Lucky

Low prices on fish and meat. I’m willing to pay more for animals raised with some respect, but wild caught fish are another story.
I like one of the ladies behind the counter, gave me a good cabbage recipe. There is a middle age man behind the counter that gives great service too. Some of the younger guys working back there have the worst service I have been around. Ignore the customer, overcharge, don’t apologize for screwing up. They should be fired. So customer service is a mixed bag.
Lucky’s does offer low prices and that’s while I’ll be back.

Eh. I’m always stressed out by purchasing my groceries at Lucky. Despite decent parking, Lucky often serves as «free» parking for the various denizens of Montclair village. Trying to park here for groceries on a weekend is a continually hellish experience.
The employees are hard working. Indeed, they have to work too hard. The check-​out clerks often seem exhausted. Rarely are there enough workers at the checkout lines, a single «floating» bagger is usually responsible for three or four lines. Often you’ll bag your own groceries, which is not a big deal, but waiting 15 minutes in line at 7:30pm seems excessive for a sleepy part of town. This seems like a managerial decision to increase profit margins. Surely, Management, you can spare to pay one additional employee to keep the self-​checkout open till eight on weekdays. Minimum wage for a single hour in California equals the cost of a six-​pack of microbrew.
The produce selection is generally good, as is the grocery and wine/​beer selection. Product-​wise, this is a fine shop. But, why am I always left with a bad taste in my mouth? Perhaps it’s because I was forced to pay-​park on the street to buy groceries. Or maybe it’s because the check-​out line extended into the aisles and I got ran over by an errant cart. Or perhaps it is the fact that decent bread costs five bucks a loaf in Oakland. Why oh why is buying groceries so hard to do in Montclair?
Shopping at this Lucky epitomizes the continual decline in living standards in Northern California. It is yet another low-​grade issue that, by itself, is difficult to complain about. But, coupled with innumerable other stressors that make middle-​class life in Oakland increasingly impossible, shopping there makes you wonder why you haven’t yet moved to Portland.

They could stand to have a larger salad selection. But at least the ladies who work there are always quick to ask me for what I want, fill a container with my order, weigh it, and then give it to me to check out. My personal favorite salad is the broccoli salad, but I also like the tuna salad.
Also, if you’re interested in trying samples of anything, you can just ask them, and they’ll give you a sample of whatever you’d like.
Berries are a rip-​off. Such tiny boxes for over $ 5?
The lines can get super long, especially the self-​service check-​out lines. They take forever, and the lines spill into the grocery aisles.

This isn’t Berkeley Bowl. Produce selection is predictably lacking, and they carry more processed foods than BB. However, the people here are so friendly. This is our neighborhood store, so we’re here every other day picking up a few items at a time. The employees have known our 2 ½ year old since she was a newborn, and ask about «the baby» when we go in without her. The store is always clean. The prices and selection are much better than the Safeway in Montclair. Parking is abundant, if you go to the garage and roof.

This is not a Safeway but it shows up when you search for Safeway stores, so I am giving it one star.
Lucky is in general not very good.
I wonder how this Lucky has stayed in business all these years.
Go to College Avenue Safeway instead.

I have been shopping here for a few weeks and not only is it way bigger then the Safeway around the corner, the customer service is superior as well.
Great selection of food choices. Always can find what I need with no hassle.
When I shop with my 1 year old they always offer and help me to my car. Such amazing service! I’m always very happy when u head home.

I visit this Lucky’s more frequently than I do the Safeway… but mostly, it’s because my daughter LOVES the moving walkways which lead you to 2 additional floors of parking. When you’ve been to Disneyland, your bar shifts to an unrealistic place and the lack of quality in the alternative can often leave you underwhelmed. Fortunately for me, my 22 month old still thinks the walkalators are a blast and could quite literally go up and down those things for over half an hour.
The produce here is more fresh than the Safeway’s down the street. They also carry a better selection of meat including chicken liver and salmon, neither of which are available at the nearby alternative. Pre-​fileted portions of farmed salmon can be found in the chilled display to the left of the meat department’s butcher. Wild salmon can be fileted by the butcher, though the cut is usually not as clean.
I love that they carry products by Straus, an organic dairy in Marin County. (My daughter seems to know the difference between their greek yogurt and any other brand’s.) They also sell small cups of Panera Bread mac & cheese and soups, which I can’t really see myself buying but could be useful when you’re in a hurry.
Their prices can sometimes be higher than Safeway.
The staff is always very friendly and full of smiles.

this is an all time low i went to this luckys deli dept the other night and the guy working there was eating from the display case! just sticking his hand inside and eating the meat so there was no way im going to buy anything from there that had to be one of the most unhealthy things ive ever seen and then when i get home i tried to call the store manager and no one would answer when after 8 calls i got a hold of a woman and asked her to speak to the manager she put me on hold again and no one ever picked up so im done with this place if you go to the deli and theres a guy with med brown hair and a sore on his forehead working the deli RUN its sad ive been going to this store since it first opened and have watched it fall into the worst lucky in the bay area it should be renamed UNLUCKYS

I found the store overall nice, big isles brightly light so that’s why I’m giving it as high of a rating as I did.
I was nearby so decided to get a couple of things and something to eat for lunch. I waited for 5 minutes while one person finished making 2 sandwich’s 2 other workers were busy stocking the HOT items.
I ordered two chicken thighs, some tenders and potato salad, easy enough order right. When I got to the office 12 miles away, I found I had two chicken breasts I HATE WHITE MEAT it’s always dry, tossed that in the garbage. Opened up the tenders, took a bite and they were so dry they ended up in the garbage too wouldn’t even subject my dog to this quality of food. I was afraid to open the potato salad but when I did I discovered that I only received a half full container of salad when I had asked for a small container. To bad the Original Potato Salad was the only eatable thing I got from the «deli» counter.
I will admit the man that «helped» me really didn’t seem to care, no napkins, no offering of sauce for the tenders no spork for the potato salad, but the women seemed to be nice and friendly to their clients. If you have to go here make sure you don’t let a guy in his mid to late 40’s about 6’3″ help you!
Only one check stand with a checker with a line at least 8 deep, no sign of additional checkers coming up so they were forcing people to use the self check out which I did.
The worst part is I’ve been on a diet for 4 months and decided I could treat myself with some chicken… what a mistake.
I decided to call and was told I could bring it back and get my money back??? I’m on lunch break and no where near this place and they want me to bring it back…
In short go to the smaller safe way, service sucks there and it’s small but the hot items are generally eatable or at least you get what you request.

Not sure why so many low reviews for this Lucky’s. It’s spacious, seems recently updated and the staff was super helpful. The lady at the bakery was very quick with decorating my ice cream cake, the lady at the deli was efficient in taking my order for 2 deli trays and the lady at checkout was very helpful (She pretty much did self checkout for me b/​c I was being dumb.)
The parking lot is maybe a bit messy … but I drove the clown car and went early enough that it wasn’t crazy busy yet.
I love the ice cream cake at Lucky’s. For the price $ 29.99 for a half sheet, it’s my favorite (as compared to Cold Stone and Baskin Robbins).

While there are always things to like and not like about any supermarket, I give this store five stars because of the staff. I’ve been going here since they’ve opened and the people make the experience. Everyone is always smiling, everyone goes out of their way to help and they seem to really get along with one another. Kudos to whoever does the hiring because you’re people are always the best.

This is the closest big supermarket for me, and it’s been my go-​to for 20+ years. I hated the Albertson’s years, so at that point I branched out and went to Safeway, Village Market and Piedmont Grocer more often. These days I split mostly between Lucky and Piedmont Grocer for specialty stuff.
The good:
Parking
Prices
Organic produce section is growing
Good selection of processed stuff: snack foods, frozen pizza, ice cream, things you need to feed teenagers.
Expanding into less common items, like agave nectar, alternative grains, organic beef and chicken options.
Decent wine selection for basic consumption, including discount for buying 6 bottles
The bad:
Sometimes they run out of stuff you thought you wanted.
Lots of crappy processed food that we shouldn’t eat.
An enormous amount of shelf space for things like soda.
The escalators work most of the time when I show up, and if not then the elevator works. It’s really not a thing.

this Lucky is the fanciest of all the lucky’s i’ve seen. no doubt cuz it’s in montclair.
lots of gourmet items available (unlike urban luckys)
buys: downtown brown ale (2.99)
–yummy stout
literally thousands of «specials»
–mostly .50 cents off.
–checkout fast, many checkout lanes open.
–large of parking in their lots

This Lucky Supermarket is located in Oakland’s Montclair Village. Unlike the nearby Safeway, Lucky has three levels of parking: underground, ground level, and P2. Shopping cart-​friendly escalator ramps lead from the store to the various parking levels. However, as other Unilocalers mentioned, one of the escalators was not working on my visit. It seems to be a perpetual problem.
My sister and I stopped by to have some balloons filled for my niece’s birthday party. The helium tanks are located just inside the entrance next to the floral arrangements. I noticed several of the floral arrangements, particularly the orchids, were dead or dying.
We were told to get one of the bag boys to blow up the balloons for us. We supplied our own balloons so we were mainly getting charged for the helium. We were quoted $ 3.99 per large balloon and $ 9.99 per extra large balloon. In our case, extra large meant spherical balloons about three feet in diameter. They were big. The bag boy did a great job filling our balloons.
The other employees we interacted with were polite.
As for the Montclair supermarket battle: Lucky vs. Safeway, they’re both about the same to me, which is to say OK. In the Bay Area, my sister has always seemed to prefer Lucky.

As the largest supermarket in the Montclair Village, the state of this store really underscores how badly the area needs a high-​end option for groceries. The only nearby alternative is the micro-​sized Safeway. Neither one is much to talk about, and while living a mile and a half from these shops, I opted to drive out of the area for nicer options any time it was feasible. Village Market is close-​ish, and expensive, but a worthy alternative despite the small size/​inventory.
DO NOT enter this store if you are going through divorce, suffering a loss, or are mentally unstable. The music selection will put you over the edge. It could be the backdrop for a skit on SNL about how to depress people. Without fail, the most spectacularly numbing tracks ranging from melancholy to dreary. Inexcusable.
Staff is reasonably friendly. Probably the store’s best attribute. Parking is relatively ample. Fresh food quality (produce, meats, etc) is sub-​par.
Meh.

I think this Lucky’s has a better selection then the Safeway in Montclair plus it is twice the size. The aisles are large and their prices seem to be just as reasonable as the Safeway. The deli is large, it always has alot of customers and for those late night liquor runs, ice cream and cookies it is perfect. They could add a little more magazines to the shelves. A big plus, this Lucky’s has friendly clerks.
Did I tell you there is an escalator and an elevator from the downstairs parking lot to the main store floor. That is impressive!
One of the main reasons why I visit this Lucky is the Red Box. They have two boxes, nice selection and it is a safe place to rent a movie.

Nothing like 3 stories worth of parking lots. I find it funny people say the parking lot is too small because the upstairs level never has more than a few cars in it, and I go here way too much…
Selections seems good enough, though there tend to be inconsistencies in what is available — every couple of trips, something just isn’t in stock, which can be kinda lame (ground lamb, most recently).
Never seem to be enough checkout lanes open, either.
Hey, it’s nearby, and does the trick.
Why can’t I set up my Lucky’s card to my phone number. :(

Waay better than the Safeway nearby. Has a decent organic selection — even have organic chicken and grass-​fed beef. Nice!
Staff is also super nice.

I’ve been going to the Lucky Supermarket since April 2012 after moving into the Montclair area. I have to say this store has gone DOWNHILL and has really become unacceptable. They don’t manage their produce inventory well at all and are very often out of basic items. The quality has also become very poor and will not stay fresh more than a day. I also visited this store a week ago after our household became sick from dinner on a Sunday night. All of the items were bought fresh that day. I went by this store on Wednesday afterwards to make them aware of the problem, left my phone number for a call to go through it, and have never heard from the store manager.
I think I’ve made my last shopping visit to Lucky.

Since I came up empty handed at the nearby Safeway (see that review), we desperately drove around Montclair until we ran into this Lucky’s. The word «bakery» emblazoned on the front of the store made us swing in.
Cakes were displayed nicely and there was a good selection. We bought the Strawberry topped white cake for $ 14.99.
Check out was fast. Thanks Lucky’s for saving us from the fate of two sets of empty bananas! See Safeway review for explanation.