a different representative with Consumer Affairs contradicted those claims when reached by phone, stating there is no written policy against group meetings.
However, instead of a formal policy, a sign in the Fredericksburg location states that “we ask you to refrain from engaging in solicitation or distribution of literature, group meeting, or other conduct which might disturb other customers.”
“There is a policy for our customers to dine, but we ask that they do not hold meetings or large gatherings in our seating area,” Jill said. “So, it’s not to conduct any business or meetings of that kind. That [area] is for our customers to sit down to eat, but it is not a meeting area … That is a policy.”
Vezina said that a Wegmans staff member pre-approved the meeting after he explained that group members would purchase food around dinner time before gathering upstairs. He said he was told it is common for small groups to meet if it isn’t disturbing others or soliciting or selling items.
Vezina said the group gathered away from two other groups that were meeting at the same time, but after 30 minutes, the manager came over to inquire about what they were doing.
“I explained that we were eating, socializing and writing postcards for a candidate,” Vezina said. “He started to walk away and then came back to the table and asked us which candidate and looked at our postcards. Upon learning that it was for Winsome Sears, the manager immediately became aggressive and told us that we were not allowed to be there because it was private property, and we had to leave immediately.”
Vezina said he explained that permission was requested beforehand and that they were being quiet, but members were then told groups weren’t allowed.
“After pointing out the two other groups present that were not being told to leave, we were told it was because we were soliciting,” Vezina wrote.
The group complied with the manager’s request, gathered their belongings, and left. Vezina said groups regularly meet at Wegmans, including other political entities. He said he asked for a written policy about group gatherings and was told it doesn’t exist. He later learned about the sign which he said was not within his eyesight on Sunday.
Vezina said he reached out to the store’s general manager and the company’s corporate office. He spoke with the GM, who he said apologized for the incident and pledged to train employees on the store’s stance on groups. Vezina also suggested Wegmans provide consistent enforcement and post signage in a more visible location.
He said the committee has planned another postcard event — at a different location.
