Safeway

I read the guy’s review referring this store to the Mad Max of Safeway’s… that is soooo true! Chances are 9 out of 10 times you will experience someone that so much hates their job. This last X-​mas I saw one of the cart staff, bagger, whatever they are called and he was so pissed off because he was struggling trying to pull two carts apart, and it was raining and cold. My friend Unilocal out «need some help». The guys yells back «Yeah get me out of this fucking retail armpit of the world!!!» We couldn’t help but to laugh.
It’s a bad sign when every employee working at any place of business, is miserable. Oh also, I saw someone said this place was clean? Oh man, no way. This place looks like a K-​mart gone bad. Dirty, dirty, dirty…

Clean, the cashiers are friendly, and while the selection could be better, I can find almost everything I need here.

We tried to stop a shoplifter at the Broadway Store — (we have been told for years that’s why your prices are going up).
The employee checked out on the digital time card and said «what do you want me to do about it». I asked if we could leave with our groceries for free, and was told of course not and to calm down. I was very calm.
One of several times we approached management about keeping shoppers safe. One response «this IS the Lloyd district».
We now walk to 7 – 11 and drive to Fred Meyer. I’m guessing that, based on our shopping habits, they have lost at lest a $ 10,000 per year shopper. I always wondered why our Irvington neighbors never shop there. Now I know.

I was here around 10pm on a Monday and waiting in the checkout line when some of the riff-​raff tried to start a fight with another customer. Anastasia, the checker intervened asking the antagonist to leave the store. She was then reprimanded by a male cashier who did nothing to stop the altercation. The person left the building and then started her screeching on the sidewalk outside the door, agsin, she promptly put a stop to it, returned to the register as if nothing happened and continued her business. Where was the security guard? C’mon Safeway! Let’s step it up and protect your employees. Anastasia, you are my hero!
The store itself offers a decent selection, moderately clean.

Pros:
–Ample covered parking.
–Reasonably clean, modern, well maintained (there’s room for improvement, but this place certainly isn’t gross).
–Layout is fairly consistent (once you get to know the place, you’re set; they don’t rearrange the place just for kicks, the way some retailers do).
–Checkers are reasonably courteous. It’s gotta be a horrible job, but they handle it with grace and tact, for the most part.
–Produce is a bit uneven, but I’ve seen a lot worse. There are a few produce items I’ll buy at Safeway over Fred Meyer.
Cons:
–Bottle returns are chronically out of order. There are just two machines, I think. Aren’t grocery stores required by law to accept bottle returns? I don’t think two tired old machines is enough to claim compliance.
–Lines are consistently long, often stretching down the aisles! I’ve never experienced lines like this in any other grocery store. I’ve seen Safeway customers abandon their carts when they see the line. I’ve seen people walk out without paying, because they can’t deal with the line. If you’re buying frozen food here, bring a cooler so stuff doesn’t melt when you’re in line. I’m not exaggerating, it really is that bad.
–Expired product. Look for dates on everything here before it goes in your cart.
–Panhandlers. Be prepared to walk the gantlet.
–Never enough carts and baskets. Heck, they never even have enough of those divider sticks for the checkout conveyor. Those things are literally free! The advertising revenue must exceed the cost of the stick. So why are they always running low?
–Alcohol scattered around the store. People who choose not to drink are constantly faced with a product they don’t want, while those who do drink have to wander the store to peruse the selection.
–Too many empty shelves. I work in distribution, and I know how tricky it can be to predict customer demand. But come on, it’s not that hard.
–Too many mis-​stocked shelves. Is the stocker not paying attention? Do they deliberately stock with an alternate product when they experience a shortage? Hard to say. What I do know is that I expect to find my Campbells Tripe and Lima Bean soup in the Campbells Tripe and Lima Bean slot.
–Stupid gimmicky club card which actually increases the cost of distributing goods, so the «savings» are just an illusion.
–Freaks in line ahead of you. You know, the welfare mom and welfare daughter shopping together, both with their «oregon trail» benefits card, and the associated complexity (mom wants to exhaust her card, and then put the balance on daughter’s card, that sort of thing). Or the guy who wants to split his order into thirds with three methods of payment. Or the weird lottery-​ticket buyers. You know what I mean. Some people just make everything so complicated. Those people will be in line ahead of you at Lloyd Center Safeway. I honestly believe these people are lonely and bored, and seek out the grocery store as a way to kill time. Safeway management needs to grow a pair, and get politely firm with these PITA customers.
Ten years ago, maybe even twenty years ago, my list of complaints would have been about the same. None of these complaints can be attributed to flukes, bad days, whatever. This store has been consistently and deliberately mismanaged for decades. Yes, literally decades. What a disgrace.
I acknowledge that some of my complaints aren’t specific to this store, but are typical of the grocery industry. That doesn’t get them off the hook though.

Very clean and plenty of parking. I love Randalls and I know Safeway and Randalls are the same. I love purchasing apples to snack on while traveling, and behold, what do I see? Honeycrisp apples… Oooooo, these apples are sold only from October to December/​January in Houston, so I came just in time. They were so fresh, the apples were chilled when I was looking through the selection.
One thing I noticed here I never seen before is the meat promo. I regret not taking a photo of the sign, but the sign said buy one package get two free. Whhhaaatttt??? We are talking store packaged chicken breast, and cuts of beef. Since when meat is buy 1 get 2 free? Sounds too good to be true, but this made me a little nervous because markets in Houston don’t reward you for buying more meat. Too bad I couldn’t take some back to Houston.

It’s true, this Safeway is not the best, and Safeway is my least favorite grocery chain in any case. I do shop here a lot, simply because I live a few blocks away and don’t have a car.
Now, if you read some of the other reviews, you’re thinking this must be a major source of trauma in my life. Beating off shambling hordes of junkies and panhandlers. Stumbling through dirty, debris-​strewn, poorly-​stocked aisles. Dealing with dimwitted staff. Making my way through the «part of Broadway where the community ends and the wasteland begins» (quoting another reviewer) with my few paltry purchases.
Except that’s all (expletive deleted). Yeah, there are a few panhandlers and sketchy loiterers, but they’re not that hard to avoid. There seems to be a kind of cardboard «need help» franchise next to the street door; I smile at them and move on.
The staff is OK, and some of them are actually great. The dude in the pharmacy who knows all the insurance ins and outs is a genius, and the clerks are mostly competent and friendly.
The selection is not great, though only slightly worse than the Safeway standard. I actually find it easier to find stuff at the smaller Safeway downtown. The produce and baked good sections measure up to Safeway’s rather low standards for these departments.
And the comments about the neighborhood make me want to play the R card. It’s actually pretty upscale. But there’s a lot of big apartment buildings nearby; the closest are public housing for elderly and disabled. I think some suburban yuppie sees an elderly African American in a mobility cart and goes into a panic. Check your privilege, people

This Safeway had everything I needed, but the door on the bathroom was broken and the cashier (his name was Patrick I believe, long brown hair in his eyes) dropped my orange on the ground and proceeded to tell me to «just not eat this one». If I’m not going to eat it what am I going to pay for it? Not to mention the customer in front of me was yelling and complaining about the total number of items on her receipt. The cashier ignored her and rang me up while she was still there, hollering at anyone and everyone nearby. Definitely won’t be shopping at this location ever again. There are nicer Safeways closer to my house.

If Mad Max were a grocery store, it would be this one. Buried in that part of Broadway where the community ends and the Wasteland begins, this Safeway is most commonly frequented by shambling mutants that slur obscenities at the clerks and pay with handfuls of change and occasionally even checks (!).
I’m quoted on this very site as saying that this is The Worst Safeway In The World, and I’m not necessarily going to retract that statement, though I may admit it’s a little harsh. Almost all of the problems this store has are based on the location and the clientele. They’re understaffed in the evenings, and there’s almost always a wait at the checkout, but you do see them opening registers when the lines get backed up, and there have been signs of security that actually do something about the crazies of late. They’re trying.
Two stars of sympathy for anyone that works here, but my suggestion is that we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.

No thank you, ma’am.
Sure, some grocery stores are better than others, but it doesn’t take all that much to get at least an A-​OK 3 stars. Sell food and don’t be awful, and you’re pretty much given a pass by me. This place sells food, I guess. But they sure fail at not being awful, or at least creating an awful experience.
*** OK, I just deleted a long review full of anecdotes about how bad this place is. I deleted because I decided that it wasn’t that useful. Instead, here’s the quick and dirty ***
* Lots of bums/​vagrants/​crackheads/​street folks hitting you up for money on your way in and out of the store.
* Poor quality produce. It seems to go bad VERY quickly
* A limited selection that seems to omit a lot of healthy options that I must take for granted at other grocery stores. There were a few things that we just assumed every store had, but nope. Not at Safeway.
There’s a Fred Meyers just down the street. Just go there instead.

Worst Safeway I’ve ever been too. The clientele is nasty, and most of the employees in the deli have poor customer service. They half ass every one of our orders and are not friendly at all.
I wish there was another store close to my work.

This is NOT a «safe neighborhood» at all. I don’t feel safe at the nearby LLOYD CENTER SHOPPING MALL, and this nearby Safeway has the very same «unsafe feel» to it.
You better off going elsewhere. You’re on the edge of a ghetto-​like area in this area.

This is the worst Safeway in all the land and I wish they would replace it with something else like QFC and all new staff. Unfortunately I live two blocks away so it’s extremely convenient and I shop there regularly but every time I leave I hate it more!
The staff is horrible. They are rude, trashy, unprofessional and for some reason most of them are wondering around the store doing nothing. The lines are always long and the customer service desk is alway left unattended. The pharmacy is terrible.
The produce is a mess and either full of rotting veggies or is in major need of being restocked.

MUCH better than Ainsworth/​MLK store. Also better than St John’s store. Plenty of parking, well stocked (even on sale items). Friendly cashiers and the lines move pretty fast.
Sure wish they would control all the drunks, transients and panhandlers outside. They’re very aggressive and will practically get between customers and the doors. I’ve even seen a few tail behind customers who were walking to their cars. Management really needs to control it better!
Some of the carts are dirty/​sticky gross. But a couple sanitizer wipes across the handlebar makes me feel a LITTLE better.

This would be a perfectly normal Safeway if it weren’t for the clientele. This is crack head central. The smell of piss here and there should be enough to make you not want to spend 10 seconds more in that isle. I’m sure there is some interesting statistic out there that relates how much revenue is lost if that isle has been pissed in. Crack heads selling you their prescriptions and benefit debit cards for cash. Hassling you for change. There is no self checkout because obviously half the store would be stolen by now. I’d avoid unless you’re in need of some crack I guess.

I could have sworn I reviewed this Safeway ages ago. C’est la vie!
This is the closest grocery store to the homestead, so we frequent it and it gets the job done.
That said, it hasn’t been remodeled like many of the Safew3ay stores in the area, and there is NO SELF CHECKOUT.
I can’t really stress that enough. If you come here, you are waiting in live to pay for your groceries, and they generally only have 2 check stands open (the express lanes, so don’t be surprised when someone with a cart load of groceries is in the express lane – they have no choice 90% of the time). We usually come here for a basket of items here and there during the week and do our main grocery shopping on the weekends someplace like TJ’s, New Seasons or Winco.
The employees here are generally friendly and helpful, which is a plus considering standing in line to pay can be such a headache.

So, I completely disregarded the reviews on Unilocal.I was in the area running some errands on a Sunday afternoon, not thinking that I would be running into the same problems that most have. True to form I was hit up by the panhandlers on the corner, a wobbler of a cart, people/​zombies in the aisle’s just standing there taking up space, a ridiculous line, a horrible bag man and of course getting hit up again on the way out. Fortunately my cart was so freaking loud I really didn’t have to deal with the last part all that much, but did get a friendly nod.
I’ll probably defer to my neighborhood grocery instead of the convenience of hitting this one up again when I am in a different part of town.
Self-​check out… make it happen.

This location is like an oversized 7 – 11 without the convenience. The lines are honestly worse then COSTCO’s at all hours. This fact alone should keep people away but there are many more negatives if this isn’t enough.
To name only a few the so called ‘nutritional section’ is a joke it consists mainly of gluten-​free items and products labeled ‘natural’ neither of which are organic but all however being outrageously priced. The bulk food section NEVER and I repeat NEVER has bag ties or so much as a pencil for marking your selection hence making checking out with bulk items a colossal headache.
Despite repeated attempts to offer my feedback over the two years I’ve lived in the neighborhood nothing has changed. I can only hope that a competitor will recognize the opportunity and open up across the street.

The worst Safeway. Safeway in general is the most expensive grocery store in town, so I try not to shop there, but this is close to home so sometimes I find myself stopping in for a few items.
The lines are insane. They usually only have 2 – 3 checkers even at the busiest times, and it takes FOREVER. The other reviewers are not exaggerating about the lines sometimes reaching the back of the store. Also, there is no real separation of lines, e.g. usually ONLY the «10 items or less» lines are open, so naturally people with 6 kids and two carts full of junk food get on the same line as me with my two lemons and a lime. I try really hard to be as nice as possible to the poor checkers, since none of this is their fault and they try their best to get you through as fast as possible, and even to say a kind word to you, knowing that they might get snapped at since you’ve been waiting in line for 20 minutes. There is no self checkout (though there are 10 empty checkout lanes usually). This is a super densely populated area with a ton of traffic, so there is no excuse for this crap.
The checkers are friendly enough, but the customer service staff is among the worst. There is a woman who works there around dinner time who is super friendly and flirty to all young men and incredibly rude and dismissive to all women, which is not really what I’m looking for when I need a pack of bus tickets (already one of my least favorite purchases).
As for the selection… The «natural foods» section sucks. I don’t eat meat but occasionally buy it for my cat and theirs always looks like it’s been hanging out a bit too long, making it even grosser than fresh meat. The produce is limp and arranged in no particular order, so it’s a pain to find anything (e.g. all the other produce will be in one area but the butternut squash, for example, might be over by the salad greens for some reason). Highest price for Dave’s Killer Bread in town. I’ve never been asked if I needed help except for the bizarrely stalkerish produce staff, who might ask 3 or 4 times in 10 minutes.
If this place wasn’t on my way home, I would never set foot in there, but sometimes you just need to make a caipirinha and you don’t want to truck up to Whole Foods for a lime.

The staff was very nice
The store manager was great
The security guard was super nice but attentive
Plenty of parking
Lovely & convenience location
The store itself was great
BUT WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO THE 1 BATHROOM, I do not know!!! It was like, I was on the movie set, shooting horror movie! GA GA