Howto: Find Groceries – Shaw Giant

I love that giant! It is very convenient, and the people are nice (I get a hello from many of the same people working there each time).

i second that opinion! it’s been my primary grocery store for 6 years. they always have what i need and there have been some great improvements over the years.

after being a ‘regular’ for so long, it’s nice to get friendly greetings from the folks on staff.

and thank goodness for the circulator bus….there are often great sales prices and I tend to buy too much to comfortably carry home.

I personally am not happy with this Giant. Not because the selection isn’t great, but because of the lack of cooperation the company has given the community over the last 7 years.

The Giant, more than anything any of the other issues in my mind, has slowed the redevelopment of the O Street Market as the developers were unable to get Giant to take part in any plans to redevelop the site. The developers were hesitant to begin redevelopment with the anchor store and the parking lot being off-limits. The developers didn’t want to run into the problem where they redo the O Street market, but still have a mostly outdated space, which causes their tenants not to do so well (as in the past).

The development company was working with Giant for years to try to convince them to change their store so that the loading docks don’t faces the street, and to reconfigure the parking lot to allow new stores to be built, to allow a nicer environment for the people shopping and using the open space, while also discouraging the large amount of drug dealing and prositution that was taking place there. Giant was always against changing anything. They said they didn’t think investment in the property would bring them additional business, and they didn’t want to have even one less parking spot there, because their outdated suburban model told them that everyone drives and nobody walks or takes public transportation to the grocery store, so they said that would result in losing business after the redevelopment, and they simply weren’t willing to spend money on moving parking above or below the store (like Whole Foods). I did not go to the last meeting where they presented the latest version of the plans, but it sounds like some of this may have change in the last year. However, I still don’t go to this store based on Giant’s refusal to work with us in the past. I don’t consider them to be the neighborhood company they claim to be based on what I saw from them on this issue.

When I first moved to the area I took a taxi to this Giant. NEVER AGAIN! I had to wait over 30 minutes to get one back. When I did, the taxi driver told me “you are lucky…we never go in this area”. Nuff said…

My my, this post must have been written by another person in love with their car. A plus (for someone with a car) may be the Giant’s abundant parking, but a minus (for someone without) is the acre or so of asphalt that one must cross, trying not to get hit, in order to reach the store.

If this Giant were within walking distance of my place, I would definitely do most of my grocery shopping there. But I’ve been disappointed so many times by empty shelves or bad produce or interminable lines that it’s no longer worth the trek. I’d rather get on the green line and head to the Safeway at the Waterfront, where the quality and service are generally far superior.

But are you listening, grocers?!? The point is not that I prefer Safeway over Giant, or metro over bus, but rather that I would be willing to settle for crap as long as I can walk to it.

I’ve shopped at the Giant for 10+ years and NO ONE has ever offered to sell me their groceries to supposedly by something else. How would you even know they used food stamps?

Total fiction by a snob out of touch with reality trying to slander the poor. Subtley hateful.

The lines are horrible, but if you can shop in the mornings, on weekdays, you’ll have no worries.

yes development plans have changed & been delayed for a long time. The entire block is going to be razed and redeveloped into a new mixed use project with a new giant (no loading docks facing the street), condos (mixed income), more retail, & they shall open 8th st back up. The last design i saw was stepped with a good amount of glass. the O street market will be incorporated into the new development but they have gotten permission to raze 1 of the 3 remaining walls.
Current status: they are in the PUD & permitting phase. Giant is to close in about 2 years, targeted completion another 2 years.

fyi Safeway at 5th & L is to open around June 2008.

“I’ve shopped at the Giant for 10+ years and NO ONE has ever offered to sell me their groceries to supposedly by something else.”

This actually happened to me as well, but at the Whole Foods on P street. I guy waved me down as I got on my bike and tried to sell me a bag of groceries. I have no idea of he bought them with food stamps or what, but I would it was something like that. After all, it wouldn’t make much sense to sell a bag of groceries at a loss.

So is this common practice in DC grocery stores?

I used to take the Circulator there. But after I heard about a couple of local gangs having fights around there, I’ve stuck to the Waterfront-SEU Safeway, Whole Foods, Eastern Market, etc., etc. The groceries at that Giant are not so wonderful that I’d be willing to get shot over them. (Now Whole Foods, on the other hand….I’d take a bullet for their crusty olive bread. J/K! ;))

A friend of mine was held up at gun point in the parking lot outside of this Giant at 9:00 p.m. on a weeknight. Another female friend was assaulted by a man revealing himself to her while she was walking home. That parking lot is a hotbed for gang violence. All I can say is that if you venture there, definitely do so during daylight hours and try to go with someone. Women going by themselves should be especially cautious. Personally, I wouldn’t even highlight this store as an option.

I think anyone who has not been to this Giant in the last year should reserve their opinions as that neighborhood, while still clearly one that is undergoing change has certainly become safer with new businesses moving into the area. I live about a block from there and do most of my grocery shopping there. It’s close and honestly I have little issue finding things I need (though they do seem to NEVER have pita bread anywhere and I always have to ask someone to go in the back and get it). I will say at night I get a tad nervous still walking away from it by myself but honestly I’d say 75% of the time there are police officers parked in the lot there. The staff is not as attentive as some stores, though friendly if you need something. I will say my biggest complaint as many have mentioned here are the lines. Last night at 10:45pm I stook in line at least 15 minutes. It only took me 5 minutes to grab the few things I needed and takes less than that to walk there so it is a bit irritating when they only have to lines open with 10 – 15 people in line at each of them waiting to be checked out. I have yet to go in there and not wait at least 10 minutes in line, even the express line.

Overall the 15 minute wait is still better than trying to get to another store. Word to the wise, avoid this Giant on Sundays from about 1pm until 10pm. There are about 10 churches nearby and because this store has a parking lot it is an absolute mad house on Sundays.

i have shopped here since april of 87 and have been offered food stamps with a shopping escort and after i pick out what i want and she finalizes i meet her outside and we settle for cash trade. this has happen 3 times since 87 and not in 7 years. did i like doing it? no, but why not? i got 100 dollars worth of meat for 25 cash. i dont know who it was dont remember and dont care. but it DOES happen because it happened to me.

the staff at the GIANT has changed alot over the years. in the 90’s it was friendly, neighborly but since the beer and wine and new owners and plus with retirements …the GIANT has changed. i shop mostly at 11th street korean/asian/gay market…the old safeway and at wholefoods.

You mention that the Giant is inconvenient to Metro — but it is on the $1 CIRCULATOR route — which passes thru all of Penn Quarter, runs from 7am to 9pm, and is the most convenient way to get to/from the store. Plus, if you have a lot of bags, you can often convince the driver to stop closer to your home.

ps i intended to add latino to the old safeway mix on 11th street nw

We live about 4 blocks from the Giant and go now purely for the entertainment value. We bring these stories out at parties – it’s great fun!

Besides the garden-variety Shaw Giant experiences of rediculous wait times, no good produce, not being able to find stuff (what kind of store has no pizza crust?!), and the person in front of you not bothering to know what they can actually spend before getting to checkout… we’ve got these two gems:

– Woman in front of us holding the line up while she places a call to someone else, somewhere inside the store for cash to pay for her order. And when said person was finally located and showed up at checkout 20 minutes later, they proceeded to add in own their separate order – with 3 different methods of payment. No help from the checkout person on this one. Heck, not their problem. How zaney can you get!

– Old Italian man trying to buy my wife candy from the candy isle for her helping him locate the steaks in the meat section. Until his wife saw what he was doing and then proceeded to smack him with her pocket-book. What a hoot!

When we want to actually just shop for groceries, we do the sane thing and order PeaPod.

I think the lines issue is really key. Now that I have a car, I mostly don’t shop at this store because t takes *forever* to check out.

And as to walking there, the parking lot is actually fairly well designed for pedestrians. From the Circulator stop to the entrance is a straight shot and mostly sidewalk. Unless you are coming over from the middle of 7th Street, you can avoid almost all of the parking lot.

I did see the plans for the new store, and they look really great. I hope it happens.

Shalom Baranes plans:

http://www.anc2c02.com/public/index.php/
2007/03/28/development_at_o_st_market

Shop for produce on Thursday mornings. It’s as good then as (and much cheaper than) Whole Paycheck

The Circulator is one option, but the 70’s buses also take you right there and back (going up and down 7th Street). The parking lot is a disaster no matter how you cut it. Stores that are surrounded by a big parking lot were never intended to be reached by foot, end of story.

So how about the city moves all the displaced Eastern Market vendors into the Balducci’s space and calls it a day? Are you out there, Tommy Wells?

There should be a way to send these comments to a potential grocer (along with the previous 55). Perhaps someone would understand how vital and profitable a store would be in the Penn Quarter area.

Personally, I prefer the Giant at Van Ness. It is a quick metro ride, the store is at the top of the escalator and it is clean and fairly well stocked. My other store is Harris Teeter, which has everything else that I can’t find at Giant.

This post looks like it is destined for another 55+ comments. Who can we forward these to? Balducci?

Anon: There is yet another grocer who is currently being courted by the Downtown Neighborhood Association. But, we figured we’d just wait until something more solid comes of it so as to not get our hopes up again.

thanks for all the comments – very informative on all counts.

This store has been nothing short of terrible for me almost 90% of the time I go in there. Much of it has already been noted on here.
– Lack of selection
– Incredibly long lines
– Slow cashiers
– Rotten produce
– Discolored meats

Also, I have tried to go there on two different occasions around midnight in the last month, and both times they were close. So, I don’t know if the 24 hour deal is a myth, or if I have just been unlucky.

I suspect that by the time we get a respectable grocer in the PQ area, I will have already moved to another area of downtown.

I am shocked at the mild nature of this review. I’ve been to this grocery store probably 10-15 times in the last 18 months or so, and every single time I realize I’m an idiot for having gone back again.

–The lines are ALWAYS terrible. 2PM on a Tuesday, 10PM on a Thursday, it doesn’t matter–you’re going to be waiting at least 10 minutes.

–The service is awful. Part of the reason for the long lines–sometimes I’ll just be two people back, but it still takes 10 minutes, because the cashiers just like to chat with each other (I’ve even had them start fighting and cursing at each other) and on a couple of occasions I’ve had one cashier who likes to look at every single item I’m buying. So that process is pickup item…scan item…hold the box closer to her face…turn it…read the label…ooh interesting…huh…okay…put it in the bag…repeat. After I’ve been waiting in line for 10 minutes and just want to get the hell out.

–Also, while I fear I may be accused of snobbiness or intolerance or something, it does often seem to be the case that the people ahead of me in line have trouble paying for their food. Pretty much once a visit, someone has to start counting out what they had and put something back, or have an argument about how their food stamps work or something like that. I’ve got no problem with however you intend to pay for your food–just be able to do it in less than a minute and a half (I’d be no happier if you took 5 minutes to write a personal check or something).

–While the selection is okay, the quality has often been poor. I’ve gotten meat from the deli only to open it up when I get home to find that the guy cut off just huge pieces of fat and rind. I had to throw away a pound of turkey because apparently the deli guy didn’t think twice about just filling a bag full of gristle because it happened to be turkey and weighed a pound. Disgusting. I also once bought a package of frozen burgers that was sitting in the refrigerator case (as opposed to the freezer case) assuming it must be okay for them to be there since they were placed there by the store. Nope. Got home, opened it up, and they were freezerburnt to hell and a scary gray color.

–The parking lot, while spacious, is about as smooth as the surface of the moon. There are enormous potholes everywhere.

–Community Influence? Seriously? The guy selling bootleg DVDs and CDs from a plastic bag is a plus?

–Oh yes, and, despite their big “Open 24 Hours” sign, when I went there recently in need of a few things at like 1AM (which admittedly may not have been the wisest of ideas), it was closed. “Uh, aren’t you guys open 24 hours?” “Not *all* the time!” Apparently this was some sort of once a month or maybe even once a year inventory thing or something, so I can’t claim this is anything more than a crappy coincidence for me, but still!

I am just glad that I have a car so I can drive out to the Pentagon City Harris Teeter.

Hah, I just finish my post and Anonymous at 10:32 said all my points for me much more succinctly. I guess my experience with there “24 Hours” status was less of an anomaly than I was giving them credit for…

I’d point out that the 24 hour Giant (when it was in its old building) in Bethesda Row West also closes and is not truly 24 hours. I’ve been to many 24 hour stores and the only chain where I haven’t experienced a closure is King Soopers in Denver. you have to check with store management to determine when they are doing inventory.

the Community Influence bit makes no comment on plusses or minuses and is not categorized as such. it just states the blogger’s observations.

I haven’t experienced wait times any longer than normal given the time of day at the Shaw Giant. but, it doesn’t have self checkout aisles which means you don’t have an option to speed up the process yourself.

I’ve only been twice, but I’m 2 for 2 on the long waits in line. The second trip (and likely the last) bordered on the absurd. There were only two people ahead of me, but I waited 10-15 minutes to get to the register. While I was waiting, the cashier made 3 trips across the store to pick out cigarettes for a customer, only to have the customer finally accompany him to point out the ones he wanted. I finally got checked out, and the cashier forgot to give me my cash back. I then had to wait for the next person in line to finish to get my money. As the cashier slowly scanned everything, the customer was joined by his wife, who added more to the order. They used 3 forms of payment, and both the customers and the cashier were confused as to the total amount due. After getting my cash, I left–no exaggeration here, it took about 30 minutes to pick up two items in that tiny store.

I wonder if anyone from Giant is reading this. I’ve had so many experiences similar to others recounted here (the lines/forms of payment/cashier incompetence are really bad), but like others, assumed maybe I had been unlucky. Given the other experiences I’ve yet to have (muggings/black market groceries/gang activity), no more trips to Giant for me.

I sent this thread to their online comment card. But I doubt they really give it much weight.

I live 4 blocks from there…

I do my shopping in Virgina

enough said!

As for the folks at the Shaw Giant reading this, I think that makes 2 unfounded assumptions: (1) they know how to read; and (2) they care.

If anyone is buying meat at a Safeway or Giant in DC, they are stupid anyway and we probably shouldn’t give their comments much thought. The only place to buy meat in this city is a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s. I miss butcher shops frankly. But Safeway and Giant – even in the burbs – the meat is terrible. I’ve had better quality meat on a cheese steak from Yum’s at 3am.

“The only place to buy meat in this city is a Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.”

Are you really sure those the ONLY places in the city worth buying meat? And are you sure I am stupid for buying some place else? I know at least a few that I like better (especially compared to Trader Joe’s, since I consider meat a weakness for them).

If you are good with Whole Food’s prices, then Wagshal’s is DEFINITELY worth buying meat from since the quality is better:

http://www.wagshals.com/Market/beef.htm

If you’re buying seafood, Blacksalt is damn good as well. I haven’t seen fresh shrimp (not previously frozen) anywhere else and I eat their pacific albacore tuna (overnighted to the store) raw regularly…awesome:

http://www.blacksaltrestaurant.com/fishmarket.html

sometimes waiting in line at this Giant, I have thought it might be faster to grow my own food than to shop here. just a thought.

http://www.dcbubble.blogspot.com

dcbubble: Where have you been for the past 6 months? Welcome back!

birthing a baby…thanks

Thanks for the tips on other places to go. I was speaking more typical grocery stores – chain style where most people shop or have access to shop. But if there are smaller ma and pop shops that are better, its good to know about them.