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alquix t1_iw82zox wrote

I was in a Giant Eagle yesterday and appalled by the price of most of the items. The exact some items are almost half the price at other stores (Walmart).

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chrisms150 t1_iw9aodi wrote

We desperately need more grocery competition in the area.

Would love for a gaint or wegmans to move in.

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Urbanspy87 t1_iw9hcl4 wrote

This town needs a Wegmans

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B52me_tosleep t1_iw9lxqy wrote

A “Wegners” to buy crudite

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Urbanspy87 t1_iw9m0kq wrote

Hey, I'd try it. Got to be better than Giant Eagle. ;)

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B52me_tosleep t1_iw9mf01 wrote

Yeah I only go there when I’m being lazy and don’t wanna deal with Walmart. I don’t buy much at one time anyway.

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TSOD t1_iwbxuxf wrote

Pretty funny to see this comment on /r/pittsburgh when on /r/rochester they have all given up on Wegmans for being too expensive and just shop at Aldi instead.

I don't have a dog in the race, I just find it comical.

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die-jarjar-die t1_iw9hbfk wrote

Go to aldi first and get the staples

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UnaffiliatedOpinion t1_iw9n961 wrote

My shopping flow is basically: Strip District (various) -> Costco -> Aldi -> Giant Eagle. Unless I don't need enough stuff to justify getting out to the Waterfront, then I'll skip it.

You really do get better items at better prices by shopping around. Giant Eagle isn't even trying to compete on price, their whole angle is having the broadest selection. You pay a premium for the convenience of choice.

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immargarita t1_iw9v0zt wrote

But how much are you losing in time and fuel? I can't do that. Especially time-wise.

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UnaffiliatedOpinion t1_iwa869x wrote

YMMV. This isn't one trip, it is just the decision flow when thinking about getting ingredients. I consider biking to the strip (zero fuel) recreation, but this is also an optional step for specialty ingredients and to support local stores. I can walk to Aldi (also zero fuel), and I don't go to Costco and/or Giant Eagle every week. They're also both in the same place so if I'm driving to Waterfront I may as well stop at both.

The dream, to me, is a romanticized Parisian model where every man, woman, and child may live within walking distance of a boulangerie, fromagerie, et boucherie. But of course I know that's just not how we live in America. I make do with the strip district and farmers markets and then fill in the cracks with the chain stores.

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CL-MotoTech t1_iwbncds wrote

I like to shop in person at the strip. Then I do an instacart from Aldi, then if there is anything left I make the .5 mile trip to Kuhns. Depending on location Kuhns could be replaced with another capable store. The prices in the strip are usually great and I really just enjoy walking around down there. I also tend to get my "opportunity buys" there, basically anything that is a good deal or anything hard to get from other places. The nice thing about the instacart order is you get the Aldi prices but it saves me 2 hours of riding around. I can cook dinner and pretty soon my groceries arrive.

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immargarita t1_iwbsbgl wrote

Aight aight, I hear ya!

Aaaaaaaaand nice user name. My recently departed kitty was named Moto cos of his loud, vibrating purr.

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RepeatedFailure t1_iwcqpsx wrote

The gig economy shoppers at aldi (esp south side) don't mess around. Sometimes I feel bad for them when they're pushing 2+ carts of stuff and are frustrated with someone picking a bread or something.

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lookinginterestingly t1_iwa1i6a wrote

Fresh Thyme has good produce prices too.

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Jupichan t1_iwapqpn wrote

Really? Last time I was there, I thought they were grossly overpriced across the board.

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klauskervin t1_iwcatrb wrote

Fresh Thyme has become my #1 for produce the last few years. Price isn't as low as Aldi but the quality is way better.

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UselessLezbian t1_iw9wuhz wrote

This is me every week. Aldi first for the majority of my produce and canned stuff, Giant Eagle for deli cuts and yogurt because Aldi is always out of those chobani flips.

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DennisG47 t1_iwancji wrote

Buy your milk at GE; it's cheaper and it lasts longer.

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VespiWalsh t1_iw9ct4z wrote

As a long time Pittsburgh resident, me and my friends/family made up a game to play in Walmart, it is called "Guess How Much This Shit Costs At Giant Eagle". I suggest you give it a try next time you are at Wallyworld. Giant Eagle will tax the shit out of you if you don't take advantage of the sales. When I was in college just about everything at GE would be marked up a good 30-50%, haven't stepped foot in once in almost 6 years. Hell, for example, Walmart sold this cheese at the deli, Hoffman's Super Sharp Cheddar, at the time it was 6.xx a pound at the time, at Giant Eagle it was almost 13 dollars a pound. Do not shop at GE, unless you want to avoid the riffraff and long lines at Walmart, which can be done easily now by utilizing curbside pickup and home delivery.

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Freed_lab_rat t1_iw9nh5s wrote

Cheese prices at GE are particularly egregious, to the point where I just won't fucking buy it there. I'll buy cheese at Aldi.

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time-lord t1_iwa022s wrote

The most egregious part is that Walmart has faster checkout than GE does. The self checkout that GE use are just bad.

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ProfessorChaos5049 t1_iwbqbvr wrote

Gotta use Scan-and-Go (if you're store has it). Shopping at GE for me and the wife is a breeze.

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wschus63 t1_iwcgme6 wrote

I'm constantly amazed that almost nobody uses it. The one by me has like 50 scanners, and I only ever see one or two other people using them, tops.

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McJumpington t1_iw9qsdh wrote

I thought only my dad called it wallyworld :) . What really pisses me off is almost all lunch meat at GE is $10 a pound or up.

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VespiWalsh t1_iw9ve1k wrote

It is highway robbery the prices GE gets away with charging people. They are almost as bad as landlords.

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Rivarle t1_iwbxq6l wrote

Hey, just a quick plug: Giant Eagle is Union; Walmart is a parasite. I'll stick with slightly expensive GE.

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VespiWalsh t1_iwcloyf wrote

Last time I checked only certain Giant Eagle stores were union. I'm very sure unions don't impact the prices much there compared to the price gouging. Either way, you can be pro union and still wish to save money, especially when you are on a fixed income.

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Rivarle t1_iwcoupk wrote

Any idea what stores those might be? All I'm finding is that GE employees are represented by UFCW (there is some sort of story about it in the non-union Post-Gazette paper: https://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2021/07/26/Giant-Eagle-UFCW-Local-1776-ratify-new-four-year-contract/stories/202107260085It's easy to nitpick Giant Eagle, but I'm not trying to race to the Walton's bottom line.

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VespiWalsh t1_iwct3es wrote

Considering how they are using union busting techniques, I wouldn't call them pro-union. Also that article says 35 stores renewed their contracts, GE has 480 stores, so what about the other 445 stores? Also they start people off at 10 dollars an hour, that is a poverty wage for a union. Just because a company uses a union, doesn't automatically mean that company is pro-worker. Good luck getting a full time position there. Anyway after searching online for 15 minutes for a list, there isn't one that is easily accessible, and that is about all the time I am willing to contribute to this part of the conversation. As much as I hate to say it, workers are probably better off at Walmart, where they at least have advancement opportunities.

Also why does it matter if they have unions? They have clearly demonstrated they are anti-consumer with their price gouging. They don't give a fuck about workers or consumers, only their bottom line. I'll stick to a pragmatic approach, I don't have time to think about higher ideals when it comes to securing food because I need to survive. I'll stick to fighting the injustices that don't require me to starve to have integrity.

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skfoto t1_iw8gw1x wrote

Tom Friday’s sells Land O’Lakes American cheese for $5.99/lb.

The same cheese at Giant Eagle is $8.49/lb.

The only explanation I can think of for that is price gouging. The official inflation figure for groceries is around 10% IIRC but much of the stuff I buy at GE is at least 50% more than it was a year ago if not double.

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CARLEtheCamry t1_iw91n6c wrote

That's GE's model. They raise the "everyday prices" to higher than MSRP, and then have weekly sales. Kuhns and Shop n Save do the same. In fact I'd call that the "traditional grocery store model" of back in the day. Walmart and Aldi to a lesser degree disrupted that model.

The example I use to compare is Kraft Mac and Cheese. It's $1 all the time at Walmart, about $1.50 at GE. But GE will have a sale 4/$5. I actually scored a whole case from Kuhns, first on sale for $0.50 and then clearance for $0.25. I put shelves up in my garage as extra pantry space, and have 2 chest freezers so I'm all about stocking up on sales.

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NYCinPGH t1_iw9twl6 wrote

Tom's is great, I used to live around the corner and it was great, I went in a couple times a week.

Now that I live on the opposite side of town, I only go there for specialty items, like specific meats (just ordered my turkey the other day), because when there's zero traffic it's 20 minutes each way.

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immargarita t1_iw9v81e wrote

Cos you're really being sold Land On Lakes and the cheese is coming from...........

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ohhim t1_iwa5h5y wrote

Oddly enough, Walmart supercenter is also $8.48/lb (delivered free with plus) and they are usually pretty cheap.

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pgh9fan t1_iw8azfv wrote

We generally get groceries from GE; however, sometimes from Walmart. We just got a Walmart credit card and if we buy online and pickup while paying with the card we get 5% back. Way cheaper than Giant Eagle.

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platasaurua t1_iw9p7m2 wrote

I have walked away from my cart and left the store halfway through shopping because their prices are so gross.

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westinghousesghost t1_iw84noo wrote

Anymore, the only thing I get at GE is pasta (which they increased the price of by 25%)

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Klschue t1_iw8ax7m wrote

I used to go to GE for shredded cheese (their big long bags used to be $5.99, they’re now $7.39 if you have myperks and $8.29 if you don’t). Not worth going there anymore

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time-lord t1_iwa07k0 wrote

If you can, trader Joe's has 99¢ bags of pasta.

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DennisG47 t1_iwao59l wrote

How big? Trader Joe's is usually no bargain.

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mikeyHustle t1_iwbh5fr wrote

1 lb. last I checked.

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PirinTablets13 t1_iwd7agm wrote

Correct, basic shapes (penne, rigatoni, spaghetti, fettuccine, etc) are 99 cents for a one pound package

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GiantEagleCEO t1_iw8j1lc wrote

False it was only 22%

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Cryptic_97 t1_iw8m6hs wrote

Them fuel perks won’t pay for themselves

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Der_Missionar t1_iwaex3m wrote

Fuel perks are BS. You spend 50 bucks more to get 20 c of per gallon. 15 gallons is what? $3 on a full tank?? Sure you get that time where you got a full tank of gas for free.... that. One. Time. And you spent hours much more to get that full tank?

Giant eagle is laughing all the way to the bank with fuel perks.

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DennisG47 t1_iwao37d wrote

You can usually buy gift cards at GE around Xmas for double perks so if you know you are going to make a big purchase at HD or Amazon you can buy the gift cards at GE with your credit card and depending on the amount get a lot of cheap gas.

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Davmilasav t1_iwbrna1 wrote

We buy restaurant gift cards all the time and earn our perks that way. We're going to spend the money at the restaurant anyway, so why not get fuel perks for it?

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GiantEagleCEO t1_iwgmkl9 wrote

False we renamed them MyPerks. Please upgrade today.

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Der_Missionar t1_iwgruow wrote

>False we renamed them MyPerks. Please upgrade today.

Right, sorry. I upgraded my statement:

MyPerks are BS. You spend TONS more on groceries than other cheaper stores -- all to get what --- 20 c off per gallon? Over 15 gallons, thats a whopping savings of $3 on a full tank??

Sure you spend even more, and got that full tank of gas for free.... That. One. Time. And you spent how many more HUNDREDS of dollars to get that full tank?
Giant eagle is laughing all the way to the bank with MyPerks.

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GiantEagleCEO t1_iwgs72k wrote

Thanks for upgrading to MyPerks! We’re proud to be your neighbor!

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immargarita t1_iw9uo1d wrote

Not entirely their fault though. It's basic economics. Walmart is GINORMOUS, they can and will always be able to buy things for cheaper and sell them for less. They are the USA's largest employer. Giant Eagle is but a speck of dust in comparison. Same way with Home Depot and Lowes, and home Depot especially, they can afford to bring you cheaper prices. Out of principle I try to avoid big chains but I know not everyone can pick and choose. In good faith, I cannot shop at Walmart.

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Der_Missionar t1_iwael8u wrote

No, Giant Eagle absolutely can lower prices, they've played anti competitive crap over and over, keeping competition out. They know exactly what they are doing. They see themselves as whole foods, and are pricing themselves up and marketing themselves as whole foods. It's positioning.... all while forcing competitors out. I've heard the higher ups talk about it.

By the way, the owners... there are stories about the owners.

Seriously... GE is not one you want to be defending here.

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DennisG47 t1_iwanrxw wrote

They actually bought a huge piece of property in the North Hills just to keep a competitor from getting it.

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Jupichan t1_iwaq447 wrote

Right. And when Bottom Dollar came to Pittsburgh, they opened up their own version of the stores right next door to almost every one of them, priced them out of town, and when Bottom Dollar folded, they closed all of their cheaper stores within a few weeks.

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Der_Missionar t1_iwbjgvd wrote

The North Hills situation was a Super Walmart was moving in -- Giant Eagle created a ridiculous campaign that it was going to bring in crime and drugs from the inner city. They gave yard signs to people all over Wexford - protesting. Then they bought the property, or something...

In the other case, I'm surprised Bottom Dollar didn't sue for anti-competitive behavior.

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flatteringangles t1_iwa5no7 wrote

Cheerios at mine we’re 6.97/ box of two for 10.97. Which either way you cut it is mad expensive for CHEERIOS

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sinisterpierogi t1_iwbcihj wrote

I was there yesterday. Picked up 4 bags of chips because the promo said buy 2 get 2 feee. Go to self check out and they don’t ring up that way. Wait a solid five minutes looking like a dummy, waiting for the person to come help. She tells me, oh these specific bags aren’t included (even though they were on the same displays with the signage) so I told her to take them off. Over $20 came off my total. For 4 bags of chips.

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flatteringangles t1_iwbisvb wrote

That happened to me over Club crisps! Buy one get one. “What a steal!” I thought. Especially at $4/bag 🙃. Grabbed 4 and forgot about it when I was unloading the cart only to glance at the receipt later and see that I paid $16 for club crackers. I didn’t cry but I could’ve

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mikeyHustle t1_iwbh8hm wrote

They should have checked where they were shelved, and then given them to you for the listed price.

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sinisterpierogi t1_iwbi55e wrote

Any other store, I would have thought the same. But it didn’t really surprise me unfortunately.

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mikeyHustle t1_iwcect2 wrote

That's so nuts, though; they've done it for me before. Even at Squirrel Hill GE, which is the notoriously most slipshod, antagonistic GE. If they just outright stopped fixing their own errors, they can get fucked.

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GubbyPac t1_iwbscy6 wrote

​

Recently switched from Market District to Whole Foods. It's been pretty good so far. After 4 weeks of Whole Foods, every grocery bill has been cheaper than what we were normally spending at Market District. Although, we don't buy meat or a lot of frozen stuff, which I've noticed is really expensive at Whole Foods.

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