Tuesday, November 27, 2007

why a new giant at 7th and O is doomed to fail

the nicest ship in the world will still sink to the bottom of the ocean if the crew steers it into an iceberg.


that's the best analogy i can come up with for what could happen with a shiny new giant grocery store on the corner of 7th and O in the new construction that roadside development is hoping to build. i've ranted about that giant before, and i don't want to beat a dead horse (too much), but a nice new restaurant with the same management and staff isn't going to be making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

i stopped in to the store after work to get some groceries, and had some of the usual issues with slow check out lines, etc., but i also managed to have a cashier who couldn't make change and failed to properly scan the items i was buying. if giant can't find minimally competent employees to staff their stores, they're not going to be able to succeed in creating a store that people aspire to shop at. there are certainly good employees there, but every terrible one leaves a much greater impression than five good ones.

4 comments:

Mary1975 said...

I too made a stop into that Giant last night. My most depressing discovery was that they do not seem to stock fresh chicken. No boneless breasts here! And store fixtures dating to the 60s? maybe 70s?

Anonymous said...

You must have been there on a day that they had run out ... I can usually find boneless chicken breasts in the meat department on a regular basis.

14th & You said...

I was in that Giant last week with my husband for an emergency staples run. From the moment we walked in the door his mantra was "I hate this place. I hate this place."

They run out of stock on a number of really basic items. Other items they don't stock at all, such as pretty basic health and beauty supplies. Then there's the domestic disputes that tend to take place in the aisles. If you endure all of that you are rewarded with a checkout line moving at a glacial pace.

Ever since I discovered Trader Joes, I've been driving to the West End for eats. It's actually less expensive than Giant if you tend to buy prepared foods or gourmet items.

mighty said...

We live steps from the 7 and o Giant (ok fine, blocks), we have not stepped into that Giant in close to 4 years. If we need groceries we hop into the car and drive a tunnel and bridge away to the Shoppers Food Warehouse in Potomac Yards...

Paradise is food shopping in a warehouse!!!

I don't want to trade my ghettofied giant for the yuppie nirvana of Trader Joes or wholefoods.....blech!