Giant Eagle

I want to preface this review by saying that Giant Eagle is one of my least favorite grocery stores to begin with, and I really wish more options existed in the Pittsburgh area for grocery shopping.
That being said, this Giant Eagle in Cranberry is particularly bad. I used to work right across the street, so sheer convenience of location brought me to this store for my grocery shopping until I began to make a point to avoid it. The parking lot is so incredibly cramped that it is impossible to drive around and seek out a parking spot without taking your own life into your hands. I seriously have almost gotten into an accident about a dozen times here. The aisle-​ways are quite narrow and people whip around the corners very quickly. It’s always packed (with the sole exception of times when Steelers games are on TV, naturally). I find myself parking as far away as possible in an attempt to avoid the stress of the whole situation.
There is a small Starbucks at the entrance of this location, which redeems it just a little bit. Food is expensive and of course you need to have that holy «advantage» card in order to get any of the deals. Not very advantageous, in my opinion. I find that most of the organic food and healthier options are wildly overpriced. In addition, there seems to be a major lack of employees at this Giant Eagle. In the few times I’ve been there that I’ve struggled to find something specific that I’m looking for, it has been impossible to find a close-​by employee anywhere to help me. I usually end up resorting to asking one of the people at the deli counter.
Do yourself a favor and avoid this Giant Eagle. If you live in the area and (like me) basically have no choice but to get sucked into this whole «Giant Eagle monopoly» of Pittsburgh, I recommend traveling a few miles south and trying out the Market District in Wexford; it’s much nicer.

This review is a composite review, like others here. The service here is usually very quick, and I like that they are open 24 hours a day. Most of the staff is very friendly. The layout of the store is reasonably logical; not perfect but it’s okay.
My biggest complaint are the prices and the dry cleaning. As others have said, Wal-​Mart, Costco, and Whole Foods can all give you better produce and meat for less money. Except for some specialty items, I try to find other stores for produce and meat.
The dry cleaning is convenient, but the staff said they would call me after a week for a sleeping bag, and after nearly two and a half weeks, I called them to find out that my sleeping bag had been there for about 10 days. I also sent them a white shirt with dirt on it, and they tried to hand it back to me, still dirty.

This store has a very large selection on all the grocery products and pretty good deals if you have a giant eagle advantage card. The lines usually aren’t too long and I thought it was pretty cool they have a child care area. My only complaint is the employees weren’t very helpful for me when it came to finding a specific product because I had to ask like 3 people just find something.

What is not to love about a place you can start off with Starbucks coffee (girlfriend likes that) then grocery shop and finish it off with food and beer! They have the best craft beer selection in Cranberry TWP, a great and fresh selection of vegetables and always have soup bones for my dog. If the market district is serving pizza you must get it.

Composite review.
This GE has evolved over the years with sushi, coffee café, deli, fish market etc. Even a health food section. The basic GE template of trying to have something for everyone. But GE simply is no match for Whole Foods in Wexford in terms of quality of prepared foods, friendly staff, and service at the check out lines. GE motto is, apparently, make the customer have little contact with staff — Get in and Get out (and Get Going). A theme from Get-​Go — their gas for food partner.
I do not like the automated check out systems. While being rather computer savy invariably something goes wrong and a customer service rep has to come over and reset the process. The machines are NOT accurate about scanning, and moving product from right side to left side and the bag.
GE does have some nice coffees but that in itself is NOT a reason from visiting.
Produce — much better and fresher on local market systems. Prices — much too high actually. I’ve found fresher and cheaper produce at both Costco and Sam’s (and Whole Foods).
This used to be my go-​to for almost everything but I am placing emphasis on local produce and purchasing local. GE has emerged as a huge regional chain and has lots a specialness it had perhaps 8 years ago.
GE has lots of stores and different managers. Some GE do a much better job in service and staff help. The Wexford store is upscale compared to the Cranberry GE.
f8 and be there.

Are you kidding me? High as hell prices, arrogant attitude (you have to have one of their cards to operate the self checkout? Really?), and when you really look at it, their selection ain’t so great, either. The last straw was the other day when I made my semi-​annual trip there, I bought a coconut cream pie. When I took a bite of it when I got home, MY GOD, IT WAS THE WORST BITE OF PIE I’D EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!!! ABSOLUTELY HORRID. LIKE THEY’D FORGOT TO ADD COCONUT, SUGAR, VANILLA, AND WHATEVER ELSE WOULD ADD FLAVOR IT IT!!! My wife took it back the next day and she said they acted like we were crazy for bringing something back to them. Then, on top of that, they put our $ 7.99 refund on a GIANT EAGLE gift card! Again, what arrogance. We’ll be spending as close to $ 7.99 as we can with that gift card and not a penny more. Too bad there are not HEBs here.

Very pleased with the quick fill on a last minute prescription this holiday weekend. This was the only pharmacy open this evening in Cranberry township, the land of chains for everything.

This location does not offer hot Market District coffee here. If you have never had it, do yourself a favor and go to Get Go on 288 and try it. The stuff is delicious and after 5 cups you get the 6^th free.
Instead this location has a Starbucks. Starbucks is great but it’s double the price for a regular coffee and you don’t get the sixth one for free.

Amidst the nightmare quantities of national chain fast food in Cranberry (a truck stop that has evolved into a retail feeding ground) I found some good, fresh buffet food in the Cranberry Giant Eagle of all places.
Granted, it’s not cuisine (feel free to wait in line and pay more elsewhere), but it’s fresh and tasty and fast and priced well for what it is (good, clean VARIETY). With even limited imagination and $ 7 in your pocket, you can put together a full pound of exactlywhatchawanted, pay and GO. This is a FAR CRY from something-​in-​a-​bun at the hundreds of drive thrus just outside — and you can get something hot, tasty and relatively healthy — again, for the same $ 7 you’re going to pay at Wendy McBurgerKing Fil-​A.
For the above reasons of unpretentiousness (and the fact that I actually said «Om nom nom» as I ate my most recent meal there), I bestow the Cranberry «Big Bird» ⁴⁄₅ stars.

Meh is right. Could be worse, but Giant Eagle is one of the worst large grocery chains around, and this location is pretty typical or worse than most.
Selection isn’t bad, but «ethnic» items are priced about twice what they should be. (Some of the Mexican brands are normally cheaper than American brands at Mexican grocery stores, but Geagle prices them like they’re gourmet, organic items.) I’m glad they stock the stuff, but I feel like a total sucker when I buy any of it. (A lot of the Italian items are available in the Strip for far less.)
Stockouts, too. Seriously? It’s not 1980 anymore. They have cash register data and loyalty cards: tons of sales data. There’s no way that they should still be out of items on a regular basis. For the two years I’ve been working in Cranberry, this store’s been completely out of club soda at least five times. I might forgive them once or twice if they’re out on Sunday, but this was during the week! Multiple times! I’ve never seen this happen at any other large retail chain of any type. It’s happened with other items, too.
Their selection of private label (store-​brand) items is pretty sparse, too. Other chains I’ve frequented in the past have at least twice as many items available as private label items. Saves me money, and, from what I knew from my consulting days, it was also more profitable for the store.
Unique to this location: they’ve been reconfiguring their store. FOR FOUR WEEKS!!! Junky-​looking empty shelves, ripped-​up linoleum, and it’s impossible to find anything. I’ve been to plenty of places that reconfigure their stores; they usually shut down for 2 – 3 days or do it in stages overnight over 3 – 4 days. Customers shouldn’t even know you’re doing it. Go to the store one day to shop — no indication that anything’s coming. Return a week later — brand new store!
Seriously. Giant Eagle is run like grocery stores were in 1985. If they didn’t have pseudo-​monopoly in Pittsburgh, I’d gladly go somewhere else.