9 Giant Eagle Quirks Only Pittsburghers Understand

Giant Eagle has been a fixture in Pittsburgh since 1931, when five independent grocers joined forces during the Great Depression.

Nearly a century later, the chain operates over 200 stores across the region, and locals still call it “the Iggle” without a hint of irony.

Grocery shopping in Pittsburgh comes with its own vocabulary, its own unwritten rules, and a few traditions that make perfect sense here but baffle anyone from out of town.

Here are 9 habits Pittsburghers don’t even think twice about, and people outside of Pennsylvania are like, “What?”

1. Ordering Chipped Chopped Ham Like It’s Normal

Walk into any Giant Eagle deli and ask for a pound of chipped chopped ham. The person behind the counter won’t flinch.

They’ll shave it paper-thin, bag it up, and move on to the next customer.

Try that at a deli anywhere else in the country, and you’ll get a blank stare.

Chipped chopped ham is a Pittsburgh original, dating back to a regional chain called Isaly’s that once had over 100 locations in the area. It’s processed ham sliced so thin it practically dissolves on your tongue.

Pittsburghers eat it on sandwiches with barbecue sauce, pile it on bread with mustard, or just roll it up and snack on it straight from the package.

If you grew up here, you assumed everyone ate this. You were wrong.

2. Calling It “the Iggle”

Nobody outside of Western Pennsylvania calls their grocery store by a nickname derived from the local dialect.

But in Pittsburgh, saying “I’m running to the Iggle” is completely normal.

The name comes from Pittsburghese, where “eagle” naturally flattens into “iggle.”

Giant Eagle even leaned into it years ago, naming their in-store video rental shops “Iggle Video.”

Transplants learn this one fast. Either you start saying it, or you spend every conversation explaining that you mean Giant Eagle.

3. Treating myPerks Like a Part-Time Job

Giant Eagle’s loyalty program, myPerks, lets you earn rewards on groceries, prescriptions, and gas.

Straightforward enough on paper.

In practice, Pittsburghers have turned it into a full-blown optimization strategy.

They track their points across trips. They know exactly when they’re close to Pro status. Some hold off on filling up their gas tank for days, waiting until their perks balance is high enough to make the trip to GetGo worth it.

Older Pittsburghers still call it Fuelperks out of habit, even though Giant Eagle merged that program into myPerks back in 2024.

The name changed. The obsession didn’t.

4. Buying Cookie Supplies in Bulk and Nobody Questions It

In most places, loading a cart with 15 pounds of butter, six bags of powdered sugar, and enough flour to open a bakery would raise eyebrows.

In Pittsburgh, the cashier just knows it’s cookie table season.

The cookie table is a Western Pennsylvania wedding tradition where guests contribute homemade cookies instead of — or in addition to — a traditional cake.

Families bake for weeks, recipes get passed down through generations, and the table itself can hold hundreds of different varieties.

Giant Eagle sells cookie trays and supplies for this specific purpose, and the baking aisle gets noticeably busier in the months leading up to wedding season.

5. Treating Market District Like a Whole Different Store

Giant Eagle rebranded some of its locations as Market District starting in 2006, and Pittsburghers treat the two as completely separate experiences.

Regular Giant Eagle is where you grab what you need and get out.

Market District is where you wander for 45 minutes, sample olive oils, and debate whether you really need a $14 wedge of imported cheese.

It has a wine section that feels like a small shop, a hot bar with rotating options, and a bakery that goes well beyond standard grocery store fare.

Some people drive past three regular Giant Eagles to get to one Market District. Nobody judges them for it.

6. Grocery Shopping in Steelers Gear Year-Round

In most cities, wearing team gear to the grocery store is a game-day thing.

In Pittsburgh, a Terrible Towel draped over a shopping cart in the middle of July barely registers.

Steelers loyalty isn’t seasonal here. It’s a permanent state of being.

Black and gold shows up on hats, jackets, and even face masks at Giant Eagle on a random Tuesday in March.

And during the actual season?

The store the morning after a loss is noticeably quieter. Everyone’s there, but nobody wants to talk about it.

7. Saving Parking Spots with Chairs

Pittsburgh’s famous parking chair tradition doesn’t technically extend to grocery store lots, but the mindset does.

Locals have strong feelings about parking, period.

The tradition itself is rooted in winter survival. After spending an hour shoveling out a curbside spot, Pittsburghers place a folding chair in the space to claim it.

Move that chair at your own risk.

At Giant Eagle, the stakes are lower but the instincts are the same.

Locals circle the lot, know exactly which rows fill up first, and have zero patience for someone sitting in a running car blocking a space while they scroll their phone.

8. Asking for “Dippy Eggs” at the Prepared Foods Counter

If a Giant Eagle has a hot breakfast counter, you might hear someone order dippy eggs. That’s Pittsburghese for over-easy: runny yolks you can dip your toast into.

Outside of Western Pennsylvania, this term gets you confused looks. Here, the person making your eggs already has the spatula ready.

It’s one of those small things that instantly tells you someone is from the area. Like saying “pop” instead of “soda,” or pronouncing “downtown” as “dahntahn.”

The grocery store is where these habits quietly persist, even as Pittsburghese fades from everyday conversation in other settings.

9. Leaving with Bags Full of Local Brands You Can’t Find Anywhere Else

Giant Eagle stocks a deep bench of Pittsburgh-specific products that feel completely normal here and don’t exist anywhere else.

Sarris Candies. Clark Bars. Turner’s iced tea. Isaly’s chipped chopped ham. Mancini’s bread. Pierogies from at least three different local producers.

If you grew up in Pittsburgh and moved away, a trip to Giant Eagle during a visit home turns into a supply run.

People check bags at the airport with nothing inside but grocery items from Giant Eagle.

Grocery Shopping, Pittsburgh Style

Pittsburghers don’t just shop for groceries. They navigate a system built on decades of local tradition, regional dialect, and a loyalty program that somehow dictates when they fill up their gas tank.