Giant

Less than a week ago, I went to this Giant Food grocery store (in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington D.C.) during what was a crowd of many people for a Thursday night). Not To Brag but to only give information for consumers, I spent $ 44.59 before savings on my shopping trip, with the grand total of $ 39.90 after I swiped my Giant card at the Self-​checkout register. I purchased 16 items and paid for three bags with the items being among plum tomatoes, basil, Newmann’s Own Pineapple Salsa, Hormel Chili, Whole Milk, and other items I prefer to keep personal. The self-​checkout register I chose to use at this Giant Store was efficient and the employee that was near me as I was scanning the groceries was diplomatic.

The customer service is great. I shop here so much, that they treat me like family. I’d stay away from the fish. The shrimp and scallops are safe, but I’m a firm believer that fish SHOULDN’T smell like fish. It would be awesome if they had more organic produce, a greater selection of herbs and herbal teas, and a better selection of meats. And would it kill them to have fresh ginger or turmeric? I gave three stars for the awesome customer service. But I only shop here for the free parking when I need to go to Target, Best Buy, Payless, Children’s Place or Bed Bath and Beyond.

Giant is one of many grocery store options in the Columbia Heights area. It’s what you’d expect in a Giant with a better international food section compared to other Giants. It’s one of the only stores in DC where you can find guava paste at. If you don’t know what guava paste is, buy these ingredients: guava paste, crackers, and white cheddar cheese. Put it all together and you have a simple, yet out of this world snack!

I’ve been shopping here for a year and a half and hey, I feel like they’re getting better! More self-​checkout registers, fewer items that I need seem out of stock, shorter lines for customer service, even semi-​helpful staff! I’d add that items occasionally scan for a lower price than is listed on the shelf and almost never scan for more.

Neighborhood grocery store with a wide selection of shelf and fresh produce items for fairly reasonable prices. Like most chain groceries, you’re going to get the most for your money only if you get the «Giant card», which you can pick up from the customer service counter. The produce at this Giant is fair, not the best by far, but also not the worst– they even have a sprinkling of organic goods to choose from.
One of the odd things I find here is that all the «natural» foods are in the same aisle, regardless of type. So you won’t find Barbara’s Puffins cereal, for example, in the cereal aisle, but rather in the natural foods aisle.
Employees’ idea of customer service is usually brusk at best, but hey, its not like you go to the Giant to be pampered.

I think this place is fine. It’s no Harris Teeter, but in a neighborhood that would otherwise be a food desert, I’ll take it. It got a lot more bearable when they added more self-​checkout kiosks; back when there were only four, the lines were incredibly long. Now they have more like 12, and even though some of them are usually down, it’s still a much, much shorter wait.
The key to enjoying your Giant experience is twofold: first, go at a time when it’s not extremely crowded, like early mornings on weekends or weekday afternoons. Second, do not interact with anybody, if at all possible.

They always have what I need, and they’ve got a lot of people there who work hard. It’s a diverse crowd– with a lot of people from every walk of life who live in the area. The lines can be a little slow at times, but when people are watching their pennies and have lots of coupons, you have to be patient. Don’t go there with attitude. Support stores where local people go.

I spend less money om groceries since moving here and shopping at Giant. Not because of any savings at Giant, but because they don’t keep their shelves stocked so I buy less.
The staff is remarkably indifferent to the customer experience. And always prepare yourself for a wait.

I returned two bags of frozen blueberries after I had discovered both were opened when I got home. No receipt but I did get a gift card for the returned amount. I like that it was simple and painless.
Place is crazy crowded at 11 am on a Sunday and one worker seemed to be catcalling and eyeballing many females as they walked in and out. Bleh.

I lived in Columbia Heights for over 5 years before finally going to Giant. Why? Well I think its average rating is a good explanation. That combined with hearing complaints from friends and neighborhood blogs, and there was no way in hell I was going to come here, especially when I lived a couple blocks closer to Harris Teeter and Safeway.
Alas I moved north and now this is the closest grocery store. I was worried this place would be a complete shit show and make my life miserable. Well it hasn’t so far. I have avoided it on weekends though, and generally go on weekday afternoons (yay for teleworking!). Yesterday’s checker was also SUPER fast, so props to her.
Overall Giant doesn’t seem that bad if you go at the right time. The selection is decent, the prices are a bit lower than at HT, and the employees seem all right. I have yet to experience the crazy lines that this place is known for. I realize this might all be wrong at 6 pm any day of the week, or on the weekend.

They have some great prices, but the store is always ridiculously crowded!
Today there were no carts available, and I asked a cashier if she could possibly call a manager to help find some carts. She sneered at me. People were standing in the vestibule waiting for carts, and finally when a GIant worker arrived with just about ten carts, they went like hotcakes. I grabbed one, and some older man yelled at me and said he touched it first! What in the world? I felt like I was in Russia when they were rationing items back in the 80’s!
Was hungry and got an Italian Boars Head sub. The woman had just made it! I got home and it had american cheese on it, despite it saying on the front it would have provolone. blah.
This store is dirty and most of the workers really are lame. There are a few nice ones, who are hard to find. It is obvious this store is still so mismanaged. It could be an amazing shopping experience. So sad.

This grocery store should not be open. They never are fully stocked with standard produce or meats. When you ask for help, no one is willing to help even a store manager. Everyone directs you to another and another and it seems as though everyone in one department doesn’t work in that department so you have to wait for the right department person to come around.
I was so upset one Saturday night, I called for the manager to ask what would be the right time to shop. There was barely anything and the truth is this the standard at this Giant.
What’s so irritating is the smell, it always smells like stinky oil fried chicken when you walk in and you walk out smelling like that.
This last visit was the worse, no onions, no basil, no broccoli, no lemons and the best part is they had clementines full of fungus! Just gross. I can go on and on about everything they don’t have… I really wish they would just do something with this local grocery store… It’s a major grocery store. I loath shopping here!

It’s seriously like living in the Soviet Union. Items I couldn’t find on Sunday at 5PM: bananas, leeks, kale, lentils, thyme. It’s impossible to come here to make a recipe because they never have anything. Staff range from absent to aggressively unhelpful. I’m just blown away.

Updating my review after a run-​in with the bakery counter.
Went in early Friday evening for a cheapie sheet cake to sing around before a bday turn up. I checked out the selection while an employee took a phone order for about 5 minutes-​no hold finger, no eye contact, no acknowledgment. No problem. I get it, this ain’t Dean & Deluca.
After the call, I got her attention and asked if she could write a message on a cake for me.
For all the moans and groans, you’d have thought I’d asked for her last cigarette. «*sigh* You have to purchase these. The baker’s gone for the day. *sigh* If you buy it, I guess I’ll print on it for you *sigh*»
Well damn. Ok. Appreciate you?
So I bring the cake back and she takes it behind the counter to write on it. Little did I know she had a serial killer’s penmanship. It was legible and the cake was tasty but geesh kind of a sour ‘tude.

This is a conveniently located grocery store, just a few steps away from the Columbia heights metro and DC USA.
Step in and you’ll find the produce section straight ahead and the bakery to the left. The produce section is really hit or miss, with many items often missing. The produce is generally very fresh and the prices are right… When items are stocked. In theory, they have quite a few items however the high volume of traffic means that the selection is often very picked over.
I’ve never bought meat here as the store isn’t kept clean and the employees are very inattentive. I’d recommend sticking to pre packaged items, produce and, I’d make sure to check the expiration dates on all items.
The location never seems to have enough open registers and many of the self checkout kiosks are broken. Lines are often backed up (I’ve seen them extend to the back of the store at times).
Unless you’re on foot and you need something immediately, I’d recommend going to the new Safeway on Georgia Ave. It’s infinitely nicer and better kept.

This giant is OK, however I find myself waiting in line more often than not, for longer than I want to or expect from giant. I noticed that the cashiers here bring everything up and then baguette, whereas at other grocery stores, cashiers ring things up and then bag each item as they ring it up… This is why lines are probably longer than necessary.
I have seen and experienced better Giants

It’s just alright for your typical grocery store. One thing I will say is that their produce section is really huge and the deli area next to it is pretty decent. This is the type of store that is fine when you need your basic items but I wouldn’t be running there every weekend or when you want to make a specific meal. The prices are fine and the store is clean but that’s about it for positives about this place. The clientele outside the store can be interesting too.
Definitely beware of the incredibly long lines! The store is usually busy but the isles are fairly clear to shop but once you are ready for checkout, be prepared to wait. And it’s not like they only have 3 cashiers (I’m looking at you Safeway) and zero self-​checkout lines (looking at you again Safeway). But this store just has sheer volume of people so that each line is always 5 – 6 people deep. Don’t even think about going here the day before a snowday or Thanksgiving.
Parking here is really easy and free which makes shopping so much better but this seems to be the standard for DC grocery stores.

I seriously don’t know what everyone is fussing about. It’s a mid-​priced grocery story in one of the most frequented and popular neighborhoods in DC. Obviously you’re going to get long lines at peak hours. If you’re going to whine about it all the time, go at another time.
Yes, this location frequently runs out of standard items (garlic, onions are mentioned in other reviews). They’ll have great sales, but if you’re not there when they put them out, they’ll be wiped out. I agree that I wis there were more vegetarian/​vegan options, but it’s still a decent amount.
I’ve never had problems with the people working there. Some are nice, some are cranky — you’d be too if you had to deal with some of the jerks on here making nasty reviews just because a store is busy. Even when a line is super long, it doesn’t take that long to check out.
Suck it up people and just be grateful that there is a grocery store with reasonable prices and reasonable quality in this neighborhood. A lot of neighborhoods in DC don’t — hence why so many people travel miles to come to this one.

Located near Columbia Heights Metro, with random street hawkers set up curbside. Inventory gets mobbed at every threat of snow. Produce ranges from ok to meh. Meat quality is alright, with offal available cyclically: pork trotter, pig tail, beef neckbones. Line for self-​checkout starts in aisle.

My 75^th review for 2013…25 more to go to accomplish the Unilocal 100 challenge and I have 9 more days to do it! Aaah!
Anyways, how do you critique a chain grocery store… yes it’s in Columbia Heights, yes it has its awful moments of long lines but you’ve got to admit this Giant’s is pretty impressive with its selections. the fruit/​vegetable section is actually kept up pretty well, you can get your cheap processed foods as well as your gluten free natural selections… they got wine and beer, and everything else in between.
The self check out is a pain but if you are looking for an interaction with a person, the cashiers are all pretty nice. So yeah it’s all beed good experiences. Eh what the heck I’ll raise the rating to 4 stars. Not really a fan but Giant’s will fulfill your grocery needs when you need it to.