PITTSBURGH – If you don’t
have a Giant Eagle Advantage Card, don’t bother going through the self-checkout
lane. The supermarket chain has put its self-checkout stations off limits to
customers without a loyalty card, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Shoppers without loyalty cards would receive
assistance from a cashier.
The company didn’t cite
theft problems for the change, but instead said the switch was to help
customers be aware of all specials and other perks associated with their
loyalty cards. “Scanning a Giant Eagle Advantage Card ensures that customers
receive all available weekly specials, fuelperks!, personalized register coupon
offers and other savings, while also making available vital customer contact
information in the instance of a product recall,” said Dick Roberts, a Giant
Eagle spokesman.
Roberts also pointed out
that the new policy would help Giant Eagle contact any shoppers who have an
“incomplete or incorrect transaction (i.e., mistakenly paid an incorrect amount
for an item), or an issue with a payment method.”
The new Giant Eagle policy
reflects the love-hate relationship retailers have with self-checkout stations.
Ikea has been eliminating or reducing such lines, while Walmart has increased
the number of self-checkout lanes in its stores.