Disgusted at Safeway

[Anonymous]

Is this just the Safeway by my house, or is it all of them?

Last time I went, I had to wait behind 10 people in Express, none of the self checkouts worked. Two times ago, I found five different products on the shelf that had expired! A yogurt with a sell by date 7 days before that day. Ham in bag near deli stuff with sell by two weeks earlier, bread with sell by two days prior. Many things out of stock when I shop. I find it really frustrating. Finally, I talked to manager, who basically said, "we are cutting hours, and it's tough for us to keep up with the cuts." I understand that but come on, someone could get sick if they accidentally eat this stuff. Although I live .2 miles from this Safeway, I will now drive 3 miles to the competition. When I told Safeway manager, he said go for it then. I am not a picky person, have NEVER complained at any grocery store before. Is this common for Safeways in the area?

[Anonymous]

It's pretty common for DC Safeways, in my opinion (although the social Safeway on Wisc. is the best of 'em). I live way out in MD and the Safeway in my town is fine (but selection and prices are better at Giant...).

There's absolutely no excuse for having expired food on the shelves, though -- or for a manager to disregard notification of same.

[Anonymous]

Several times I've found expired yogurt shakes at Whole Foods. It's tough all over.

[Anonymous]

I've noticed that's there's way more expired food still on the shelves. Makes sense about cutbacks and fewer employees. Bummer.

[Anonymous]

And Safeway is a union shop...so if your job is to work the registers you cannot be pulled to stock shelves etc. That is why their lines are always so long.

[Anonymous]

Giant is also union. That's not why the line is long. Both the Safeway and Giant near me are fine. I'm in MD, though.

[Anonymous]

I am sure there is some agency that inspects supermarkets and would love to hear about the expired food on the shelves and the concern the manager expressed.

I have made them aware as I was checking out about expired product on the shelves and they had the same level of concern that you experienced.

[Anonymous]

I live in VA and constantly have this problem at Giant.

[Anonymous]

What appalls me most is the attitude of the manager when you told him you'd drive further to the competition...."Go for it then"??? Wow. Fantastic customer service and I'm sure the company would be so pleased with the manager telling you to give your business to the competition, especially in this economy.

[Anonymous]

OP here, I was shocked too at the manager. I calculated I have likely spent over 20K at his store since 2005. Their loss.

[Anonymous]

Expired food on the shelves could be a story for the news media.

[Anonymous]

Yes, that's a health hazard... you could have gotten sick. I'm going to keep an eye out now, thanks for the heads-up. My Safeway in MD seems fine but the Whole Foods near my house often has old food... I always check the labels. That manager was out of line... no excuse for expired food.

[Anonymous]

I grew up going to the Georgetown Safeway, and the people there, with a few notable exceptions, are just not as nice as they used to be. Sometimes the cashiers don't even look up. And the place is certainly not as clean as Whole Foods up the street, although I think Safeway will nuke their store later this year and re-build right on Wisconsin Avenue. I prefer Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and even the Pentagon City Costco to Safeway, although Safeway has convenience (for us) going for it. Can't believe that part about expired foods. Yikes!

[Anonymous]

I don't know which Safeway OP is talking about, but I can tell you there's one in Arlington that fits the description perfectly. Ironically, it's one of the "newer" ones, whereas the dumpy one closer to me has great customer service (though lacks half the products I'd buy, like organic produce.) We tend to do Safeway or Giant only if there's a last minute need or a really good sale on household stuff (detergent, paper towels.) Otherwise it's Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, My Organic Market, or the monthly trek out to Wegman's...

[Anonymous]

We must shop at the same Safeway (off Ellicot St, NW).

Let's see the gross things I have found: In the bread aisle: pick-up a pack of bagels that had been eaten into by a rodent--rat hole underneath shelf. Told manager, who told me I could exchange the bagels. How nice for me. Expired milk, yogurt. Goat cheese.

Then there is the service, or lack thereof: Routinely, on Saturdays, prime shopping time, there are just two checkers and long lines. Even weekdays, though, there are few checkers. Several of whom are quite unpleasant--I once even complained to a manager because I had never been treated so rudely (unprovoked) (I had been directed to her line by a supervisor and she basically started yelling at me that I couldn't come in her line--really incredible. Of course, the manager couldn't have cared less.

On another day, my cart bumped into a display of matchbox cars that had been poorly set up in the produce aisle. Of course, all the cars went tumbling. I was 8 months grossly pregnant at the time. Before I could do anything (not that I was going to get on my hands and knees and clean up 200 plus cars), one of the workers started bitching at me, about how someone could trip, etc. Yeah, like me, I said....

Giant is a little better than Safeway, I trek to Bethesda but have this "luxury" because I am a SAHM. The reason we have to endure crummy supermarkets (except for Whole Foods or Trader Joes) is that there is apparently some agreement with the workers' union and some of the other big food store chains that they won't open stores inside the beltway. So, no Wegman's, Food Lion, etc. I think there is a Harris Teeter in Columbia Heights--which is a wonderful chain, but too far for me.