Anyone who’s read this blog is aware of the fact that I usually use this space to complain about something. Well, here I go again.
I have to take issue with our friendly neighborhood Giant supermarket. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a big improvement over Lee’s Market. However, Giant seems to be unfamiliar with what I call the Universal Good Neighbor Policy, or UGNP.
It’s bad enough that the Giant we ended up with would have been better suited for the ‘burbs (entrance could have been up to the street, parking behind, etc.–but that’s a whole ‘nother post). It certainly doesn’t encourage walkability to have to dodge traffic. It does appear to be built for the folks stopping in from Maryland and Virginia–they make out like a bunch of fat rats, since DC doesn’t have a tax on food.
It’s also bad enough that within a few months of opening they removed the Mediterranean bar, citing neighborhood demographics (what, we don’t want to eat healthy?). I thought it was quite presumptive of them to assume that everyone is willing to feed their families the same thing.
I can even usually put up with the over-familiarity of some (not all, only a select few, who shall remain nameless) of the cashiers.
It’s the liberties they take with my wallet that I take issue with.
In fact, the food is so overpriced in comparison with Trader Joe’s (yes, I checked) and other local places that I do the majority of my food shopping on the other side of town. I really want to support the neighborhood store, but it’s not being very neighborly. Sometimes I think they just took the TIF and no longer feel obligated to provide good service. I like good service. I’m willing to pay for it. I pay a pretty good chunk of income tax, and I’d like to feel that at least some of the service is aimed at me.
This evening, for instance, I went to get two items; not a lot, but I went to Giant instead of stopping at CVS or some other place on my way home from work. I purchased a re-usable bag–not just any old bag, but a bag commemorating 50 years of “It’s Academic” which is something Giant can really be proud of. The cashier, who was a surly young man whom I won’t name (but that doesn’t mean I’ll forget his name, either) rang up my purchase, but didn’t include the 5-cent bag credit. When I asked him about it, he told me that I wouldn’t get it. Apparently, their policy (reinforced by one of the manager, but disputed by another) is that you don’t get a rebate unless you bring a bag in. Mind you, it wasn’t like I purchased the bag and then asked for a disposable bag to put it in; no I used the bag. In fact, he just started putting my groceries in the bag without asking me (it could have been a gift, but whatever). When I told him that other stores give you the rebate for using the reusable bag, his reply was, “Well, you came here, didn’t you?”
That’s what I mean. It’s like Giant is saying, “This is the only store you have. Get used to it.”
Well, Giant had better get used to it. This neighborhood is changing.
We need to demand better service from those who set up shop in our neighborhoods and hold our wallets hostage. As long as we allow businesses to treat us with a lack of respect, they’ll gladly continue to do so.
As for me, I’ll continue to drag my cart over to TJs until things get better.
