GIANT

Review by eFreeware

GIANT is the official shopping app from Giant Foods Stores, LLC. It is free, sits in the Shopping category on Google Play, and has been available since January 5, 2012. The core idea is simple: it gathers the store's weekly ad, coupons and specials in one place, ties them to your loyalty account, and adds a few tools meant to cut down the time you spend in the store.

The main reason to consider it is convenience for people who already shop at GIANT. Offers you clip in the app are saved to your account and applied when you check out with your loyalty card, either online or in the store. That means fewer paper coupons to manage and a single place to see what is on sale this week.

It is not a general-purpose grocery app for every chain. It is built around GIANT's own stores, loyalty program and checkout tools, so its usefulness depends on where you do your grocery shopping. If GIANT is your regular store, the app is a straightforward way to keep deals and rewards together.

Built for regular GIANT shoppers

The app makes most sense for households that already use a GIANT loyalty card, because nearly everything in it connects back to that account. Signing in gives access to GIANT Choice Rewards, the weekly ad and any coupons you have clipped. Without that link, the app would mostly be a browsing tool for current specials.

It also suits people who want to spend less time standing in line. Deli Order Ahead is aimed at skipping the deli counter queue, and SCAN IT! is designed to let you bypass the checkout line by scanning as you shop. Both are store-specific features, so they only matter if your local GIANT supports them.

Occasional shoppers may find less value. If you stop in once a month for a few items, the rewards points and coupon clipping may not add up to much. The app is at its most useful for people who shop regularly and want their savings tracked automatically.

The app has a 3.7 average from 9,942 ratings and more than 1,000,000 installs, which suggests a sizable base of regular users. That is a middling score rather than a standout one, so it is worth treating the app as a utility that does specific jobs rather than something people rave about.

Deals, coupons and the weekly ad

The deals side of the app is where most people will start. Coupons, weekly ads and specials can be saved to your account from inside the app.

Automatic redemption is the part I find most appealing. Clipping digital coupons is only useful if they actually get applied, and the app ties them to the same loyalty card you already use at the register.

The app also includes a dedicated Shop section and simpler navigation, which the developer describes as part of a broader refresh. The recent changes listed on Google Play are modest, covering performance enhancements and bug fixes rather than new features.

Rewards points and the digital BONUSCARD

GIANT Choice Rewards is built into the app. Signing in lets you view your points balance, and points are earned for every dollar spent, whether the purchase happens online or in a store. The points also unlock special offers and discounts on fuel and groceries.

For in-store trips, the app can hold your BONUSCARD as a digital card saved to your phone's wallet. Scanning that card at the register applies your clipped coupons and rewards. That removes the need to carry the physical card, which is a small but genuine convenience.

The rewards system is the thread that ties the app together. Coupons, points and checkout all run through the same loyalty account, so the more consistently you use that account, the more the app has to work with.

Deli Order Ahead and SCAN IT!

Two features go beyond deals and rewards. Deli Order Ahead is meant to let you place a deli order before you arrive, so you are not waiting at the counter. That is aimed at busy periods when the deli queue is at its worst.

SCAN IT! is the other time-saver. It is designed to let you scan items as you shop and bypass the checkout line entirely. For a full grocery run, that can be the difference between a quick exit and a long wait.

Both features depend on the store you visit and on being signed in, since they connect to your account and loyalty card. They are the strongest argument for the app if you shop at a GIANT location that supports them, and largely irrelevant if you do not.

What it costs to use

The app is free to download. It contains ads, and it does not offer in-app purchases. There is no paid tier to consider and no subscription to manage.

Because there are no in-app purchases, the app is not trying to sell you upgrades or extra features inside the experience.

The rewards program itself is tied to your GIANT loyalty account rather than to anything you buy inside the app. Earning and redeeming points happens through your shopping, not through the app's own store.

How it compares with other options

Most grocery chains now offer their own app, and that is the closest comparison here. A store-branded app like this one is tied to a single retailer's prices, coupons and loyalty program, so it works best when that retailer is where you already shop.

General coupon or cashback apps take a different approach. They pull offers from many retailers into one place, which can be useful if you shop around, but they do not connect to a specific store's checkout, deli ordering or scan-and-go system the way this one does.

If you want a paper-free way to manage one store's deals and rewards, a dedicated app is usually the more direct route. If you spread your shopping across several chains, a multi-retailer tool may cover more ground, though it will not replace the in-store features GIANT offers.

A practical pick for GIANT regulars

GIANT is a focused app that does a handful of jobs well for people who shop at GIANT stores. Digital coupons, the weekly ad, rewards points, a wallet-based BONUSCARD, Deli Order Ahead and SCAN IT! all run through one loyalty account, which keeps the experience coherent.

The trade-offs are the ones that come with any store-specific app. It contains ads, it only makes sense if GIANT is your store, and the in-store tools depend on your location supporting them. The 3.7 average rating suggests users see room for improvement, even with more than a million installs.

If you shop at GIANT regularly and want your deals and rewards in one place, this is a sensible install. If you only stop in occasionally, or you split your shopping across several chains, the value is thinner.

What's new in version 9.4.3

We're constantly making improvements for a better customer experience. Updates in this release include:  Performance enhancements  Bug fixes