Safeway

If you’re looking for a quick place to grab a few things, this is not the place. Every time I go, it seems to take FOREVER to get through lines or even get some help finding something. No one that works here seems to be in any hurry. OH, and last time I went, the manager rolled her eyes at me TWICE, and took her sweet sweet time to help me. Talk about poor customer service.
Aside from the service, I just don’t find their produce to be as fresh as other places. I live right up the road, but will gladly take the time to drive to other grocery stores in the area over this store. I’m not a fan.

Three things bothered me:
1) The store seemed disorganized and cluttered.
2) I tried to buy a gift card and the cashier couldn’t scan it. It turns out they were not able to sell any of the kind of gift card I was trying to buy, and took them all off the shelf.
3) They wouldn’t just give me the Safeway discount when I forgot my card and didn’t have a phone number. I’ve seen other grocers do this with no problem. And I really prefer Trader Joe’s approach of never having anything on sale ever — instead they just keep ALL their prices generally low. It reduces decision fatigue.
I get that locals will still come to places like Safeway, but when you have a choice, I think Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are much more appealing.

I don’t usually review anything other than restaurants, but I would want people to know about this Safeway, as I’ve lived down the street for 4 years and haven’t been in until recently. This is SO much better than the Giant at Lee Highway/​Spout Run, which I would go to because of its proximity to my apartment. But this Safeway is big, has a lot more selection, clean, and never too busy. I imagine the produce selection is better than the Giant because there is never fresh produce there.
Also — right by the entrance, they have fresh fried tortilla chips, which are seriously good. Forget the chip aisle.

No matter the weather including Blizzards this Safeway is open. Always has what you need including the get out of a jam Valentine’s Day things. A special thanks to Barbara for great customer service and going above and beyond to help!!!

As Safeways go, this one is pretty nice: clean, night lighting, short checkout lines, convenient parking.

Hate this Safeway but it’s walking distance, easy to park if need be and never too crowded. That being said — they are always out of produce! Today they were out of broccoli and they know this happens every Sunday, so why don’t they plan better? Their produce never looks great to start with either!
I wish there was another supermarket nearby to go but Giant isn’t great either and Wholefoods and Trader Joes are a mess parking-​wise.
We need better supermarkets!

The Deli is a joke. The people working there, from the manager to the employees, are not only incompetent but are liars and hostile to their customers. I talked to a Nicole and ordered a Turkey Dinner they advertised on ¹¹⁄₁₈. I asked for a 12-​lbs turkey but was told I can order a 15-​lbs one. I said ok. But the day before the T-​day, someone in broken English and heavy foreign accent left a msg saying there don’t do turkey no more. I called up and asked to speak with Nicole who informed me that her supervisor told her they wouldn’t take my order. After some going back and forth, she said they wouldn’t do a 15-​lbs but they can still do a 12-​lbs one. I said fine, but I wanted a guarantee that a 12-​lbs turkey would be ready for my pick up at noon on Friday, the day after the T-​day, when 15 family members would arrive from all over the country to celebrate the T-​day. Nicole said emphatically that she would be sure to be there on Friday to give my turkey herself. She described how and when the turkey is cooked that morning, how nice and warm it would be when I pick it up at noon, and that all I need is to heat it up… Well, when I showed up on early Friday morning just to make sure there would be a turkey for me to pick up at noon, the so-​called manager Erin yelled at me, saying she was not in charge (clearly she was), she had nothing to do with my order whatsoever, that there was no turkey being cooked… and quickly ushered me out of the Deli to the store manager, Jaumale Sykes, who calls himself a «Store Director,» acted as if he didn’t know anything about it either. He made me wait for over an hour while making a few phone calls and being put on hold. He finally asked another employee to go somewhere else in Alexandria to pick up the turkey dinner I ordered. He never explained why his Deli never did roast the turkey that morning like I was told. When I arrived to pick up my order at the Deli at noon, there was no Nicole. One female, Shafon, handed me a Turkey and a box that’s filled with only half of the sides that the turkey dinner was supposed to include. I told her how much of the mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and the stuffing are missing. She said she only has one box. I went to see Sykes who by now had his door closed as if he didn’t want to be bothered. I showed him the box content and asked him where were the rest. He went back to the Deli and came out with another identical box. He never even once apologized for the store’s bait-​and-​switch, misleading business practices or for his Deli employees’ lying and hostile conduct toward customers. It’s truly incredible to have this WTF experience happened to me in a supposedly a friendly neighborhood grocery store like this Cherrydale Safeway. I’m very disappointed and embarrassed about having it in my neighborhood. Shame on you for treating your neighbors like the way you do.

Big parking lot and clean grocery store but the deli department is just bad. Most of the deli staff are either mildly rude, really high or both. I go here because it’s convenient and I know the store layout.

I like this Safeway in general (clean store, friendly/​helpful employees) but wanted to give a special shoutout to the Pharmacy for being patient and extremely helpful as my insurance company put us all through hell. It would have been easy for them to tell me I was out of luck, but they were persistent and helped me get the benefits and pricing I needed. Well done.

Outstanding floral department. We usually employ Greenworks or Merrifield for arrangements and decided to take a chance with the designers at the Cherrydale Safeway because I had been impressed with what we’d seen. Long story short, the two ladies who run that shop created one of the most elegant designs I’ve ever seen (always use the same vessel — about 9inch at base, 11 inches deep and 14 inches wide, so quite large). The quality of the flowers was superb — roses, hydrangeas and exotics. There was not a single «filler» flower in the entire arrangement and the cost was about half what Greenworks was going to charge us. We like the rest of the store, but LOVE the floral shop. I encourage you to work with them and use them for holidays and events. When I shared pictures of the arrangement they made for our event, my friend (a Master Gardener) was blown away.

I LOVE the NEW SAFEWAY!
They have new management and have redone everything and it is a GREAT experience. I honestly couldn’t believe it when I first went in. Negative comments about the Safeway used to find their way into neighborhood parties (I know, very suburban. Complaining about a supermarket). Once they upscaled, it created a new positive buzz at those parties.
The vegetable section now has wood-​like floors, and is flanked by the wine section – giving a more upscale and quiet feel. They have new lighting, which – while still a supermarket – create a bit more mood.
Since it has been redone I’ve been to Whole Foods just a couple times – and noted what a less fun experience it was.
Why?
Parking is always cramped at Whole Foods. Safeway I can walk to, and on the rare occasion I have to take my car it has voluminous parking – you pretty much get to choose where you want to park.
Then – amazingly – I found Safeway had a much more diverse set of organic options. When I went to Whole Foods – I looked up and down for about 6 different organic fruits and vegetables I needed for dinner – to no avail. I left with one very overpriced bag ($ 83) of conventional produce.
Safeway on the other hand has an awesome organic, fresh produce section – nice and separated from everything else. So if you only want organic food, you don’t have to pick between the conventional and organic varieties sitting side by side, wondering if you are getting the right one (like they do at Whole Foods).
As Whole Foods gets more and more commercial, we have found alternatives for our truly organic food. We belong to a community-​supported agriculture program that gets us food that most aligns with our values.
And we always find there are things that need filling in, and we have found SAFEWAY head and shoulders a better option to either the Giant around the corner, and, surprisingly, the Whole Foods a mile away.
There is one final note on Safeway. I rarely see folks with major disabilities working at the places I frequent – and at Safeway I sometimes do. I appreciate them giving space for lots of different folks in our community to be able to incorporate themselves into our larger community and feel the dignity of a job.

Your sales associated are outrageous! An item rings up wrong, the first woman goes back and agrees with me that it should be the lower price as marked on the shelf, but doesn’t change it. She calls a second woman who goes back to look at the shelf and then tells us that the item isn’t on the shelf and that the sale doesn’t apply to it. I said yes it is, do you think I just pulled this item out of thin air? I went back to the shelf with both of them in tow and pointed to the entire shelf of that item as well as the sales tag that has that specific item name printed on it with the sale price. Then she tried to say that it wasn’t for that item!!! OUT-​RAGEOUS!
Will make sure not to come back to this store.

i am a local who frequents whole foods and trader joes and I find myself coming back here more and more at the expense of going to WFs. they have a lot more organic produce than in the past, they have the brands I need, prices are usually par or cheaper than WFs, and they are a lot closer for in and out. Like it a lot!

This Safeway was recently updated, but it’s still not quite up to par with the Safeways out West.
It’s also not very well staffed. The workers there are frequently disengaged and unhelpful.
The best part about this Safeway (and all Safeways), is the app. If you follow the «Daily Deals» and the «Just for U» deals, you can get some really prime savings on your groceries.

Love this new and improved Safeway! It’s no Trader Joes or Whole Foods, but the options for grocery stores outside of the immediate Orange Line corridor that don’t make you feel dirty while you’re shopping are pretty limited. This Safeway is now clean and bright, with expanded organic and locally sourced selections. The parking is free and ample, the location is convenient, and the staff members are always always super nice. I think they are doing a good job with managing the registers from what I’ve seen so far — I have been stopping in on my way home from work, during peak hours, and have very rarely waited in a line for more than a minute or two. Very happy with the upgrades and will gladly shop here in the future.

Five year old bubble gum snatchers and teenaged beer bandits beware! Someone overhead is watching you and it ain’t God. Consider this Safeway safer than most or expect your criminals to be captured from all angles, all isles and in every nook and cranny. Looking overhead, I spied more security cameras than Tiffany & Co could ever have. It’s almost unsettling and makes me wonder what they’re preparing for.
Safeway’s remodel is long overdue. The store is cleaner and more contemporary compared to dilapidated disappointment that used to occupy these four walls. Safeway 2.0 will likely give its neighbor, Giant Foods, a little run for its money. Will it be enough to compete with Trader. Joes, Harris Teeter and Whole Foods? No.
The lack of natural light is uninviting unless you’re used to shopping at midnight. Could the lack of light be influencing the service? I’ve never been greeted warmly by any staff. I worked for Safeway for three years and the company has really changed their customer service expectations.
Efficiency didn’t come along with this remodel. The lines were long during off hours with one cashier for big orders and the self checkout was the only remaining alternative. I came in for one item, but I could have driven a little further to Harris Teeter and would have been home sooner. This hasn’t changed over the last eight or nine years at this location.
Verdict: Plenty of security cameras will keep watch as you flip through your smartphone trying to kill the time. Smiles not included. It’s good enough for your weekly grocery shopping if you have the time to wait. I’ll keep it as a resource for emergency provisions only.

Very friendly staff and the produce section is looking so much better. Starting to go here instead of HT or WF.

HOLD THE PHONE: this place is undergoing a major renovation as we speak. Can you say self check out?
Stand by for better review. Maybe.

I only go to Safeway when absolutely necessary. I usually go to Wegmans and Harris Teeter for regular shopping. I get the feeling this is one of the better Safeways in the area, so I guess this is enough to earn the 1 star I’m required to give.
The cashier way friendly enough, but he was THE cashier. This was around 5:00pm on a weekday — right when everyone is trying to get something on their way home. There were, however, 15 (no exaggeration) people stocking the shelves, but they might be rearranging things or remodeling. The cashier also became the customer service agent when a customer came to return milk that went bad and there was no one at the customer service desk. I guess they don’t have customer service.
I was looking for only one thing — 1 or 2 rolls from the fresh bakery section. None of the rolls were fresh, or really even close. It looked like the store had a bakery, or at least an oven, but they didn’t make any rolls that day, or the day before that for that matter. There were rolls there, but all were hard as a rock. I ended up having to get a bag of rolls. It just seems to me that the freshest stuff should be in the bulk roll bins.
All this just confirms that the drive to Wegmans is worth it any week.

Ok, obviously it’s not fancy but it’s open late. And I’m still nostalgic about safeways. But it’s behind whole foods and Harris teeter which are both close and impossible to park in.