Giant Food / Giant of Maryland review: Discriminatory bag check and accusation procedures

On July 17, around 7 p.m., my mother — a senior citizen and loyal customer — was publicly and wrongly accused of theft at GIANT store #0378 in Washington, D.C. She entered with personal items from other stores in her cart, as she routinely does, and purchased products from your store, which she paid for at the register.

She was stopped and questioned about the contents of her personal bags, which were searched. Despite this, she was accused of theft without any verification of facts. Staff failed to review surveillance footage, which would have clearly shown she brought those items in with her. She was the only customer stopped, despite claims that “everyone” was being checked — an inaccurate and misleading statement.

The absence of professionalism and an apology, along with the selective treatment she received, made her feel racially profiled and humiliated. My mother is a respected public servant with a career built on integrity and accountability. To assume she would risk that over petty theft is both baseless and insulting.

There is a proper and respectful way to conduct loss prevention. This was not it.

I respectfully request:

A formal apology from store management.

A thorough review and improvement of staff training protocols regarding bias, customer service, and loss prevention.

This incident reflects a broader issue that affects countless customers who experience unfair treatment and remain silent. I speak for them as well.

Do better.