Pavilions

Standing in line 4 deep at 5:30 Newport coast. Only 2 lanes open. This store is a major anchor in a high end area that is very busy, yet during a major time when people are getting off work they chose to understaff on a regular basis. I hear all the customers complaining in line. Ever since the retail union strike in the 90’s this store has consistently understaffed. Yes, the employees are not the issue. I especially like Bonnie, Bob and others. I can go to Gelsons or other stores and they never let a line get longer than 2 deep. This is suppose to be the high end store of the Safeway/​Vons group, but no better. PS, this is not the store on San Miguel Dr, that store can be worse. Very tight

I love this store. I work there. This store goes out of there way to keep employees plus customers happy.

None of the stores have a panini griddle, yet they offer the panini on the menu. They couldn’t explain this to me…
The breakfast burrito is a pre made egg, yet the picture clearly shows a freshly scrambled egg in the advertisement, go figure?
Today the deli ran out of an item that belonged in my sandwich, (the deli is IN the market), why on God’s green earth couldn’t they go to isle 2 and grab what they needed for my sandwich?
I’m over it! There isn’t any logic here. I’ve tried to get what i want, but I just can’t. The cheap prices aren’t worth the frustration.
I bought a panini griddle and I’m much happier now. I highly suggest everyone invests in a this super awesome machine! I’ll make my own darn sandwiches, thank you.

Visiting around 10:50am 7÷18÷15 sandwiches signiture corner and staff was very nice gentle and honesty

The corn bread is moist and delicious.
The cashier is friendly.
However, here’s one thing that really bothered me. She asked me if I wanted to make donations to the Food Bank. And I said yes. But then the amount was specified as $ 5. I don’t understand why Food Bank or Pavilions wants people to donate a minimum amount of $ 5.
I just went in there to buy a small box of cornbread. I was thinking about donating 1 dollar (I have low income)…
Oh well, I guess next time, I would need to say no…

Grrat shopping experience at this store. Great wine selection and prices. Stood in line behind an elderly woman and watched as the checker Tina was very kind and patient with her helping her thru the process to make the transaction as easy on her as possible. Very nice!

Only go here if you’re rich and white /​Caucasian.
Otherwise, this place is not for you (if you’re Asian, Hispanic, African, etc.).
I went here to buy lunch.
I didn’t give any attitude or anything.
I went to the deli service area — nobody serviced me.
They all ignored me.
3 deli employees saw me and just turned their backs on me to continue with their work.
I decided to pick out an item in the hot foods area.
Turns out — the food (fried chicken) that I bought was raw.
I went back to talk to the manager /​supervisor there.
She didn’t apologize for the Deli’s section lack of service to me and didn’t really want to listen to my complaint.
What she did was refund my money and gave me a new set of chicken.
This is very nice of her, but I would have appreciated an apology more (and especially from the 3 Deli section employees who ignored me).
In addition, it would also have been nice if she didn’t say that the food that I bought were all previously frozen and chicken from the Deli section cost more — she made it seem like an excuse for the 3 employees (who ignored me) have a right to ignore me and there was a right for a «hot food» item to be uncooked.

Hit or miss service at the Fish/​Meat counter and no self check up front but easy enough to get in and out on my way home from the gym so it works as a stand in…
Great for when we are culinarily cheating by buying one of those «free range» pre-​roasted chickens that live in the plastic houses till they make it home into your pot of soup or onto your salad…
Friendly enough checkers and baggers, so the occasional lines are just an opp to peruse the latest edition of Cooks Illustrated while waiting…

I worked at this grocery store for just over a year and a half in an attempt to fix my resume due to the fact that it had a lot of short term jobs on it and not a lot of long term jobs on it. I’ve seen a lot happen here. after starting out as a courtesy clerk They put me in Starbucks which was wonderful at first when the original manager was there. Roy was this wonderful fun loving manager that very much so cared about his employees and wanted to make sure they were comfortable with everything they were doing workwise. I and another employee (freddy) were stuck in starbucks at the same time. Freddy hired on and I «promoted». (yes, they call putting you in a different department a promotion. I’m not complaining, it looks good on my resume) and freddy and I soon became best friends because we learned everything together at precisely the same time. When they transferred roy out and a different manager in, I tried so so so hard to like the new manager. I really did. but certain things would happen that I just saw right through her bullshit. granted she was great when she got promoted to supervisor later. but as a starbucks manager, she moved everything in the kiosk so it was not in a convenient order for us. say the order we make a drink is grab cup pump syrup steam milk queue shots lid and pass. the lids would be on the left side of the machine or the syrups on the right side or something ridiculous (okay maybe this isn’t the exact layout but this would most certainly happen with how often the blender shroud changed) one time in fact I had to go and pay for a massage for my shoulder because pumping syrups in a certain position to reach the bases was not doing me well.
I’ve seen this particular manager claim that the stores assistant manager (jose, such a nice guy btw) got off the phone with her claiming she HAD to give alia more hours though alia has a fulltime job at a corporate (free standing) starbucks. so when everyones hours were cut back, alia was stuck with the task of handing over to everyone else, the hours she couldn’t have. Later on I heard the rumor that this starbucks manager was trying to make alia quit (alia being a previous starbucks manager herself. but not the first one mentioned, I was not at the store when she was the manager) anyway, we would get many many customer complaints about her and I have seen her (AND THE NEXT MANAGER) treat even regular customers horribly. Now, these customers would be the ones that would come in and check on all the employees cuz they care and make sure we were still mentally sane because of how things dramatically changed for us. she gave us weekly and daily tasks (which is probably the only good thing she did cuz if she didn’t do that then I would not be able to handle my current job at whole foods in the juice bar) though, I don’t believe we were paid enough for the things she made us do. I often found myself doing manager duties and I don’t think I once experienced being out of a common product while the original manager was here but with this manager, it happened often and sometimes for weeks on end even though we get a new load on a weekly basis. so you can imagine I was quite happy when she got out of starbucks. However, the new manager (and the one that’s still there I think) wasn’t much better. But he had an excuse being new to managing. I don’t believe he was trained right however. Manager number 2 trained him thus he often made a lot of the same mistakes she made. But I remember the first time I met him he was angry (he was often angry in fact) slamming fridge doors and when he was asked what was wrong he stated «I’m mad cuz last night I couldn’t find my beer in the fridge and my roommate just found it». in fact when he was often asked what was wrong, it was quite often something about alcohol. in fact I’ve seen him put oprah chai in the chai container and claim the customer was crazy to their face for sending it back. when I tried to quit, I tried really hard to be nice and stay for part time until he found someone to replace ME. not anyone else but ME ONLY. aparently when I quit and took back my two weeks before it was in the system, everyone else turned in their two weeks. and often the manager would tell me okay I don’t need you anymore, wait! I still need you. My kindness and generosity was being abused and I ended up having to choose between whole foods being paid $ 12 an hour and starbucks being paid $ 9.25 an hour. of course I chose whole foods. Now, because of this, the year and a half I spent there is thrown down the drain cuz I HAD to choose not to show up if I wanted to get out of there. he took advantage of my kindness and continued to try to use me as a back up when I told him I had to leave if I wanted fulltime at whole foods. resume=re ruined.

The folks in this bakery saved me from a Christmas eve cupcake disaster! Great cupcakes for a great price and everything was ready to be picked up. Would definitely use them again!

First off– I NEVER– write on all caps, and never give bad reviews; I dont like perpetuating the bad karma from someone else. However, this «store» is so poor– I am compelled.
In addition to several other purchases, I bought a total of 3 spice bottles, as there was a «Buy 2 get 1 FREE» promotion on this brand & spice. Normally– I buy this particular spice, online via a specific vendor, as I know the excellent flavor & quality. Taking a chance this store version, from a company in San Francisco, would at least approximate my preferred vendor, I bought 2 + the one free.
The spice– was horrid, not even close.
I took the spices, all 3 back the next day– today– and walked in the business with them in a Pavilions plastic bag– but I had not the reciept, so I walked directly to the (unattended) «customer service» «kiosk» directly in front of the registers.
After more than 5 minutes of waiting– a checker asked what I needed– and Ibsaid I had a return of spices, but no reciept. She told me «just go in line at any open checker» (there were 2, her and another)
I went in the other– and the bedlam started.
That checker– a flustered hot mess– was so frantic trying to scan things– she was not even paying attention. When MY turn came– I said I had a return– and she literally «waved off» and said she needed a «manager» and started checking out someone behind me–
The ORIGINAL hot mess– that told me to «just stand in line” — did nothing to assist– andback to the vacant kiosk I went, perturbed.
Another 3 – 5 minutes passed– when the first checker came over and now, said– in a surly tone since there was no receipt– there was «nothing» that could be done but an exchange for the «exact» item. Despite several attempts to explain to this Automaton that the SPICE was horrid– I did not want the spice– its tone just became ever more surly and agitated– with me.
FINALLY– it’s logic board kicked in– and it decided to call– a «Manager” —
To his credit– the manager, was much more eager to at least LISTEN– and I explained, and said even a store card for merchandise was fine– just not the SAME HORRID SPICE!
Well– it took another TWENTY minutes– to «check the purchases from last night»!!
(Really, three spice bottles? Granted, these are $ 10.00 a bottle– but really?! Im not returning a pallet of Jack Daniels or Smokes)
In the end-​now almost 40 minutes into the debacle, and I holding out on principle only the manger sent the Automaton back down to – TADA! Issue a store gift card for the price of 2 spices– all I asked for initially…
I take responsibility for not having the reciept– in my «defense” — the other items were from the service deli and consumed at home– never even thought to save the receipt for sandwiches– and three spice bottles– upon leaving the store.
The rest– was just another example of poorly «trained” — mass effect and several «employees» — who could care less about listening and courtesy.
Caveat Emptor when «shopping» here– save all manner of documentation– as they will demand, «your papers!!»

If I could give ZERO stars, I would. Absolute nightmare here. I’ve been here after 7pm and the lines moves so incredibly slow. But the real nightmare is around 5 or 6pm. The lines go all the way to the end of the store, it’s completely unorganized (not to mention the cramped space), the manager is nowhere in sight and it takes forever. I am in shock at how this grocery store is still open and how the regular customers come back here. Does anyone else wonder this?

Never ever order sandwich tray here. They have some idiots in deli counter that don’t know what they are doing! They mess up your order and give you something totally different and they have no customer service and they say there is nothing we can do!!! It happened to me on the day of my party. It was such a disaster.

Nothing but good experiences but since I’m a student at UCI, I shop after 8pm. Thus, I avoid most of the post-​work rush. Not super pricey but not the cheapest.

Very understaffed, even right before Christmas. Had a hard time finding anyone to help me at the bakery, both when placing and picking up my order. Then no one seemed to know how much the cake cost when I checked out and I had to wait ~15 minutes at the checkout stand while some poor bagger ran around to figure it out. This store needs more staff coverage. :(

All I have to say is I came in here the other day and I walked by the meat/​seafood dept. and it smelled so bad. There are a couple other pavilions in the are so I guess I’ll be shopping there.

Serious staffing issues every day at this store. Right now there are only 3 registers open each with over 10 people in line — this is pretty typical for this store around 6 pm. Must have terrible management and absolutely no rush to improve. I feel bad the cashiers.

Friday night $ 5 specials are usually good but the fried chicken last night was just all skin

Mixed feelings about this location. The aisles here are far too narrow. «Excuse me“s are abundant. Other than that, its a clean and well stocked grocery store…
They are applying for a Type 86 (tasting) alcohol license. That, alone, should bump the score.
Will see.

Pavillions is okay.
1) The prices are kinda high, but if you look carefully… sometimes there are some items on sale. (e.g., pizza rolls for 50%)
2) The aisles are set up weird. Why is the bread right next to the alcohol?
3) Customer service is good. There has never been a time when I’m shopping around the produce section and a worker doensn’t ask me «How’s everything going?» Also, they personally greet you after you buy your things. «Thank you, Miss Luong»
I only come here because its convenient. There’s no other grocery store around this area (besides Gelson’s, but that place is WAY overpriced).