Giant and your Marlow Heights store keep going downhill!

Marlow Heights, 24 Oct 2007

Giant and your Marlow Heights store keep going downhill!

Marlow Heights circular falsely claims you have bagged frozen Green Giant vegetables, 10 for $10. Sign on door says not the advertised vegetables are not available at Marlow Heights.

Marlow Heights circular says Pepsodent toothpast, 2 for $1. Store doesn't have any.

Asked about Formula 409 cleaner. "Not carried in this store."

I could list several other items I would have purchased if you actually still offered them for sale.

I talked to the manager. He said call the central office and gave me a phone number. I dialed that number at 9:35 am--and gave up after a dozen rings without an answer.

I've been shopping at this Giant for over 42 years--exclusively at this Giant until a few years ago when you started trying to run it into the ground by cutting hours and the merchandise I buy (or did buy).

Now, and despite the misleading commercial Giant is now running, the store is nothing like what it once was. Musical managers, advertised items not sold here, discontinued items, merchandise moved around from aisle to aisle almost weekly.

What's going on? Are you trying to kill the store? Or is this part of an Ahold plan to drive customers away from the Giant chain?

I suppose I could run all over the county looking for a Giant that actually sells the merchandise you advertise, or actually carries the items I used to buy at your Marlow Heights store, but I'm finding much of what the Marlow Heights Giant no longer carried at nearby Safeway and Shoppers stores that are much more convenient than the next nearest Giant.

Do you really want me to shop more at Safeway or Shoppers than at Giant? It certainly seems that way.

Having seen well-stocked Super Targets in the midwest, I'm beginning to hope that they will expand into the area near Marlow Heights. Their selection and well-stocked shelves certainly would be an improvement over what your once great Marlow Heights store has become.

More false advertising

Marlow Heights; 26 Sep 2007, 10:00 am

More false advertising!

Your circular has:

"Birds Eye Steamfresf Vegetables
(Excludes Steam-N-Serve.) Or Select, All Varieties
(Excludes Whole Onions.)
12 Oz-16 Oz Pkg. Frozen. 662240
10 for $10"

There were a couple of inconsistent price labels on the shelf.

I picked up 12 oz. packages of Broccoli and Cauliflower and Broccoli, Cauliflower and Carrots.

For each, the scanner said the regular price was $2.49; with card 1/$2.59.

That's right, not a 10 for $10 sale price, but a "with card" price that is HIGHER than the regular price!

I asked the staff about the price. They told me that the 10 for $10 sale price only applies to items regularly priced at $1.99.

THAT IS NOT WHAT YOU ADVERTISED!

And they told me that the correct price is $2.59 (MORE than your scanner says is the regular price).

Although I might have bought the items at the regular price if your ad and shelf marking had been honest about them, since Giant lied I didn't buy them and you lost out.

I went to the customer service desk to fill out a form about this, but they DID NOT have any out.

What has happened to Giant? Your selection, service, and honesty seem to decline by the week!

Also, the last time I complained about false advertising, someone called me and said my complaint had been referred to the store manager and regional manager. I never heard from either one, but I don't think they are the people responsible for Giant's false and misleading ads or apparent decline in corporate integrity.

Reply from Giant Food - Price problem

Reply to a complaint that the shelf price of Kraft Parmesan Cheese was higher than the price printed on the package by the manufacturer.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us concerning your experience at your Marlow Heights Giant.

The correct price for the Kraft Parmesan 8oz cheese is $2.99. This is a special reduced price from the manufacturer and the shelf price should match the preprice. It is scanning at $2.99 at the checkout. I have notified the store manager so that the shelf price can be corrected.

Thanks, again, for contacting us. We appreciate hearing from you and are confident your future experiences will be more satisfactory.

Sincerely,

Deborah Riley

Supervisor, Consumer Affairs

Reply from Giant Food - Lack of checkers

Reply to a complaint about long checkout lines and few checkers.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us concerning your experience at your Marlow Heights Giant.

I am sorry that you had to wait in line at the checkout and hope you will accept our apologies for any inconvenience or delay you were caused. I want to assure you that we share your concern, as we certainly want to provide our customers with the best service possible, including a speedy checkout.

Our store managers should constantly monitor the number of customers at our registers and make adjustments in their scheduling each week to be sure that they have enough staffers to provide maximum customer service. Of course, it is possible for us to misjudge or to have unexpected demand at the registers. During these times, we should accommodate our customers by opening as many terminals as possible and calling other staffers from within the store to help at the front-end by

bagging, etc. Normally, these adjustments do help to clear up any congestion quickly. We will review the schedule to ensure that they are adequately staffed in the future.

Your store manager, Robert Spencer, was equally concerned and will be calling you to follow-up on your experience. If he is unable to reach you, please call the store at 301-630-7724. Please know that I have also forwarded your comments to the store's district manager for further follow-up with the store.

Thanks, again, for contacting us. We appreciate hearing from you and are confident your future experiences will be more satisfactory.

Sincerely,

Deborah Riley

Consumer Affairs Specialist

Ref: 165071

Reply to Giant Food - RyKrisp not available at Marlow Heights

Thank you for your reply. Beltway Plaza is a very long way off, at least a half hour trip each way. The Safeway store nearest to me (and to the Marlow Heights Giant) continues to carry RyKrisp. I've done almost all of my grocery shopping at the Marlow Heights Giant for over 37 years and have almost never seen a reason to go to Safeway. But if a Safeway within walking distance will carry items that you drop, I'll start shopping there rather than wasting an hour driving all over the county.

Reply from Giant Food - RyKrisp not available at Marlow Heights

Thank you for again taking the time to contact us concerning your Marlow Heights Giant.

I am sorry you are disappointed that RyKrisp crackers are no longer available in your store. We still carry this item in some of our stores with adequate shelf space and consumer demand. Unfortunately, this item was not selling well in your store and we discontinued it. I am sorry to disappoint you, but please know that I have shared your appreciation for this product with our merchandisers for their information. The closest store to this location that is still authorized to carry this item is located at Beltway Plaza Shopping Center in Greenbelt.

Thanks, again, for contacting us. We appreciate this opportunity to
respond to your concern.

Sincerely,

Maria Launder
Consumer Affairs Specialist
Ref: 106411

Followup reply to Giant Food

Concern about possible outdated food

It has now been 5 business days and you have not gotten back to me.

Reply from Giant Food - !% milk sold out

Thank you for contacting us concerning your Marlow Heights Giant.

I am sorry to hear that your store was sold out of 1% milk recently and apologize for any inconvenience this caused you. I assure you we share your concern, as our goal is to be in stock at all times.

I have contacted your store manager who was equally concerned will be reviewing ordering procedures with the department manager. We certainly want to make every effort to ensure that this product is available for you in the future.

Thanks, again, for contacting us. We appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Deborah Riley
Consumer Affairs Specialist
Ref: 70606

Reply from Giant Food - Out of stock items

Thank you for again contacting us concerning your Marlow Heights Giant.

Your comments greatly concern us and I am sorry you have become disappointed with this store recently. Please accept our apologies for any inconvenience you've been caused because sale items have not been in stock. The issue of out of stocks is of the utmost concern to us and there are a number of new initiatives underway in our stores and warehouse which should improve our stock conditions.

I am also sorry there were no paper bags available when you were shopping recently. After receiving your note, I contacted your store manager who will follow up to ensure that there are plenty of paper bags available in the future. He will also review ordering procedures with the appropriate department managers to ensure both regular items and sale items remain in stock. We certainly want to make every effort to ensure that your future experiences at this store will be more satisfactory.

Thanks, again, for contacting us. We appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Maria Lutman
Consumer Affairs Specialist
Ref: 37878

Reply from Giant Food - Dropping Hallmark Cards

Thank you for taking the time to contact Giant. I am sorry you are disappointed that Hallmark cards are being replaced with American Greetings cards.

We made a decision to switch to American Greetings because they offer a greater variety of quality cards and party supplies. They also offer a wider range of prices than Hallmark, thus giving our customers more choices. I am sorry you are disappointed and will be sure to share your comments with our merchandisers for their information.

Thanks, again, for contacting us. We appreciate hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Lee Ann Rissler
Consumer Affairs Specialist

Reply from Giant Food - Giant Snoops

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about frequent shopper cards. We certainly understand and appreciate your point of view with regard to privacy.

After long consideration, we have made the decision to offer frequent shopper cards to our customers. Before making this decision, we did a great deal of consumer research, which has
shown us that customers perceive cards as bringing them value. They also told us that they believe Giant is behind the curve since so
many of our competitors already offer a card.

We strongly recognize our special obligation to our customers to properly manage their purchase information and safeguard their privacy. Customers can opt out of receiving mailings. Odonna Mathews, our Vice President for Consumer Affairs, heads our Giant privacy committee and I want to assure you of our commitment. Here is our privacy policy:

"We do not sell, rent, or relinquish customer names, home or e-mail addresses, phone numbers or any other customer identifiable information to anyone. Personal transaction data will be used only for promotional programs provided to you which are sponsored or co-sponsored by Giant or its parent company, Ahold USA. We will not use this information for any other purpose.

Purchases made with your BonusCard will be automatically recorded. Through use of this information Giant can better understand our customers' needs. This will help us be better at providing the kinds of products and services you want. For your protection, Giant has developed a set of privacy policies for the use and handling of this data. (For detailed information, see our privacy brochure, available in your local Giant store or visit our website at www.giantfood.com).

One of the most exciting aspects of this program is the opportunity to create offers targeted to specific customer needs. This means we can target baby offers to families with babies and pet offers to families with pets. Customers who do not want to receive targeted offers in the mail, can choose not to by checking the box below."

For Giant, offering the card means that we will be able to remain competitive in our market, have a better understanding of our customers, and will be able to reward loyal customers by offering special promotions and features that add value to shopping with us.

I was also sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction with the service and stock conditions at your Giant. Please be assured that I have involved the appropriate operations people to follow up on those concerns.

Regarding bulk food and SuperDeals, these sections were discontinued because of a decline in sales over the years. We did incorporate the more popular SuperDeals into our regular aisles and carry them on a regular basis. We also still offer some of the most popular bulk snack foods in the regular aisles. As you know, the space where we used to carry SuperDeals is now used for seasonal merchandise.

I hope you will find that you want to give the card a try. In the meantime, I will make sure that our appropriate decision-makers here at Giant are aware of your concerns. And please feel free to call me if you would like to discuss this further at (301) 341-4365.

Sincerely,

Eileen Katz
Assistant Director
Ref: 17098

Giant snoops

To Giant, 1 Sep 2000:

I am EXTREMELY disappointed that Giant Food, once the quality and value leader, has taken a major step downward and stooped to gimmicks and privacy invasion rather than providing good value and low prices to ALL customers.

Maybe some of your customers don't mind giving up their privacy and allowing you to snoop on their buying habits, but I find it a REPULSIVE idea.

And I'll bet you're not willing to reciprocate and give me equivalent information about your stocking and pricing behavior.

Given the sad state of the Giant store I've shopped at for 35 years, I would think your money would have been better spent in keeping the shelves stocked and the aisles clear, ensuring that you actually have advertised merchandise on sale at all times, and employing enough cashiers.

Instead of providing good merchandise and low prices, you've copied the BAD ideas of your competitors while killing your bulk food and super deal sections and getting rid of products I bought regularly.

If you can't bring back MY Giant, I hope someone else comes into the market and whips you.