7 Giant Secrets Employees Wish Pennsylvanians Knew

Nobody memorizes a grocery store’s fine print, and that’s fair.

Still, Pennsylvanians who shop at Giant can get more out of each trip by knowing a few rules employees see shoppers miss.

Here are the Giant details worth knowing before you check out.

1. Purchases That Earn Nothing

Giant’s CHOICE Rewards program gives no points on milk, cream and sour cream, according to its exclusions list.

That exclusion covers Pennsylvania and Virginia only.

Those are two of the four states where the company operates stores as Giant and Martin’s.

In Pennsylvania, Giant’s store locator lists 10 of its 168 stores in Philadelphia and five each in Harrisburg and Lancaster.

Milk, cream and sour cream add no points to your balance.

Don’t count on dairy points.

Controlled substance prescriptions and pharmacy purchases through the Pennsylvania Pharmaceutical Assistance Contract for the Elderly (PACE) program are left out too.

Gasoline purchases, both prepaid and at the gas station, earn nothing either.

Delivery charges, sales tax and bottle deposits are excluded too.

Only purchases made with your card are eligible.

2. Offers You Haven’t Viewed

Giant’s CHOICE Rewards tab lists new ways to earn points every week, according to the company’s help center.

You can find your personalized offers in your online account, the mobile app or the website.

Here’s the catch: An earn offer activates once you’ve viewed it in the app or on the website.

Open that tab first.

3. Points That Expire

Giant’s CHOICE Rewards points expire on the last day of the month after you earn them.

After that day, they’ve expired.

You can check your balance at the bottom of your receipt, in the mobile app or on your online account page.

With an online account, you can also send points toward grocery dollars, a charity donation or special offers.

4. Scanning at the Pump First

Giant’s gas stations take CHOICE Rewards points as a fuel discount.

100 points equal $0.10 off per gallon.

So 500 points would take $0.50 off each gallon.

To get the discount, you must scan your card or enter an alternate ID at the pump.

5. Coupons That Never Double

Giant’s coupon policy says store paper and digital coupons can’t be doubled or tripled.

So what does double?

The double-coupon policy only applies to manufacturer coupons.

You also have to use your GIANT Card for a coupon to double.

Even then, only one coupon for the same item doubles.

Every other coupon on that item comes off at face value.

A store coupon and a manufacturer coupon may share the same item.

A digital coupon can’t combine with a manufacturer’s paper coupon on that item.

Double-coupon limits can vary.

Contact your local store for details.

6. Products Without Stars

Giant’s Guiding Stars program rates foods at one, two or three stars, from good to best nutritional value.

But a product with no stars doesn’t always mean you’re looking at a food that fell short.

So why no stars?

Water and spices have fewer than five calories a serving, so you won’t find stars on them.

Guiding Stars doesn’t rate baby formula, alcohol, dietary supplements or medical foods.

A product with no stars may not have been rated yet.

7. Contactless Delivery Confirmation

Giant's contactless delivery still needs a response from you, according to the company's help center.

Not home?

A driver must have confirmation you're home and available to accept your order, by phone call or text.

If the driver gets no response, your order won't be delivered.

Your order may also be packed with dry ice for freshness.

Let the dry ice evaporate instead of touching it with your bare hands.

Large Orders and Rain Checks

Giant will issue an electronic rain check when a sale item you ordered is unavailable.

To get one, you contact Giant's Customer Care.

Ordering in bulk?

For an order of more than 20 units, you're asked to contact Customer Care at least one week ahead.

Availability for large quantities is limited.

Giant doesn't back-order items.

The company reserves the right to limit your order or the quantity of a particular product.

Orders with large sizes or weights may bring additional handling fees.

Checking Out by Phone Number

Giant lets you use your telephone number as an alternate ID at checkout.

Left your card at home?

You tell the cashier you want to use an alternate ID, then enter your phone number when directed.

The same option works at Giant's gas stations, where you follow the prompts on the screen.

To confirm your alternate ID, you can log in to your online account and select Account Details.

Product Requests

Request forms are available in Giant's stores.

You can send a request online too.

Want it stocked?

Product request forms go to Giant's buyers, who review them along with other market information to decide what products to carry.

Products that don't sell well are generally discontinued to make room for new products.

Giant can't respond personally to each request.

Special orders aren't an option for products Giant doesn't carry.