Safeway

This is my second and last time getting a sandwich from this Safeway. The first time I went this exact situation happened and I just over looked it and chucked it up to they are busy. THIS time not the case at all.
There were 3 ladies behind the counter making sandwiches. Ann who was making this other customer sandwich food an AMAZING job his looked awesome. The lady so helped me not so much. My sandwich is a mess and while she was making it she was rushing and Basically throwing my sandwich together. Needless to say I’ll drive the extra miles to go to Bollinger or Danville even dublin Safeway for lunch before I go back to this one

I have bagged my own groceries for the last time. I prefer shopping at Safeways for the selection. I’ve been going to this store off and on for 12 years and it was great several years ago. The quality of the store has gone down. It’s not an enjoyable experience anymore. I prefer to drive to Alamo, Blackhawk, or Dougherty instead. They are cleaner, appear staffed better, and have the same quality selection I have grown to expect from Safeway.
I consistently have to bag my own groceries at the San Ramon Valley Boulevard store. My kids have learned how to bag groceries as well. This wouldn’t bother me if it were the model the store was built on, but it is not. I walk through the door with certain expectations, one of which is to have a friendly bagger help me with the groceries.

Use to like Safeway a lot more than I currently do. Business needs have forced changes. There are a few employees I like who work here, but I find the quality and prices of some items better at other places more and more.

Literally the worst customer service experience ever! When I asked to speak to a manager I was ignored, then once I found the manager, she ignored me as well. You lost a customer of 10 years.

My bad experience is aimed at the bakery. The lady in charge of the bakery department is very nice and professional and so was the manager on duty… but the staff working in the bakery are straight out rude. There is a woman there that really needs to be put through customer service classes. What a difference between the Blackhawk Safeway where I usually shop and San Ramon
The baking staff at Blackhawk Safeway are so Kind and helpful that you want to send then thank you cards.

There are many Safeway stores around but this one is my favorite because of the following:
Staff are friendly and helpful
The manager is friendly and polite
The store is clean and organize
The cashiers are fast.
I can find most of the things that I need without getting irritated.
The people that shops here are friendly too!

My kids wanted a sandwhich and suggested going to Subway. I took them to safeway for their sandwhich because in my past experuences, Safeway always had great service and great Sandwhiches. Not this location!
The woman behind the counter took 30 minutes to make us 3 simple Sandwhiches. I had time to go tell the manager that this employee needed help behind the counter because a LONG line was forming.
The manager just said sorry she’s new. I let her know that this clearly wasn’t the depth that best suits this employee.
She was not proactive and gave me an I don’t care attitude.
I have NEVER gotten less than excellent customer service at Safeway in the past. Shame on you San Ramon Safeway. Your service needs to be stepped up! I should have gone yo subway!

Safeway policy is to sell beers by volume if u want the best price. there’s a few random beers that are sold singly for a reasonable price. not sure how they decide.
brew: ninkasi seasonal brew: (3.99)
–strong stuff, more than the usual ninkasi lager
.
on draught:
–the usual friendly service

Recently moved back to San Ramon from Houston and one thing that I loved about Houston was the grocery store chain HEB! That store was freaking awesome! Lots of selections, low prices, and great store brand products (their OJ is BOMB!). But enough about my awesome HEB.
Coming back to Safeway is like falling back to Earth after being in heaven. This particular store has been here for a long time. The first difference i can see is how dark they keep the store. It’s really dark in the Safeway. I wished that there were more windows to let the sun up in here. It really does make a difference.
In terms of prices, things are just a little pricier than what I am used to. Their produce section is nicely laid out and they have a good selection but I’d rather go to Windmill Farms-​Produce just a couple of blocks away to get my stuff.
Now onto things that I enjoy:
Their bakery section is good also. They have the best éclair (for taste and price) that you can buy 2 for 2.99. Their selection of bread and cakes is decent.
Their beer/​wine/​spirit selection is very good for a grocery store. if you need a late night run, you’re going to find something on sale. They even have Tito’s Vodka which I love.
Their meat section is hit or miss. Prices are a little high but i wanted to give them props for aging their own meats. that’s pretty nice. I just had their aged rib eye steak and it was pretty good; lots of flavors and aged very well. I like how they showcase their aging system.
Lastly, their bulk selection has grown a lot since I have been here. Over the years, I have found that it’s much cheaper for me to buy things in bulk rather than in prepackaged size. They have tons of things (although i wished that they had more spices). Things that they have on hands are: nuts and candy, but they also have vanilla extract, olive oil, and tea!! TEA!!! just for that it’s a big plus!
I’m glad to see that this Safeway is trying to differentiate itself from the Lucky’s of the world to have products that other typical grocery may not have. it’s not HEB by a long shot but it’s much nicer than what it used to be just 3 years ago.

I’ve been shopping at this Safeway for 13 years, and it’s gone downhill. They take a step forward by upgrading their meat department and adding the bulk BBQ rubs & sauces. And then they don’t maintain the area, letting almost all the rubs run out and no one seems to care. I even asked the gal behind the counter and she said «Sorry hun, that’s meat department.» «Oh, who are you?» «I’m seafood.» It’s all the same counter!
Went into produce and half the corn was on ice, but the other half was shriveled in a dry pile.
Plus, I’ve never seen a store give out more unnecessary plastic bags. They’re the reason why there’s bag legislation. Box of cereal? Bag. Loaf of bread? Its own bag. Four bananas in a bag? Give ‘em another bag. You get the idea.
I used to work at a Safeway back in high school. We cared about stuff like this back then.

Safeway (especially this one) is really getting on my nerves.
Prices are nuts, –unless– you buy a ridiculous quantity of stuff. In order to get a decent price on anything, you have to buy way more than you can use (4 large bags of chips; 2 gallons of milk; 4lbs of saltine crackers; 6 cans of beans; 10 liters of coke)… the list goes on. Annoying as hell. they might as well put up a big sign that says: «If you don’t have a large family, piss off!»
and, bought a fountain drink (because I wasn’t going to pay $ 3 for a 2liter coke when 4×2 liter cokes were 99cents/​each, and I didn’t need 4). anyway, got the drink, got back on the road, and it was just water… no syrup. called the store, ended up on voicemail hell.

My friend and I stopped here late at night and the employees working couldn’t have been more thrilled to see us. Sarcasm aside, how does absolutely no one here know what Crunch ‘n Munch or Fiddle Faddle is? The first gentleman we asked looked at us very confused and told us he didn’t know what we were talking about, all the while not slowing down or stopping. The second employee we asked at least attempted to understand what we were talking about, but to no avail as he too did not know what we were speaking of. Turns out they sell neither of the items, however they do sell Popcornopolis, which was as close as we came to what we wanted. On side note the Chicago style Popcornopolis popcorn is freaking awesome.

This Safeway is becoming my favorite go-​to-​place, not only for convenience and friendly staff, but for high-​quality products. I’m actually reviewing a couple of products that we’ve been getting consistently:
Strawberries (Driscolls) — when in season, very red, plump, ripe, and sweet! They are better than Costco’s I think.
Frozen Tilapia Fillets (32 oz family pack, Safeway brand). Best weeknight dinner in terms of taste, speed of prep, and consistency. Each fillet is individually shrink wrapped, and can be cooked without thawing! I cook 4 – 5 at a time and salt both sides without thawing. Cook in nonstick pan with oil and butter, 3 – 4 minutes each side to get a nice sear. Set aside. Melt 1 TB butter and sauté some capers and add juice from half lemon. Pour over fish filets and enjoy! Never overcooked and turns out so good every time. Perfect for busy folks like us!

I take my grandma shopping here whenever I’m in town. This is her go-​to store. Personally, it’s not for me, but hey, it’s close to her home and has what she needs. They might have some organic stuff?

Pretty average Safeway! Avoid the bakery. Not the greatest service and you will have to wait for a while till someone helps you.

HUNGRY? Avoid the deli at any cost.
I’m serious if you end up here during your lunch hour looking for a meal, I honestly will recommend a cold pre-​made sandwich from the cooler, soda & bag of chips, beef jerky, salami & bread, I mean seriously anything off the shelf just as long as you don’t make the mistake of buying a sandwich at the deli.
I’ve been to this location more than a few times to pick up random things like coffee or baked chips to snack on at work and sometimes I’ll grab a sandwich because it’s quick & convenient. Not once has the sandwich been made correctly, my best description is this; imagine you put the ingredients together, wrap them with bread then punch & kick it a few times before you finally present it to your customer. All of which I have been ok with, I make sloppy sandwiches so as long as all the ingredients are there it should still taste good. It has been a common experience for me to see the employee (s) behind the counter ask (me or their co-​worker, whoever’s near) what they should put in the sandwich, are you kidding me? you’re not stuffing a turkey or making lasagna from scratch, it’s the easiest kind of food to prepare and you are incapable? who the hell hired you???
Today I picked up a sandwich (for the last time here) and was shocked at the size, I’d call this one a coffee shop snack at best, I can’t even label it an Hors d’œuvre because it looked ghastly. Anyway… I had already wasted half of my lunch hour and HAD to eat something so I didn’t want to cancel the order, I grabbed a bowl of soup because there was no way I can last till 5:00 on this sandwich (if that’s what what we’re calling it) I took pictures and I’m uploading them to the photo gallery, for your entertainment that is… seriously it’s laughable that they call this a sandwich. I am sure the small bowl of soup had more calories than the sandwich.
Now if you want a decent deli sandwich just save yourself the waste of time and $ 5 and just go to Nob Hill Foods a couple of miles away, better ingredients and the portions are 3 times bigger (not exaggerating) here’s the address;
130 Market Pl, San Ramon, CA 94 583
Cost — same damn price.

How lucky am I that this Safeway is so close to my home? I mean seriously. you need to come check out the meat selection here –I assure you its worth the drive. This grocery store is the ONLY place I know that sells dry aged meats. When looking into the dry aged display case its almost like peering into Alexander’s Steakhouse aged meats displays. Steak porn at its finest.
I’m married to T-​Rex (with longish ape arms) and the man is the baddest carnivore I know. He approves of the meat department here. Good meats for a great bargain. Also you get your safeway perks!
If you know your meats, this place warrants a visit.

Pretty average Safeway. The one in Alamo seems so much nicer. But then it IS located in Alamo.
Who knew that shopping at 4pm on a weekday would be so crowded? I had to pick something up quickly on the way home and the lines were long!

This review is mostly for the bathroom. It’s consistently clean and well stocked with toilet paper. There’s only 1 bathroom (located at the back of the store), but that’s never been a problem for me.
From the looks of the store, it seems pretty organized and well-​stocked in general. I’ve never had any trouble with the customer service from the couple of times I’ve bought things. The Safeway is also located in a convenient location, next to a CVS and surrounded by restaurants.

Just had the most horrible experience with the courtesy clerk name Erin. I returned an item but brought the incorrect receipt. She said harshly to my face that «You brought the wrong receipt intentionally». Huh? Who would want to do that?
Yep, I went home and located my receipt, almost drove back to prove it to her. Figured not worth my gas and time… Writing a Unilocal review is way better… hope Safeway management reads this and gets their staff trained.
With lovely Sprouts just down the street, hmmm… and Safeway doesn’t care about customer service?