This is long, but I hope a manager reads the issue I start to explain in the second paragraph. I think it warrants discussing with employees for the future.
I do really like the Anthem Safeway. I appreciate how their inventory is always pulled forward on the shelves, so I don't have to do bend-and-squats to see what's left of a certain item. I like that it has a great selection without being the size of a football field, so I can run in and pick up a few items without it taking the better part of an hour. I find the produce department always well-stocked and fresh. And the help in the seafood department is outstanding--no matter who waits on me, they're willing to make sure I get exactly what I want in the weight I need.
BUT, today I was shocked at something that happened while I was in the self-checkout line. It was busy in the store and all the lines were full of people waiting. No big deal--after work/before dinner time is usually busy. I was waiting in self checkout; two people were in front of me, and other people were starting to line up behind me. But rather than block the main aisle, the people "behind" me were lining up on either side, making a "T." They were keeping track of who was next, and we'd even chat a bit about how busy it was. Then a young woman, talking on her cell phone, came and stood behind me. The older gentleman on one side of the "T" very nicely explained to the young woman that he was behind me and that the line was formed on both sides. It was obvious to me that he was being nice, thinking she didn't notice how the line was forming because she was so engrossed in her call, and just didn't want her waiting, losing her potential spot in the line. This woman--I have no other way to explain this--literally "went off" on this man. She was screaming at him telling him to mind his own business, that she can stand wherever she wants, and he's lucky this wasn't two years ago because then she'd really be "up in his face" and he'd really blah blah blah. She was dropping the "F" bomb right and left. Everybody heard her; you couldn't NOT hear her! Everyone in self checkout was trying to ignore; the 8-10 people in line at the service counter were staring; and the poor gentleman didn't know what to do. I felt bad, but I didn't want to say anything to further agitate the woman.
I wouldn't normally take to Yelp discuss my concerns with Safeway, but the service desk was super busy with a very long line. So I tried calling the store three times once I got home and could not get through. (A couple of times, after the call processing went through all the numbers for me to dial for different departments, no matter how many times I hit "8," it would say it didn't get my response and then revert back to the beginning!)
It was, at the least, disconcerting to have a woman standing behind me screaming profanities while I was checking out. At the most, quite frankly, it was a bit scary. I believe an employee should have immediate summoned a manager to remedy the situation or ask the woman to leave. read more