Safeway

Good prices, but always understaffed. You always have to wait in line for the one checker open. And on holidays they staff 2 or 3. Not sure why they do this but because it is always the case, I assume it is done on purpose.

The meat was old that I bought yesterday. I had to throw it out.
I like this store. I spent $ 7K a year here.
I like the butcher counter. Good people trying to do a good job.
I go for price. The chicken thighs in the chill area are $ 5.99/lb yesterday. In the butcher area they are $ 2.49. I wondered why.
I bought price.
I bought them and cooked them and they smelled up my house. The taste and smell was so bad I had to throw them out.
Not sure where the fault is here. Could be the total supply system. I hope they aren’t taking expired items out of the chill area and pushing them off as still acceptable in the butcher area.
Unhappy customer,
Lee F

Hands down the worst customer service ever. Consistently. As someone who works in customer service AND management, I’m shocked at how awful this store is. Some of the clerks are great, but almost everyone that comes out of that bookkeeping office in the back is horrible. Rude, curt, dismissive. I worked in a grocery store for 5 years. Those offices have cameras that show who’s standing in front of the service desk. They flat out ignore you here, because you know, as a customer you’re just an inconvenience for them. If I didn’t have to come here for work related things, there’s no way in hell I would go deal with those people.

I abhor businesses that devalue their customers in the manner that Safeway does.
The final straw occurred tonight when I waited more than fifteen minutes at the «Customer Service» desk and no one showed — this after asking three times for someone to be paged.
Finally, the security staffer appeared and tried to cajole me while I was waiting but by then I was infuriated. This is at LEAST the tenth time I have had a similar experience at this location with the Customer Service desk, and tonight I lost it.
When a supervisor finally showed, he pointed to the tiniest letters one could fashion on a bulletin board, indicating that the service desk closed at 6:30 p.m. (It was around 7 p.m. at this time). No one told me the desk was closed. Rather, they let me stand there and stew.
It all went downhill from there.
This is the same Safeway that claims with large store banners that they will open a new register line any time the wait is deeper than three people.
Lies.
Safeway is not a destination. Folks don’t dress up to go there, like it’s an event.
It is a place where people shop for groceries on the way home from work or on the way to somewhere else. The whole concept of «super market» is that it is all under one roof and easy to negotiate. Safeway thumbs it’s cynical nose at that concept.
Safeway exploits the personal time of its customers with the notorious lines and delays that go along with shopping there, and they do it with impunity.
I ran my Quicken tonight. I spent $ 9,130.00 at Safeway last year. I am making a commitment to not shop there for another year. I know the money probably isn’t enough to pay the electric bill on the dairy cases, but it is my own little vote-​with-​dollars statement.

Lines so long! And here they say that they’ll open a new register when there are more than 3 people in line. There are only 5 lines open and each line with about 7 people in line. This is 6pm on a Monday.

This review is for the pharmacy within this Safeway only.
Since our local pharmacy has been going nowhere good in a handbasket lately, I decided to try the Safeway pharmacy since it was super convenient.
Our prescription was a nothing fancy, topical antibiotic. I had never been to this pharmacy, but because our information was already on file from another Safeway, it did not pose any problems.
There was no line at this pharmacy, the staff was super nice, there was no line and I was in and out in under 10 minutes.
Now that is what I call service! No wait, no missed promised time and no coming back after they had already promised the prescription would be ready (like my other pharmacy fails). When I am in the area and I have an easy prescription I need filled, this will be my choice for best service! Thank you Safeway!

After getting a raw deal from Whole Foods for a catering job, the good people at Safeway were able to provide a great spread from then for a much better price. The people we dealt with were polite, understanding and easy to deal with. Everyone at our event was surprised to hear such a great spread was created by Safeway when they asked us who prepared the food.
Thank you again for helping us make a stressful event that much smoother.

I’m very surprised by businesses that have customer service desks, at the front of the store, that decide it’s a good policy to close for lunch between 10 – 11:15 am on a Saturday.
What was supposed to be a simple transaction accumulated into a series of unfortunate lies and terrible customer service that Safeway provided for me on my last and final visit.
I came in at 10 a.m. on a rainy morning to purchase a single Money Order and was prepared with cash. There were three girls scouts and two parental guardians inside the store near the desk. There was someone clocking in or out but they promptly told me, «Customer service is closed, they’re on lunch right now.»
No problem, I thought… so I asked to speak to a store manager, all I needed is a money order. He replied, «Ahhhh…they BOTH won’t be back for an hour…». My eyes started to glaze over, so I asked again to speak to a store manager. He told me to wait and then went over to a cashier and he talked to her both looking over at me.
At this point, I began to notice that the girl scouts were probably the best customer service representatives in the store but, did not actually work for the store. While I waited, I just watched their great skill at greeting customers, most to no avail, offering cookies for $ 5 a box plus, they had their own sign!
A nosy woman from the bakery or bread department, that had absolutely nothing to do with my transaction, walked up to me and was wondering if I was being helped. I answered that someone was getting the manager for me and hoped to get customer service. She of course wanted to light my fuse but instead I balked and offered a reasonable request.
I wondered out loud why there is customer service desk but, no customer service. She looks at and says «Well good luck…» and starts to rush off. I then say to her, «Good luck with you», which she turned around only to make a scoff/​snarling sound at me.
The girl scouts continue to sell their cookies, I continue to wait. At this point, I’m thinking «why didn’t I just do something else?» but, instead, no I should be patient and see where this goes, I already have money in the meter and I already made my choice, you know… ride the storm.
A woman that was on her cell phone earlier, comes over to me and wonders what I need, her name is Pam. I tell her about the money order but she proceeds to tell me about the lunch thing between 10:30 and 11:15 and her store manager, Maya is on a conference call. I wondered why the the first employee said that they were both on a break, meaning two people, and Pam replied, «That’s not true».
After I threaten to leave a bad Unilocal review, she calls for additional backup so, now we’re supposed to wait for someone named Maya. At this point another woman holding an open sandwich that was wandering around the lobby suddenly gets behind me. She’s wondering how long I’ve been waiting and I tell her about 15 – 20 minutes now and she says «Great…»
Eventually, a young woman carrying a merchandising Symbol scanning gun walks up, as soon as the woman who is supposed to be on her lunch comes back. The woman is holding her purse and saying «Sorry I’m late, my kids needed…» I check out of her thoughts and finally proceeded with the transaction. I need a single money order please. She asks for the cash plus a $ 5 fee, and I’ think no problem it’s for a high amount so, I give her $ 2500.
I hear the machine printing, the girl scouts are finally getting their boxes sold. The woman behind me still seems unhappy holding her sandwich. Glad to be one step closer to leaving the store, Maya hands me 5 different money orders for $ 500 each. I wondered why she would do this when I asked for one and she replied, «That’s why it was $ 5». I was so confused, I had already paid, there was no turning back.
I asked for an envelope for all five money orders but of course there isn’t one, so she gave me a sheet of paper to wrap them around. It was raining so I stuffed this make-​shift money order wrap into my coat and began my walk out of the store. No thank you, no you’re welcome… nothing, she was already on to the next customer.
As I looked forward out into the rain, I couldn’t help but look back at the woman behind me as she said, «My daughter was just eating this sandwich… and there was a big piece of plastic inside of it.» She held up a piece of clear plastic the size of a candy wrapper. It was a mistake to come here from the beginning and the complete lack of customer service that they provide is regrettably the cause of my final store visit to this Safeway.

Ive been to this Safeway when I am in the area and find it to be typical of any other Safeway, just with more parking (there is an underground parking lot as well). The wait here can be annoying especially on the weekends. I remember when I came here before stopping by my cousins graduation ceremony and that was a mistake. You can everything you think of here and we specifically came here for graduation flowers which they had (which I didn’t think they would). The staff here is a hit or miss and some look they don’t want to be there and some really like their job. Make sure to bring your own bags or you will have to buy a bag since they no longer give out plastic bags here. Bags are usually $ 0.10-$ 0.25. Basically I will come here when needed or for something quick.

I don’t understand why this particular Safeway has such a low rating. I have been shopping here for the past 2.5 years and I haven’t had any major issue with the store.
Decent selection. One of the cleanest grocery stores I’ve been to. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Nice bakery. Friendly staff. Couldn’t ask for more.
That said, I don’t patronize their cooked food counters so I can’t vouch for that.

5 Stars for my amazing check out clerk Monique and Charlie! They made my experience Pleasant! Thanks

I parked in the Safeway parking lot today, went in, and made a purchase. I was meeting a friend at the café and when I came out to my car 1.5 hours later I found a red warning notice on my windshield that claimed that I had been parked more than 2 hours. I have the receipt to prove otherwise (see photos). This is tantamount to harassment and intimidation. Shoppers beware.

Great experience at the bakery section today. The staff was very helpful, pleasant and polite.
However, it only takes one or in this case two bad employees to create a disappointing customer experience. Now, I don’t mind when employees chat amongst themselves while they’re on duty however when they are obstructing aisles and then get mad at customers for trying to go around them, they show what punks they really are, and not customer service reps for Safeway. These employees must’ve forgotten that they were employees when they stared me down and talked about me to each other out loud. And that, in the street is an invitation to fight! Where does Safeway get these people?!

The deli is probably the worst I ever shopped at. Everyone in the store knows it but no one does anything. I just bought a Rocky chicken which was so overcooked it self-​destructed. I called to complain and they agreed to refund my money. The guys who work in the store are very nice and polite but I think they need to close the deli temporarily and rethink the entire department, which has never been run correctly ever since they gave Safeway a much needed facelift, prior to which their chickens were the best in Berkeley, even if the actual chicken was not on a level with others stores as far as quality. Rocky? The movie? No the bird!
As far as the deli, I think they need to hire more people, have more than one person making their sandwiches, have their food displayed and their chickens cooked properly and on sale throughout the day with no delay. The deli is too large as it is so it’s either hire more personnel or cut it by a third and put a bakery there. Have numbers so people can do their shopping if there’s a long line. Make sure that customers who are ordering sandwiches don’t have to wait more than five minutes; train some of the staff on making sandwiches so when it’s crowded it won’t take forever.
Don’t have more than one chicken. Instead of a cheap one at $ 6.99 and an expensive one at $ 9.99 and an even more expensive Rocky at $ 10.99. Just do all Rockies and charge $ 10 per chicken. Just like every other store does.
Check the heating units to make sure they’re not too hot at the center of the bird and not hot enough at the edges so that you wind up overcooking. Do a daily quality control, tasking one chicken and selling the other half at half price. Then when you hit your stride, just do a taste check once a week.
Always have a display of chickens. If that means placing the chickens from the night before for half price, always have some ready for customers.
I mentioned this before but it needs repeating: Get one of those machines that hand out numbers. If one section has more than two people, have someone from another section help out. It’s not brain surgery to weigh turkey slices.
If it’s not making money, make the Sushi section smaller. There’s nothing more annoying than standing a line, not knowing who’s next, while one person serves everything in a haphazard way, while the Sushi guy slices raw fish, nonchalantly. Or teach the Sushi guy who to help with other department;s, just make sure he washes the fish smell from his hands.
The above are my suggestions. My feeling is, if it doesn’t work, fix it; if you can’t fix it, get rid of it, don’t show yourself as being witless. Incidentally, the employees at the deli (I know it’s smaller) on Solano’s Safeway are great, no waiting, great sandwiches, although I’m afraid to try their chickens.
This is a lengthy review for which I’d like a $ 50 gift certificate. Thank you and will await hearing from you.

I don’t know what it is about this Safeway, but it’s staffed by the most surly, disdainful people I’ve ever met in a grocery store. Every other trip here ends in catching the wrong end of someone’s bad day. Just read the other reviews here — there’s a surprisingly high number of reviews that mention the bizarre attitude of the cashiers here.
Just yesterday, I got a bunch of attitude from the cashier in the 15 item express lane because I had 13 items. She told me that if there was anyone behind me she would kick me out of her line, and she told me to pay more attention to what line I got in next time. I had 13 items. 13! In the 15 item express lane!
What is Safeway management doing to produce such an awful, angry group of cashiers?

Standard Safeway. Parking isn’t as bad as people say it is, but maybe it’s the times my husband and I choose to go. Located in North Berkeley, so it’s out of our way.
We keep our visits to Safeway to a minimum because the prices are more expensive compared to other grocery stores. Appreciate that it has nearly everything you’d need in a grocery store: deli, meat section, soup, and floral.
This Safeway is slightly different in that its bakery section is a lot nicer and «classier» in comparison to other Safeway locations (including the one on College Avenue).

Safeway will always be everyone’s go to place for common household items and groceries. Although this supermarket won’t have your rare items that you will only find at other places like 99 ranch, Safeway will always the stuff that will bail you out.
For example, if you need a plunger and don’t have the time to travel far, Safeway is there for you. If you ran out of limes and need to make something that requires limes, Safeway is there for you.
However, the prices are just way too damn high for my liking. Every time I have to rush over to Safeway, I’m always astounded by how pricey some of their items are. For example, 2 limes for $ 1? Isn’t that a bit high? And how come you don’t have decent mushrooms!
All in all, Safeway is what it is designed to be: A market that has your basic essentials that’s offered until noon (if you want late night booze). I wouldn’t come here when I go grocery shopping, but if I forget something, this place will probably have it if it’s popular.

Safeway has really gone down hill since the merger, and even before then they weren’t a particularly good store. Now? It’s considerably worse!
Going to Safeway is such a miserable experience that I’d rather pony up more and go to any other place (and I do). It’s too bad that it’s only a couple blocks from me or else I’d never go.
Customer Service? HAH! Forget it. It’s NEVER staffed unless there’s 5+ people standing in line. No one is ever around to help on the floor either or they look pissed off if you ask them something.
Cashiers are always slow and understaffed. They have a look of misery, disdain and annoyance on them all the time. I don’t blame them per se, they’re obviously overworked and understaffed and I feel bad for them, but come on, do you need to take it out on the customers? At Trader Joes/​Whole Foods/​Berkeley Bowl, everyone is super cheerful, fun to talk to, and just a bunch of great people. Here, it’s Misery Central. How come nearly every other grocery store in existences manages to pull that off except for Safeway?
Thank god for Self-​Checkout line. That is, unless half the machines are broken and something goes wrong (which is quite often I find). Also, need a little bit of cooking wine? Too bad, you just added 10+ minutes to your grocery trip.
Deli is also horribly understaffed and slow. Getting something as simple as a block of cheese there is also 15+ minute ordeal.
Produce borders on terrible or hideously overpriced. Hit up Monterrey Market for produce because it’s a sad state of affairs.
Their bakery section is also sad. For whatever reason, all their bread, bagels and other things always feel like they’ve already gone stale and their sell by date is today. It used to be you could buy a loaf of their sourdough bread and it’d be super soft and squishy, now they’re serving stale loaf of rocks.
Please Safeway. Step up your game. I remember there was a time 10+ years ago when your stores actually didn’t suck.

I usually just go here for groceries, but last night a friend and I decided to grab dinner from their prepared food section — $ 6 for a combo tray of one entrée and two sides, which, I thought, was a fair price.
We got some of their fried chicken as the entrée and double potato wedges as the side (comfort food at its finest). The chicken was what you’d expect for the price, but the potato wedges were burnt, rock hard, and generally inedible.
Not being ones to complain usually, we figured we’d just pick out the good ones and deal with it. however, when it became evident that there were no good ones, we decided to see if we could switch them out for a different side.
It was late in the evening so no one was waiting at the counter, but an irritable employee did yell at us from across the kitchen to ask if we needed anything. we explained the situation, to which she just shrugged and said, in the most dismissive way possible, that since we’d already eaten some chicken, there was nothing she could do about it.
Another employee working in the Starbucks area where we were eating saw the food and was incredulous that they’d serve it, and said she’d put in a complaint for us. Not sure if she followed through, but it was definitely a nice gesture.
We ended up giving them to some homeless men outside who were ecstatic, so I suppose the situation could have been worse.
I did try to find a manger to email about the situation, but found not find any contact info online for the store.

Safeway is my source for cheap booze, If i get lucky. this store had lots of wines, some on promo. microbrews not a large selection, just the usual known names.
store clean, parking lot nearly full. lucky to have found a space.
buys: drakes: «black robusto» (3.99 w/​card)
–should be robust stout“
drips:
–smiling, helpful checkout
–safeway associates always 4 stars in my view…