Safeway

Friday 1/14–Needed bread today. NO sales flyers, and the one the store puts up used to turn so you could see all of it but the holder won’t turn. Saw Sig.Select bread was on special but the self-chkout would NOT give the sale price. Later I saw it was a “Clip or Click” cpn price, which exists to DENY SALES TO SENIORS, who are most likely to NOT ‘do’ Digital (Fake) sale prices. And I REALLY wanted to try the store brand Sourdough w/Walnuts...!!!

A little bit on the dingy side, this Safeway looks like it could use another refresh. The lighting seems off, and the parking lot seems a bit cramped. Every city seems to have one store of a grocery chain that is, for some reason, a rung below the rest. This is Seattle’s sub-​par Safeway. (In Maryland, it was the Safeway North Bethesda that continued to sell past-​due products – even dairy – despite numerous customer complaints.)
OTOH, the 2 – 3 deli staff do a good job keeping up with a constant push of customers.
Do not recommend shopping here as a regular, but dropping in for a sandwich works well.

11:45 PM, a big line at the one checkstand not closing, and the checker at the other checkstand won’t stay open for two donuts. For which it is not worth waiting. Safeway has terrible lines, and this Safeway has terrible customer service. Rude. The customer comes last here. It is rude not to have adequate checkstands open for the customer load, and rude to close checkstands just as a line gets long. Rude.

This rating is for the pharmacy alone, Safeway is great. I’ve gone to this pharmacy off and on for a few years just because it’s close. I’d guess 2 out of every 3 trips to the pharmacy counter ended up with a «do you have some shopping to do, your perception is not ready yet» or «we are out of that, we can order it». I started calling before I’d show up to make sure it was ready. I’d show up an hour later, «do you have some shopping to do, your prescription is not ready yet». I’d show up a day later, «that was put back on the shelf because nobody picked it up yesterday, do you have some shopping to do». With so much competition in the neighborhood, I’m surprised they’re still in business.

Yet another HORRIBLE experience at Safeway. The food in the deli had been sitting in there for hours yet they are still selling it to customers. The staff in the deli is short and you can feel the tension of the deli severs. The lines to check out are too long with not enough checkers and that self checkout lines are long with broken machines and irritated customer. This is AWFUL!!!

Wanderings, morning after taco/​sangria/​bourbon night… stop 3.
I thought I was hungry but that donut was really sticking with me. Nevertheless, I wandered the aisles of Safeway, comforted by the controlled environment.
Things here are generally clean and the staff are generally friendly. The deli can be hit and miss about getting prompt service, but even if it takes a while for someone to actually acknowledge your presence, they’re usually nice when they speak. Over the past few years, their selection of organic foods has increased which makes me very happy. The idea that it’s somehow dangerous is laughable to me. It’s a grocery store. The chances that someone there is going to hurt you are pretty slim!

Most indifferent staff. A few very nice women in the deli. But a lot of complaining about working conditions to customers instead of serving them and keeping their issues to themselves. Or waiting around to be helped while a small group of workers stand around chit-​chatting. I only use self-​checkout when I shop there these days so I don’t have to deal with staff. QFC across the street may be more expensive. But the better attitude over there is worth it.

I’ve been coming to this store since it used to be up on 35^th but don’t think this will be my go to store anymore. Last week I purchased some Bolthouse «Just Vegetables» juice in the produce section along with the rest of my groceries. I drank a glass that night and again the next morning and by noon I had horrible horrible intestinal distress (I’ll spare you the details) and after checking the bottle found that it had an expiration date that was 6 days prior to my buying it. The flavor didn’t taste bad exactly although I had never tasted it before so I didn’t know what to expect but it was obviously the culprit as the colors matched exactly. :(On top of that, I bought a bag of tangerines that were way past their prime as well with half of them beginning to ferment. It is the responsibility of the store to rotate the product and I went and talked to the manager who was decent enough but we went and talked to the produce manager and it seemed like he couldn’t care less. They gave me my money back but I missed a half days work and lost out on some serious bucks for that. Needless to say, I won’t buy anything from that store without checking all dates for freshness and if I ever get sick again from this store, my lawyer will get involved. If I was an old person or someone extra sensitive to food poisoning, it would have been especially horrible.

This safeway has the biggest selection and cheapest prices. It is in white center/​unincorporated king county so they have plastic bags and dont charge for them. They have the most self check out stands and make frequent announcements about no waiting. It is a popular Safeway, in an unpopular part of town. There are crazy people everywhere and if you shop here you are part of the crazy. It is a free show. Very entertaining. The employees keep it real, so dont expect them to suck your old dick, grandma. Be nice and you will get nice. But if you put your groceries on the conveyor belt and then put your bags last, don’t expect them to rebag everything.

Since the «upgrade» to the newer more modern safeway design, they have cut so many things that I don’t find it worth while to shop here any longer unless I’m getting a very easily substitutable staple.
Before the upgrade the coffee had 15+ bins, and 2 of french roast (that was still empty most the time), now they have 5 options of whole beans by the pound, and half the isle past that is a big Starbucks display (no not an actual Starbucks, just a display of their coffee taking up four feet of an isle, I’ll add a picture if i go back some time this month).
The dog food now is always sold out of at least half and the selection looks like what you’d find in a mini inner city Safeway like on Queen Anne yet the store is as big as a normal Safeway.
Beyond the diminished offerings, the store lay out is poor, nothing is where it should be and after 5 months the staff should be able to at least guess a location, but they don’t know yet either.
I have gone more than once when they were completely out of many common produce items, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes,
The check out line is always slow and not enough checkers.
The staff is polite, and while not fast they are friendly. One star for that.
I agree with the previous poster on the gizzards. Yum! Second star.
But personally, I prefer to drive to the Grocery Outlet or the Safeway in West Seattle since the «upgrades».

The woman slicing meat in the Deli was obviously sick, coughing and sniffling while she was handling food. DISGUSTING.

This review is only based off of the Starbucks in this store! Otherwise, I love this store compared to the QFC down the street, a much bigger store with more options.
I’ve been coming here for over 2 years to get coffee a few times a week. The girls who work this starbucks need to quit gossiping! Every single time I come here they are talking about their private lives or their co workers. One time a co worker stepped away and the 2 other baristas started talking about how sad the felt for her «pathetic life» and I finally spoke up and said «That’s a little harsh don’t you think?» and they both stopped and acted surprised I could hear them as I’m standing there waiting for my order. I believe the manager here is the only nice one I’ve met who is professional. These girls need to get it together not only are they only interested in gossip, they look hung over half the time.

What do you say about a Safeway? It’s just another Safeway and similar to a QFC where if you don’t have a rewards card, you’re going to get screwed. The trick to going to Safeway is using the rewards card and going for the 2 for 1 specials where you can get 50% or more off. I’ve scored on a few things using this strategy and typically have 25% off my total bill by using their rewards card and 10 cents off on gasoline purchases.
Another find at this Safeway is the fried chicken livers are incredibly good and they have gizzards too.

I can only rate this place based on my late night runs here.
I’m always here real late or midnight hours so they are always restocking at that time. The graveyard shift workers are all very nice. I love this SW because its definitely one of the better SW in my opinion. Never had any trouble finding anything. Very organized and clean.
I love that they have a gas station right in it! You can get discounts by using your SW card by accumulating points up. I’m new to seattle so do all SW have gas? Haha. Just like Costco.
I love that theres no lines and parking spots right near the entrance. Got to love those late night runs!

Hands down the worst pharmacy ever. I call in prescriptions and they’re ready maybe 30% of the time quoted to me. Staff is rude and incapable of doing what’s expected of them, including being friendly and apologizing for when they screw up (which is often) or haven’t done their jobs (which is constantly). I’ve been going here because it’s the closest to my house, but I’m transferring all of my prescriptions — and I have lots of them — to Bartell’s now. It’ll be further away, but it’s worth it to actually go somewhere that will do what they’re supposed to do. Because of this hell hole, I’m going yet another night without my medication because they didn’t have their act together… I work in health care, and I understand the rules and regulations behind medication refills, so this isn’t a case of me not understanding how pharmacies work, either. Thanks for nothing, Safeway. I won’t miss you.

For the neighborhood, this is a very popular every day grocery. QFC in Westwood Village is a step up, Saars on 16^th a step down.
The place can get crowded, with tight parking (although a huge lot) and long checkout lines.
They have most of what I need in one spot for «general» shopping and on the whole quality is fine.
Bank, gas station, pharmacy, Starbucks, deli, floral, bakery, meat/​seafood, organic produce, and videos (who rents these anymore — hello, get a red box and get rid of those racks!).
Gas here is usually a little cheaper than to the North as it is outside the City of Seattle’s limits and their higher tax rate. Also, no bag charge, but still lots of people bringing their own in.
Are you safe shopping here? Yes, coming into diverse Rat City can be a culture shock, but you’ll be fine.

This Safeway never has Cholula, and last night I couldn’t find sweet chili sauce OR tangerines. Not to mention that the layout is absolutely insane. There is seriously no method to the madness.
It’s very clean and in a convenient location, but I just can’t.

This Safeway is located within White Center and I’ve come across it a few times mainly to use ‘other’ services (not so much Safeway).
They have a gas station which is nice if you use their card & can get the points to get money off the posted price. If not, it’s not quite a deal compared to Costco and/​or other gas stations.
The other perk they have going for them is the big BECU branch inside their location. That was another thing that drew me there was needing to deposit quite a large sum of cash and needing a BECU ATM. I just felt more secure being ‘inside’ a store vs. a free standing ATM.
The store itself is quite large and I’d consider it to be one of the more ‘full service’ Safeways but it’s just another ‘Safeway’. The deli was insane when I was there trying to get something to go for lunch.
It’s truly in White Center so just be aware of the people and the area you’re in. I wouldn’t come too late or when it’s super dark out!

I have been here a few times over the last few years because it is the closest market to my work and this is the place we go when we have a BBQ, and today was probably the last. It just seems to be going down hill.
They have most basic things you need, but the selection is definitely limited.
Here is the problem I have — there were only two full size baskets on the north entrance, the first basket I went to grab was just disgustingly filthy — I don’t think it had ever been cleaned. The other basket was just as bad. Ridiculous. No wonder the clean wipe container was empty at that entrance.
I went to the south entrance to find a cleaner basket and there was a young female employee putting baskets away — I told her, hey, the baskets at the other end are disgusting and filthy — her answer was, yea, they’re all pretty much like that — and then she walked off. Really? The first basket I found at the south entrance had grime all over it, and rotten apple slices in the drink holder. The next two weren’t much better, but I finally found one I felt brave enough to use.
I looked for a manager as I did my shopping, but couldnt find one. I didn’t go out of my way to ask for one though.
Here is a tip — clean your baskets… daily!

Hello Safeway–
Your employee grabbed his balls INSIDE of his underpants then proceeded to handle my groceries.
Thank you for such a unique experience.
Sincerely,
Phoenix A.
#yuckyousicksob

This Safeway is the best that you can find in White Center. It’s large, and has an ample selection of most basic ingredients. It doesn’t have the new specialty features of the new QFC and Safeway in Northern West Seattle, but it still gets the job done.
You will find plenty of parking, and a friendly staff.