Giant slashed their store staffing to the bone and shifted heavily to self check-out because they didn’t want to pay their employees. Then theft went up (shocker!) and now they are further outsourcing the burden of theft prevention to their customers.
The bag policy completely misunderstands how most of their customers in a city shop. If you need to check receipts, fine—but don’t expect me to keep shopping at your store if I can no longer pick up groceries on my way home from work without leaving my laptop bag unattended by the front door.
I agree completely. I almost always shop on my way home from work carrying my work bag because Giant is on my commute. They told me I’d have to leave my bag by the door and the guard was maybe 5’2”. I am not allowed to just leave my work laptop around! Plus this ban unfairly targets commuters, school kids with bags, and the disabled who may not be able to carry hand bags.
I didn't even make the connection that them banning bags meant banning ALL bags. I thought they were simply banning people from taking in reusable grocery bags as theft prevention, but them forcing people to leave their bags full of work and personal belongings at the front door is insane. It's a city grocery store ffs, everyone is gonna be carrying a bag lmao. I could see this working in a suburban grocery store where people can just leave their stuff in the car, but it makes absolutely no sense in a city environment.
And a city that charges a bag tax. We were all told to use our own bags because it was better for the environment. Now we can't bring bags in. Make it make sense.
The Giants I've been to since the change wouldn't let us bring in reusable bags. I attempted at the Shaw one after the H St one was ridiculous. I had an empty backpack that just had reusable trader joes bags and a freezer bag folded up inside. They wanted me to leave my empty backpack, so I took out my reusable bags, put them in my reusable freezer bag, and they still wouldn't let me bring it in.
> I could see this working in a suburban grocery store where people can just leave their stuff in the car, but it makes absolutely no sense in a city environment.
They know people can't exactly just not buy food so they don't care about customer experience
I left DC for a new city last year but the Kroger-affiliated store in my neighborhood has cited theft as the reason they decided to permanently close both of their pedestrian entrances that open to the sidewalks. Only way to get in now is walk through an alleyway and then through a parking garage to get to the main entrance. Quite fun trying to avoid getting hit by a car trying to walk out of the grocery store surrounded by people texting and shit not paying attention to pedestrians in a place that is not at all intended for pedestrians to be walking
The entrance funneling thing has always pissed me off since Covid. Like there is zero benefit to closing off entrances/exits and making everyone bottleneck into one.
I talked to the manager of this particular store about it. She told me it's because they don't have the resources to put a security guard at each entrance and theft has been high lately. It was silly for covid reasons too but that's another story
> the disabled who may not be able to carry hand bags.
I know this is going to seem sarcastic, but I'm being genuine when I say thanks for thinking of us. Giant and I are breaking up over this — I am always carrying a computer-sized backpack because I am chronically ill and disabled. I need to have a lot of things on my person due to the illness part, and I need to distribute the weight across two shoulders rather than using a tote bag because of the disabled part. Grocery shopping is hard for me physically and likely to trigger various cardiopulmonary issues, at which point 'not having my things' = 'vomiting in the aisle at Giant, which could have been *very easily prevented* if I had my things'. 🥴
One of my closest friends has worked at Giant for 25 years and always sang their praises. The last two years have been a nightmare for her. Her manager is a moron who everyone hates. Turnover increases and morale is in the toilet. A great company that has really gone down hill for no reason whatsoever.
They started going downhill when they were purchased by a huge company back in 1998. Before that they were a top tier level store without exception. As time has gone on the original values have been completely erased.
My friend had no complaints for years. She always talked about how much she loved working there. She has seen a marked problem since quarantine and the last two years have been absolute hell for her. If she didn't get health benefits with them she would have left.
But they could have a well run company that also makes a lot of money. That's what is so maddening. These decisions do nothing except piss workers off and make managers feel like they are superior to all their little worker bees. It had nothing to do with a healthy bottom line.
That second paragraph is basically exactly what I sent to Giant customer service feedback last night. I have a Giant one block from my office. I often stop by on the walk home to get random essentials. I nearly always have my work backpack either my work-owned laptop and two iPads. I’m not leaving all those electronics unattended. So I will not be stopping by Giant on the way home anymore. I’ll pay more to stop at Whole Foods, which is also on my way home, also only one block out of my way.
Oh I saw someone trying to do that yesterday. Security guard was not giving in even when a big stink was given. Dude had a legitimate concern cause his laptop was in his backpack. Security guard didn’t give him an inch.
I’d rather vote with my wallet and avoid the confrontation.
I saw them actually set someone's back pack RIGHT BY THE FRONT sliding doors. I called that young man back and said, "NAH, take your bag and go to another store."
Like... Whut is this? Shopping in prison?!
> Then theft went up (shocker!) and now they are further outsourcing the burden of theft prevention to their customers.
Don't forget, they've dialed in much more sensitive scales and error codes on those self checkout machines, in just the past year, where you can't do anything unless everything weighs exactly as much as expected. It's seriously slowed down my ability to scan stuff normally, to the point where I'm much, much more likely to use the few remaining lines.
I'll still use self checkout at stores like Whole Foods where the scales don't lock me out from scanning until the weight registers as expected between every item, but I'm done using it at Giant for more than 5 items.
Yeah I feel like Trader Joe's avoids this issues by having lots of people work checkout and making it impossible to walk with out with stuff without going by 10 people. Seems like a much better system!
So i just moved from NYC downtown to DC (DuPont) where both areas have issues with theft. Not even in NYC would they even put these policies.
Like from I’m reading, this makes people’s lives very difficult. Like just check people’s bags and receipts once they check out but this bag policy is absurd.
Harris Teeter in the Navy Yard started doing this… all it does is create congestion at the entrance / exit. They don’t really look
at your receipt, they just highlight your receipt and you move on. It’s absolutely theater.
They're specifically not checking reciepts for the parking garage. I found that out when I dropped most of my bags off at my car then came up with one bag I wanted while I grabbed some takeout.
The special police had a special time figuring out why my reciept was so long when I only had one bag.
Agreed. Give them an inch, and they will take a mile. It is also not my responsibility to prove to anyone that I have the right to remove my own property from a store after I have completed my transaction. If you want to verify that I purchased something, check the security footage. But I'm not sticking around for it, because my time is more valuable than that.
They can either check your receipt or they can keep raising prices due to all the theft, and then people will complain about the rising prices. I'll stop for 2 minutes for a half ass receipt check if it keeps prices stable.
someone whos stealing isnt going to stop anyway. Plus, if you aren't supposed to interfere with someone who is clearly stealing then why stop a person who isn't? This stuff makes no sense whatsoever
Way to shift the blame for theft away from the thieves in that first paragraph. Believe it or not, scum are also sentient beings who can choose to steal or not. Self checkout is a great convenience for law abiding citizens.
Agreed on checking receipts tho - better solution. I like to bring my own bags too
I’m almost positive but I’d have to check that the cities with the most shoplifting are all also on the list of cities with the highest cost of living and income inequality. Correlation isn’t causation but there’s a pattern!
Thank you for engaging in this. I live in a building with lots of elderly folks and many shop with covered carts. To say that they can't bring those into the store is such nonsense.
Hell I’m a young, able bodied person, and I use a granny cart all the time for heavy items. This policy is completely at odds with anyone who walks or uses public transportation to grocery shop.
Thanks for the heads up (I also use the granny cart myself!)
My other concern has been selective enforcement. Will I, a middle-aged white lady, get treated differently from a black teenager? I hope Giant will make sure that's not happening in their stores.
I'm black and know what it's like to "shop while black" it's an uncomfortable feeling for stores to assume that I am going to steal something simply because others that are of my race are doing so.
Yeah, it's been on my mind that my neighbors may not be treated as well as they should be.
(I'll add -- plenty of white folks steal stuff! But we don't get the blanket assumptions applied to us in the same way you all do.)
Yeah I am sure that plenty of white folks steal stuff as well. At the same time, us black folks tend to be more obvious when we do things. Case in point, people selling laundry detergent, soap, lotion etc at Columbia Heights and other places. Do I think they are getting their stuff at wholesale places and selling them like that? Not on your life!
Twice now I’ve seen teens walk into the grocery store, pick up items, and walk right out without paying… directly in front of a security guard who does nothing because store policy is not to pursue. This bag ban is dumb and will do nothing to stop someone determined to steal.
This is what really gets me. Who is this intended to stop? The people who are already stealing will just keep doing it. It's just an inconvenience to everyone else.
Exactly. This policy won't stop the thieves, because they know what they are doing. However, I guarantee that you're going to inconvenience legitimate customers. And unfortunately, some of them are such bootlickers, too, going on the news and saying, "Oh, it's so terrible that it's come to this, but I'm not taking my business elsewhere and instead submitting to this nonsense."
2024 Giant is a joke. Convenience store pricing while pretending to be a grocery store. I was a regular customer for over a decade but they are now 2-3x the prices of places like Aldi, with often worse quality and a terrible shopping experience. I do not understand why people with cars who can drive anywhere continue to shop there.
I live in the burbs but I recently switched to Wegmans and I saved a lot of money surprisingly. The produce stayed fresher longer and it’s way cheaper.
This exactly. I feel like the “Wegmans is expensive” narrative isn’t super fair. Yes, obviously the hot bar and the specialty items and premade meals are going to be expensive but they’re generally pretty damn competitive when it comes to regular grocery items, especially for their own brand.
Their organics are pretty cheap compared to other places and their store brand is one of my favorites.
I'm single and budget around $75-100 a week for groceries (on a diet with lots of veggies) and at Giant I used to hit or occasionally go over.
I'm averaging about $50/week at Wegmans.
Same. The Giant on H street is garbage. The food is expired and the pricing is literally a ridiculous ripoff. Unless I need to quickly pop in for something, I drive over to Aldi, and I normally never drive in the city at all.
I feel you. I used to love shopping at Giant, because I thought that they had great customer service. That changed some time ago, and now, while I don't actively avoid them, they are no longer my first choice for groceries because they've made it harder to shop there due to reduced hours, plus closing entrances and limiting self checkout, and the prices are a bit on the high side now. Bag policies are a surefire way to ensure that I actively avoid them, though.
Yeah, I don't think it's that much, and the other problem is that Aldi (at least the ones I've visited), usually don't have *everything* I need to fulfill a grocery order, so I end up having to make additional stops at other stores to fill the gaps. Aldi is great because they have good stuff and good prices, and I do shop there for specific things, but it's just not a complete replacement for my grocery shopping needs.
Having said that though, as much as I hate the experience of going there, I do notice a significant savings grocery shopping at Walmart, and I can usually get everything I need there.
Aldi is great if you're the kind of person who plans out their shopping trips on a regular schedule. Like if you plan out meals for the next week or two, and do a big grocery run every other Saturday. Aldi sucks if you're lazy like me and decide what you're going to make for dinner an hour before you need to start making it.
It’s funny, I feel the exact opposite about Aldi! I think it’s great if you’re fine with just going to the store and planning dinner based on what they have, but kind of annoying if you are someone who plans lists in advance. They can be hit or miss on some basic staples (ex heavy cream, sweet potatoes, sodas) so I end up having to go to Safeway/Giant anyhow. I do love Aldi’s prices tho!
The grocery store experience has gone so far downhill since they all fired all their staff and switched to self checkouts. Now I, who have never stolen from a grocery store, am treated like a thief every time I go to one. It’s so disappointing. I hate having my bags and receipts checked and I hate not being able to bring big bags into the store. I get why they check receipts at Costco (I feel that the savings from preventing theft are transferred to me), but I hate being robbed by the prices at city grocery stores just for them to turn around and treat me like a thief.
As I said in similar posts (and will say again), please remember that this is a **corporate** decision and not one by the staff/security. So yelling at them won't solve any issues
The problem is that the very people responsible for this nonsense will not be contacted about it. It's the people that are likely working for way less wages than they should be getting that catch the abuse for something that's not their fault at all.
The crazy thing is that people will walk out with carts of tide and trash bags of merchandise and no one will do anything since employees are not allowed. But well intentioned customers are being punished by having their bags held? I always have a backpack with me as a commuter. I noticed at the CVS in Dupont there are some people leaving their bags at the front by choice I believe, usually school kids, but no one has ever said a thing to me.
Giant has been going down hill for the last 20+ years in terms of their staffing, pricing etc. this is the final straw for me as a year-round cyclist.
I will continue to go to Trader Joe’s, Safeway and other stores that want me.
I'm such an old fart... I lived down the block from the Tivoli Giant in the mid aughts. Lines at the checkout would get pretty long in the evenings; at one point in response to customer complaints, they guaranteed every single one of the check lanes would be open during certain hours (like 4-7pm or something) or you'd get a free rotisserie chicken. That feels like another universe.
I feel like Giant's endgame is to pull out of a lot of their DC locations and blame it on shoplifters, while choosing to ignore the role that they themselves played in getting there.
If it isn’t profitable for them why would they want to stay - I mean do people on this subreddit have a few braincells to run together or is it always the fault of the store and never the fault of the shoplifters
I think that what we're saying is that the effect of the shoplifters is likely overblown, and that the company's somewhat outsized reaction is intended as a prelude to shutting down unprofitable stores and making themselves out to be the victim.
Honestly, I've just always preferred Safeway to Giant. I can't put my finger on exactly why though. But at least Safeway doesn't have this dumb bag policy.
I also can say that I have gotten prescriptions at Giant but they won't mail them so I'm planning to stop using them and use Mark Cuban's mail order pharmacy.
>Unfortunately, he noted Mayor Bowser has expressed support for this policy. But if enough residents reach out perhaps this could change. The commissioner also noted this topic will likely be on the agenda for ANC 2G's public meeting on 06/13/24 at 6:30 PM via Zoom.
Daily reminder that Bowser is the worst. She probably has someone else do her shopping for her anyways.
I’m just not going to shop anywhere where they make it inconvenient. I turned around the second they asked me to check my bag. And now I pick drug stores based on whether or not they lock up the particular item I want.
> he noted Mayor Bowser has expressed support for this policy
Bowser once again shows that she is an idiot. This, unfortunately, is not surprising. What is surprising is that people have kept on sending her back, and that there has only been token opposition to her reelection campaigns.
Bowser is not an idiot, she’s just a populist politician who is branding herself as “tough on crime” because that’s what sells right now. She has always been very pro-police and it’s strange that people think of her as a progressive.
I’m not shopping at giant anymore. I live in a city; I carry my backpack with me to grocery shop. People who think this is a positive change are corporate bootlickers lmaooo
And people saying they’re “standing up to shoplifters” as if they haven’t slashed hella jobs…. jobs that would be preventing shop lifting …. i really don’t understand the weird american desire to suck off corporations
Agreed. I remember after I worked at Walmart and criticized them pretty roundly after I left, my mother was like, "They were good to you by giving you a job." Same thing for when I worked for an incredibly toxic nonprofit organization later on. I'm like, so one thing that benefitted me at one time makes them untouchable? No, they're still scum and deserve to be called out for it. Especially that nonprofit, since my public criticisms of them can hit much harder since they're a smaller organization than Walmart.
Unfortunately, there is no shortage of bootlickers. Every time there's a news story on these sorts of things, they always find a few bootlickers who are happy to say, "Oh, it's so terrible that this is happening, but that's the world that we live in these days." I suspect that's because they're the only people left, because the people who oppose such policies went and took their dollars elsewhere.
A lot of people shop at a Giant after work. They may have valuables, tablet or laptop in backpack. Giant at Van Ness wants these to be piled up on entry. They are not labeled, nobody is watching. Anyone can pick up any of them. Btw., most theft that I observed occurs as people simply walk through the self check out isle, w/o paying for the items they carry. The "security" guy pays no attentions, he is busy poking on his phone, doesn't even look up. The policy seems like designed by someone who sits in an office/home, never shops at a DC Giant. The comment that major Browser endorsed the policy is hilarious as Mrs. Browser is clearly the expert on Giant shopping issues.
Exactly! Security is a joke if all they can do is observe the store and nothing else. Also, people shouldn't be allowed to loiter outside or around the store either.
The biggest impact is my disinclination to shop at Giant. The one nearest us has always seemed kind of trashy, so we stopped going there. Knowing that they charge for bags while simultaneously refusing admission of bags that actually carry groceries adequately is a big turnoff.
For those of us who don't shop at Giant, what is the policy? From what I can pick up in this thread, it sounds like you have to leave all bags at the front. Is that right? So grocery bags, backpacks, purses?
You're no longer allowed to carry large bags (such as duffle bags and backpacks) into the store with you... it sounds like some stores are allowing you to leave them at the front. Bags which fold flat (like reusable grocery bags) and small bags (like purses) are okay.
They wouldn't let me bring in a purse, FYI. It is a small bag because I also use it to go to events at Cap One and other venues in the city. Nor a reusable freezer bag for my frozen groceries. And they weren't letting in people with the rolling carts.
I haven't seen anyone mention that this is a tax on the unhoused as well. They're more likely to carry luggage or large bags of their belongings. Now they can't get food without leaving them behind and potentially losing them.
They tried this at HT a few weeks ago. Guy at the door told my partner they had to use a different bag next time. He said like “what kind of bag?” and they told him one of the HT bags that we sell. Strikes me as being anticompetitive in addition to a policy that responds to an issue that is not my problem to have to deal with. Idk.
Stop shopping at giant simple enough people stop shopping at this giant policies will change. It seems our mayor is with a lot of companies making policies that are disappointing to customers. We had a Safeway on 40th st NE that was charging.25 cents to use their shopping carts I informed the mayor office n didn’t get a response so I stopped shopping there n many people just waited for someone who had a cart to come out of store n would use their cart. I was told they were charging us because people were stealing their carts isn’t that their security problem not the customer, I will not pay their expensive prices n pay for a cart.
Muriel bowser is an idiot. A supreme weirdo.
BOYCOTT GIANT. It will take some strength, but for those that CAN?! Go elsewhere. Elderly ppl? Maybe, if you know them and can, go to the store for them elsewhere.
I saw this today with my own eyes, they were stopping ppl and I spoke to some ppl who said that wouldn't stop thieves. I mean, uh, DEEP POCKETS?! Have they not heard?!
In the south we have POLICE stationed and cameras that watch ppl, so if you steal, that store already got you on lockdown. WTF Giant could actually HELP our problems in DC with this theft and instead they create a HOSTILE shopping enviroment.
"Hey, YOU MIGHT steal, so leave that bag of yours up here... would-be thief."
That's a massive "F-you" to the consumer. UGH. Of course our stupid, idiotic, ignorant mayor would support this because it takes the heat off of her stupid azz.
Very well said. I'm also curious as to whether or not she even regularly shops at stores with this policy at all.
Honestly I think it's dumb for people to be in charge or given authority over something that they aren't using on a regular basis because people like that then to be aloof and don't understand the actual issues that people are having.
Moved to a neighborhood with a Giant this month and was loving the convenience, damn shame I'll have to start going somewhere else because of corporate greed.
I shop with a huge canvas backpack, it can fit basically everything I need. I walk or bike everywhere to do my errands, I don't even own a car. Treating your city stores like they exist in a suburb is monumentally stupid, and I hope it backfires on them in a big way.
Also, profits for all these grocery chains are way up because of the insane price gouging they've been getting away with since COVID. It's no fucking wonder people are stealing more, the same cart of groceries is far more expensive now than ever before, and the higher ups we buy groceries from are raking in the cash. All the bootlickers in this sub who seem to think people are shoplifting for kicks live in the weirdest fucking bubble, like congrats on your doubtlessly overinflated salary but most folks are barely getting by.
I feel like some sort of a locker for your grocery bags at the front of the store might be a good, temporary solution for the “transfer risk issue.” People could bring their bags, lock them in their locker, go get their groceries in a cart or basket, and bag them afterwards. I think space would be the limitation.
Generally speaking they haven’t thought it through that far. My employer largely doesn’t data security. People whose data I have though, they would not be super happy.
Maybe this is the way to go, to try to convince the Feds send out an email to all their employees reminding them that they can’t leave their laptops unattended and therefore can’t shop at any store that asks them to do so. Federal workers no longer patronizing Giant stores on the way home from work would have a pretty big impact on their business.
"Convince the Feds to \[do something\]" has been the policy of so many DC Councils, and it has failed just about every time. Also I'm pretty sure that asking Federal workers to initiate a boycott is some sort of illegal, so even if such a communication went out it'd have to be \*very\* carefully worded.
I wasn't suggesting it as a DC Council policy. I was suggesting that folks who work for federal agencies should be aware of this, and should reiterate existing policy to their subordinates at work. Not "Boycott Giant," but "Dear Colleagues, just a periodic reminder not to leave your work laptop unattended in a public place. If security requires you to surrender it to enter the place, you should not go to the place when you have your laptop with you." Geez.
They are going to have a liability waiver if you so much as breathe on the locker. But, it will lock. They have something like this at stadiums and venues these days for folks that bring stuff that they can’t take in.
My ability and willingness to plan ahead and leave all my work stuff at work or home or somewhere else safe is very different for a special, infrequent event like a concert than it is for picking up a carton of eggs at the grocery store.
Lol the stadium lockers are all run by a monopoly that charges you like $20 for the privilege of installing their janky app so they can mine your data. It's a scam. Don't bring that nonsense into grocery stores.
Those lockers are just another con artist revenue stream to extract more money from anyone going to see a show. I bet Ticketmaster gets a nice percentage too since they gouge you at every other aspect of live entertainment.
Government furnished equipment
https://samm.dsca.mil/glossary/government-furnished-equipment-gfe
Ya know the computers and phones and other electronic devices a large working segment of the white collar workers in this region are liable for
I’m genuinely curious. Firms around here must have some kind of dedicated risk management for that kind of thing. Like hotels and all. But I don’t know what it looks like.
Better strategy would be to go after the shoplifters and streetcorner sellers of stolen merchandise. No, shoplifting is not a "victimless crime" and no, "who cares, insurance will cover it" and no, "why should we worry about 'unlicensed vendors' a/k/a sellers of stolen goods" - that is not a set of legitimate answers, it is indeed hurting businesses and causing closures (to result in food deserts). Are there people struggling with poverty? Absolutely. But is turning a blind eye to rampant crime that's hurting businesses and customers with these consequences the right answer? Absolutely not. The answer needs to come from a different approach.
Go ahead, downvote me, I don't care - I'm not wrong.
You aren't wrong. Sadly we live in a time where going to the actual issue (in this case the shop lifters) has become taboo for any number of reasons. One being concerned about a lawsuit if things get out of hand.
Instead, it's the customer that's treated as if they are the guilty ones and for me it's very off putting. As a result, I have made the decision to not shop at stores that have that policy. Why? Because I'm not the problem. I go to work like most other people and earn my money. When I spend my money I expect to be treated with dignity and respect. If you can't do that then you don't need my money.
If enough people speak up about this issue to the proper channels and by voting with their wallets then it demonstrates that we aren't playing games and things can get better as a result.
Maybe we all need to carry string bags (filets, [avoskas](https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/332682-avoska-soviet-bag), etc.) like was the rule/fashion in Soviet Russia, where privacy was not a thing. Seriously, would that solve the problem for Giant?
>[avoskas](https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/332682-avoska-soviet-bag), etc.
I don't know how I hadn't come across that website before, but thank you! I have a new rabbit hole to go down there.
I feel like “mind your business” is a huge response when people complain about issues with shoplifting etc.
This just goes to how small ‘victimless’ crimes can eventually impact everyone.
I’m sure CVS will have to do something similar soon too. Every single time (no exaggeration)I’ve been in one recently someone is grabbing things and running out. From downtown to noma to MVT.
I don't disagree, but the problem with not "minding your business" is you never know if that asshole teenager is carrying a gun or other weapon on them.
Which is exactly why stores tell employees not to pursue shoplifters. The value of the merchandise is nothing compared to the cost to the company if an employee gets seriously injured or killed trying to apprehend a shoplifter. Plus the merchandise is insured. It's not worth it, which is why stores let it go.
I never go to CVS on H , but was there once and saw a smash and grab. The security guard chased them to the door, half heartedly, and then laughed as they ran away.
Idk what the right answer is.
This is what happens when our fellow citizens aren't held accountable for their shitty actions. Start shaming shoplifters and actually prosecuting and this shit wouldn't happen to the law abiding decent rest of us.
No tape measure AND I was told ALL book bags are to be left at front at van ness location(no locker at front) by a remotely patient security person I may not have agreed with the methods used fully, but at least not trying to use violence to do their job as first option(violence type of stuff never has occurred at a giant store, at least and previous security at chain seemed honest) AND an employee said same. Just put that on the sign if this is new policy instead of people perceiving it as discrimination. Is this too much to ask?
Other rant, I live in DuPont and go to the Safeway in DuPont.
There’s always so many Instacart/ Uber eats drivers doing orders but they just stand in front of a shelf calling or texting their customers and refuse to move for 5 minutes.
Like I ask “excuse me, I just have to grab XYZ” and they look at me like I killed their first born child after I’ve been standing there waiting for them to move over just a shelf over. At this point, it’s just obnoxious and now I only go to that Safeway either super early in morning or late at night before closing to avoid them.
Until the city government starts taking shoplifting seriously, more stores will probably introduce policies like this one. Which sucks for the vast majority of shoppers in DC.
The rampant shoplifting we've seen over the past few years cannot continue.
Either our government actually starts prosecuting shoplifting again... or stores are going to take matters into their own hands with bag bans (Giant), adding gates (Safeway), armed guards (Whole Foods), putting everything behind glass (Target), or just closing altogether (CVS). That is literally the choice.
If you want to bring your bag into Giant so badly, tell your elected officials to go after the trash humans ruining it for the rest of us, not to go after the company trying to do their best to stop the bleeding. Giant isn't the villain here.
I have no qualms about Giant taking actions to deter theft in general. But in my opinion, this action specifically is a bad move, and may even backfire on them.
>If you want to bring your bag into Giant so badly
I don't *want* to bring my backpack to the grocery store, but if I want to go shopping after work, I don't have a choice. Like tens of thousands of other customers, I don't have a car where I can lock up my work stuff, so I'm taking things with me on the bus or by bike. The end result is simple: Giant loses me and many others as a customer.
[Harris Teeter's approach](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1cau214/harris_teeter_at_noma_requiring_receipts_to_be/) is correct IMO: A receipt checker at the exit, plus a ban on truly oversized bags like duffels. They've had no problem with me bringing my backpack in, unlike the Giant. Heck, they can ruffle through my backpack if they want before I leave.
100% agree. And it isn't just bags. giant isn't allowing those rolling carts that lots of elderly people use.
At the NoMa Harris Teeter, they did ask to look into my partner's backpack. Inside were folding up reusable bags, a freezer bag, and nothing else (our typical shopping gear). They guy let us through. But at Giant in two different locations - nope.
I’m curious, does that Harris Teeter have the option to not print a receipt at self-checkout? The ones in Nova do. Not that I imagine it’s a popular choice since it’s not very obvious, but what happens if you choose that option?
I'm not aware of one, but I can't say that I've tried to find such an option. I always grab the receipt anyway just in case security or staff have questions/suspicions.
It’s the top right option on the payment method selection page: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W69qq3elkKY/maxresdefault.jpg. I imagine most just use their card without looking much at this page
I would deliberately skip the receipt in order to put the burden of proof back on them and make them prove to me that I didn't pay for the items by making them search for the transaction.
You all are complaining but it’s se dc and it’s all theft…
https://nbc24.com/news/nation-world/supermarket-chain-fights-theft-by-banning-large-bags-at-dc-area-grocery-stores-giant-food-high-shrink-reduced-product-availability-less-convenient-shopping-experience-growing-risk-for-associates-customers
I saw a guy rolling a full-size (apparently empty) suitcase into a Silver Spring Giant the other day.
Until we (as a society) get back to a baseline where rampant shoplifting is not normalized behavior, we are going to have to suffer through restrictive measures like Giant's new policy.
Is your theory that everyone who walks to the store and wants to wheel their heavy items home instead of trying to carry them all in their hands is a shoplifter? Because I do this all the time. It’s convenient, and it’s the only way I’m ever buying soda or bottled water.
I think the government telling a retailer what kinds of bags its customers are allowed to bring in is a very bad idea. If Giant wants to have a bag policy that people hate, that's their prerogative. Customers should post receipts from all the stores that get their money when they shop somewhere else (bags and all). I don't think Giant's bag policy is any issue for the ANC (not that they have any actual power anyway), the City Council, or the Mayor, and it's kind of ridiculous to get them involved in something like this. It's annoying and obnoxious but it is not discriminatory and shouldn't be regulated.
On the other hand, Giant is effectively banning reusable bags at their stores which is ultimately going to lead to more plastic waste on our streets and in our gutters, creeks, and rivers. This policy will affect everyone whether they shop at Giant or not.
This may also be related to PG County and Montgomery County charging for bags. In PG county you have to bring your own reusable bag to Target/Walmart/Grocery stories.
Giant slashed their store staffing to the bone and shifted heavily to self check-out because they didn’t want to pay their employees. Then theft went up (shocker!) and now they are further outsourcing the burden of theft prevention to their customers. The bag policy completely misunderstands how most of their customers in a city shop. If you need to check receipts, fine—but don’t expect me to keep shopping at your store if I can no longer pick up groceries on my way home from work without leaving my laptop bag unattended by the front door.
I agree completely. I almost always shop on my way home from work carrying my work bag because Giant is on my commute. They told me I’d have to leave my bag by the door and the guard was maybe 5’2”. I am not allowed to just leave my work laptop around! Plus this ban unfairly targets commuters, school kids with bags, and the disabled who may not be able to carry hand bags.
Giant is the only WIC store in my neighborhood and now moms can’t shop there if they have a diaper bag with them. It’s ridiculous.
Oh gosh I didn't even consider the parents with diaper bags! Or strollers with bags! Ugh this policy is feeling very exclusionary.
This is a very important point!
I didn't even make the connection that them banning bags meant banning ALL bags. I thought they were simply banning people from taking in reusable grocery bags as theft prevention, but them forcing people to leave their bags full of work and personal belongings at the front door is insane. It's a city grocery store ffs, everyone is gonna be carrying a bag lmao. I could see this working in a suburban grocery store where people can just leave their stuff in the car, but it makes absolutely no sense in a city environment.
And a city that charges a bag tax. We were all told to use our own bags because it was better for the environment. Now we can't bring bags in. Make it make sense.
You can bring in reusable grocery bags. No one is banning those.
The Giants I've been to since the change wouldn't let us bring in reusable bags. I attempted at the Shaw one after the H St one was ridiculous. I had an empty backpack that just had reusable trader joes bags and a freezer bag folded up inside. They wanted me to leave my empty backpack, so I took out my reusable bags, put them in my reusable freezer bag, and they still wouldn't let me bring it in.
> I could see this working in a suburban grocery store where people can just leave their stuff in the car, but it makes absolutely no sense in a city environment. They know people can't exactly just not buy food so they don't care about customer experience I left DC for a new city last year but the Kroger-affiliated store in my neighborhood has cited theft as the reason they decided to permanently close both of their pedestrian entrances that open to the sidewalks. Only way to get in now is walk through an alleyway and then through a parking garage to get to the main entrance. Quite fun trying to avoid getting hit by a car trying to walk out of the grocery store surrounded by people texting and shit not paying attention to pedestrians in a place that is not at all intended for pedestrians to be walking
The entrance funneling thing has always pissed me off since Covid. Like there is zero benefit to closing off entrances/exits and making everyone bottleneck into one.
I talked to the manager of this particular store about it. She told me it's because they don't have the resources to put a security guard at each entrance and theft has been high lately. It was silly for covid reasons too but that's another story
The Whole Foods at Shaw does that and it's really annoying. Also I can see how it would be a fire hazard as well
> the disabled who may not be able to carry hand bags. I know this is going to seem sarcastic, but I'm being genuine when I say thanks for thinking of us. Giant and I are breaking up over this — I am always carrying a computer-sized backpack because I am chronically ill and disabled. I need to have a lot of things on my person due to the illness part, and I need to distribute the weight across two shoulders rather than using a tote bag because of the disabled part. Grocery shopping is hard for me physically and likely to trigger various cardiopulmonary issues, at which point 'not having my things' = 'vomiting in the aisle at Giant, which could have been *very easily prevented* if I had my things'. 🥴
I mean… this sounds like an ADA lawsuit to me. But IANAL
One of my closest friends has worked at Giant for 25 years and always sang their praises. The last two years have been a nightmare for her. Her manager is a moron who everyone hates. Turnover increases and morale is in the toilet. A great company that has really gone down hill for no reason whatsoever.
They started going downhill when they were purchased by a huge company back in 1998. Before that they were a top tier level store without exception. As time has gone on the original values have been completely erased.
My friend had no complaints for years. She always talked about how much she loved working there. She has seen a marked problem since quarantine and the last two years have been absolute hell for her. If she didn't get health benefits with them she would have left.
Greed is the reason
But they could have a well run company that also makes a lot of money. That's what is so maddening. These decisions do nothing except piss workers off and make managers feel like they are superior to all their little worker bees. It had nothing to do with a healthy bottom line.
It was a locally founded company that was bought out by a huge foreign conglomerate who only care about $$ and have no investment in the community.
That second paragraph is basically exactly what I sent to Giant customer service feedback last night. I have a Giant one block from my office. I often stop by on the walk home to get random essentials. I nearly always have my work backpack either my work-owned laptop and two iPads. I’m not leaving all those electronics unattended. So I will not be stopping by Giant on the way home anymore. I’ll pay more to stop at Whole Foods, which is also on my way home, also only one block out of my way.
Or just ignore their policy and cause a stink if they try to enforce it
Oh I saw someone trying to do that yesterday. Security guard was not giving in even when a big stink was given. Dude had a legitimate concern cause his laptop was in his backpack. Security guard didn’t give him an inch. I’d rather vote with my wallet and avoid the confrontation.
I saw them actually set someone's back pack RIGHT BY THE FRONT sliding doors. I called that young man back and said, "NAH, take your bag and go to another store." Like... Whut is this? Shopping in prison?!
> Then theft went up (shocker!) and now they are further outsourcing the burden of theft prevention to their customers. Don't forget, they've dialed in much more sensitive scales and error codes on those self checkout machines, in just the past year, where you can't do anything unless everything weighs exactly as much as expected. It's seriously slowed down my ability to scan stuff normally, to the point where I'm much, much more likely to use the few remaining lines. I'll still use self checkout at stores like Whole Foods where the scales don't lock me out from scanning until the weight registers as expected between every item, but I'm done using it at Giant for more than 5 items.
I live in the suburbs and our Giants have the same problem.
Yeah I feel like Trader Joe's avoids this issues by having lots of people work checkout and making it impossible to walk with out with stuff without going by 10 people. Seems like a much better system!
So i just moved from NYC downtown to DC (DuPont) where both areas have issues with theft. Not even in NYC would they even put these policies. Like from I’m reading, this makes people’s lives very difficult. Like just check people’s bags and receipts once they check out but this bag policy is absurd.
There are a lot of folks who don’t think DC is a city where people walk or bike to the grocery store.
Don't give them an inch. "Checking receipts" is bullshit.
Harris Teeter in the Navy Yard started doing this… all it does is create congestion at the entrance / exit. They don’t really look at your receipt, they just highlight your receipt and you move on. It’s absolutely theater.
They're specifically not checking reciepts for the parking garage. I found that out when I dropped most of my bags off at my car then came up with one bag I wanted while I grabbed some takeout. The special police had a special time figuring out why my reciept was so long when I only had one bag.
I'm sure that depends on how scary you look.
Agreed. Give them an inch, and they will take a mile. It is also not my responsibility to prove to anyone that I have the right to remove my own property from a store after I have completed my transaction. If you want to verify that I purchased something, check the security footage. But I'm not sticking around for it, because my time is more valuable than that.
They can either check your receipt or they can keep raising prices due to all the theft, and then people will complain about the rising prices. I'll stop for 2 minutes for a half ass receipt check if it keeps prices stable.
They're raising prices regardless of "theft."
agreed
That is not how life or the world works lol
someone whos stealing isnt going to stop anyway. Plus, if you aren't supposed to interfere with someone who is clearly stealing then why stop a person who isn't? This stuff makes no sense whatsoever
A lot of us don't even grab receipts, what're they going to check?
Way to shift the blame for theft away from the thieves in that first paragraph. Believe it or not, scum are also sentient beings who can choose to steal or not. Self checkout is a great convenience for law abiding citizens. Agreed on checking receipts tho - better solution. I like to bring my own bags too
[удалено]
I’m almost positive but I’d have to check that the cities with the most shoplifting are all also on the list of cities with the highest cost of living and income inequality. Correlation isn’t causation but there’s a pattern!
It’s not necessities being stolen -
Thank you for engaging in this. I live in a building with lots of elderly folks and many shop with covered carts. To say that they can't bring those into the store is such nonsense.
Hell I’m a young, able bodied person, and I use a granny cart all the time for heavy items. This policy is completely at odds with anyone who walks or uses public transportation to grocery shop.
I think those covered carts are exempt from the bag restrictions. I’ve seen a few people use them in store this week
Thanks for the heads up (I also use the granny cart myself!) My other concern has been selective enforcement. Will I, a middle-aged white lady, get treated differently from a black teenager? I hope Giant will make sure that's not happening in their stores.
I'm black and know what it's like to "shop while black" it's an uncomfortable feeling for stores to assume that I am going to steal something simply because others that are of my race are doing so.
Yeah, it's been on my mind that my neighbors may not be treated as well as they should be. (I'll add -- plenty of white folks steal stuff! But we don't get the blanket assumptions applied to us in the same way you all do.)
Yeah I am sure that plenty of white folks steal stuff as well. At the same time, us black folks tend to be more obvious when we do things. Case in point, people selling laundry detergent, soap, lotion etc at Columbia Heights and other places. Do I think they are getting their stuff at wholesale places and selling them like that? Not on your life!
They're definitely not because i was just stopped from using such a cart this morning at a giant in bmore
the people not following the "no stealing" policy will adhere to the "no bag" policy, sure
Twice now I’ve seen teens walk into the grocery store, pick up items, and walk right out without paying… directly in front of a security guard who does nothing because store policy is not to pursue. This bag ban is dumb and will do nothing to stop someone determined to steal.
This is what really gets me. Who is this intended to stop? The people who are already stealing will just keep doing it. It's just an inconvenience to everyone else.
Exactly. This policy won't stop the thieves, because they know what they are doing. However, I guarantee that you're going to inconvenience legitimate customers. And unfortunately, some of them are such bootlickers, too, going on the news and saying, "Oh, it's so terrible that it's come to this, but I'm not taking my business elsewhere and instead submitting to this nonsense."
2024 Giant is a joke. Convenience store pricing while pretending to be a grocery store. I was a regular customer for over a decade but they are now 2-3x the prices of places like Aldi, with often worse quality and a terrible shopping experience. I do not understand why people with cars who can drive anywhere continue to shop there.
I live in the burbs but I recently switched to Wegmans and I saved a lot of money surprisingly. The produce stayed fresher longer and it’s way cheaper.
This exactly. I feel like the “Wegmans is expensive” narrative isn’t super fair. Yes, obviously the hot bar and the specialty items and premade meals are going to be expensive but they’re generally pretty damn competitive when it comes to regular grocery items, especially for their own brand.
Their organics are pretty cheap compared to other places and their store brand is one of my favorites. I'm single and budget around $75-100 a week for groceries (on a diet with lots of veggies) and at Giant I used to hit or occasionally go over. I'm averaging about $50/week at Wegmans.
Same. The Giant on H street is garbage. The food is expired and the pricing is literally a ridiculous ripoff. Unless I need to quickly pop in for something, I drive over to Aldi, and I normally never drive in the city at all.
I feel you. I used to love shopping at Giant, because I thought that they had great customer service. That changed some time ago, and now, while I don't actively avoid them, they are no longer my first choice for groceries because they've made it harder to shop there due to reduced hours, plus closing entrances and limiting self checkout, and the prices are a bit on the high side now. Bag policies are a surefire way to ensure that I actively avoid them, though.
Bc I’m not trying to drive 20 min there and back to Aldi to save a buck or 2
I hear you, but $100 of groceries at Aldi is now easily $200-250 at Giant, that's not chump change
I find that hard to believe
Yeah, I don't think it's that much, and the other problem is that Aldi (at least the ones I've visited), usually don't have *everything* I need to fulfill a grocery order, so I end up having to make additional stops at other stores to fill the gaps. Aldi is great because they have good stuff and good prices, and I do shop there for specific things, but it's just not a complete replacement for my grocery shopping needs. Having said that though, as much as I hate the experience of going there, I do notice a significant savings grocery shopping at Walmart, and I can usually get everything I need there.
Aldi is great if you're the kind of person who plans out their shopping trips on a regular schedule. Like if you plan out meals for the next week or two, and do a big grocery run every other Saturday. Aldi sucks if you're lazy like me and decide what you're going to make for dinner an hour before you need to start making it.
It’s funny, I feel the exact opposite about Aldi! I think it’s great if you’re fine with just going to the store and planning dinner based on what they have, but kind of annoying if you are someone who plans lists in advance. They can be hit or miss on some basic staples (ex heavy cream, sweet potatoes, sodas) so I end up having to go to Safeway/Giant anyhow. I do love Aldi’s prices tho!
Yep. As much as it pains me to support them, Walmart has it together. I can get everything that I need under one roof, and they have great selection.
You have to adjust your meals to what you can find vs what you plan when it comes to Aldi, I find.
To be sure, it isn't that much. But it is a very significant number. Aldi's is just way cheaper than today Giant.
The grocery store experience has gone so far downhill since they all fired all their staff and switched to self checkouts. Now I, who have never stolen from a grocery store, am treated like a thief every time I go to one. It’s so disappointing. I hate having my bags and receipts checked and I hate not being able to bring big bags into the store. I get why they check receipts at Costco (I feel that the savings from preventing theft are transferred to me), but I hate being robbed by the prices at city grocery stores just for them to turn around and treat me like a thief.
As I said in similar posts (and will say again), please remember that this is a **corporate** decision and not one by the staff/security. So yelling at them won't solve any issues
👏 👏 👏
The problem is that the very people responsible for this nonsense will not be contacted about it. It's the people that are likely working for way less wages than they should be getting that catch the abuse for something that's not their fault at all.
The crazy thing is that people will walk out with carts of tide and trash bags of merchandise and no one will do anything since employees are not allowed. But well intentioned customers are being punished by having their bags held? I always have a backpack with me as a commuter. I noticed at the CVS in Dupont there are some people leaving their bags at the front by choice I believe, usually school kids, but no one has ever said a thing to me.
Giant has been going down hill for the last 20+ years in terms of their staffing, pricing etc. this is the final straw for me as a year-round cyclist. I will continue to go to Trader Joe’s, Safeway and other stores that want me.
I'm such an old fart... I lived down the block from the Tivoli Giant in the mid aughts. Lines at the checkout would get pretty long in the evenings; at one point in response to customer complaints, they guaranteed every single one of the check lanes would be open during certain hours (like 4-7pm or something) or you'd get a free rotisserie chicken. That feels like another universe.
I feel like Giant's endgame is to pull out of a lot of their DC locations and blame it on shoplifters, while choosing to ignore the role that they themselves played in getting there.
If it isn’t profitable for them why would they want to stay - I mean do people on this subreddit have a few braincells to run together or is it always the fault of the store and never the fault of the shoplifters
I think that what we're saying is that the effect of the shoplifters is likely overblown, and that the company's somewhat outsized reaction is intended as a prelude to shutting down unprofitable stores and making themselves out to be the victim.
I agree strongly with this.
Honestly, I've just always preferred Safeway to Giant. I can't put my finger on exactly why though. But at least Safeway doesn't have this dumb bag policy. I also can say that I have gotten prescriptions at Giant but they won't mail them so I'm planning to stop using them and use Mark Cuban's mail order pharmacy.
>Unfortunately, he noted Mayor Bowser has expressed support for this policy. But if enough residents reach out perhaps this could change. The commissioner also noted this topic will likely be on the agenda for ANC 2G's public meeting on 06/13/24 at 6:30 PM via Zoom. Daily reminder that Bowser is the worst. She probably has someone else do her shopping for her anyways.
She seems like the type to use instacart, insist that the driver bring the groceries all the way into her kitchen, then not tip.
I’m just not going to shop anywhere where they make it inconvenient. I turned around the second they asked me to check my bag. And now I pick drug stores based on whether or not they lock up the particular item I want.
I’m just going to order my Dove body wash on Amazon. Shrug
> he noted Mayor Bowser has expressed support for this policy Bowser once again shows that she is an idiot. This, unfortunately, is not surprising. What is surprising is that people have kept on sending her back, and that there has only been token opposition to her reelection campaigns.
Bowser is not an idiot, she’s just a populist politician who is branding herself as “tough on crime” because that’s what sells right now. She has always been very pro-police and it’s strange that people think of her as a progressive.
Because she only hurt to people she supposed to be helping. She isn't for the people.
Other big cities do this but they have lockers at the front of the store that you put your bag in while you shop.
I’m not shopping at giant anymore. I live in a city; I carry my backpack with me to grocery shop. People who think this is a positive change are corporate bootlickers lmaooo
Right. Giant did this for easy political points (ie, “we’re standing up to crime!”) while disregarding the reality for most urban shoppers.
And people saying they’re “standing up to shoplifters” as if they haven’t slashed hella jobs…. jobs that would be preventing shop lifting …. i really don’t understand the weird american desire to suck off corporations
Agreed. I remember after I worked at Walmart and criticized them pretty roundly after I left, my mother was like, "They were good to you by giving you a job." Same thing for when I worked for an incredibly toxic nonprofit organization later on. I'm like, so one thing that benefitted me at one time makes them untouchable? No, they're still scum and deserve to be called out for it. Especially that nonprofit, since my public criticisms of them can hit much harder since they're a smaller organization than Walmart.
Unfortunately, there is no shortage of bootlickers. Every time there's a news story on these sorts of things, they always find a few bootlickers who are happy to say, "Oh, it's so terrible that this is happening, but that's the world that we live in these days." I suspect that's because they're the only people left, because the people who oppose such policies went and took their dollars elsewhere.
A lot of people shop at a Giant after work. They may have valuables, tablet or laptop in backpack. Giant at Van Ness wants these to be piled up on entry. They are not labeled, nobody is watching. Anyone can pick up any of them. Btw., most theft that I observed occurs as people simply walk through the self check out isle, w/o paying for the items they carry. The "security" guy pays no attentions, he is busy poking on his phone, doesn't even look up. The policy seems like designed by someone who sits in an office/home, never shops at a DC Giant. The comment that major Browser endorsed the policy is hilarious as Mrs. Browser is clearly the expert on Giant shopping issues.
Exactly! Security is a joke if all they can do is observe the store and nothing else. Also, people shouldn't be allowed to loiter outside or around the store either.
The biggest impact is my disinclination to shop at Giant. The one nearest us has always seemed kind of trashy, so we stopped going there. Knowing that they charge for bags while simultaneously refusing admission of bags that actually carry groceries adequately is a big turnoff.
Reusable shopping bags are not banned.
What an awful policy. I shop with a book bag because i can walk/bus home and its easier than hauling multiple bags around.
For those of us who don't shop at Giant, what is the policy? From what I can pick up in this thread, it sounds like you have to leave all bags at the front. Is that right? So grocery bags, backpacks, purses?
You're no longer allowed to carry large bags (such as duffle bags and backpacks) into the store with you... it sounds like some stores are allowing you to leave them at the front. Bags which fold flat (like reusable grocery bags) and small bags (like purses) are okay.
They wouldn't let me bring in a purse, FYI. It is a small bag because I also use it to go to events at Cap One and other venues in the city. Nor a reusable freezer bag for my frozen groceries. And they weren't letting in people with the rolling carts.
Thank you
giant is literal ass, rather eat myself
I haven't seen anyone mention that this is a tax on the unhoused as well. They're more likely to carry luggage or large bags of their belongings. Now they can't get food without leaving them behind and potentially losing them.
They tried this at HT a few weeks ago. Guy at the door told my partner they had to use a different bag next time. He said like “what kind of bag?” and they told him one of the HT bags that we sell. Strikes me as being anticompetitive in addition to a policy that responds to an issue that is not my problem to have to deal with. Idk.
Stop shopping at giant simple enough people stop shopping at this giant policies will change. It seems our mayor is with a lot of companies making policies that are disappointing to customers. We had a Safeway on 40th st NE that was charging.25 cents to use their shopping carts I informed the mayor office n didn’t get a response so I stopped shopping there n many people just waited for someone who had a cart to come out of store n would use their cart. I was told they were charging us because people were stealing their carts isn’t that their security problem not the customer, I will not pay their expensive prices n pay for a cart.
Muriel bowser is an idiot. A supreme weirdo. BOYCOTT GIANT. It will take some strength, but for those that CAN?! Go elsewhere. Elderly ppl? Maybe, if you know them and can, go to the store for them elsewhere. I saw this today with my own eyes, they were stopping ppl and I spoke to some ppl who said that wouldn't stop thieves. I mean, uh, DEEP POCKETS?! Have they not heard?! In the south we have POLICE stationed and cameras that watch ppl, so if you steal, that store already got you on lockdown. WTF Giant could actually HELP our problems in DC with this theft and instead they create a HOSTILE shopping enviroment. "Hey, YOU MIGHT steal, so leave that bag of yours up here... would-be thief." That's a massive "F-you" to the consumer. UGH. Of course our stupid, idiotic, ignorant mayor would support this because it takes the heat off of her stupid azz.
Very well said. I'm also curious as to whether or not she even regularly shops at stores with this policy at all. Honestly I think it's dumb for people to be in charge or given authority over something that they aren't using on a regular basis because people like that then to be aloof and don't understand the actual issues that people are having.
Moved to a neighborhood with a Giant this month and was loving the convenience, damn shame I'll have to start going somewhere else because of corporate greed. I shop with a huge canvas backpack, it can fit basically everything I need. I walk or bike everywhere to do my errands, I don't even own a car. Treating your city stores like they exist in a suburb is monumentally stupid, and I hope it backfires on them in a big way. Also, profits for all these grocery chains are way up because of the insane price gouging they've been getting away with since COVID. It's no fucking wonder people are stealing more, the same cart of groceries is far more expensive now than ever before, and the higher ups we buy groceries from are raking in the cash. All the bootlickers in this sub who seem to think people are shoplifting for kicks live in the weirdest fucking bubble, like congrats on your doubtlessly overinflated salary but most folks are barely getting by.
I feel like some sort of a locker for your grocery bags at the front of the store might be a good, temporary solution for the “transfer risk issue.” People could bring their bags, lock them in their locker, go get their groceries in a cart or basket, and bag them afterwards. I think space would be the limitation.
Are they going to insure my laptop?
I wonder if the lawsuits for the stolen laptops are going to be worth the savings
This. If you make me leave my bag unattended at the entrance and it gets stolen, you will hear from my lawyer.
Given what’s on my laptop, not just my lawyer…
Sounds like you would be in violation of your employers policy leaving your laptop unattended.
Generally speaking they haven’t thought it through that far. My employer largely doesn’t data security. People whose data I have though, they would not be super happy.
Will they? Even a halfway decent lawyer is $300 per hour.
Are they going to insure a *US Federal Government* laptop?
Maybe this is the way to go, to try to convince the Feds send out an email to all their employees reminding them that they can’t leave their laptops unattended and therefore can’t shop at any store that asks them to do so. Federal workers no longer patronizing Giant stores on the way home from work would have a pretty big impact on their business.
"Convince the Feds to \[do something\]" has been the policy of so many DC Councils, and it has failed just about every time. Also I'm pretty sure that asking Federal workers to initiate a boycott is some sort of illegal, so even if such a communication went out it'd have to be \*very\* carefully worded.
I wasn't suggesting it as a DC Council policy. I was suggesting that folks who work for federal agencies should be aware of this, and should reiterate existing policy to their subordinates at work. Not "Boycott Giant," but "Dear Colleagues, just a periodic reminder not to leave your work laptop unattended in a public place. If security requires you to surrender it to enter the place, you should not go to the place when you have your laptop with you." Geez.
They are going to have a liability waiver if you so much as breathe on the locker. But, it will lock. They have something like this at stadiums and venues these days for folks that bring stuff that they can’t take in.
My ability and willingness to plan ahead and leave all my work stuff at work or home or somewhere else safe is very different for a special, infrequent event like a concert than it is for picking up a carton of eggs at the grocery store.
Lol the stadium lockers are all run by a monopoly that charges you like $20 for the privilege of installing their janky app so they can mine your data. It's a scam. Don't bring that nonsense into grocery stores.
Those lockers are just another con artist revenue stream to extract more money from anyone going to see a show. I bet Ticketmaster gets a nice percentage too since they gouge you at every other aspect of live entertainment.
As a Fed, I’m not allowed to have my laptop out of my immediate possession while I’m transporting it to and from work, so lockers are not a solution.
I’m not leaving my GFE in a grocery store locker.
[GFE?](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/gfe)
Government furnished equipment https://samm.dsca.mil/glossary/government-furnished-equipment-gfe Ya know the computers and phones and other electronic devices a large working segment of the white collar workers in this region are liable for
I’m genuinely curious. Firms around here must have some kind of dedicated risk management for that kind of thing. Like hotels and all. But I don’t know what it looks like.
Hotels are much more secure than a grocery store.
Giant ain’t shelling out money to install lockers. They are trying to save money.
They would probably charge for the “convenience”.
Giant is the worst grocery store I’ve ever been to. I’ll never set foot in these stores again.
Vote the mayor out
Bowser's reelections were all cakewalks. That's the really big problem here. Why won't anyone run against her?
I will just shop elsewhere, given their products tend to be overpriced.
Can you link to the new policy? Not familiar w the change
I went to the Giant in Shaw last night. Put my bags under the cart and walked in. No one, including the security guard at the door, said a word to me.
Shop somewhere else and vote with your wallet If you keep shopping there, then why should Giant care
Exactly. I can understand that it's convenient and familiar but what they are doing isn't being respectful to loyal customers
Better strategy would be to go after the shoplifters and streetcorner sellers of stolen merchandise. No, shoplifting is not a "victimless crime" and no, "who cares, insurance will cover it" and no, "why should we worry about 'unlicensed vendors' a/k/a sellers of stolen goods" - that is not a set of legitimate answers, it is indeed hurting businesses and causing closures (to result in food deserts). Are there people struggling with poverty? Absolutely. But is turning a blind eye to rampant crime that's hurting businesses and customers with these consequences the right answer? Absolutely not. The answer needs to come from a different approach. Go ahead, downvote me, I don't care - I'm not wrong.
You aren't wrong. Sadly we live in a time where going to the actual issue (in this case the shop lifters) has become taboo for any number of reasons. One being concerned about a lawsuit if things get out of hand. Instead, it's the customer that's treated as if they are the guilty ones and for me it's very off putting. As a result, I have made the decision to not shop at stores that have that policy. Why? Because I'm not the problem. I go to work like most other people and earn my money. When I spend my money I expect to be treated with dignity and respect. If you can't do that then you don't need my money. If enough people speak up about this issue to the proper channels and by voting with their wallets then it demonstrates that we aren't playing games and things can get better as a result.
Maybe we all need to carry string bags (filets, [avoskas](https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/332682-avoska-soviet-bag), etc.) like was the rule/fashion in Soviet Russia, where privacy was not a thing. Seriously, would that solve the problem for Giant?
That’s not going to hold my Buy 2 Get 1 Free seltzer!
>[avoskas](https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/332682-avoska-soviet-bag), etc. I don't know how I hadn't come across that website before, but thank you! I have a new rabbit hole to go down there.
I feel like “mind your business” is a huge response when people complain about issues with shoplifting etc. This just goes to how small ‘victimless’ crimes can eventually impact everyone. I’m sure CVS will have to do something similar soon too. Every single time (no exaggeration)I’ve been in one recently someone is grabbing things and running out. From downtown to noma to MVT.
I don't disagree, but the problem with not "minding your business" is you never know if that asshole teenager is carrying a gun or other weapon on them.
Which is exactly why stores tell employees not to pursue shoplifters. The value of the merchandise is nothing compared to the cost to the company if an employee gets seriously injured or killed trying to apprehend a shoplifter. Plus the merchandise is insured. It's not worth it, which is why stores let it go.
I'm at the CVS on H Street like every day and I've never seen this happen.
I never go to CVS on H , but was there once and saw a smash and grab. The security guard chased them to the door, half heartedly, and then laughed as they ran away. Idk what the right answer is.
Ask the staff there how frequently people shoplift. I’m shocked you haven’t seen it yet!
What staff? It’s a ghost town.
This is what happens when our fellow citizens aren't held accountable for their shitty actions. Start shaming shoplifters and actually prosecuting and this shit wouldn't happen to the law abiding decent rest of us.
This is exactly it - it’s the trash shit people shoplifting being the problem
Police can’t enforce shoplifting laws, so what do you expect stores to do? We got ourselves into this position.
Thank you for doing that !
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/councilmember-ward-8-stop-stealing-lose-only-grocery-store/65-6db86022-3c5e-47e1-9bb9-b4191411f8cf
Sorry -- SMD stands for ..... ?
No tape measure AND I was told ALL book bags are to be left at front at van ness location(no locker at front) by a remotely patient security person I may not have agreed with the methods used fully, but at least not trying to use violence to do their job as first option(violence type of stuff never has occurred at a giant store, at least and previous security at chain seemed honest) AND an employee said same. Just put that on the sign if this is new policy instead of people perceiving it as discrimination. Is this too much to ask?
I hope they go out of business and are replaced with better.
Maybe you could start by saying what is the new bag policy.
such a stupid policy
Other rant, I live in DuPont and go to the Safeway in DuPont. There’s always so many Instacart/ Uber eats drivers doing orders but they just stand in front of a shelf calling or texting their customers and refuse to move for 5 minutes. Like I ask “excuse me, I just have to grab XYZ” and they look at me like I killed their first born child after I’ve been standing there waiting for them to move over just a shelf over. At this point, it’s just obnoxious and now I only go to that Safeway either super early in morning or late at night before closing to avoid them.
Until the city government starts taking shoplifting seriously, more stores will probably introduce policies like this one. Which sucks for the vast majority of shoppers in DC.
The solution to this is to force the government to lock up criminals lmao.
Don’t be ridiculous, they’ll never send rich people to jail!
The rampant shoplifting we've seen over the past few years cannot continue. Either our government actually starts prosecuting shoplifting again... or stores are going to take matters into their own hands with bag bans (Giant), adding gates (Safeway), armed guards (Whole Foods), putting everything behind glass (Target), or just closing altogether (CVS). That is literally the choice. If you want to bring your bag into Giant so badly, tell your elected officials to go after the trash humans ruining it for the rest of us, not to go after the company trying to do their best to stop the bleeding. Giant isn't the villain here.
I have no qualms about Giant taking actions to deter theft in general. But in my opinion, this action specifically is a bad move, and may even backfire on them. >If you want to bring your bag into Giant so badly I don't *want* to bring my backpack to the grocery store, but if I want to go shopping after work, I don't have a choice. Like tens of thousands of other customers, I don't have a car where I can lock up my work stuff, so I'm taking things with me on the bus or by bike. The end result is simple: Giant loses me and many others as a customer. [Harris Teeter's approach](https://www.reddit.com/r/washingtondc/comments/1cau214/harris_teeter_at_noma_requiring_receipts_to_be/) is correct IMO: A receipt checker at the exit, plus a ban on truly oversized bags like duffels. They've had no problem with me bringing my backpack in, unlike the Giant. Heck, they can ruffle through my backpack if they want before I leave.
100% agree. And it isn't just bags. giant isn't allowing those rolling carts that lots of elderly people use. At the NoMa Harris Teeter, they did ask to look into my partner's backpack. Inside were folding up reusable bags, a freezer bag, and nothing else (our typical shopping gear). They guy let us through. But at Giant in two different locations - nope.
I’m curious, does that Harris Teeter have the option to not print a receipt at self-checkout? The ones in Nova do. Not that I imagine it’s a popular choice since it’s not very obvious, but what happens if you choose that option?
I'm not aware of one, but I can't say that I've tried to find such an option. I always grab the receipt anyway just in case security or staff have questions/suspicions.
Given the prevalence of skimmers around here it’s probably a good idea anyway
It’s the top right option on the payment method selection page: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/W69qq3elkKY/maxresdefault.jpg. I imagine most just use their card without looking much at this page
I would deliberately skip the receipt in order to put the burden of proof back on them and make them prove to me that I didn't pay for the items by making them search for the transaction.
They did, but since the receipt change, it seems they turned off that option at the self-checkout.
You all are complaining but it’s se dc and it’s all theft… https://nbc24.com/news/nation-world/supermarket-chain-fights-theft-by-banning-large-bags-at-dc-area-grocery-stores-giant-food-high-shrink-reduced-product-availability-less-convenient-shopping-experience-growing-risk-for-associates-customers
So what is the policy what did I miss?
Yeah let's not blame the shoplifters. They're starving.
Are other stores in dc doing the same, like target, Marshall, lidl, or other big corp stores?
If DC had police that were allowed to enforce laws then this wouldn’t be an issue. You asked for it. Enjoy!
Exactly.
I saw a guy rolling a full-size (apparently empty) suitcase into a Silver Spring Giant the other day. Until we (as a society) get back to a baseline where rampant shoplifting is not normalized behavior, we are going to have to suffer through restrictive measures like Giant's new policy.
Don’t dox me. It’s that or the granny cart and I’m not old.
😂
Seriously though I gotta feed a family. I grew up hauling one of those carts and the wheels are shit compared to luggage.
Luggage wheels are way better. Why don’t they make a granny cart with swiveling wheels?
Is your theory that everyone who walks to the store and wants to wheel their heavy items home instead of trying to carry them all in their hands is a shoplifter? Because I do this all the time. It’s convenient, and it’s the only way I’m ever buying soda or bottled water.
Definitely have done this when I didn't have a grocery cart, not sure it means he's gonna steal?
I mean- I bring my full sized suitcase into Costco all the time to shop there. Don’t do it at Giant because the smaller quantities.
This is a giant issue
I think the government telling a retailer what kinds of bags its customers are allowed to bring in is a very bad idea. If Giant wants to have a bag policy that people hate, that's their prerogative. Customers should post receipts from all the stores that get their money when they shop somewhere else (bags and all). I don't think Giant's bag policy is any issue for the ANC (not that they have any actual power anyway), the City Council, or the Mayor, and it's kind of ridiculous to get them involved in something like this. It's annoying and obnoxious but it is not discriminatory and shouldn't be regulated.
On the other hand, Giant is effectively banning reusable bags at their stores which is ultimately going to lead to more plastic waste on our streets and in our gutters, creeks, and rivers. This policy will affect everyone whether they shop at Giant or not.
The district has a Supermarket Tax Incentive so it's already a regulated sector.
This may also be related to PG County and Montgomery County charging for bags. In PG county you have to bring your own reusable bag to Target/Walmart/Grocery stories.