Time is Money

I’m not sure what the general perception is in this area is of Giant Eagle. Honestly I’m from the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago and we don’t have this particular chain of grocery stores anywhere near where I grew up. The first time I ever went was actually this past spring break just to pick up a few convenience items before heading off to Florida such as sunscreen. I was looking for it to be a quick and easy trip for a small purchase on my part.

I was able to find my items fairly easily and yet when I got to the actual sale portion of my experience I was extremely disappointed in how much time it took. I had three or four small items so I made my way to the self-checkout aisle only to find a long wait and some very confused customers. No one came to help speed the process along and when I finally made it to the checkout I found that you needed a Giant Eagle rewards card to even use the self-checkout lane. This was extremely frustrating. I proceeded to a normal checkout lane, one of only two open at a time when there were long lines of customers with full carts.

I was surprised that more employees didn’t come to open more lanes and make the purchase phase of their customers’ experiences more efficient. When I finally made it through the line it had been about 15 minutes of standing and waiting and then switching lines and standing and waiting. For a small purchase which would’ve taken about 4 minutes maximum at any other grocery or convenience store I felt there were some major improvements to be made by the Giant Eagle staff. It just goes to show that the smallest details in sales matter and can affect the disposition consumers or prospects have towards the brand. I myself now have a negative view of this chain because of my experience there which may lose future business from me to the Giant Eagle brand.  Ultimately the time I lost at the store is more valuable to me than the convenience of coming to this store again may present in the future.