This past week, I was in dire need of milk. Usually, I would have grabbed my purse, car keys and Weis card in two seconds flat. No hesitation, because Weis – since I have been a KU student – has always been my go-to grocery store. That was until last week when a new Giant opened.
Back home, my whole family goes to Giant. My mom uses their gas points like they’re going out of style, racking up point after point during each week’s $150+ grocery outing. Even though I will probably never get 30 cents off gas like my mother does every couple of months, the allure of getting even 10 cents off my bill was enough to swing by Giant instead of Weis on Monday.
So there I was, list in hand, walking through the brand new doors of Giant. What I saw almost took my breath away.
I am a firm believer that every new thing has that “brand new” smell, which is why people are drawn to newer cars or Barnes & Noble books. People are always going to like something that is new over something old for many reasons, but my number one reason is the smell.
When I walked into the Giant, I felt like I was transported into Grocery Store Heaven (if such a magical place were to exist). I journeyed through the produce section first, and I could see how the apples, pears and oranges sparkled under the warm lighting. Everything was cleaner and more immaculate than anything I had ever seen before, and I have gone to my fair-share of grocery store grand openings.
I walked slowly through the store with my list, first trying to get my bearings since nothing was where I expected it to be. For example, in Weis, the milk and orange juice line the back corners in an open freezer. At this Giant, they are placed separately behind freezer-style doors, something I found to be quite annoying. Those doors are hard enough to deal with in the frozen food aisle; I don’t want to try to keep a cold door open while I’m reaching for my gallon of fat-free milk.
Fortunately, this is the only bone that I have to pick with the new Giant. In total, I bought 11 items and only paid $30 for them. I have heard from friends and family members that prices at Giant are much better than Weis, but I did not see much of a difference. Then again, if I’m only saving 50 cents, I don’t think that is much to brag about.
I have decided to do the remainder of my grocery shopping at Giant, though, for a few reasons: (1) Giant is a lot closer to KU’s campus than the Weis all the way down Main St., (2) Over all, I have found that Giant is a lot cleaner and more organized than Weis, and (3) I wouldn’t mind racking up those Giant gas points to compete with my mom.
By Mary Pickett