BY KY’LEND ADAMS

Giant Food grocery store, which has been in the University Mall Shopping Center since 1977, re-opened its doors Feb. 9 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Heather Wade, store manager at Giant, gave an exclusive tour to Student Media on Tuesday, Feb. 7. The newly 49,000 square foot Giant offers new modernized items such as “SCAN IT!,” an app that can be accessed on handheld devices that saves time and money while shopping. This app will allow shoppers to scan and bag their groceries as they shop without the hassle of standing in checkout lines.

The grocery store provides a selection of prepared $5 Grab & Go options such as pre-made salads, wraps and chicken. The store will also cater to those with dietary restrictions by offering items such as the fresh orange juice maker and the aisle of organic and gluten free food.

Jamie Miller, the public and community relations manager for Giant Food, stated that during the strategic planning for renovating the University Mall store, “catering to the local market” was a great priority.

The new store had many other attractions that the average college student may find useful, such as a Starbucks café with free Wi-Fi that can seat up to a dozen people.

There is also a new in-store pharmacy, which will offer a new system called PickPoint that will allow the pharmacy to track when prescriptions are handed out as well as when the prescription is waiting in Will Call.

Giant is offering a 5 percent discount on all purchases to Mason students until the end of February. From the new LED lighting in the checkout aisles to the eight new self-checkout machines to the very spacious inventory of every-day necessities, Giant is ready for business.

All photos credit to Lottye Lockhart