Social Safeway is my regular store, but on a busy Sunday afternoon heading back from Virginia, I didn't want to venture up the "hell" that is Wisconsin Ave., so I stopped by the Roslyn Safeway. I'm going to call this Bunker Safeway, or Sad Safeway. Despite that, the staff is friendly and there is nothing really wrong with it other than the small size and location. Having said that, it sure beats going up through M & Wisconsin. read more

I try to avoid this Safeway whenever possible. Though it's the closest grocery store to my apartment, it is far from convenient. The store is disorganized, over-crowded, and the staff is unhelpful at best (particularly the garage attendant). Even when I'm just going in to grab a couple items, I end up waiting in line for 20+ minutes. If you can possibly avoid it, I'd choose a different grocery store. read more

Worst Safeway I've ever been in, and I have been shopping at Safeways for 30 years. Poor selection of good quality ingredients, the produce section often has bare shelves and no interesting vegetables. Most of them are wrapped in plastic. The store is underground and dark, no cell phone service, and looking very old. I live in the neighborhood and often drive to grocery stores even though this one is within walking distance just to avoid it. Today there were just 5 or 6 shopping carts for the whole store. Safeway should really renovate and get a new manager. Hoping for a new chain to come into the area in one of the new buildings coming up. read more

This is the worst Safeway on Earth. The service is very disappointing. The employees are always cranky, rude, and unwilling to help. Even the store manager is the same way. They are always out of products, the prices never match the merchandise, and there is rarely anyone working at the Deli. I even contacted customer service and they told me I will get a call from the store's manager; 5 months after, still waiting...Oh and they don't have a bakery. So, just avoid this place, unless you really need to get a coke! read more

They redid this store over the summer and it's a huge improvement! Fresh produce, a bakery, a great hot bar and salad bar! I work in Rosslyn and I sometimes drop in here to pick up a few groceries on the way home from work. Since they have validated parking in their garage it's super convenient. They redid the interior and exterior of the store, too, so it looks a whole lot better. And a great wine selection, too. read more

This is probably the worst Safeway I have ever been to. What a lifeless store. Very old and outdated. The workers were zombies. Lots of items in the shelves were out of stock. The only reason it got one star is it was located near my hotel. read more

I see I'm not the only who think this is the worst Safeway they've been to. The only reason I visit (once in a blue moon) is because I live next to it. The only thing I buy there is water, and yes, they tend to run out of the brand I buy. However, what I hate the most of that I usually get harassed by beggars/fundraisers at the door. I just got back from there a few minutes ago and was confronted right at the entrance by a clearly intoxicated guy asking for change. He even said he wants the money for beer and then he asked if I would hitchhike with him next week. I'm not kidding. Then he kept on yelling things to me when I was on the way out. I've had similar experiences next to that Safeway before. Another thing I don't like is their cashiers. There is always a problem with some smart ass comment from them, which I've only experienced at that Safeway. About 9 times out of 10, and I'm not exaggerating. For example, once my friend was buying soda and the cashier woman gave him a lecture on how it was bad for him. What gives? Or they'd comment on something that's written on my t-shirt. Once I had once cashier asking me really loud (I was in line with 3 people ahead of me) as to why I returned - when I haven't been there for about 3 months prior. Weird weird weird. read more

Worst grocery store I have been to in a long time. Disgusting and dirty, always takes 20+ minutes to check out / even if there is no one else in line!! Ridiculous. SF - get your store together. read more

HORRIBLE! Absolutely horrible. The only thing that ever brings me into this store is that I work in the same building. Today I unloaded my groceries on the belt of a register with the light on. I then motioned to the cashier who was standing at the end fiddling on her cell phone. I said "Miss I'm ready." She returned "I'm on lunch" harshly. I reminded her that he light is on to which she replied "I don't know what to tell you, someone must have left it on." She then continued playing on her phone. She never turned out the light. When I was walking out of the store she began ringing another customer. This just so happens to be a women whom I pledged to support during their union negotiations. So much for loyalty and appreciation I suppose. This is one among MANY MANY bad experiences I have had at this store. Including bad experiences with "managers." DO NOT GO!!! read more

This "Safeway" is the biggest joke of a grocery story I have ever seen. The produce is right on par with a third world nation's farmer's market. Two depressed onions and a handful of sad, bruised tomatoes. I am forced to go there as it is the only grocery store in walking distance. I just went "shopping" and found meat that was gray and two days past the sellby date, and milk that was dated to go bad tomorrow. Niles D. (below) hit the nail on the head when comparing this place to "Soviet block countries before the iron curtain fell". I am not sure if you can give zero stars on yelp. I assume you cannot. I wish I could. read more

I Cant believe it! I was buying exactly 1 Lb of Ham off the bone on Sale for $7.99 Lb. the Regular Price was $9.99 Lb. When I was paying at the register after I slided my SafeWay card then I had to pay $9.99. Why? Isnt it on Sale? Cashier told me I had to go back to the Deli, went back n the lady from the Deli told me the cashier had to fix it. I was going back n forth 2 times but they couldnt fix it. If you SafeWay dont apply the discounts, do NOT offer any. read more

I live three blocks away and walk directly by this place on the way home from work, but I only stop in when I am out of toilet paper. Even then, I think twice. Good god, y'all. read more

I love this store. I save so much money with their online deals combined with my coupons but I have clipped. their fried chicken is delicious and they're macaroni with cheese at the deli is out of this world. They also sell a kale salad to die for. I think it's really cool that the store is under ground. The cashiers are super friendly and so are all of the other workers. I have had a problem with coupons there at the manager always fixes them. In such an expensive neighborhood it's so great to be able to buy affordable food. read more

This Safeway is just as bad as ever...everything I've said in prior reviews is still true. BUT... I NEVER have to ship here ever again now that Target is open across the street! Not a full grocery but Target has what I would need if I can't get to a real grocery store, and fills the needs that (rarely) brought me to the worst Safeway in America. read more

This place is the worst. Takes 10mins minimum to check out because there are never enough registers open. It has all the essentials. Generally 1-2 people located just outside the entrance asking for money. The store has become much cleaner than when I first used it 3 years ago. Definitely better and more customer friendly supermarkets in neighboring towns that are worth the drive. read more

This location is convenient to where I live but that may be the only good thing I can say. The lines are always long and the prices seem a bit high. Now that Target has opened across the street, I can't imagine I will go back. read more

No idea how anyone could give this Safeway more than one star. The last time I went, there were two registers open and the lines were over halfway down each frozen food isle. read more

This Safeway was a short walk away from our hotel at Dupont Circle. This Safeway offered the basics. The lines were always long when we were there to buy fruit or just throat drops. But we were there for convenience and not much else. The store had shelves that were disheveled and dusty corners. If it weren't for the cheap water and mediocre fruit selection I wouldn't be shopping here on a regular basis. read more

It gets the job done. No fuss no muss.

A weariest, dungeon of a grocery store. In need of a makeover for the past 15 years it is chronically slow with a smell best fit for a room that is in dire need of airing out. If there is ever a reality show for either worst grocery store or grocery store renovations this is the first stop. The only time it will ever come in first. read more

The place is like a giant sheetz. Slim perishables, slim produce, lots of food to snack on. Seems like it stays in business with people coming down from their offices, but if I lived close-by I'd be upset. Good for what it worth read more

This Safeway, which really deserves zero stars, needs to be gutted and renovated. Unfortunately, it is my closest grocery store, but I generally only pick up paper towels and dishwasher detergent here. Taking your chances on perishable food purchased here seems dicey. I'd much rather battle the whole foods parking lot and pay the higher prices than shop at this cramped and dirty store. I can only hope that someone high up in the Safeway management chain will someday take an interest in renovating this store, as they did with the Georgetown Safeway. read more

WHY!! I should have gotten in my car and driven anywhere else than walk here. There is only the bare minimum basics. They had nothing extra in the desert section so my next best choice was chips ahoy which is sad. read more

1. Extremely smoky and unhealthy air at the old store! The manager said they "ordered" the ventilation, that was a month ago, and this morning when I went to the store for a coffee, the whole store in full of smoke from the chicken fryer or roast machine. I couldn't stop coughing and the environment is extremely bad for the workers there. Not just the chicken smoky smell, the grease will attach to your lungs! I think the vent situation will violent some health codes! I saw the black smoke just came out of the machine directly and spread to the whole store, not even going anywhere to a vent or anything! Irresponsible management and the horrible environment for the staff, not to mention the bad shopping experience for customers. 2. Shopping carts are gone all the time! If some customers took them, please use the ones can be locked. It's 2016, there are so many ways to secure the shopping carts in order for all customers to shop the amount we want. Very poor management for those carts! How can we shop if we want to spend $100, but actually we can only carry $30 worth grocery around with a small basket? Overall, some staff are nice, but lack of training, and management just indifferent about all the complaints. read more

This store is disgusting. I totally stopped going.. It is a joke. Just ask where the bathroom is and they make you walk through the back inventory as you weave through trash compactors and excess palates. They have no functioning customer service, and the lines are awful. I have left my cart full of food sitting in an aisle because I hate waiting so long. I am so frustrated by this store that I don't even go to other Safeway locations anymore. Unless you like to feel like your in a third world country when you shop for food, don't go here read more

hard to believe the ghetto safeway could get any worse... but there it is. worse indeed. the good things about this safeway: well, they offer the same sale prices as all other safeways. if the paper products/wine/etc aren't on sale, the prices are higher than whole foods, so the sales are pretty important. (if you've got time to track the sales and wait until your item goes on sale, that is.) but all safeways offer the sale prices. I agree with all the other reviewers... without repeating too much, the main offenses are the untrained super slow staff (also they're frequently inaccurate when ringing things up), and a close 2nd would be the produce, which I always hope will be somewhat fresh and nice (never is). with all the new apartment buildings going up in rosslyn (and whatever we think about that development), at some point, a good grocery store is going to go in, with fresh produce and a good meat & fish dept, and enough employees including fully trained cashiers. when that happens, everyone in rosslyn will only shop there, and this safeway will finally go out of business. until then, don't even bother with this place. take metro or the 38b to clarendon and go to whole foods. yes, you'll pay a lot more. but it's so worth it. read more

I really don't like giving bad reviews but going to this Safeway is straight depressing. The produce doesn't seem as fresh. If you come by after 6pm, you are really left with crap that other people passed up on. This place needs a facelift to infuse some energy and life into it. The positive is that it is close to my place and the price is mostly cheaper than Wholefood and Trader Joe. read more

Avoid this at all cost! I've just moved to this neighborhood and shopped at this store twice. The cherries and blackberries I bought each time were largely ROTTEN! I suppose other fruits are the no better. Will never buy from here! read more

Disappointed in the lack of 22 oz beer selection. Smells funny too. Didn't give me my monopoly pieces!

Convenient location and they have all the basics but it is chronically understaffed and frequently have 20-30 minute lines to check out. There are 5 or 6 checkout lanes but I've never seen more than 2 open at a time no matter how long the lines get. read more

When being checked out, the cashier entered the wrong item number for green peppers, entering red peppers. When asked if he could correct this error, the cashier said "they all cost the same." This was a lie. Red peppers are $0.70 more each. When this was pointed out to him and he was asked again if he could correct the error he actually refused. He then pointed to a 'savings card savings' for a different item to show that I "got the refund." When asked how the savings on the brown rice related to being overcharged for the peppers, he didn't have an answer. I had to go to a manager (who wasn't easy to find since he was busy on another register being a cashier...), wait in that line, and then get my refund. Isn't taking money you aren't owed and refusing to refund it theft? A crime? Perhaps I should have skipped the manager and contacted the police. read more

I really only come here because it is the only grocery store in easy walking distance to my apartment, and because they carry things Trader Joe's does not (non TJ cereal, baking mixes, etc). As others have mentioned the produce section is typically empty or only has moldy products, and there are a lot of pricing issues- either they forget to change the sale flags in the aisles or there is a computer problem, because I have to shop anticipating that the sales won't work even with a Safeway card. I gave them an extra star because most of the cashiers are great and they carry a couple of things I can't find elsewhere. But seriously, the ONLY reason this place is still in business is because it's the only grocery store in Rosslyn. read more

I read the reviews of this market so went in with very low expectations. This is NOT the world's greatest grocery store, but it is adequate for its urban location. I suppose the day of the week may influence the freshness of the produce, but on a Thursday evening it was plentiful and decent quality. We found what we needed. Very convenient location. Just don't go in expecting organic stuff or fancy prepared foods. Stick to the basics. read more

This Safeway is one of the worst grocery stores I have ever visited, and I grew up in an impoverished rural town with a grocery store that had frequent shootings. The only pro is convenience. It is the only convenient grocery store in the area, unless you want to hike to Clarendon and metro or walk back with bags of groceries. The selection is horrible. We stopped even attempting to purchase produce from this Safeway because everything was rotten and disgusting. The amount of fruit I have seen with mold is too much. I have frequently seen items that are expired in the store. In fact, I recently bought something that I should have checked the expiration date. As I was about to open it, I noticed that it expired in March of 2013, so over one year ago. As another reviewer said, I now only visit this location to get non-food items, such as toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc. It also appears to have a decent wine and beer selection. At the very least, they could make some effort on making sure the food is actually edible. read more

If there were ANY other option... Dirty. One time I pointed out a roach on the check-out belt, and the clerk shrugged her shoulders. Unsafe. Once a the check-out I noticed yogurt was warm, and it turned out the refrigeration case had been out all night, but dairy products were still being sold from it. Lots of expired stuff. Soviet staff. Seriously, Russians dips in line ahead of me were appalled! Produce. Often spoiled. clearly noone cares. read more

This review is based 100% on the actions of one employee. The store has lots of problems, but if this one interaction is any indication, we in the neighborhood might expect positive changes. I came by tonight to buy some stuff for the beach. Recently they've changed the way they do parking - it was always pay parking, but now they've changed it so that it's electronic and you have to get your parking ticket validated. If you forget, if you drop your ticket, if life hates you, you have to pay like $20 to get out of the garage. It's obnoxious. All that said - tonight I came in wanting a few things, I needed more things, and had to trade my little hand basket for a rolling one. I set my ticket down, lost it, whatever. I asked for help, and a new guy, a manager ( I think?) named Jacob ( I think??) came to help. He tried to help me get a new ticket, no go. He talked to the guys that run the parking, they refused to help me. I told him how bummed I was, and how expensive it is, and I sucked it up and tried to leave. This man comes RUNNING up the ramp and catches me before I pay. He hands me my ticket - he found it by the entrance. In this area we get so accustomed to service people giving no amount of...cares....about us and our customer experience. This nice young guy, new to the area, cared about me and about me spending $20 to get out of the garage. It was a huge act of kindness that made my day, and made sure I stay a customer of this grocery store. Jacob - I really think that's your name - thank you so much. You're a nice guy in a city that needs more nice guys. Safeway - take care of Jacob! read more

I read these reviews before going to this Safeway, and I must say, the people are right. It's dark, smelly, and SLOW. The cashier did not make eye intact with us or even speak to us as she rang up our purchase. We had ONE item, and the whole transaction took about 5 minutes. Avoid this Safeway if you have any other options. I can't believe the managers/owners of this store haven't been alerted to theses issues and fixed them by now. read more

Cute, smaller market-style Safeway location with a good selection of necessities. A good neighborhood grocery with nice staff. A bonus is that there is a Starbucks kiosk inside, convenient and they do a pretty good job. read more

i am so not above saving my precious yelp reviews for out of the way hangouts- i'm outting this hell-hole as the worst grocery store i have EVER been in. the produce is honestly, several days past its prime and yet the prices arent reflective of the quality. the raspberries/blueberries "bin" REEKS when strolled past as i doubt it is ever cleaned. the selection of food is also deplorable- that is right- deplorable!!!! feeling an urge for salmon, i checked out their selection- good god!!! what a mistake that was. the salmon was a pitiful color and the cuts were just low quality. i miss the robust quality that i can get at whole foods- without the aged smell!!! the salad bar is equally disgusting with a jaw-dropping gross selection of "salads" that all share the same coat of oil thats been obviously dumped on top of them for....aesthetic value? to make them appear fresh? to kill off customers? i dread- DREAD- setting foot into this palace of revolting horrors, but alas- it is the lone grocery store in rosslyn. damn you rosslyn. read more

This is the worst grocery store I've ever been to. Unfortunately, it is the most convenient for me to get to because I don't have a car. I've been here multiple times and without fail, their produce section is always out of things I need. What grocery store doesn't have basic things like potatoes? basil? beets? I've never seen one. I wanted to buy cucumbers for a salad but every single one of their 30 or so cucumbers they had in stock was mushy. Last time, this was the case with the bell peppers. I"m from California where the produce is fresh and cheap. Clearly, I took that for granted and thought that was the case everywhere.You cannot get away with charging three dollars for a crappy bell pepper. Well, maybe in DC you can. I bought a squash that cost $7. I'm not an avid squash eater so I don't know what they usually cost but I know it shouldn't be that much. I didn't bother double checking the price (there was no price listed to begin with, just an unorganized variety of squash in a big bin) because I didn't imagine a squash could cost that much. Ok, have you heard enough about the squash? I'm done now. I also came here today specifically because their avocados were on sale and I'm an avocado fiend. When I went to the avocados, they were listed at regular price of $2.29 each. I had to ask two people before I found someone who knew what was going on and assured me that they were on sale per the circular and the discount would be taken at the register. Really? At checkout, the cashier asked me how many avocados I had (a lot) but I had not really been counting, merely stuffing as many as I could into the bag. She rolled her eyes and yelled to her coworker that she needed a break and he had to take over because she "had enough". Really? Again, California spoiled me I guess. Safeway is quite a good place to go there with above average service. Grocery shopping at this place unfortunately is yet another mark against DC for me, a city that is more expensive and self entitled than LA with none of the latter's redeeming qualities. read more