Suspect arrested in botched Burtonsville Giant robbery

Montgomery County police arrested a suspect after a robbery attempt at a Giant supermarket in Burtonsville went south on October 24, 2024. At 5:48 PM, the suspect allegedly attempted to rob the store's pharmacy of prescription medications. He was not successful, and officers were able to take him into custody.

Tavon Body, 31, of Bowie has been charged with felony robbery, and two counts of 2nd-degree assault. Body was able to post $10,000 bond, but Judge Karen Ferretti revoked that on October 31, and it appears he remains in custody at this time. A preliminary hearing in the case has been scheduled for November 22 in Montgomery County District Court in Rockville.

Downtown Silver Spring Giant to add EV charging stations

The Giant at 1280 East-West Highway will add two electric vehicle charging stations outside the store at the Blair Park Shopping Center, located in downtown Silver Spring. Giant began a partnership with Volta Charging to provide EV charging stations at its stores in 2020. The alliance was expected to eventually deliver more than 200 charging stations at the Ahold-owned supermarket chain's locations.  “Providing our shoppers and communities free electric charging services is part of Giant’s larger sustainability efforts,” Giant Food President Ira Kress said in a statement. “We are excited to offer our customers who opt for electric cars the satisfaction of quick and free charging while they shop. It’s a value for our shoppers that also benefits the environment.”

Giant limiting self-checkout to 20 items or less, due to "a significant increase in crime"

The other shoe has dropped in Giant's changes to its self-checkout system, and it's landed directly on the shopper's head. Self-checkout will now be limited to 20 items or less, due to "a significant increase in crime and theft that we and many other retailers are experiencing across our market area," Giant President Ira Kress said in a message to customers. He said the new limit, along with the weighing scale recently added to the self-checkout units, will "mitigate the impact of theft to our business."

Under the new system, parents shopping for large families, or anyone who prefers to get their shopping out of the way once a week, will essentially be forced to go through the traditional checkout lines. However, Giant has tended to shut those down as the evening goes on, angering customers who were averse to self-checkout machines. Kress did not specify if Giant will now keep cashiers at the old checkout lines until closing at stores. But he did acknowledge what will be a major impact on many Giant customers.

"We know that these changes may cause some inconvenience or be disruptive to the experience you are used to," Kress said, "and I assure you we are making these changes out of necessity to prioritize the safety of our associates and customers." A shoplifter was recently caught on video assaulting a security guard at the Bethesda Row Giant store. Corporate policy appeared to limit the guard's ability to escalate his response; even after being struck in the face, he could only plaintively continue to ask the shoplifter to show him a receipt. 

Once again, we see how the failure of our elected officials to respond to increasing crime - one of the most basic responsibilities of their offices - creates negative impacts for the law-abiding residents of our community. It's interesting that business leaders will admit crime is increasing, and is a major problem, before our elected officials will.

Olney Giant to expand

The Giant store at 18140 Village Mart Drive in Olney is about to get bigger. There are plans to expand the store into an adjacent space at the Olney Village Center this year. The store will grow by about 3600 square feet in size as a result.

Burtonsville Giant getting a facelift (Photos)

Renovations continue at the Burtonsville Giant at 15618 Columbia Pike. The roofline has been adjusted from flat to peaked on the part of the building over the entrance. A painter was rolling on a tan color over the creme facade of the store when I stopped by.

White Oak Giant to get interior update

The Giant grocery store at 11221 New Hampshire Avenue in White Oak will be undergoing some updates to the interior in the months ahead. Unspecified alterations will be made to about 10,000 SF of the store's interior. Get ready to be surprised. Giant says it will spend $25,000 on the changes. What won't change are the great views of the grand high-rises of White Oak, suburban treescape, and modernist Sears building from the front sidewalk of the store.

Small renovation planned at Leisure World Giant in Silver Spring

Giant is preparing for a small renovation project at its Leisure World store, located at 3860 International Drive in Silver Spring. While the renovations will cost $100,000, they will only involve 325 SF of floor space inside the store, so it will not require a temporary closure.

Giant ends Senior Tuesdays discount

Senior Tuesdays usually find an increase in shoppers at local Giant stores. That was because of the 5% discount for seniors. About two weeks ago, however, some seniors discovered the popular promotion is ending.

While the 5% discount was honored that Tuesday, the shoppers were informed that they could sign up at the customer service desk for a new promotion where coupons would be mailed to them at home. I asked the corporate office at Giant, and they confirmed that the Senior Tuesday promotion is being axed.

Giant said they are introducing a new plan for seniors, a personalized monthly mailer with targeted coupons and nutrition advice. As store employees told shoppers two weeks ago, you can sign up for the mailings at the customer service desk using your Bonus Card and mailing address.

Bank inside Wheaton Plaza Giant robbed (Photo)

The PNC Bank inside the Giant grocery store at Wheaton Plaza was robbed Tuesday around 2:18 PM. Montgomery County police say the suspect entered the bank, and handed a note to the teller. The teller gave him an undisclosed amount of cash, and the suspect fled. He was last spotted running in the 11100 block of Veirs Mill Road.

Anyone with information about the suspect or this bank robbery is asked to contact the Montgomery County Police Department – Major Crimes Division at 240-773-5100.  To be eligible for a reward, tipsters may call Crime Solvers of Montgomery County toll-free at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).  Crime Solvers will pay a cash reward of up to $10,000 for information provided to them that leads to the arrest and/or indictment of this suspect.  Tipsters will remain anonymous.

Downtown Silver Spring Giant to add UPS Access Point lockers

Amazon may be challenging UPS as a logistics company, but UPS is fighting back. The venerable shipping giant is taking Amazon head-on in the hyperlocal "locker" business. Like Amazon Locker, UPS Access Point lockers will allow you to receive deliveries at a location near your home. Downtown Silver Spring will be one of the first UPS Access Points in Montgomery County, with a location now planned for the Giant store at 1280 East-West Highway.

Customers will track their packages as they normally would online, or via the UPS app. When the package arrives, they can open their designated locker using their government-issued ID, or a code sent via their cellphone. Amazon took a similar approach, placing Amazon Locker in grocery stores, and other high-traffic neighborhood retail stores.

Union reaches tentative agreement with Giant, likely avoiding strike

The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 400 has reached a tentative collective bargaining agreement with Giant parent company Ahold, averting a strike if the agreement is approved by members at a meeting today. A marathon negotiating session that ran late Tuesday produced the breakthrough.

According to a UFCW Local 400 spokesperson, the deal will preclude takebacks Ahold had sought in the new contract. If successful, the agreement will avert a damaging holiday-season strike.

Union to Giant workers: Get ready to strike

Holiday grocery shopping could get rough if Giant parent company Ahold can't reach a new collective bargaining agreement with their employees this week. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 400 has alerted its members who work for Giant to prepare to go on strike. An existing labor agreement expires this Friday, November 18.

Despite more than a month of negotiations, Giant has declined to accept an agreement similar to that recently reached between the UFCW Local 400 and Safeway. "Giant is still insisting on huge takebacks, including undermining our retirement security, taking away or capping Sunday premium pay for current members, and making Sunday part of the regular work week," a union spokesperson said Monday. "We will not give these things away. It is our hard work that has made Giant the number one grocery store in the region. We deserve to share in the success we have built."

Union reps will be in all Giant stores this week, advising employees on making personal financial arrangements ahead of a possible strike, and on tentative picket schedules. A contract meeting is scheduled for November 16, and the union is asking employees to attend.

GIANT LAUNCHES AMAZON PRIME-LIKE SERVICE FOR PICK-UP, PEAPOD DELIVERY ORDERS

The Peapod division of Giant Food has started charging a $2.95 fee, and now requires a $60 minimum order, for its formerly-free/no minimum Pick-up service. But just as Amazon.com made it tougher to qualify for free shipping while offering unlimited free shipping through Amazon Prime, Giant is balancing the change with a new Prime-like program called Pod Pass.

Pod Pass allows you to purchase a 3, 6 or 12 month pass that gives you unlimited, free Pick-up service and/or Peapod delivery service during that time. There is fine print, though. You only get completely free Pick-up/delivery with a minimum order of $100, taxes still apply, and your pass will automatically renew itself unless you sign into your Peapod account to stop it.

Much like Amazon Prime, the potential benefit of the new service likely relates to your shopping habits, and the amount you spend on groceries per week. Otherwise, the main news here is no more no-strings free Pick-up, which was a selling point when that service began.

Also, there is a free trial Pod Pass promotion currently underway. For more information, visit the Peapod by Giant website.

HOOPER'S STEAMED CRABS COMING TO WHEATON GIANT SEPT. 6

Summer may seem to have ended, and beach travelers have returned home from Labor Day weekend in Ocean City. But now Giant is bringing the crabs to you here in Wheaton. The grocery chain has invited Hooper's Crab House in Ocean City to bring its "crab wagon" to the Wheaton Giant, at 2900 University Boulevard West, this Saturday, September 6.

Crabs will be steamed on-site at the Giant, and available for you to take home in dozens, or half or full bushels.

DIGIORNO PIZZA DIPPING STRIPS REVIEW (VIDEO)

Just in time for the weekend, I have a video review of the newest DiGiorno frozen pizza product at Giant, DiGiorno Pizza Dipping Strips.

This is basically a DiGiorno pepperoni pizza sliced into 4 breadstick-size strips. You get a small, plastic pocket of marinara sauce to dip the strips in. All of this you can heat up in the microwave.

The serving size per person is 2 strips, but that portion is unlikely to satisfy a grown adult. Yet eating all 4 strips is a tremendous amount of salt and fat.  So, you will definitely want to pick up a somewhat healthier side item to have with these, if you are trying to reduce your salt and fat intake.

NEW GIANT SMARTPHONE APP ALLOWS YOU TO SELF-CHECKOUT WITH YOUR iPhone OR ANDROID PHONE (PHOTOS)

Grocery shopping just got faster and easier at Giant.

Giant has a new smartphone app for iPhone and Android that can replace the self-scanner device you may have used in the store previously.

The Scan-It Giant app helps you with your shopping list, scans each item via your smartphone camera, and then checks you out when you're done.  Best of all, app users get special deals beyond the sales and Bonus Card prices.

The service is currently available at Giant stores in Aspen Hill, Burtonsville, Colesville and White Oak. More East County locations will be added over time.

MoCo COUNCIL PRESIDENT NANCY NAVARRO BOOSTS EFFORT TO BRING TRADER JOE'S TO PLAZA DEL MERCADO

Plaza del Mercado is a classic shopping center in the Bel Pre area of Silver Spring. Having lost its Giant grocery store, it could use a new tenant.

One resident has started a petition that has garnered tremendous  support from the community, and now from the second-highest elected official in Montgomery County - County Council President Nancy Navarro.

The petition is asking Trader Joe's to open a store at Plaza del Mercado.

As of this morning, the petition has over 1600 signatures. Navarro has contacted the center's landlord, Federal Realty, to add some political support to the quest.

I commend Council President Navarro for this effort, and I wish other councilmembers would start taking this approach. This is exactly how we should handle "redevelopment" issues in our already-developed areas: asking what citizens want in their neighborhoods, rather than massive, top-down, developer-friendly sector plans such as in Wheaton and Glenmont.

Any redevelopment in our county should benefit those who live here now, rather than some theoretical rich people who we think will move here in the future. And in this case, Trader Joe's would give residents a neighborhood amenity they want, and attract more shoppers who will patronize other businesses while they are there.

And in doing that, no residents are being evicted from affordable housing, nor is any small business going to be run out of business.

Contrast this sensible, winning approach with Wheaton, where the just-approved plan carves up the downtown on a silver platter for developers.  The vast number of affordable housing units at the northern end of town are now all rezoned attractively for development.  Where exactly will the residents of those buildings go when they are demolished to make way for wealthy, "hip" newcomers? 

In contrast to claims that Wheaton is a "long-term" plan, we've already heard that the Ambassador apartments (formerly Best Western) are going to be "redeveloped." Predictably, we've heard little about where current residents will live when this happens.  What we have been told, is that the new building will be mixed-income. Which makes it mathematically impossible for all current residents to return.  Expect more of the same in the rest of Wheaton.

Meanwhile, the loss of convenient Triangle parking, along with the little-spoken-of sector plan provision that allows a new road to punch through one of the current Wheaton Triangle shopping centers, would seal the sad fate of small business owners there if fully implemented.

All of the taxpayer money going to developers in these plans would be better spent helping landlords maintain and refurbish existing commercial centers and apartments.

I don't believe Irene's should be replaced by Chipotle.

But I suspect most would agree that Trader Joe's replacing a vacant anchor space would only help the community.