Ever since Wegmans announced that it would be opening in Montvale, the school ─  and town as a whole ─ has not stopped talking about it. The new store has had a huge impact on Pascack Hills, as it is so close in location and many students are employed there.

For the most part, students who work at the supermarket chain have only good reviews. Many work just on weekends, so their job does not affect their schooling. Instead, they acknowledge the generous option Wegmans is giving them to be able to gain work experience during their teen years.

Timothy Soo Hoo, Pascack Hills sophomore and Wegmans employee, said, “Wegmans gives an opportunity for young adults to have a job during their high school career. This shows that Wegmans cares about the community and is very diverse.”

However, some student employees say the time they spend at Wegmans takes away from their academics and daily life. They find that they use too much time working and not enough time studying.

Gabe Broadman talks about his experience of Wegmans and said, “While I enjoy working at Wegmans, I’ve had less time since I started training. It can be stressful not having weekends free because I can’t work on weekdays.”

It is easy to see why devoting more time to a job right after school starts can be difficult for student employees at first. Others had complaints with Wegmans, but the majority of them were small.

Sophomore Jaden Mindich said, “[I don’t like] how the store was organized in that the Wegmans brands of food and the other brands of food were not near each other, making it difficult to find what I was looking for. But, the people working there were very helpful in finding what I needed.”

Negative opinions of Wegmans are unpopular at Pascack Hills amongst students. Most students love Wegmans for both its “EZ meals” and for its baked goods. Many juniors look forward to being able to go out to eat at Wegmans during lunch in upcoming years.

Talia Boyajian, a junior at Pascack Hills, said, “Wegmans is already my new favorite place for both prepared food and supermarket items because you walk in and immediately just get a good vibe about the whole place. I can’t wait to go there nearly every day for lunch next year.”

Located less than a mile away from the school, students have the opportunity to easily go and pick up food after class ends. This simple convenience certainly draws in more customers who are looking for a quick bite after a long school day.

Another student at Hils, Hannah Borowski, said, “I like how close Wegmans is; I can walk there after school. And the food was actually really good, I’m so excited to go there more in the future.”

Ez-Meals are the way to the hearts of all, so go to Wegmans and enjoy each meal that fellow classmates work hard to sell.