Home Care In New Kensington, PA

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. —

If you shop at Giant Eagle in New Kensington, you might want to double check your receipts.

The store's price scanning system failed during its yearly inspection this week. That resulted in red rejected tags being placed at on the store's registers to alert consumers. That means the prices for items displayed on the shelves did not match the prices at the register.

Customer Dan Harmon said, "I think I'll keep coming back, but I'll pay a lot more attention like when I scan something up — 'Is this what it said it would be?' I'm not just going to trust scanners or those scales as much as blindly as I did before."

"I will probably be a little more careful and check things over before I leave," said Stacy Kraus.

But not everyone shares that same thought after the Giant Eagle in New Kensington failed its annual price-scanning system inspection.

"I am more likely not to come back to Giant Eagle if they are going to price gouge people. I won't be back," said shopper Velma Erne.

According to a statement from Giant Eagle, a recent visit by the Westmoreland County Bureau of Weights and Measures identified five scales out of the more than 40 throughout the store that were out of compliance. The Bureau identified three items that rang up at the register at different prices than what was shown on the shelf tags. In a statement to Pittsburgh's Action News, Giant Eagle says:

"All eight issues brought to our attention were immediately addressed. We rectified the pricing of three identified items. The two scales in need of recalibration were remedied. Finally, we have temporarily discontinued use of the three remaining scales until those issues can be addressed and the bureau can recertify them."

However, according to Erne, this has been an issue at this location before.

"In the past, I've caught mistakes in the past yes. So they've charged me more than it was said on the shelf and I've had to bring that to the cashier's attention," she said.

The store will be inspected again within 30 days for compliance.

Giant Eagle announces its company headquarters is moving to Cranberry Township

Shoppers at Giant Eagle in New Kensington might want to double check their receipts.

The store’s price scanning system failed an annual inspection Monday, resulting in red “rejected” tags being placed at all of the Tarentum Bridge Road store’s registers to alert consumers.

The inspection by the Westmoreland County Bureau of Weights and Measures also found issues with several scales throughout the store, according to Greg McCloskey, director of county operations.

The price scanning system fails the test when at least three out of 25 randomly selected items ring up at a price different than what was displayed on the shelf, McCloskey said.

At Giant Eagle, a can of lemonade scanned at $2.59 instead of the shelf price of $2.29; frozen chicken wings scanned at $9.99 per pound instead of the displayed price of $8.99; and a package of candles scanned at $5.99 instead of the displayed $4.99 price, he said.

“We red tag all of those price scanners because it’s one system,” McCloskey said. “Each scanner device is going to read differently than what’s marked on the shelf. The price verification system needs to be rectified so that it’s scanning the price that’s on the shelf.”

The errors were immediately corrected after the store was notified, Giant Eagle spokesman Daniel Donovan said Tuesday.

As she was loading her car after shopping Tuesday morning, Robin Robinson of Tarentum said she didn’t notice the red tags.

“I look at my receipt when I get home,” she said.

The company’s price accuracy policy states that if the price of a product bought in any Giant Eagle or Market District store appears on a receipt at an amount higher than the displayed, posted or advertised price, customers will get the first improperly scanned item for free, and will be charged the lower price for any additional items of the same product bought in the transaction.

In addition to the price scanning problem, McCloskey said county inspectors also found issues with five scales.

Three of the five scales were in the meat department. Two were red tagged for having their security seals cut, which McCloskey said sometimes happens when they are serviced and the repair is not reported to the county.

Another scale in the meat department was giving inaccurate readings.

In hot foods, a scale was improperly positioned, resulting in customers not being able to see its readout of weight and price.

One checkout scale, at register 15, was undermeasuring weight, McCloskey said.

Such scale issues sometimes favor the consumer, other times, the business.

“That’s why we do what we do,” McCloskey said. “Our mission is to make sure that businesses comply and customers get the produce for what it’s advertised as.”

The five scales identified as being out of compliance are among more than 40 throughout the store, Donovan said. He noted that only two of the five were because of improper calibration.

“We immediately remedied the two scales in need of recalibration and are awaiting a follow-up visit from the bureau to recertify those and the other scales,” Donovan said. “In the meantime, New Kensington Giant Eagle customers are invited to shop the store with confidence knowing that all of the bureau’s feedback is being addressed.”

The store will be inspected again for compliance within 30 days, McCloskey said.

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Categories: Local | Top Stories | Valley News Dispatch

New Kensington won’t be getting another car wash, but it is in line to get a Starbucks cafe and Harbor Freight store instead.

The discount tools store, nearly 16,000 square foot, and 2,500-square-foot coffee shop are proposed for Riverview Plaza off Tarentum Bridge Road.

Harbor Freight would be built beside the new Aldi in the plaza, in a corner where a ModWash car wash previously had been reviewed and approved.

That area is within the footprint of the former Kmart, which closed in 2019 and was torn down in 2021. Aldi opened in March after closing its nearby store in Lower Burrell two days earlier.

Starbucks will be in a free-standing building at the top of the parking lot, between Donut Connection and First National Bank. It will include a drive-thru.

Harbor Freight and Starbucks are contained in one proposal from Pittsburgh-based 100 Riverview LP. A representative could not be reached for comment Thursday.

New Kensington’s planning commission approved a site plan and subdivision for the development. Chairman Richard Bruni said it will be an improvement to the property and fits the area.

“The Starbucks is going to be large,” he said. “It’s not just a drive up to the window and get coffee. You can go in.

“The Harbor Freight — it would be nice to have something like that locally. We’re looking forward to them being successful.”

City council is expected to vote on approving the subdivision and compliance with the city’s design guidelines when it meets Feb. 5, said Tony Males, New Kensington’s engineer and zoning officer.

Parking and traffic are not expected to be an issue with the new retail stores, as they would generate less traffic than the much larger Kmart did, Males said.

Craig Hoffman, a spokesman for Harbor Freight Tools in Calabasas, Calif., on Thursday confirmed the company is “actively looking to open a location in New Kensington,” but would not comment further.

Starbucks plans to open its restaurant in the spring, a spokesperson confirmed.

Family-owned Harbor Freight Tools was founded in 1977. The tools retailer has 1,400 stores across the nation and touts itself as selling tools for up to 80% less than competing brands.

Harbor Freight has 10 locations in the Greater Pittsburgh area. The nearest locations to the Alle-Kiski Valley are in Monroeville and Ross Township. Others are in Pleasant Hills, Greensburg, Robinson and Latrobe.

The first Starbucks opened in 1971 in Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and there are now more than 16,000 Starbucks stores in the U.S.

While Starbucks has numerous locations in the Pittsburgh area, there are only a few in the Alle-Kiski Valley — including inside the nearby New Kensington Giant Eagle; at the Pittsburgh Mills in Frazer; two off Freeport Road in Harmar, including one inside Target; and a location that opened in Buffalo Township in December.

There are no plans to change the operations of the Starbucks inside the New Kensington Giant Eagle because of the nearby new Starbucks, Giant Eagle spokesman Dan Donovan said.

Giant Eagle is a licensee and operates its own in-store Starbucks locations with its own team members, Donovan said.

A representative of Tennessee-based ModWash did not respond to a request for comment about the apparent cancellation of plans for one of their car washes to be built in Riverview Plaza.

However, drivers in the area are not without ways to get their vehicles clean, as three car washes are in the immediate area.

They include a GetGo car wash outside Giant Eagle on Tarentum Bridge Road, and a Clean Express Auto Wash that opened just off the opposite side of Tarentum Bridge Road in January 2022.

Another car wash is between Ash Taphouse and the Fraternal Order of Eagles on Freeport Road.

Categories: Editor's Picks | Local | Top Stories | Valley News Dispatch

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) -- The Giant Eagle in New Kensington is fixing its price scanning system after it failed inspection.

On Monday, the Westmoreland County Bureau of Weights and Measures found that at least three out of 25 randomly selected items rang up at a higher price than displayed.

Those items were a can of lemonade, which scanned at $2.59 instead of the shelf price of $2.29, frozen chicken wings that rang up at $9.99 per pound instead of the displayed price of $8.99 and a package of candles that scanned at $5.99 instead of the displayed $4.99 price.

A spokesperson with Giant Eagle told KDKA-TV the pricing was immediately corrected.

Greg McCloskey, director of county operations, said things like this happen.

"It's very common. Like I said, we inspect over 1,200 businesses each year," McCloskey said.

"From the last inspection to this year's inspection, those prices were different, and so when we find it, we put a red tag on it to alert the consumer, then the business has 30 days to fix the issue," McCloskey added.

The bureau also found issues with five scales. Three were in the meat department, one with an inaccurate reading, and the other two had their security seals cut and the county was not notified of repairs. The county imposed a $100 fine for each of those scales.

In hot food, the scale was positioned improperly, so customers couldn't get a readout of weight and price.

The last scale was at a register. It was undermeasuring in favor of the consumer.

"I'll be checking my receipts more often now," said customer Sue Armour.

For now, Giant Eagle discontinued the use of three out of the five scales.

If people notice discrepancies on their receipts, Giant Eagle said to just head over to customer service.

NEW KENSINGTON, Pa. — Gwen Ross, director of workforce development for the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), celebrated “Manufacturing Week” on Oct. 6 by announcing a $200,000 grant to boost the skill sets of individuals participating in training at Penn State New Kensington's Digital Foundry at New Kensington.

Gov. Josh Shapiro proclaimedManufacturing Week in Pennsylvania from Oct. 6-13 to recognize and highlight the vital role manufacturers have in making the commonwealth the sixth largest economy in the U.S.

Penn State New Kensington is receiving the new Manufacturing PA Training-to-Career (MTTC) grant to support the Digital Foundry’s learning programs. The 15,044-square-foot innovation and manufacturing lab space helps individuals and companies build future-ready awareness and skill sets for the manufacturing industry through exposure to state-of-the-art digital technologies.

“Manufacturing has always been the backbone of our economy, and Penn State New Kensington is the perfect place to kick off Manufacturing Week as the Shapiro administration works to make Pennsylvania an economic powerhouse,” said Ross. “Gov. Shapiro is passionate about giving Pennsylvanians more opportunities to follow their own path to success. Our investment in the Digital Foundry at New Kensington will help students learn the special skills they need to become leaders in the manufacturing industry.”

There are various levels of Penn State certificate training that can be attained at the Digital Foundry at New Kensington. Entry-level training covers the fundamentals of design and development, manufacturing, quality, industrial safety, and the building blocks of digital manufacturing. Other training includes components of digital manufacturing essentials as well as deeper dives for manufacturing professionals to learn more advanced techniques and skills. The Digital Foundry also provides FANUC-certified automation training covering programming and operation of industrial robots in manufacturing.

“DCED was the first agency to provide grant funding for our workforce training programs, and we are thrilled that they are continuing to support our goals here in southwestern Pennsylvania,” said Kevin Snider, chancellor of Penn State New Kensington. “We will be able to further strengthen and expand upon the success we’ve seen in our first 16 months through our Penn State certificate programs. Our Digital Foundry is just one shining example of our University’s impact and land-grant mission at work here in Pennsylvania.”

The Digital Foundry at New Kensington’s training programs were started in 2021 with help from a previous MTTC grant of $186,446. Nearly 100 students were trained through this initial round of the program, exceeding its initial target goal of 50 students. Other successes during the Foundry's first year of programming noted by Snider include:

“We created the Digital Foundry, with our partners at the Economic Growth Connection of Westmoreland County, with support from the Richard King Mellon Foundation, to be part of the growing ecosystem we’re developing here in New Kensington and southwestern Pennsylvania that aims to help address bringing a Rust Belt area into the Digital Age,” Snider said. “Penn State New Kensington is so very proud of the work that we continue to do in serving our University’s important land-grant mission in new, impactful and exciting ways, including here at the Foundry, where our goal is to support the region and commonwealth to provide training and education for the entire workforce pipeline — from elementary school through postsecondary education and current workers, as well as invest in manufacturing, by providing technology assessments and de-risking support, specifically for small- to mid-size manufacturers in our region.”

After the announcements, Ross, Snider and other guests toured the Digital Foundry to see its newest technology additions.

For more information about Manufacturing Week or the MTTC program, visit the DCED website and the department's Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn pages. For more information about the Digital Foundry, visit the Foundry's website and its Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages.