New Retro Stop & Shop logo

[jp the roadgeek]

I remember a one-off Martins in Rising Sun, MD.  I stopped at one once near Charles Town, WV, to fuel up and yes, they did accept my Stop & Shop gas points.  But the one in Rising Sun is the only Giant-Carlisle store in the firmly established Giant-Landover footprint along or near the I-95 corridor.

[Roadrunner75]

I remember a one-off Martins in Rising Sun, MD.  I stopped at one once near Charles Town, WV, to fuel up and yes, they did accept my Stop & Shop gas points.  But the one in Rising Sun is the only Giant-Carlisle store in the firmly established Giant-Landover footprint along or near the I-95 corridor.

We stopped at a Giant in the Fredrick, MD area not too long ago.  I looked them up and saw that their corporate parent was the same as Stop and Shop, for which I have a rarely used card dangling from my key chain.  We would have saved a few bucks with the card, so I gave it to the cashier hoping it would work:  Nope - Not accepted.  My immediate thought was how appropriate the 'Ahold' name was....

[hotdogPi]

I remember a one-off Martins in Rising Sun, MD.  I stopped at one once near Charles Town, WV, to fuel up and yes, they did accept my Stop & Shop gas points.  But the one in Rising Sun is the only Giant-Carlisle store in the firmly established Giant-Landover footprint along or near the I-95 corridor.

We stopped at a Giant in the Fredrick, MD area not too long ago.  I looked them up and saw that their corporate parent was the same as Stop and Shop, for which I have a rarely used card dangling from my key chain.  We would have saved a few bucks with the card, so I gave it to the cashier hoping it would work:  Nope - Not accepted.  My immediate thought was how appropriate the 'Ahold' name was....

Sometimes it does work. I'm not sure if it's completely random, store-specific, or dependent on other information.

[abefroman329]

I remember a one-off Martins in Rising Sun, MD.  I stopped at one once near Charles Town, WV, to fuel up and yes, they did accept my Stop & Shop gas points.  But the one in Rising Sun is the only Giant-Carlisle store in the firmly established Giant-Landover footprint along or near the I-95 corridor.

We stopped at a Giant in the Fredrick, MD area not too long ago.  I looked them up and saw that their corporate parent was the same as Stop and Shop, for which I have a rarely used card dangling from my key chain.  We would have saved a few bucks with the card, so I gave it to the cashier hoping it would work:  Nope - Not accepted.  My immediate thought was how appropriate the 'Ahold' name was....

Really? I used to be able to use my Safeway card at Dominick's - they were both owned by Albertson's.

[briantroutman]

Really? I used to be able to use my Safeway card at Dominick's - they were both owned by Albertson's.

I think the landscape is complicated by a number of other factors beyond corporate ownership–such as when in the company's history the loyalty program was established, when (if) key IT systems had been upgraded since, etc.

I've used my Bay Area Safeway shopper card successfully at Safeways in Maryland, Vons/Pavillions stores in Southern California, and Randall's in Texas. But on the other hand, I tried using a Giant-Carlisle card at both Giant-Landover and Stop & Shop–a decade or more after all companies had been under the Ahold umbrella–with no success. I seem to have encountered issues with Kroger-owned stores, too...trying to use a Ralph's card at Kroger with no luck.

[KEVIN_224]

I find one thing funny about Hannaford being connected to Stop & Shop by way of their respective corporate parents: Hannaford doesn't use club cards. Stop & Shop does. I never needed a card at the last two Hannaford stores I was in. They would be by Back Cove in Portland, ME and on US Route 5 in Brattleboro, VT.

As for Giant, I went past one in Washington DC on May 30, 2015. It had Ahold's fruit basket logo. It was a few blocks northeast of Union Station, if I remember right. 

Yes.. It's at 300 H Street NE

[abefroman329]

Really? I used to be able to use my Safeway card at Dominick's - they were both owned by Albertson's.

I think the landscape is complicated by a number of other factors beyond corporate ownership–such as when in the company's history the loyalty program was established, when (if) key IT systems had been upgraded since, etc.

I've used my Bay Area Safeway shopper card successfully at Safeways in Maryland, Vons/Pavillions stores in Southern California, and Randall's in Texas. But on the other hand, I tried using a Giant-Carlisle card at both Giant-Landover and Stop & Shop–a decade or more after all companies had been under the Ahold umbrella–with no success. I seem to have encountered issues with Kroger-owned stores, too...trying to use a Ralph's card at Kroger with no luck.

I also once tried to use my Safeway card at a Safeway in England and got nowhere with it.

[jon daly]

I use a loyalty card for the Big Y but I'm a bit uneasy exchanging data with them in exchange for discounts.

Does anyone recall Finast? I worked in a deli for them after school and it was my favorite job I ever held for the longest time. (I'd do it again if they paid $25/hr.) I forget if this was before or after Ahold bought them, but they became Edward's Food Warehouse for a while before they were phased out.

[briantroutman]

Does anyone recall Finast?

I never encountered a Finast store, but I most definitely remember Finast-labeled products (with the same logo as Finast stores apparently used in their final days) being the in-house brand at Giant-Carlisle stores.

When I first encountered Finast products at other people's homes as a young child (we were strictly a Weis Markets family), I assumed the name was pronounced FYE-nest (like the word finest). But I recall a discussion with a high school friend in which he assured me it was fih-NAST. Then when I later found out that the name was a contraction of FIrst NAtional STores, fih-NAST made perfect sense...basically the same sounds that those letters would have made in the original name. But in recent years, I looked up "finast commercial"  on YouTube and found out that the company used FYE-nest anyway.

Did any other Ahold stores get Finast products?

[jon daly]

Indeed it was First National but the name probably got shortened by madmen marketers in the swinging 60's. My dad still referred to them by their old name. It made it sound like it was a bank.

[jp the roadgeek]

I remember a couple of Finast/Edwards locations.  The Finast in Newbrite Plaza in New Britain, CT had a huge liquor store next to it (Liquor Depot) that moved to in front of Stop & Shop on West Main St once Finast got out of there.  The space is now occupied by Save-a-Lot and Ocean State Job Lot.  Also remember a Finast on Route 5 in Wallingford that is now Big Lots in the same plaza where the original KMart (now the movie theater) was.  The Shop Rite in Southington was once an Edwards but was sold off to Shaws in the merger then closed shortly before Albertsons left CT  (they've since dipped a toe in the water once again by purchasing a couple of former A&P's in lower Fairfield County and rebranding them as Acme locations.)

Saw another renovated Stop & Shop location in Newington on Kitts Lane.  I also hear Unionville was one of the stores.  Wouldn't be surprised if the one on Route 6 in Bristol is one as well.  Says there's about 20 locations. 

[Takumi]

Giant is primarily PA, DE, MD and DC. Not sure if there are any in VA. I want to say that Giant is based in Carlisle, PA.

There are two separate and distinct Giant grocery store chains, although both are subsidiaries of Ahold-Delhaize (which also owns Stop & Shop among other chains)



Giant-Carlisle (officially Giant Food Stores, LLC) is based in Carlisle, PA and operates Giant-branded supermarkets in central and eastern Pennsylvania. In addition, the company operates identical stores under the name "Martin's"  (to avoid confusion and trademark disputes with the other Giant as well as the unrelated Giant Eagle) in a few parts of western Pennsylvania plus the panhandles of Maryland and West Virginia as well as nearby rural northern Virginia (well outside the DC area)–and also an isolated cluster in the Richmond area that was previously the Ukrops chain of grocery stores.



Giant-Landover (officially Giant Food of Maryland, LLC) is based in Landover, MD and operates Giant-branded stores in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware (primarily in the Washington and Baltimore metro areas). When Giant-Landover expanded into Philadelphia market in the '90s, it was under the name "Super G"  (for the same reason that Giant-Carlisle's MD/VA stores are called "Martin's" ).



Both chains use corporate parent Ahold's "fruitbowl"  logo on store-branded products, but Giant-Landover stores have also been increasingly using that logo for store signage as well. To my knowledge, no Giant-Carlisle stores have ever featured the fruitbowl logo on store signage.

Martin's pulled out of the Richmond market last year. Some of the stores were sold to Publix, and others simply closed. Ahold Delhaize decided Food Lion was the better brand to keep here for whatever reason. The other markets where Ahold and Delhaize overlapped, Food Lions closed.

[D-Dey65]

Giant is primarily PA, DE, MD and DC. Not sure if there are any in VA. I want to say that Giant is based in Carlisle, PA.

There are two separate and distinct Giant grocery store chains, although both are subsidiaries of Ahold-Delhaize (which also owns Stop & Shop among other chains)



Giant-Carlisle (officially Giant Food Stores, LLC) is based in Carlisle, PA and operates Giant-branded supermarkets in central and eastern Pennsylvania. In addition, the company operates identical stores under the name "Martin's"  (to avoid confusion and trademark disputes with the other Giant as well as the unrelated Giant Eagle) in a few parts of western Pennsylvania plus the panhandles of Maryland and West Virginia as well as nearby rural northern Virginia (well outside the DC area)–and also an isolated cluster in the Richmond area that was previously the Ukrops chain of grocery stores.



Giant-Landover (officially Giant Food of Maryland, LLC) is based in Landover, MD and operates Giant-branded stores in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware (primarily in the Washington and Baltimore metro areas). When Giant-Landover expanded into Philadelphia market in the '90s, it was under the name "Super G"  (for the same reason that Giant-Carlisle's MD/VA stores are called "Martin's" ).



Both chains use corporate parent Ahold's "fruitbowl"  logo on store-branded products, but Giant-Landover stores have also been increasingly using that logo for store signage as well. To my knowledge, no Giant-Carlisle stores have ever featured the fruitbowl logo on store signage.

I've seen that "fruitbowl" logo on other stores, but I can't think of where right now.

[hotdogPi]

I've seen that "fruitbowl" logo on other stores, but I can't think of where right now.

The current Stop & Shop logo (before the change a few weeks ago) is the fruitbowl one.

[KEVIN_224]

Would you believe they had a DJ spinning tunes inside today? No, I'm NOT kidding. 



The receipt doesn't replicate the logo very well. 

[hotdogPi]

Food is taxed in Connecticut?

[jp the roadgeek]

Food is taxed in Connecticut?

Generally, no.  Soda, candy, and many single serve items are taxed.  And it depends on whether a store is classified as a supermarket or a convenience store.  For example: a 2 pack of Twinkies is not taxable in a supermarket, but in a convenience store is taxable because it is considered to be ready to eat and for immediate consumption.  However, a box of Twinkies is not taxable in any store because it is a family pack.  Fruit is not taxable, but put it in a gift basket and it becomes taxable.  Plain water is not taxable, but put some cO2 in it and Uncle Danny takes a cut.  Single serve bags of chips are taxable, but a big bag of chips is not.   

[KEVIN_224]

6.35% goes to Dannell...none for you!

[cpzilliacus]

Really? I used to be able to use my Safeway card at Dominick's - they were both owned by Albertson's.

My Safeway card (from a Safeway in Maryland) worked fine at a Vons store in Los Angeles County.

[cpzilliacus]

Giant-Landover (officially Giant Food of Maryland, LLC) is based in Landover, MD and operates Giant-branded stores in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware (primarily in the Washington and Baltimore metro areas). When Giant-Landover expanded into Philadelphia market in the '90s, it was under the name "Super G"  (for the same reason that Giant-Carlisle's MD/VA stores are called "Martin's" ).



Both chains use corporate parent Ahold's "fruitbowl"  logo on store-branded products, but Giant-Landover stores have also been increasingly using that logo for store signage as well. To my knowledge, no Giant-Carlisle stores have ever featured the fruitbowl logo on store signage.

I have not seen any of the Giant-Landover stores reverting to one of the several old Giant Food logos that can still be seen on some stores (there are several different logos).

[jon daly]

Food is taxed in Connecticut?

Generally, no.  Soda, candy, and many single serve items are taxed.  And it depends on whether a store is classified as a supermarket or a convenience store.  For example: a 2 pack of Twinkies is not taxable in a supermarket, but in a convenience store is taxable because it is considered to be ready to eat and for immediate consumption.  However, a box of Twinkies is not taxable in any store because it is a family pack.  Fruit is not taxable, but put it in a gift basket and it becomes taxable.  Plain water is not taxable, but put some cO2 in it and Uncle Danny takes a cut.  Single serve bags of chips are taxable, but a big bag of chips is not.   

OTOH, you can buy a soda or a beer in Rhody without paying a deposit and redeem it in CT for a nickel.

[Scott5114]

I was curious why on Earth a company would own two completely different stores called Giant without merging the branding, and apparently it's because one is unionized and one isn't. So to keep the union from taking over all of the Giants, they have to keep them separate. Lame.

Food is taxed in Connecticut?

Generally, no.  Soda, candy, and many single serve items are taxed.  And it depends on whether a store is classified as a supermarket or a convenience store.  For example: a 2 pack of Twinkies is not taxable in a supermarket, but in a convenience store is taxable because it is considered to be ready to eat and for immediate consumption.  However, a box of Twinkies is not taxable in any store because it is a family pack.  Fruit is not taxable, but put it in a gift basket and it becomes taxable.  Plain water is not taxable, but put some cO2 in it and Uncle Danny takes a cut.  Single serve bags of chips are taxable, but a big bag of chips is not.   

In Oklahoma, all food is taxed at whatever the usual tax rate is. Newcastle residents pay 9%, for instance.

[PHLBOS]

OTOH, you can buy a soda or a beer in Rhody without paying a deposit and redeem it in CT for a nickel.

Provided that such is marked for deposit.  I've done similar with soda can & bottles I bought in PA and redeemed them during one of my visits/trips to MA.  Such only works if such bottles & can are marked.

[roadman]

OTOH, you can buy a soda or a beer in Rhody without paying a deposit and redeem it in CT for a nickel.

Provided that such is marked for deposit.  I've done similar with soda can & bottles I bought in PA and redeemed them during one of my visits/trips to MA.  Such only works if such bottles & can are marked.

And of course, MA doesn't accept all containers that are marked as deposit in other states.  Specifically, water bottles are redeemable in most states, but not MA.  The exception is sparkling water containers, which are redeemable in MA.

[BamaZeus]

I use a loyalty card for the Big Y but I'm a bit uneasy exchanging data with them in exchange for discounts.

Does anyone recall Finast? I worked in a deli for them after school and it was my favorite job I ever held for the longest time. (I'd do it again if they paid $25/hr.) I forget if this was before or after Ahold bought them, but they became Edward's Food Warehouse for a while before they were phased out.

I remember them well.  I went to one in Bridgeport with my grandfather quite often to get stuff for our weekly Sunday brunch.  There was a nice deli called Fortuna's next door that made really good sandwiches, or I thought so as a child.