A Giant Food store in Southeast has removed its name-brand health and cleaning products due to rampant shoplifting at the District location.
Major brands such as Advil, Colgate toothpaste and Tide detergent are being taken off the shelves of the supermarket on Alabama Avenue — the only full-service grocery in Ward 8 that lies east of the Anacostia River.
The store will replace those big-name brands with store-brand versions or with products from private labels.
“The retail theft that we are experiencing across our market area is a problem that affects all of us, limiting product availability, creating a less convenient shopping experience, and, most critically, placing our associates and customers in harm’s way,” Giant said in a statement. “We need to be able to run our stores safely and profitably, and we take these responsibilities seriously.”
Giant is also having security officers check receipts for those leaving the store to cut down on theft.
The regional grocery chain said it doesn’t have plans to close the store.
A Giant location in the Northeast neighborhood of Brentwood adjusted how customers could get in and out of the store due to theft this spring. That included using shopping carts to block off one entrance into the supermarket.
An inspection from D.C. Fire and EMS later ruled the blockade to be a safety hazard, and the store had to allow the doorway to be used once again.
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