Last month, a new grocery store opened up in my neighborhood. Now this might not typically be a cause for celebration, but the Giant Eagle Market District Express is not a typical grocery store.
The two-story grocery is a prototype for the Pittsburgh-based chain: an attempt to fit a store onto the small footprints available in urban locales. The store has a smaller selection than most Giant Eagle stores, but it also has a coffee shop and a small restaurant. But for me, the convenience of having this store in my neighborhood is what has put me over the moon.
I am a big fan of Giant Eagle, but the most convenient store had been six miles away. Now I have a Giant Eagle just a few blocks away that I can quickly visit on the way home from work, or if I need something in a pinch. Before, a trip to Giant Eagle had to be a planned and scheduled event taking up at least an hour and often more. Now I can get what I need, when I need it in only a few minutes.
Now the store does need to adjust their inventory a bit, and store managers appear happy to take suggestions (e.g., How many varieties of vanilla ice cream are actually needed, when mint chocolate chip and butter pecan aren't being stocked? And no kosher beef knockwurst, only kosher chicken and turkey hot dogs?). Hopefully these few inventory miscues will quickly be rectified, but in any case, I am thrilled to have this store in my neighborhood and hope Giant Eagle remains there for many years to come.