Food shopping trends prompt Giant Eagle to trim overnight hours at some locations

Changes in customer shopping habits and the increase in the number of 24-hour convenience stores offering items typically sold in supermarkets has prompted Giant Eagle to end around-the-clock operations at four stores, company officials said.

The stores in Monroeville, McIntyre Square in Ross, Shaler and the city of Washington will no longer be open between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., said Dick Roberts, a spokesman for the supermarket chain.

“We review shopping trends on an ongoing basis to ensure that we make our team members, products and services available during the times of the day that matter most to our customers,” Roberts said. “As Giant Eagle and other grocers have seen overnight customer traffic decrease in recent years, today the majority of our supermarkets operate during hours between 5 a.m. and 1 a.m.”

Giant Eagle operates 60 stores in the Pittsburgh area. Only 14 of those stores were open 24-hours before the change, which went into effect on Sunday.

The reduction in overnight hours at the four stores will not result in any jobs being eliminated, Roberts said.

Roberts noted that in the nearly two decades since the supermarket chain first began keeping some of its stores open around the clock, there has been a significant increase in the ways people can buy groceries.

Customer service developments such as curbside pickup, home delivery and the numerous 24-hour convenience stores that offer grocery staples has reduced overnight traffic at the stores where overnight hours were reduced, he said.