Safeway

So there is an express line that only allows 15 items or less. I had a sandwich and a drink and hoped in line. The 3 people in front if me each had about 30 items, over double the limit and the cashier does not enforce the limits. So for there to be an express line is pointless.

Aren’t all Safeway’s the same? Maybe with the exception that some are smaller than others? No, the are not all the same. Good or Poor management makes the difference to the customer.
The daytime store manager will actually watch my expensive road bike inside the store while I go shop for a few items to quench my thirst and satisfy my hunger after a long ride. When I return for my bike, I always tell him how appreciative I am of his stellar service. Can’t get much better than that.

This review is for the team members at Starbucks. I’ve never had to wait in line as long as I did at any other Safeway Starbucks. Coming from someone who works at a Starbucks inside of a target, I get it. It can get overwhelming at times but I kid you not… there were two people ahead of me. The first person ordered 4 drinks, doing them through 4 separate transactions and the First Lady that was on the cash register seemed annoyed. The lady ordered 2 strawberry refreshers, a caramel macchiato and a mocha frapp. Finally, another team member came and took the next order. The next guy ahead of me got an iced coffee. After taking the guys order that was in front of me, Roxanna (I think that was her name) started to make his drink since the other lady was making the 4 drinks mentioned earlier. Then she proceeded to do other things before taking my order without saying one word to me (at least say something like «I’ll be right with you») After doing some stuff she finally came back to me and took my order. (Like 2 – 3 minutes later) I ordered a black tea with no water, no ice and 10 pumps of sweetener. First, they are shaken iced teas… she didn’t shake my drink. Strike one. Second, she didn’t write what I said on the cup so she tried putting ice in my drink, I had to remind her no ice. Strike two. Third, after leaving a decent amount of room in the cup for the ice she asked me, «did you want me to fill the tea to the top of the cup.» …no…I want you to leave it and give me half a cup of tea. Of course I want it filled up to the top! If I didn’t, I would’ve told you at the register. My order is not one bit complicated. Please Safeway, train your baristas better or find new ones! Won’t be coming back here!

A shout-​out to Safeway in Moraga which recently got its act together. I’ve been shopping here for years as it’s the only grocery store in town and for some time, the lines have been long and the service medium deplorable. BUT — recently — they seem to have turned over a new leaf. For the last month or so, I haven’t had to wait in one line as they have way more checkers working and the service has significantly improved. It’s a monopoly — but it’s nice when your monopoly treats you well.

The staff at this Safeway are simply the best. They go over and beyond the call of duty. Kind, curious, professional and helpful anytime I have questions or need help. The organic produce section has doubled in size in the three years I’ve been living in Moraga. It feels like a high end grocery store unlike some of the other Safeways I’ve been to in the east bay.
Superb staff members: Connie, Cheryl, Adrian, Hamiche, Danny

WHAT IS UP WITH THIS PLACE? It has been awful lately. But my last experience was just completely unacceptable.
I put one bunch of broccoli in the same bag as I put an individual head of broccoli. I tied off the bag. I figured it was fine since they were the same price.
The checkstand lady, who was rude and did not greet me or so much as look up, spent an hour untying the bag of broccoli to get the price so I just told her that they were both $ 1.99/lb and she replied with a rude comment about one being $ 1.99 and one being $ 1.99/lb. My mistake, oops. BUT THEN…
She takes the broccoli out of the bag… Handles it with the same hand she touches money, and puts it on the scale naked. Naked!!! Where raw meat and eggs go through and where products get scanned that touch the unsanitary shopping carts.
I didn’t have time to complain and get new broccoli so I went off to my car and called customer service while driving. (Guess I won’t be using that head of broccoli) EVEN CUSTOMER SERVICE THOUGHT THAT WAS DISGUSTING. But instead of offering to take care of it, they told me to just go complain on the online survey provided at the bottom of the receipt. I suggested they speak to the cashier in person because that’s a MAJOR health code violation.
Please watch carefully how these cashiers handle your food because I’d hate to see food contamination come from a silly mistake like this.

Safeway saved me from all of Saint Mary’s cafeteria food that all tasted the same after a while. This Safeway has everything you can ask for, and the people that work here are very nice.
It’s kind of weird to admit this, but this specific Safeway has AMAZING sushi! No lie! The Japanese guy that makes it is such a cool guy, too. I’ve tried every single kind of sushi here, and all of them are good. You can even order sushi here, you don’t have to just get the ones that are pre-​made. The breakfast sandwiches are really good, too. And also the chicken tenders and the fries here. I’ve obviously tried everything they sell at this Safeway, and it’s all really good! But don’t expect all Safeways to be like this, it’s really just this specific one with all the yummy food!

The staff is friendly but they are always shorted staffed at the checkouts. It doesn’t matter when you go, there is wait. This place has to make Safeway some money, so step up and get some service for your customers.
It’s like they know you are trapped and wont go anywhere else. They store is way behind other Safeway stores as far as updated remodeling. Why can’t we get a store that looks like Danville’s?

I come to this Safeway all the time because it’s by my house. Every single time I’ve gone to the deli department to order sandwhiches, I leave disappointed. I’m not one to write reviews and I am very patient when it comes to customer service but it is not okay the way they treat customers.
A few days ago I went to order a sandwhich. Other customers were being helped so I waited my turn, which is fine. However, I was standing there for atleast 10 minutes before someone even acknowledge me and I made eye contact with at least 3 people behind the deli department. I would of been totally understanding if they would have told me,“we will be right with you.” Finally, the girl leaving yelled to someone in the back «sandwhich bar» and the lady said «I know» which made it known that I was seen.
Would of been nice to be acknowledged, and I’ve had this problem before at this location.
Not how you keep customers!
One star because the sandwhich was good

I bought 3 watermelons in these days. I can say those are the worst I’ve ever tasted, those watermelons perhaps have been stored for 1 month. Those watermelons were SOFT. And it’s not just 1 time! it’s 3 times!

Moraga Safeway came up huge for me!
I needed a rush flower order for my parents’ 45^th wedding anniversary. Specifically, I needed 4 dozen yellow roses the same day. When I called the store, Lydia from the floral department told me that they had 3 dozen yellow roses. I explained why I needed the 4^th dozen and why they had to be yellow. Here is the part that blew me away: Lydia found the 4^th dozen at another Safeway store… and picked them up!
I was able to get all the flowers from the Moraga Safeway on my way home from work with no problem. They were ready on time. And, it was much cheaper than using on-​line flower delivery services. Most importantly, my parents’ loved the flowers and were very touched by the gift.
I am not used to this level of customer service anymore. It is rare to see and I am very thankful for what Lydia did.

… but you can’t take the ghetto out of Safeway.
I try to like this place. It’s location is convenient but I just don’t enjoy shopping here. Mainly due to poor organic produce selection and the manner in which many of their employees treat customers.
This morning I go in to purchase a clove of garlic. One open checkstand with at least 10 customers waiting. The checker saw us all there. Three of us struck up a conversation to pass the time. After several minutes and the line growing longer the checker calls for help. After a few more minutes a guy named Riley slowly saunters up and taps a woman three customers behind me who has a basket full of groceries. I informed them I had one item and was paying cash. Riley became indignant and told me to wait my turn! The woman gladly followed him without doing the right thing by me or the other customers ahead of her.
These are the reasons I prefer Whole Foods hands down!

I love Safeway. But wtflip is it with the Moraga Safeway that makes it the absolute worst Safeway I’ve been to? Not sure but the costumer service sucks. Cashier. Two different sandwich ladies. Fudge yall

Made a quick stop to get something to eat, grabbed some sushi and was pleasantly surprised. I really liked it!

This Safeway is far away but I needed some flowers that were sold out at other stores so I called and then spoke to a wonderful woman named HONEY in the floral department. She had the flowers I wanted and agreed to put them aside until I could get there in about 30 minutes.
When I arrived, she told me another woman had come in, seen the flowers I had on reserve, told Honey to sell them to her because I hadn’t paid for them yet (!), and gave poor Honey a really hard time. Still, Honey (politely) refused! Bless her heart!
She told the lady that she promised me the flowers and she was going to honor her word. But, the lady argued, she hasn’t paid for them and how do you know she’s even going to show up? Honey said she believed me and she wasn’t selling them to her!
I LOVE HONEY! She’s the best! Give her a big raise! They don’t make ‘em like this anymore! Thank you, Honey!

In preparation for the Susan G. Komen 3 Day walk, we walked along the trail from Walnut Creek to Moraga. We planned to mimic the actual walk and stop for lunch in Moraga and Safeway seemed like an easy and obvious choice. We arrived around 11:00 am on a Saturday morning. From a distance, we were pleased to see outdoor seating so that after we ordered our sandwiches, we could sit and get off our feet. Ordering sandwiches proved to be the best part of the process. As usual, the cashier lines were ridiculously long. A couple of us got in the «short» line and it took WAY longer than the «long» line. As we went outside to eat our mediocre sandwiches and relax at the tables, we were disgusted to find it LITTERED with cigarette butts, trash and general filth. An employee was sitting and smoking a cigarette as we tried to eat. Yuck. To add insult to injury, before heading back to Walnut Creek, we wanted to use the restrooms inside. One of our team members went in ahead of us and came back and warned us against going in. It was filthy and disgusting. We left and walked to the clean, public park restrooms instead.
Safeway is one of the consistently most poorly managed businesses I have ever encountered. Why? I don’t get it.

Randall’s/Safeway (They call themselves Randall’s in Texas) has their highs and lows. Generally, their meat is pretty good. Produce is ok, but not nearly as nice or as well-​priced as the Moraga Produce Market down the street. This particular Moraga version, however, just makes me want to scream and punch someone in the throat just about every time I visit.
For those not familiar with Moraga, the demographics are basically — 40% seniors, a lot of St. Mary’s students, and then families taking advantage of the good schools here. Therefore, this store should basically be selling beer, condoms and wine. And they do a good job of that I guess.
As ethnic childless dog-​owners, we fall into the «none of the above» category. Basically, I just want my F’ing groceries and I want to get the hell out. I can’t find hot links here or any other vaguely ethnic food for that matter. There are fairly limited choices. Watch the cheeses and yogurt and such because no one pulls the off date ones. The deli counter has about 4 kinds of meat and cheese, about 67 less than the store I was used to in Austin, Texas. Usually there are one or two people manning the counter, totally overwhelmed. I once waited ten minutes while a hapless person made the slowest sandwich on earth. Then when it was my turn, she simply could not make me a breakfast burrito because the tortillas were frozen and she could not fathom how to defrost a tortilla. (as she stared at the microwave).
There are never enough checkers when it is busy and too many when it isn’t. Checkers are so nice. They talk and talk and talk to everyone in the line. I seriously just want to get my F’ing groceries and get out. Shut the F*&^ up. The quick lines are 20 or less items and accept checks. Who the F (&^ writes checks anymore? People in Moraga in the speedy lane, thats who.
On Halloween, they ran out of candy. My husband asked someone there where the candy was. It was halloween, mind you. The person working there on Halloween night had no idea where candy could possibly be in the store. 47 people looking for candy on halloween night and they didn’t know where their non-​existent candy was.
There is a Starbucks in this Moraga. Do not come here in the morning. There is one poor soul trying to take orders, make coffee, and do everything while the eight people in line realize that it would be much easier to go to the Peet’s in Orinda. It only takes one attempt to try this place for coffee before work before swearing never to come here again.
Totally not her fault, just criminally understaffed.
Today, I saw someone who worked here, wander around, ostensibly looking for carts in the parking lot, because there were no more in the store. I watched him wander past two full bundles of carts, almost get hit by a car as he sauntered down the middle of the lot, before he got tired and had to rest for awhile.
Sadly, there are a few people who work really hard here who I am sure will never ever get recognized for their hard work and serious attempts to do a good job. They are few and far between and they look really tired.

I go here regularly and find everything I need. It’s ok nothing to rave about, it’s convenient located from my house.

Typically packed from late afternoon to early evening. Not sure about morning to midday.
I usually go at night. Not many customers by then.
It has a small refrigerated section of pet food which is nice. The Lafayette location does not have this.
Fage 0% greek yogurt is a hot item constantly selling out. Choboni and Dannon’s products are the exact same thing though so not a big deal (at least for me).

Wow, interesting to see the low recent ratings for the store. I agree.
I grew up in Moraga and live here now. There is no other way to say it – this store stinks. Could they carry a different type of ketchup (like Hunts that tastes better without the corn syrup) instead of 10 varieties of Heinz, for one example? Could they carry grass-​fed beef instead of just prepackaged organic hamburger? Could they spend a few more bucks on labor to actually have enough check stands open for their customers? Could they lift a finger to clean up the overfilled trash cans outside the store, or the litter or partially-​eaten food on the ground outside the store? Could the checkers, when they ask you to donate to charity at the check out, actually know the name and something about said charity? They ask you if you’d like to donate to breast cancer, for example – you ask which breast cancer charity – and they have no idea.
Taken individually, perhaps none of this is a big deal. But when you go to a store and the above is the usual experience – well, it leaves an impression.
I go to Diablo or TJs in Lafayette now. Longer drive, but a much better overall experience.