I had a very negative experience at Giant Eagle in Verona, PA. Between my husband and I, we spend over $200 a week at Giant Eagle and GetGo. I live very close to this location and shop here every week because it is convenient, even though it is more expensive and I often leave with a negative experience.
Recently, I lost my wallet and because of this did not have any debit or credit cards available for use. I thought I was in luck when I found my checkbook and my ID. I spent almost an hour shopping and getting the food I needed for the week. Because I have been stuck behind many people paying with checks, I knew that I could use one to buy my groceries. I was shocked to find out that I was not able to use a check for my purchase of $63.43. My husband and I have different last names and his is the name on the advantage card. Because it was different and he didn't have check cashing, I was told I could not pay for my groceries with a check. I was extremely embarrassed and upset when I had to leave my full cart of groceries. Working full time and attending graduate school does not leave me much time for grocery shopping. After leaving the store, I called customer service and was informed that I would be able to pay with a check if I got my own Advantage Card. However, when I went back into the store I was told it would take 48 hours.
While I do understand that some people write bad checks, I find it amazing that a company as large as Giant Eagle does not have some sort of check verification process in place for people like me who run into extenuating circumstances and do not have a debit or credit card available for use. After this situation as well as many others, I will no longer be my spending any of my money here. I would like to clarify that the employees are not what I take issue with. It is Giant Eagle's policies and procedures. To me as a customer their policies imply that Giant Eagle does not trust me, does not value my time, and considers me unimportant. I truly believe that Giant Eagle should make their policies more well-known so that others do not spend their precious time only to be told that they can't purchase anything. I also think it is necessary for Giant Eagle to obtain some sort of check verification system or software. read more