Safeway

Best Safeway in town. Very clean and very hard working nice people. They always have the freshes products and nice staff. I love Tuesdays when its discount day I was shocked and excited about my discount. Looking forward to going back for more good stuff !!

Great location for a Safeway! The self check-​out systems are always the first to be updated out of all the Safeways in the city and this is be only Safeway where the customers actually know how to line up for the self check-​out and the Starbucks so that the main walkway is always clear!!!
They are open until 11pm, but they lock the right doors at 9pm. The store also has a RedBox machine and an atm. If you want to save time do your shopping during the week and avoid this place on Sunday evenings!

Ok, I shouldn’t be doing this but had a late meeting at King & I, so just parked here temporarily, less than 15 min. Afterwards, made up for it by going inside to buy an orange ;)
It’s a great location to have a major grocery name just a bit off the main DT; and it’s a good size too. Produce section on the left, always neat and tidy.
Self-​check machines, I love those.
Starbucks inside, seating area a bit tight, close to the main cashiers.

You ever walk into a Safeway grocery store and it’s BACKWARDS? The deli and bakery are on the right and the produce is on the left. WHAT IS THIS MADNESS?! This is my alternate universe Safeway.
Tip: You know all those sales that have a certain quantity number? At Safeway they don’t matter — you just get the deal anyway. Buy 5 for $ 5! Check out the fine print it will say «$ 1 each». I guess the «Buy 5» is just a friendly suggestion to BUY MORE THINGS! It works too! But now that you know, maybe you can combat the psychology of it all.
I’m still waiting for the day that it’s busy enough for Safeway to open all of the tills. I’ve never seen it! Regardless of the day or time, they only ever open enough tills to keep an irritatingly large queue. Safeway is really the only store going that I quite end up going in for a few quick items, then just decide to put them down and leave.
Same, pretty decent quality everything and a good number of «organic» options for food as you’ll get at any Safeway. More expensive than Superstore or Walmart but they’ve got perks like free bags and people to help you out. For a mass consumer grocery chain, they’re a little bit more service and quality oriented than the absolute lowest price.

Inner city location so it does have some challenges. Small store so selection is a bit less than the big suburban locations but still the same quality. Produce section is big and well lit as well as being well stocked. Deli and butcher counters are nice friendly staff and good selection. There is also ready made food and a sandwich counter and the requisite rotisserie chickens. The downside is clearly this store has a high level if theft and the security presence reflects this. This is not a fault of Safeway but that combined with some unique shoppers can make for a less than pleasant experience. Upside not as many panhandlers as outside the store in Kensington.

Ugh. Time to start going to Co-​op. Awful awful experience today at Safeway. Was at the deli and asked for 100 grams of ham. The deli clerk went about getting it and I looked at the cheese selection. I got my ham and went about my shopping. When I went to the self checkout to pay my ham came to over 6 dollars. I looked at the bag which had about 120 grams or so of ham but a sticker clearly stating that there was over 330 grams of product in the bag. I waved over the clerk Susan, who was watching the self checkouts and asked if she saw anything unusual with the bag of ham. Her response with out blinking an eye was «Well obviously you got hungry while you were shopping. You know that’s shoplifting, right?» I stood there rather shocked and she just kept going on and on about how she was sick of people doing that in her store and how I should be ashamed of myself. I asked to speak to a manager and she flat out told me to pay for my merchandise and never come in again. Glad to know that Safeway employees can make those decisions without consulting management. And for the record, I’m almost certain had I been paying attention the woman in the deli would have been busted leaning on the scale. Fail Safeway. Big fail.

I never used to shop at Safeway but since moving inner city I’ve grown to love it. I enjoy how they price sale times. Not only do they show the sale price, they show how much you’re saving and also the price per unit (in case you want to compare a similar item from a different brand).
It’s a small enough store you’re not spending hours shopping for groceries but yet it’s large enough you’ll find everything you need all in one store.
If they run out of rotisserie chicken at certain hours just talk to customer service and they’ll give you a coupon for a free one on your next visit.

This location must be convenient and one of the few grocery stores in the area as I went in on a Sunday evening and it was packed. It seemed to be a good Safeway with lots of products in a bright store.
I picked up one item and went to find the express line but each line up was so long people were standing in the aisles. I didn’t bother waiting and left the store. Every time I work by this Safeway the parking lot is packed. Although I’m sure some customers are for nearby businesses. Next time I’m around, I may stop by and hope that I can find and pay for the items I want.

I like this location much more than the «ghetto» one near my house. Maybe it’s nostalgia, as this was the first Safeway I every experienced, when I first moved to Calgary. Maybe because its cleaner and better merchandised. I don’t know. I just know I get excited when I know I need a few things and I happen to be downtown.
What I like:
Their produce seems better, fresher and more organized
They carry higher end items than my Safeway… things that are a little more diverse
The clientele seems better (props to the seniors who shop very dressed up at this location).
The cashiers are more efficient and friendlier
Their «to go» deli etc is well run and stocked
It is way less crazy on a Saturday than my usual one
It has a Starbucks
What I don’t like:
The security guards. First of all, they often seem to be on one set of doors only. (Good luck with that — I think shoplifters may be able to outsmart that tactic). I know why they are there but it is a bit off putting to be sized up as I walk in
The parking lot: Always seems to be a bit of a madhouse, weekday or weekend.
As Safeways go, this is one of my faves.

Review #19 of Unilocal’s 30 Day Challenge 2012
While the rest of this Safeway seems to have stayed the same, the sandwich counter just isn’t what it used to be. I’m not saying it’s bad. It’s actually still pretty kosher… it’s just that, well, it’s not what it used to be!
First off, I always enjoyed using the individual sandwich kiosks when I still worked at ATCO. But over the last couple of years, slowly, but surely, they were out of order more and more. I was in on Monday to grab a sammy and they’ve all but disappeared.
Bonuses to the disappearance of the ordering kiosks:
— I no longer have to wait in line behind people who can’t figure out how to use them
— I can’t get frustrated because it’s out of order a good portion of the time
— More face-​to-​face time with a real person while ordering
Not-​so-​bonuses
— Really, all I’ve got here is the joy of using the self serve bits to pay for my stuff.
Crap. Here I was all upset about the kiosks being gone and was giving Safeway sandwich counter a three star… and now at the end of the review, I’ve sorted out my true feelings on the matter, and it seems I think we’re better off without them. Back to four stars at Safeway. It helps that the staff at the sandwich counter are always smiley and friendly and that they seem to have remedied the amount of focaccia bread they stock!

Bought dinner here at the deli. Choose to purchase the greek salad and chicken wings. Greek salad was $ 1.79÷100 g and the chicken wings were $ 1.99÷100 g. The salad was very good, but they got carried away with the Greek salad dressing. The salad itself was satisfying with big chunks of feta. The chicken wings were ok. Not the best I’ve tasted. However at $ 6 for 300 g, I’ll take those salt and pepper wings and satisfied my craving for protein.
I really love the self check out. The speed at which I can do my own servicing almost makes me not mind that I am adding to Safeway’s profits.

I shop at this Safeway at least a couple of times a week as it’s located very close to my workplace. In general, I find that they have tried hard to make it a good place to go for a quick lunch, and they’ve improved their service by adding more self serve lanes for those of us who can operate them quick and get out fast.
I find the prices high, mostly in the convenience area (ie: a bag of salad is $ 3, but their convenience salad is $ 6, even though it’s smaller). I suppose that’s just taking advantage of us lazy people. I’m not a fan of how the store is laid out, I can never seem to find what I want outside of the bakery, pharmacy and cleaning areas, but that could just be habit from other stores.
I do like the Starbucks in the store, and I find it to be better with my orders than the Starbucks on the other side of the street.

Some of the staff here suck. Zero personality, and even less of a grasp on the english language. Prices aren’t much better than co-​op or sobeys, but the latter 2 have better service.

Things this Safeway has going for it:
1. Freshly made sandwiches (you punch in your order, they make ‘em right in front of you) are FANTASTIC and very reasonably priced. Try the California Dreamin’ on ciabatta bread.
2. They have a far superior bakery than the Co-​op down the street.
3. The hot «Chinese food» isn’t as bad as you’d think. I usually go for the stir fried veggies and maybe a meat dish. I like how the veggies are not usually soggy, more tender crisp.
Things this Safeway needs to work on:
1. 4−6pm on a weekend. You’d think it was Boxing day in there, total mayhem, avoid at all costs.
2. Self checkout. The line is behind you. Seriously, it probably stretches down the aisle. Be polite and check please.
3. Produce section — Co-​op takes the edge on this. Produce just doesn’t ever seem appealing to me here. Either MUCH too pricey or too waxy, or not ripe. I rarely buy produce here.
Pro tip — if you don’t have any items that need weighing and the lines for the cashiers are insanity, hit up the customer service desk to pay. Saves time especially if you’re just running in for that carton of milk and box of emergency cookies. Hehe.
¹³⁄₃₀

This was the only store i knew in downtown that was nearer to my place and reachable in the blistering cold and sells almost all groceries and vegetables. Of course they aren’t cheaper compared to other places like canadian superstore and other places but as it is reachable in day to day life .
One good thing about it is that they have tax free mondays !!! Hasn’t anyone noticed it yet: P. Yes every monday they don’t charge the 5% GST on the goods you buy.
I was over greedy when i got to know that they give 10% off on every first tuesday of every month. So i went here on first tuesday of that month instead of monday hoping that i cud get 5% additional discount to monday.
Crap! noticed that there was not discount on the bill. Rushed to the customer service and reported and I was told that i had to buy a minimum of $ 35 to get 10% off. Unfortunately my bill was only $ 25.
So be careful about that marketing tactics: P .
Unless you have a safeway card (of course getting one is a free), you don’t get good deals here. So i suggest to go first to the customer service and pick up a safeway card and then go ahead for shopping at this place.
The bread they sell here is cheaper and fresh compared to other places.
And the vegetables are maintained fresh too.
Sometimes they do have pretty good deals. So need to keep an eye on them.
We can get almost all groceries and meat here. I like the chicken at this place. Fresh and tender.
Good thing is that it is open till 11pm.

One Safeway store to the next is pretty similar. They generally follow the same template in terms of shelf and store layouts. «Safeway branded» items are standardized, even between the U.S. and Canada.
Usually. the stores execute a centralized plan. And the plan flows outwards from California.
There are positives and negatives to this, I guess. In some ways, it’s like McDonald’s: you know what you are getting before you walk in. In other ways, though, it lacks flexibility to take advantage of unique locations.
I need only compare this Safeway store to the Co-​op down the street to highlight that it could really benefit from some creativity, simply because of its location.
For example, there are a lot of downtown office workers who like quick, convenient, lunch choices… with variety. This store doesn’t try to meet that need more than any other location, which is too bad. I’d pop in over lunch more frequently if they did.
But I digress.
I DID swing by to grab something QUICKLY for lunch (mostly because there is a Starbucks in house… so 2 birds with one stone…). The grab and go counter was my target.
Disappointing, I must say.
Things like prepared salads are truly minuscule, portion-​wise, for the price. Especially compared to, say, a nearby Sunterra option.
But I did note the packaging of said salads is the same as what I’d see in Montana, so again «one strategy for all.»
I ended up grabbing a sandwich… (which I later discovered, back at the office, must have been sitting in the deli counter for quite some time. The lettuce was already half-​rotting and turning black inside. Rotate them, much?)
And the checkouts… they really did turn my «grab a quick lunch» into a much longer procedure. The express and self checkout lines were substantial.
Which brings me to this aside: Superstore makes an effort with the self-​checkouts to assist those who aren’t that bright. They put a big sticker on the floor that indicates «form one line starting here and wait for the next available register.»
Safeway is kind of a free-​for-​all. Sometimes people form two lines at the self checkouts, so it’s not «take the first available register,» its «get stuck in the slow line and watch the other zip through.»
Or, other times, people start lining up so far back (like in the aisle at this location) that others don’t even KNOW there is a lineup. So then you get to watch the ongoing «uhh… EXCUSE me! there is a lineup back here!!!»
I maintain that if you don’t know how to form a line, you probably shouldn’t be using self-​checkout.

This is not my regular Safeway, but I needed food, and I knew they would have some. I found it was super busy for a Wednesday night at around 630. Not normal for me being in a quiet NW area which never gets really busy. I had to wait in line (an express line as well) for at least 15 minutes. And the self check outs were just as long as a wait.
Like I had mentioned, this is not in my neighbourhood and was just passing by and needed dinner, so it wasn’t bad, just too busy for my liking.

This is my neighborhood Safeway when i dont feel like going down to Walmart Supercentre.
This is essentially the downtown safeway, and as such it is an interesting mix of people. There are almost always people hanging around out front. Located behind this store is also a recycling drop off, so a lot of the homeless are collecting cans back there, and also hanging around out front.
So, on to the store.
The vegetable fruit selection here is decent always nicely stocked, and for the most part consistently fresh. The meat/​deli section looks good, however I dont eat meat so I cant comment on it too much. This store is always well stocked and even though it is pricier than somewhere like Walmart or Supercentre they often have the buy one get one free specials which can be really good for saving money.
The bakery section has all the standard stuff, and in particular I have always found the girls behind the counter where they make the birthday cakes super nice.
In addition they have a sandwich/​hot food counter that serves up custom sandwiches as well as chinese food. I imagine on peoples lunch break they pop in here for a bite.
They have the self check outs, but what I find a tad frustrating is that there is no system to ensure that if you are next in line, you are next.(something I see at alot of these things…) they need to figure something out to ensure that the line up is based on the next in line principle.
This safeway also has a starbucks express type thing and the kids that work there are friendly.
This place can be really really busy just after work and on the weekends. I wouldnt recommend making this your primary place to get groceries, but in a pinch it is fine.