Giant Food — Attraction in Washington

This was my first time shopping at this Giant and basically I came away with 2 issues that I find are important.

First, I have a service animal and often run into trouble with businesses the first couple of visits. I always make sure to carry his paper work with me, even though businesses are recommended not to go to that step, as owners are not required to carry paperwork and denying entrance for lack of producing it immediately would subject the business to legal action. That said, with my phone down to 5%, I walked in and immediately walked to the security guard and showed him the letter before my phone died.l...and then someone asked. No employee, right through check out, made any comment to me, 'whispered' about me to co-workers as they stared. I never felt that I was not welcome as a customer.

This is very rare and GREATLY APPRECIATED. Being able to walk into a store without the anxiety and fear of being yelled at, ridiculed and mocked the entire visit is obviously a plus. It gives the customers an idea of the priorities management makes in ensuring that they have a well trained staff, not just on, say, bagging groceries or slicing meats and cheese but many aspects of being a business that relies on the community it serves for its success.

Unfortunately, it was very difficult to manuever around the store due to isles closed and pallets of items to be stocked blocking or hindering certain products. This is a 24 hour store and it was just past midnight.....AND...I typically do my grocery shopping at a 24 hour store, anytime time from 11-1. It is, and was,) frustrating that I was unable to complete my shopping list due to the condition of the store at that time. Stores have to be able to restock their shelves: Absolutely. I would be rating the store worse if the shelves were empty. But, the only other time I have seen a store just covered with pallets was when I worked for Jewels Grocery at the young age of 18. The big difference though is that Jewel closed at Midnight and that is when the major restocking began.

It may just be that I have to figure out when restocking takes a back seat to the customer rather than the other way around. Or, maybe the store works on a better staggering approach. It was not just that it was inconvenient but it was a safety problem as well.

Yes, the 2 points I mentioned are not the most important ones to the majority of shoppers at this Giant and that's why I gave it 3 stars . For my needs, and others like myself, the jury is...

On Monday July 31st I visited this store and was racially profiled by an employee in the Seafood Department. Myself and my husband stopped by the seafood counter to PURCHASE a can of crabmeat while standing there waiting 2 others before me my husband went to get Gatorade while I waited. By the time he came back it was my turn and we were discussing which can to purchase I asked the associate for the Phillips crabmeat which was $24.99 he proceeded to put it in a bag and then looked at us and said when you check out tell the clerk to page me and I’ll bring it to the register. I said what do you mean I have to pay for it first he said yeah okay but how am I supposed to do that when you have it? He said tell them to page me again. Okay we finished shopping so at check out I told the cashier who’s name is Tony what he said and he said what are you talking about so I repeated it and he didn’t understand so I said is this the procedure now? He rung for the Manager on duty at the time didn’t get his name. When he approached I repeated again and he too asked what was I talking about now we all are perplexed. I asked him as well is this the procedure and he said no. I told him the person in Seafood department described him and he went to go get it. Mind you with this encounter the line is getting longer people looking it’s embarrassing and humiliating to be treated looked and PROFILED to purchase something that someone else thinks you can’t afford. Couldn’t believe what transpired so we had to go back and get the persons name so on August 2nd we did just that and he was there and I approached him and said hi you remember waiting on me the other day about the crabmeat he said yeah and I asked what is your name he didn’t answer. I looked at his shirt and it said DAV. I then contacted Corporate when I got home. And I still shopped and spent more money. Week prior there was an incident with a homeless person where security was present because it started in the vestibule and we stepped across the door we were told they couldn’t get involved. Nothing compares to the experience that we have shopping...

I’ve been a loyal Giant customer for over 15 years, but what happened to me on Sunday, July 6th around 11:30 AM at the Columbia Heights location was humiliating, unsettling, and completely unacceptable.

After shopping at several nearby stores, I walked into Giant to look for a specific item. I was carrying a reusable tote and a Target bag filled with clearly labeled groceries from Lidl. Not finding what I needed, I exited through the self-checkout area — the only way out — when an employee loudly yelled, “Stop him!”

I was stunned. A security guard stopped me and questioned me about my bags, asking for a receipt for items that clearly weren’t from Giant. I was then surrounded by multiple staff members and treated with suspicion, hostility, and outright disrespect. There was no apology — just defensiveness, even after it was obvious I had taken nothing.

When I asked for the names of the staff involved or how to contact corporate, I was told I "didn’t need to know their names" and was labeled “hostile” just for speaking up. This experience felt like racial profiling. It was demeaning, unprovoked, and unnecessary.

Even after calling corporate, I was only offered an apology — no effort at true accountability or meaningful resolution.

I understand retail theft is a real issue, but this was handled in a completely inappropriate way. You don’t accuse, intimidate, and surround paying customers without cause — and then expect them to return like nothing happened.

As someone who’s spent thousands of dollars at Giant over the years, I now feel unsafe and unwelcome. Giant needs to do better — for all its...