I used to have to shop at Soviet Safeway until I moved last September. Since then, I have enjoyed my shopping experiences at Giant for the most part. The post work shop, however, can be a bit ridiculous. They sometimes never have enough registers open....sometimes, even when all of the registers are open, there still aren't enough! I will say that its very rare to go there and not find what you are looking for, unless you are looking for specialty items or things only to be found at Whole Paycheck or Yes! Organic Market. For your standard shopping, Giant is pretty great. The produce is not half bad, the seafood area can be hit or miss. They have a good couple of rows for "ethnic" food where you can find the majority of your sauces, salsas, rices, and beans and not leave wanting. Also, if you have a car, they will validate your parking pass for two free hours of parking. If you don't have a car (like me) they have bike racks readily available outside of the entrance. read more

Yo check it: GIANT is aiight. I don't see no need to do sum heavy full-time complainin on this joint. It's a grocery store! Hahah! They bringinn food to affordable community. Givin jobs and such. Makin the economy work, ya dig? Yeah, you gotta dig. If you don't know how this works, you gotta get back into school. GIant is a part of the infrastructure to make it all happen. Supply and demand yall. But fo really, I can only give 2-stars cuz I hit a snafu -- I bought 3 cases of bottle water for my basketball game and wuz wheelin dat cart out tha door. I was almost to the curb where tha car wuz, and then BLAM!!! They GOT ME YO! My wheel locked up and I couldn't go nowhere! It was somethin i never experienced before. I thought my cart was shot or sumthin. Crazy man crazy. Turns out, there is a sensor that doesn't allow you to cross the infrared line or else the shopping cart locks up! WTF?!!?! Is this a warzone? Why they gotta keep me locked in yo? Them water bottles are heavy. Dang Giant. Why you do me like that? Raw.... read more

I spend less money om groceries since moving here and shopping at Giant. Not because of any savings at Giant, but because they don't keep their shelves stocked so I buy less. The staff is remarkably indifferent to the customer experience. And always prepare yourself for a wait. read more

I called and got put on hold over and over. Once I got there I had to talk to customer service. Long wait. Than the line was super long for like two customers. Each time they called manager it took forever. It was terrible. read more

This is my neighborhood Giant, and for that I am happy. It's always crowded and you really should have a "club card" to shop here. This is much better than my last Giant (the one near Van Ness), simply because it's not in a basement. Giant brand frozen pizza is the best in the world, by the way. read more

I seriously don't know what everyone is fussing about. It's a mid-priced grocery story in one of the most frequented and popular neighborhoods in DC. Obviously you're going to get long lines at peak hours. If you're going to whine about it all the time, go at another time. Yes, this location frequently runs out of standard items (garlic, onions are mentioned in other reviews). They'll have great sales, but if you're not there when they put them out, they'll be wiped out. I agree that I wis there were more vegetarian/vegan options, but it's still a decent amount. I've never had problems with the people working there. Some are nice, some are cranky - you'd be too if you had to deal with some of the jerks on here making nasty reviews just because a store is busy. Even when a line is super long, it doesn't take that long to check out. Suck it up people and just be grateful that there is a grocery store with reasonable prices and reasonable quality in this neighborhood. A lot of neighborhoods in DC don't - hence why so many people travel miles to come to this one. read more

People are tripping not giving this gem 5 stars. I will say that no one is as nice to me as Charlene, but Charlene isn't there anymore. Still. This place is walking distance from my home, open 24 hours, and has a good selection and supply. I know what this store is and what it isn't. Based on what it is, 5 stars all day! read more

This review is biased because I hail from the land of Wegman's where everyone is nice, the décor is cozy, the options are endless and the floors are spotless. So obviously, Giant doesn't exactly cut it for me. However, despite being CONSTANTLY over-crowded and having the slowest cashiers this side of the Mississippi (I am pretty sure half of them are sleep walking) I am always able to find what I need and I have never went looking for something that was out of stock. I am impressed that the staff is able to keep the shelves stocked and the store clean despite there being such a high volume of customers seemingly from open to close. If you have the discount card the prices are reasonable. The produce sucks but with so many farm markets in the area there is no reason to settle for bruised apples. I stop in here for the basics - soda, beer, pasta and toilet paper. Avoid it on weekdays between 5:00PM and 7:00PM at all costs, unless you like standing in line for 30 min and being run over by shopping carts. Basically, this Giant is just suffering from the same ailment that the CVS and parking situation in CoHi is suffering from - too much growth too quickly. Trader Joe's, please come relieve some of the madness!! Things too look out for: disgruntled, impatient customers who will run you over with their cart; runaway children; people who don't understand that it is not acceptable to stand in line in the middle of the main thoroughfare; shoppers who think that sighing and rolling their eyes repeatedly will make the line move faster; SUVs doing 40 MPH out of the parking garage and through the crosswalk without a second glance. read more

This is potentially the worst grocery store I have ever gone to, honestly. Looking for something? Don't bother going to the Columbia Heights Giant. It is likely that they'll be out of normal every day items like garlic and onions. If you need to ask an employee about helping you find something, you're met with indifference at best. The prices aren't good when compared to other DC grocery chains. Even worse are the excruciatingly long lines that you encounter almost every time you are in the store. It never seems like they have enough staff to accommodate the amount of people that shop there. The clerks barely ever attempt to say anything to the customers except for the total dollar amount. I've taken to avoiding this Giant like the plague. I'd rather pay slightly more at Trader Joe's or Safeway to avoid having to step into that war zone. read more

During my callow youth (i.e. January - May 2007), my roommates and I would treat ourselves to 'Pupusas Sundays' when everything got a bit too Georgetown for us. So we'd head down to a tiny Columbia Heights Dominican restaurant on 14th to eat everything: Meat! Cheese! Beans! Jucca! Oil! Scheduled into our outings was a post-prandial waddle down the street to, as we fondly called it, "Ethnic Giant." Being confined to the straight-backed, buttoned-down shopping at Social Safeway and those cynical exploitive jerks at Whole Foods, the Columbia Heights Giant was a welcome release. There, we would stock up on a beans (so many beans!), agua de coco and cheap wine (for cooking, obviously). We even found we could extend the experience over the week by buying frozen pupusas. Yay! All these outings ended in May when we a) witnessed the baddest of badass mice hauling ass across the middle of the restaurant floor and b) graduated, going our seperate ways. But joy of joys, I have moved back to DC within strolling distance of Ethnic Giant, a dear friend to me because it is cheaper, brighter and more plentiful than the crappy Safeway on Columbia, which is so grim and depressing that I'm willing to walk eight or so extra blocks past it in order to go to Giant. The only thing that annoys me about Giant, which is really just symptomatic of all urban supermarkets, is the fact that it stocks something like eight different brands of pasta, all consisting of variations on the same six shapes repeated over and over again: farfalle, rotini, spaghetti, macaroni, shells and lasagne. Why is this necessary? Why not sell other shapes? I have been searching for a reliable source for ditalini and orechiette in DC for years to no avail. It irks me. Greatly. read more

This Giant really isn't that bad, it just is SO CROWDED all the time. That is my biggest complaint. If you go after 5pm on a weekday, anytime after 9am on a Saturday and anytime at least in the afternoon on Sunday, you will probably wait in line for at least 20 mins. Yes, that leaves you 6am on weekdays and Saturdays (they are open at 6!). The staff is very friendly and they keep the shelves pretty well stocked - the only place I have ever seen it pretty barren is when grapes are $.99 a pound or the bread aisle (gotta get that Arnold's whole wheat 2 for $5!). Produce is okay, but if you have time or want something really good, head to Harris Teeter for fruits and veggies. They surprisingly have a good selection of cheeses and their new fresh pasta is yummy. Not a lot of vegetarian (morningstar, etc) options that I could see, but they do have decent deli, seafood and other picnic options (potato salad and whatnot). The new uniforms have really cleaned up the staff appearance. I will say, the one guy that is a HUGE cowboys fan and is always messing with people when he checks them out, he is FAST. He gets you rung up and out of there - he usually is in the express lane so check him out. read more

I can't say I'm terribly impressed by this store. I feel it's overpriced. I went there last night and the produce looked horrible. Not only that, but the customer service stinks. One time I went and the cashier yelled at the person in front of me that he wasn't paying fast enough. I don't know about anyone else, but I used to be a cashier in a grocery store, and if I said that to anyone I'd be fired! Maybe if the front end employees there weren't so slow lines wouldn't be so atrociously long. Last night the lady behind me told the cashier he was slow. His response? "I get paid by the hour, so if I go fast or slow, I get paid the same amount." Wow, great work ethic. read more

Worst supermarket in DC. I'm not exaggerating. I only go here because it's near my place. Produce is flavorless and often moldy. There are long lines to check out, and the staff is unhelpful and unfriendly. I get stressed just thinking about a visit to Giant. If you live in Columbia Heights/Mt. Pleasant I recommend going to Safeway on Columbia Road (it's smaller but the food quality is better). The only positives (because I feel I should try to be subjective) is that they have average prices, a redbox (although the redbox is generally out of all the movies you want to see), and validate parking. read more

This is the worst supermarket I have seen in my life. The management should be fired. Long lines. Rotten vegetables. Dirty and unorganized. Waiting for 30 min at customer service, no one at the desk. read more

Why am I reviewing a grocery store? I guess it makes me feel better about all the pain and suffering I've endured from shopping there. Cheaper than therapy!! (Can I also review public transit?) Endless lines, understocked, horrible produce (maybe that's just DC in general), no good vegetarian food (ok seriously why would anyone ever eat vegetarian bologna?! WTF? I know they're trying... but HELLO? Don't they read those little "Customer Comment" cards? If so they'd have the advice of a an ex-hippy health food store worker, vegetarian expert with over 12 years of altmeat experience under her belt, I could charge for this! But no, all for free. I do like to take credit for the brief flirtation they had with soyrizo, but that didn't last... sniff sniff). On a side note, you do have to love the employees in their endless Red Skins vs. Cowboys feud. Hilarious times! Almost makes the fact that it takes an hour to get through the line.... well maybe not. read more

Is this a review, or am I just venting? Yes, we call it "the Midget" instead of the Giant. Yes, the lines are long. Yes, the prices should be higher. (I'm an economist, forgive me). Yes, it's the closest chain grocery store to the homes of at least 100,000 people.* But with all this demand, couldn't the Midget at least stock fresh vegetables? I've shopped here often enough to know I need to peer closely into those bags of cut greens, and turn my onions over. But sometimes I just can't find greens worth buying - particularly since the selection is so small. Lines will get shorter when other grocery stores open in the area, but Giant should make the investment in quality now - while they have a captive audience - so that we don't get a permanently negative view. Thanks for being the one chain grocery open in the area, though! * That's similar to 31% of all statistics. read more

It's a huge grocery store conveniently located two blocks away from my house and carries a variety of products so I'll give it that. Expect long wait times due to the heavy traffic and you are certain to find a half-eaten and abandoned chicken wing on at least one shelf somewhere. Today was a slow traffic day and I happened to experience the rudest cashier ever, which I conveniently filmed on my iphone. Check out the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s88UgOTESS4. I waited for the cashier to finish an 8 minute conversation with her friends before she even acknowledged me. After I stopped filming, she listened to her voicemail on speaker phone while ringing me up-- wish I would've gotten THAT on camera, but was too busy bagging my own groceries. Woohoo for GREAT customer service! read more

This Giant always has lots of good looking produce, fresh bread and a nice wine selection. The selection is good, but odd as it sounds i think that target has a better selection of non-american foods and flavors. (for example: giant does not carry siracha sauce but target does) The layout is terrible. There is not enough space between the registers and the isles and the positioning of food still doesn't make sense to me. ( i still forget where everything is). Like other people have warned; do NOT go here after work. It is a clusterf**k. Tons of people, registers that move VERY slowly, and overall it will take you at least 3 times as long to shop as you wanted. I go here sometimes, but for my big shopping trips every 5 weeks or so I've started using Peapod through Giant. Yes I'm only 6 blocks away, but it saves me SOOO much time! read more

I'm the sort of person who gets excited about grocery stores. I was absolutely in love with the neighborhood Harris Teeter when I lived in Ballston, and I'm in continual amazement at the general awesomeness of the Foggy Bottom Trader Joe's. This store -- the grocery store closest to my home and my daily destination for little, just-one-more-thing shopping trips -- inspires no such warm-and-fuzzy feelings. The Columbia Heights Giant isn't a bad store, but it's not particularly great, either. First, the pros: Most importantly, this Giant carries a great selection of products. Based on other groceries in the District that I've shopped at, I know limited choices can be a real problem. The various specialty departments are good, too: bakery goods are cheap, delicious, and fresh; the hot-food buffet is one of my favorite quick meals in the neighborhood (I'm talking to you, tiny, spicy drumsticks); and the staff at the seafood counter is attentive, always taking the initiative to ask if you want your assorted sea creatures steamed, scaled, etc. The staff members at the service counter and the people stocking the shelves have always been helpful and knowledgeable when I've had a question. Turning to the negatives: as an earlier review mentioned, the biggest problem at this store is the length of the checkout lines and the time you'll spend in those lines. If you are not shopping during the workday or in the early morning weekend hours, be prepared to wait. There are 13 checkout lanes, and not once have I seen all of them in use -- even on those days (i.e. every Sunday afternoon) when the lines are snaking back into the shopping aisles. While the majority of the cashiers are doing their jobs perfectly well (even if a lot of them tend toward the surly), they are often overwhelmed. Baggers would help tremendously, as would making self-checkout lanes available, but the easiest solution would be to keep more lanes open more often. Okay. Long-lines rant over. Sorry. A couple of other gripes: the fresh meat leaves something to be desired -- namely, more meat. I've been told that the butcher counter staff will cut to order, but if you're just sort of looking at what's on display and hoping to be inspired (as I typically am), good luck. Also, this Giant has a tendency to be out of common items: organic skim milk and bulk coffee beans are two that I have trouble with. The bottom line is that this is a pretty average grocery store. In this part of the District, that might translate into a super-awesome grocery store, but if you're willing to drive a few miles, you can do better. Oh, one last thing: buy store-brand whole chicken early on weekdays. They sometimes put out birds that are the size of those obscenely gigantic Perdue Oven-Stuffers but sell for about half the price. read more

Giant is one of many grocery store options in the Columbia Heights area. It's what you'd expect in a Giant with a better international food section compared to other Giants. It's one of the only stores in DC where you can find guava paste at. If you don't know what guava paste is, buy these ingredients: guava paste, crackers, and white cheddar cheese. Put it all together and you have a simple, yet out of this world snack! read more

I've lived in DC for 5 years in various locations. I've had neighborhood Giants, Safeways, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Super Freshes, etc. etc. So...I guess you could say I've been around enough to tell a good grocery store. I just moved to CH about two weeks ago, so my opinion of Giant will be refreshing and honest...I hope. It is a fantastic grocery store. The produce always looks very fresh. The deli, meats, seafood sections are always fully stocked and everything looks yummalicious. They have continuous sales on staple items like chicken breast, fruit, veggies, etc. And to top it all off -- a GREEEEAT selection of wine and beer. And not too expensive either, especially if something is on sale. I picked up a Beaulieu Vineyards Pinot Noir for $9.99 the other day. A 6-pack of Yeungling will run you about $5.99 if I recall correctly. All in all, this would be my #1 grocery store if one thing was changed: the LONG ASS LINES. Seriously...on a Sunday night, every check out line was half way down the aisle. Solution? Either bring a book and a chair or don't go at peak times. I went last night (Thursday) around 7pm and there were two people in front of us at check out. What does help is that the cashiers don't seem to have the same purpose in life as the cashiers at the CH CVS do: to make your life a living hell while you wait 30 minutes to buy one thing and every person in front of you has a "price check" or...they take 10 minutes to bag a few items because they are too busy yelling across the store to make their fellow coworker get off of break so they can do so. I digress... To summarize: awesome store. Not awesome lines. Go, but go at off-peak hours. read more

time at this Giant's check out counters is more than relative ... it moves in ultra slow motion. if you want the worst grocery experience in DC ... well go to the Park Giant. What is amazing is that they even top the Adams Morgan Safeway, which I for years considered to be the District's worst store. And as you enter the Giant you would never think of how this place can be worse than the Safeway on Columbia. After all the Giant is all new, has a large fresh produce section, light filled. things look nice and more or less clean. So how can this store be any worse than the Safeway? Well let me tell you, despite the look and feel of a 1950 grocery store, the cashiers at the Safeway know their job. And if they have what you are looking for you are usually in and out in no time (unless it is extremely busy ... but even then you feel like things are moving along). at the Giant? well i could fill pages with nightmare stories. Let me just say that waiting in line at the cash register for 30 minutes is not a strange occurrence at Giant. what makes things worse is that no one there seems to care. even the self service check out takes forever. at the heart of all problems at this Giant in my view is the utter incompetence, ignorance, and disregard for customers of the store staff. staff at the cash registers is usually more interested in little chats among themselves or with some known customers than moving things along. i avoid this store as much as possible ... and it always feels like heaven going to Whole Foods or Trader Joe's and watch the staff there. my view on this store, unless you absolutely have to go, try to avoid it. read more

It's a big store with a good selection. It's clean and attractive and convenient for those living around Park Triangle. The checkout lines are really long and slow-moving. Some employees there don't seem to be in much of a hurry to speed things up. And check-out lanes are understaffed for the number of shoppers there in the evening. Also the sushi there is not as good as Safeway's or Whole Foods'. The rice is stale. read more

I do prefer Harris Teeter over Giant, but occasionally do to the proximity of this store to my home, I find myself shopping here. I do not mind the long lines, as I have always lived in a large city and used to it, but the customer service at this store is some of the worst I have ever had. I have never seen a group of employees so un-happy and disgruntled as these are. I do not blame the employees, since most of the time it is a direct reflection of the management or the companies pay and benefits. If possible shop at Harris Teeter, Whole Foods, or the best option Trader Joe's instead of this Giant location. read more

Went to this Giant last night and was initially very impressed. Giant is owned by the company that owns Stop & Shop, and while most Stop & Shops are solid and reliably well stocked, even Giants in relatively nice neighborhoods are disappointing (consider, for instance, the Giant near the Friendship Heights metro), with paltry produce selections and mismanagement. Imagine my surprise, then, to see a massive produce section, with items as esoteric as pumelos and starfruit, and even more pedestrian offerings that you will nevertheless never find at the Shaw Giant, such as leeks and, well, most other produce. However, this Giant quickly proved itself to be, well, a Giant. The rest of the store is fairly disorganized, so when we asked employees, and ultimately a manager, where we could find raisins, no one knew. And the checkout took forever, considering we were the only people in line; we had to wait while the cashier cashed the manager's check. Waiting in line took about as long as it did to find everything else. I hate Giant. read more

Neighborhood grocery store with a wide selection of shelf and fresh produce items for fairly reasonable prices. Like most chain groceries, you're going to get the most for your money only if you get the "Giant card", which you can pick up from the customer service counter. The produce at this Giant is fair, not the best by far, but also not the worst- they even have a sprinkling of organic goods to choose from. One of the odd things I find here is that all the "natural" foods are in the same aisle, regardless of type. So you won't find Barbara's Puffins cereal, for example, in the cereal aisle, but rather in the natural foods aisle. Employees' idea of customer service is usually brusk at best, but hey, its not like you go to the Giant to be pampered. read more

Oh, Giant. Let's start off on a good note: Pros: -great produce selection -cheapest prices among the Columbia Heights triumvirate of grocery stores (Giant, Harris Teeter, Safeway) -awesome selection! Harris Teeter might be cleaner and brighter, but who doesn't stock manicotti shells? Seriously, HT. Get your act together. Cons: -the crowds. Oh God, the crowds. I've seen better behaved throngs of people at a Backstreet Boys concert circa 1997. -rude, incompetent staff. more on that in a jiff. -rude, incompetent customers. If you can find someone to help you, they pretend they don't understand your question. Phrase it back to them in Spanish and they walk away. Maybe I'll try interpretive dance next time....at least that might get someone's attention. I've noticed the staff always have this bored air about them, as if there's someplace else they'd rather be. Well pal, you know what? Me too! But I'm not getting paid to hang around Giant. You are! If you have to go to this Giant, and frankly the prices and selection are worth it, go on off-peak hours. Avoid it like hell on Sundays. If you happen to have a random Tuesday afternoon free then that would be perfect. Barring that, try to go in the late evenings on weekdays (7-9pm) but note that the stock might be depleted by that hour. read more

I just have one question for this Giant: "¿Por qué tu es tan lento?????" My Spanish is about as proficient as their lines are efficient. HA. And their store is ALWAYS crowded, not as bad as Whole Foods on P St during rush hour, but I still feel like I'm navigating through a battle zone of carts and elbows. I'm not sure if it's just in my mind, but I always have the impression there isn't much of a selection here. So, even though it's in walking distance, I prefer going on trips to the 'burbs with friends to pick up supplies. read more

Let's not get too over exaggerative here, it is NOT giant by any means. It is a good, moderate sized store. It seems like this particular location has a monopoly over the area because it is always crowded with people. Today, I had gone to help get napkins, frozen yogurt, and dish soap for the sis. Her boyfriend luckily had come along to help a bro out. Tough part was finding the napkins. They are not located in the paper good aisles like you would find at other chains like Meijer or Kroger. The napkins at this place were actually found with bath tissue and paper towels. DO NOT BE FOOLED! The store was operating at full efficiency and yet the crowds were still intense. No, this review is not going to get negatives because of crowd control, that is just how it probably always will be. What I will say is that the customer service (solution center as they call it), should have had two registers open. Most stores are looking to budget and part time employees and I see that this store is trying to fill as much as they can. It could definitely be worse. read more

I returned two bags of frozen blueberries after I had discovered both were opened when I got home. No receipt but I did get a gift card for the returned amount. I like that it was simple and painless. Place is crazy crowded at 11 am on a Sunday and one worker seemed to be catcalling and eyeballing many females as they walked in and out. Bleh. read more

I HATE GOING TO THIS GIANT. Imagine for a moment, if you will, lines reaching back into nearly every aisle with a constant "DING" going off indicating that one of the grocers who can't sell liquor is awaiting a manager that is nowhere to be found. Further, the cashiers check you out at a rate that seems to coincide with the number of people on line. The more people, the slower they work and the more they mess around with their colleagues. Bliss you say? Au contraire! If this isn't enough to drive you mad then the quality of the produce will. It is generally mangled and "fugly" looking. read more

Great produce section, but that's about it. The prices are right where they should be. I don't think they are especially cheap, but if you are used to the atmospherically high prices at Whole Foods or Harris Teeter, I could see how you would view the Giant as discounted. The real downfall of this place are the lines. As many other yelpers have stated, they are long and slow moving. The real problem is the Target next door. I only go to Giant for my produce. All of my dry goods I buy at Target, it is MUCH cheaper and. let's face it, the quality is the same when you are talking about sugar, salt, flour, and corn starch. read more

This Giant is definitely lacking. While the produce is actually quite good, as many of the reviewers have said, that's where the positives stop. First off, abandon all hope of getting in and out in less than 2 hours if you are doing a full grocery shop. At my last trip to Giant, I had to wait 20 minutes in the deli line...with only two people in front of me! If you manage to shop quickly, you will quickly realize that you cannot make it through the checkout lines in a timely manner. The cashiers are slow as death and do not care how long anyone has to wait. The next issue with Giant is the fact that they are out of stock in many of their items. I'm not sure who they have stocking the shelves and ordering replenishment, but they are doing a terrible job. The meat selection is heinous. There is nothing but low quality cuts that look like yesterday's scraps. Finally, good luck finding a cart or basket with which to do your shopping. In all of the times I have been at Giant, I've virtually had to fight to get my hands on one to do my shopping. Save yourself the trouble and go somewhere else for you groceries. read more

I have serious mixed feelings about this store...sadly, they are predominantly negative feelings. Pros: I like that it's located in my 'hood and is quite large and fairly stocked with food and supplies. Cons: This place is almost always packed, the lines are excruciatingly long and slow, while it's a large store and full of produce and products, they seem to quite randomly and regularly run out of various standard items, and 4 out of 5 times there are no shopping baskets at the entrance! Sadly, it's on the way home and super convenient, so it's my primary grocery store. But how refreshing and gratifying it is to get out to a Trader Joe's or Wegmans... read more

I'm updating my review because I've noticed some improvements lately that deserve recognition. They recently redid their bakery section (which I'll admit is usually the first place I go in a grocery store). The selection is mostly the same, but there's a lot more of it, with new display cases. It looks a lot nicer than it used to. They've also started getting new products a lot more quickly than they used to. Ben and Jerry's announced three new flavors, like, two days ago and Giant already has them. I used to have to wait months to find new products here, so I'm glad this seems to be changing. They also have green tea ice cream (and other East Asian flavors) and mochi in the ice cream section now. Cool! You have to give credit where it's due, even when it's just your neighborhood grocery store. I'm glad they seem to be upping their game here. read more

This store would be OK if it weren't for the lines - they are terrible. No matter when I go in, I wait forever. I've been in line, the express line, for 20-30 minutes before. it's a joke. I do as much shopping at Target now as I can and I've started going to the Harris Teeter, where people are friendly, the store looks nice, and lines are non-existent. This store does have a good beer selection though. read more

I like this Giant. sure the long lines are a pain but the registers are pretty fast and really work hard to keep the lines moving. Something anyone can appreciate. I have been pleased with the selection and never had an issue with something being all gone though during the busier times or right after the busy times things are definitely more picked over. I guess the reason I rank it so high is because its so close and gets the job done. The people there are friendly and they have a lot of random things that I never could find at the Giant in Greenbelt, MD. read more

Do you enjoy half-rotten produce? How about half-hour long checkout lines? Would you like to be ignored by deli staff whilst shopping in aisles littered with chicken bones? The produce is awful, the staff ignores customers, and the lines are comically long (more because the cashiers are too busy chatting with the baggers to pay attention to their jobs). And corporate doesn't even acknowledge e-mail complaints about, among other things, vagrants drinking with employees in the store entrance. If I still lived in Columbia Heights, I'd walk an extra half-mile and shop at the Harris Teeter on Kalorama. Don't know if it's union-related, but Teets is worlds better in every way. read more

The good: wine and beer selection Pretty big grocery store The bad: terrible long lines even for express shopping. For its location I would have liked to seen a bigger frozen selection of vegetarian foods. Not the best up kept store taking into account it's high traffic. Overall, I don't have pleasure in walking in knowing one item may require a long wait time. 2 stars seems generous. read more

***Update*** I'm leaving the below post so that we can all appreciate how far this giant has come. Recently went back, and they have really stepped up their game. The store is much better laid out, looks overall cleaner, and service has improved. They even have a new (albeit small) craft beer section. If the produce and meat quality went up, they would get another star, but going to this giant is no longer the nightmare it once was. *** If Yelp had a negative star option, this Giant would get it. If food wasn't once of the basic human necessities (along with shelter, water, and the internet), I would never visit this Giant. Unfortunately, Yelp won't allow me to give less than one star, and I still have to eat to stay alive. Where to even start? I've bought numerous items from their bakery that have had mold on them. The produce is mediocre to terrible. The meat is flavorless. The staff seems specifically hired for their unique ability to be completely unhelpful (I'm pretty sure I once saw a competent and friendly staff member being yelled at by the manager for working too fast). And once you have put together your cart full of terrible to mediocre groceries, abandon all hope of getting out of the checkout line in less than forty minutes. Seriously, bring a book or smartphone to pass the time. The few times I come here is if I absolutely need to get something -- preferably in a box or can -- and don't have time to run to any other supermarket around. read more