This Giant Eagle at the top of the hill used to soar. In fact, my Pennsylvania family still considers it to be the best of the Giant Eagle locations in the area. However, I think that's based on fond memories of the past that are no longer true today. Looking back on past reviews, where this location was compared favorably to other beloved grocers, tracks with my memory. Sadly today, the eagle is a feeble version of its once great self. The clearest indication of the fall from grace can be seen in the once sprawling beer section, set off in the front right hand corner of the store. It used to be overflowing with amazing brews from all around the world, with a deep selection of regional craft cans and bottles. Now there are empty shelves and other products tucked in where small Pennsylvanian breweries used to strut their stuff. My mother-in-law said this was the location to go to find anything you might be looking for, but I did not find that to be the case any more. I do not know if the culprit is store management, or if the reduced selection across the store is more of an indicator of the economic conditions of the town. Either way, I was compelled to weigh in on the change. Hopefully Giant Eagle can turn this location around and bring it back to its former glory. read more

Stopped today and right inside door was sign for Pepsi products buy 2 pay 4.99 each. I only got a few items used my GE card and self checked out. I noticed immediately that I was charged 6.99 each. I asked the front store manager and immediately she said no you're wrong. The sign says you must buy 4. I would have bought 4 if that's what the sign said. Showed me the insert where it was 4 for 4.99 and I said ok but the sign on the product says 2. She says follow me and we went to the display and she grabbed it off and said well this is wrong. That's not our sign and Pepsi made a mistake. I said I really don't care whose sign it is that's the sign on the display. She was furious had me follow her to customer service where after a few tries she reimbursed my card 4.00. She loudly complained to her associate about it and made me feel I had done something wrong. I said thank you she turned her back on me and walked away. She was the front end manager today. I was surprised. Everyone has always been very nice and friendly there. She was not. read more

I like the big bird. their meat section had a lot of choice. more than weiss typically or at least different from wegmans. it is comparable to wegmans, but think less snooty and a little less smug, more like pittsburgh than the main line of philadephia (which is odd, Wemans is out of Rachacha). anyhow, happy to go back, nice day out during the pandemic. seemed clean, seemed like there was more choice than Weiss and different choice than wegmans. mask wearing was very good. read more

I always shop at giant and on one of my grocery trips with my father we were short 20 dollars. Cashier Becca paid for the rest of our groceries out of pocket, I am so thankful for the amazing employees at giant, especially Becca for being kind in a time of need. read more

Very poor customer service. Forces vaccinated customers to wear a face covering. The store doesn't accept medical conditions as a reason for not wearing a face covering which is against PA Health Department guidelines. Store employees will chase you down and verbally chastise you for not wearing a mask. read more

They should have just made this a Market District. Honestly for as big as it is on the inside they might as we have taken the time to just put a little extra here and made it what it should have been all along. The floor layout makes it a breeze to walk through here and easy to find what you need if you are coming here for a sprint shopping spree. read more

I will never shop at Giant Eagle - Altoona again! I attempted to enter the store without wearing a mask. The greeter within the shopping cart area starting to harass me as I walked past to the point of shouting at me from his post as I walked through produce and bakery. I was then approached by a manager an asked to wear a mask. After informing him I was vaccinated and had no intention to wear a mask, he apologized for needing to do it, but informed me I needed to leave the store. While walking past the greeter Nazi, he made the comment I should have worn a mask. I then proceeded to Martin's and completed my grocery shopping without the harassment AND became a Martin's Choice Rewards member for their gas points program. read more

I want to 5 star the pharmacy. Last night we needed an antibiotic for my 3 year old. I rushed over to pick it up. Once I pulled up to the window they said the order didn't come through. I frantically called the on call doctor and she called the order in. At the window the man told me due to precautions they now closed at 8.. ..it was 745! I made it inside as the pharmacist hung up with the provider. She told me it would take about 10 minutes to prepare. I sat and waited. I was called up to pay to find my daughter's insurance wasn't in the system. They had to re run and tag the prescription. It was 815 when I made it out to my car. The 3 people in the pharmacy never rushed or made me feel like a bother. They stayed and got the job done. I'm very thankful I was able to treat my daughter last night! read more

I was trying to shop at this location on Sunday, June, 19, 2022 for their fried chicken. The website shows that department opens at 10 AM. I was there and no fried chicken was available yet. When a timeframe was asked the worker replied 30 minutes. So I decided to do some other shopping. I waited and was also getting other things in that area for the day. I headed back over to the fried chicken and still no chicken. The same guy was coming back in a side door from outside, saw me, turned away from me and was drinking his soda, water whatever. I walked away. Headed back over to the area again and still no chicken. A couple were there also asking about fried chicken and were told another 17-20 minutes. I decided to take my business elsewhere. I went to the register and scanned what I did have in my cart. Except I couldn't pay for the beer there. It had to be rung up at the register in that area. I explained to the woman There isn't anybody over there. I cashier that was certified to rung up beer etc was kind enough to ring up thd beer at the specified register for me. While over there another male that was also working in the fried chicken area said that my chicken was almost ready. I thanked him and said that's ok, I'm getting the chicken a somewhere else. Also, when I first inquired about the fried chicken I was asked how much I wanted, when I started to tell him, his response was oh no you have to place an order as least 2 weeks ahead of time. I will never frequent that location again! read more

Yes, this Giant Eagle is comparable to Wegmans, more in its layout and overall feel than in its products. Wegmans is untouchable in that aspect, particularly in its hot foods, coffee bar, and bakery. Giant Eagle's main advantage over Wegmans is the Eagle's Nest, which is invaluable to parents of eligible children. The Eagle's Nest staff is exceptional at this location (not every GE has an Eagle's Nest). Another reviewer who said that the store has declined in product quality, particularly butcher and produce, since opening in this location is right. Service remains very good. The international section has become more limited (when I asked, employees in-store told me that it was due to the supplier's choices, not Giant Eagle's). Difficult-to-find items can sometimes be found here but not consistently. The overall product selection is the best of any grocery store in the area. The bakery is good and there's a nice selection at the deli. Hot foods is hit-or-miss (I recommend skipping the salad/olive bar; I once got sick from it) and seems to be closed completely on Sundays since installation of the beer area and that register's uses for alcohol purchases. The store is usually clean, including restrooms. Checkout wait times are relatively short and cashiers are brought in with ease. Seasonal food items usually sell out quickly and once they're gone, they're gone. If you need more than what this store has, Wegmans is a short drive away in State College (we do visit Wegmans frequently to fill in the gaps this store leaves). For basics in an acceptable environment, this store fits the bill. Remembering what Altoona's grocery stores offered before this location opened, I'm thankful that it's here. But like other reviewers said, this should've been a Market District store. read more

The moment I walked in I felt like I was in Harris Teeter. Yes I know, nothing can compare to Harris Teeter. It's the overall atmosphere that I fell in love with. The layout and how much more product they carry here versus Weis or Giant in state college. I loved that the deli was immaculate & clean. and the person who helped us was very friendly. The whole store is clean. The stock people were very helpful and friendly when I asked where something was. The only issue I have is with the self checkout, there was no one there watching the monitors as I had trouble putting in my rewards card for the discounts. So I ended up going to a cashier to purchase my items but even he bagged the items poorly. He put the eggs on the bottom of slightly heavy items and put the dish soap/cleaning products in with the deli meats. read more

Great store! Clean, well stocked, friendly staff. So much better then Wies , Martins, or Walmart. In every way.

I know what you're thinking. This chick's nuts. Reviewing motels, supermarkets and Chinese take out. I've really lost it totally. Regardless, this stands to be said. This market rocks hardcore. It rocks so hardcore in fact, I would literally make the 45 minute drive every other Saturday from State College just to do my groceries. Imagine a Wegmans, Wholefoods, CVS, bakery, cafe and ticket master all in one convenient location nestled across from a Kohl's, Barnes and Nobles, Panera and Home Depot. Open until 12 am. Yuppers. 12 friggin am. This place has absolutely everything all wrapped up in a tidy, organized and clean package. Their "mini" cafe is actually as large as most small deli's in Rhode Island with ample seating, tasty treats and of course, all on the super cheap. The produce section is also huge, carrying the typical, necessary items as well as exotic, organic and harder to find varieties all again, at reasonable prices. In addition they also have a rather large specialty section divided up into several aisles, shelves and freezer cases. I've found some unbelievably great products here for much cheaper than Wegmans or the local markets. For those with the sweet tooth, there are also plenty of guilty pleasure in their candy bar and bakery: their homemade cream puffs are simply to die for and at a buck and some change, they're a delectable treat my wallet can afford (but certainly not my waist). The customer service on all occasions was totally suitable and helpful although I almost always opted for the self check out (I'm particular with how my groceries are bagged). And get this. They have diet strawberry soda for a dollar each. I literally died and went to fruity, fizzy heaven. (I would seriously buy like, ten bucks worth every couple weeks.) I cannot recommend this market enough. Living in State College was massively dull for me and our weekend shopping trips were usually the highlight of my month. On the plus, 45 minutes is a small price to pay for better quality produce, meat and yummy little extras. (Still not convinced? Use it as an excuse for a mini retail excursion at the mall!) read more

I'm surprised that the previous reviewer has the audacity to try and compare Giant Eagle's to Wegman's. Wegman's is FAR BETTER than this place!!! This is a typical large chain supermarket. They stock the common, standard-fare food products that most people come to expect in a super market. If you are looking for a variety of foods, whether that be local or international, DON'T GO HERE --- you won't find it! While they do carry a slightly larger selection than say Wal-Mart, you won't be totally wowed if you've ever shopped at a Wegman's. Giant Eagle's prices are definitely higher and you will quickly notice that as you walk around the store. As for customer service, this place is the pits! In other words, horrible customer service. I recently had an incident where one of their stock aisle flunkies put the wrong signage out in the potato chip aisle, and then when I got to the check out, the prices were all wrong and they tried to tell me that *I* was wrong! I quickly left my food on the belt and walked back to the aisle where the sign was and snapped a picture of it with my cellphone. Instead of making an adjustment at the register, I was forced to pay for my groceries and then have to take and appeal my case to the customer service desk. What a fiasco that was!! They tried to tell me that I misinterpreted the sign. I asked how can ANYONE misinterpret "buy one, get one free". I was told that it was only for select flavors of chips in that brand. So, I go back to the aisle to take the paper sign that was posted, in order to show the service desk witch that it did not state anywhere on the sign that it was only for specified flavors. Well, guess what? Those sneaky managers quickly took the sign down and when I got there is was GONE! Luckily, I snapped a picture of it with my cell. Long story shortened, I demanded to speak with the store manager and I unloaded on her on what she was trying to pull. Once I showed her the cellphone picture and the date/time stamp, she backed down, BUT...that didn't stop her from saying that THEY made a mistake but still couldn't give me the bags of chips for the advertised price. Giant Eagle is a big scam!! I ended up receiving a call from the district manager and in order to try and make it right, he wanted to send me a box of 10 bags of potato chips for my trouble. I asked him where the logic was in sending me 10 free bags of chips when all I really wanted was for them to honor the "buy one, get one free" advertised special. He couldn't answer me. He told me that I "didn't understand"...that it would be far easier to send me 10 free bags of chips. This had slimy, underhandedness written all over it. So, I tell him which 10 free bags I want and he could've even do that. He wanted to send me 10 bags of chips as long as they were the same 10 bags. I told him "no". That if he truly wanted to make this right, no more conditions - like their disappearing in-store signage. He reluctantly agreed. Shop here if you must, but this place does not put the customer ahead of its own greedy profits. I avoid this place like the plague! read more

This is a very nice grocery store in a good location. Employees are friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have. This location was recently taken over by corporate which has polished into an even smoother gem. I've found that the store is cleaner than it was before (cleaner bathrooms, floors, etc.). This remains my go-to grocery store for its convenience and great employees! read more