In the coming weeks, a Giant Food market in D.C. will clear its beauty and health aisles of all national labels. No more Tide, Colgate or Advil, only store brands. Shoppers also will have to present their receipts to an employee before exiting the store. It’s the regional supermarket chain’s most overt gambit against the rampant theft that’s plaguing retailers…
It’s also a potential last-ditch effort to avoid shutting down the unprofitable store on Alabama Avenue SE — the only major grocer east of the Anacostia River in Ward 8…
Incidents of organized retail crime increased in 2021 by an average of 26%, according to a National Retail Federation study released last year…
Giant Food, which has 165 supermarkets across D.C., Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, has not closed any stores. In May, it implemented several changes, including hiring more security guards, closing down secondary entrances, limiting the number of items permitted through self-checkout areas, removing high-theft items from shelves and locking up more products…
Some D.C. Council members have expressed concern that Giant might shut down a store that serves a ward of more than 85,000 people. Not only is a supermarket like Giant an important part of the community, it also is a lifeline for a community with limited access to quality food. Theft and violence is an issue in the area around the store, said Lindsey Appiah, deputy mayor for public safety and justice, who was among the officials touring the store on Thursday.
DB2