I don't know why the ladies that work at the deli are so unhappy and unfriendly. And they are extremely slow. I waited in line behind two people for 35 min. Everytime I go there if there's a few people in line it seems to take a very long time . You would think management would notice as well. But I think what gets me the most is how unfriendly they are. I don't need them to be happy to see me. But I don't want to feel uncomfortable ordering from them like I'm putting them out. I have to go to them. It's set up that way. I have no choice. If you don't like people you shouldn't work with customers. Kindness goes a long way. read more

Their no cashiers working. It's all self checkout. So if you want to buy beer you have to buy your groceries in one line then buy your beer in another line. Huge waste of time. Safeway making harder not to just buy everything on Amazon read more

Just your average Safeway. Good -- they have 8 self-checkout kiosks Bad -- only half of them are ever working They recently upgraded the self-checkout kiosks which are a bit nicer than the previous ones. The UI is nicer and a bit quicker overall, and the area for placing items is larger. COVID-19 Stuff ======== -- You can't bring your own reusable grocery bags anymore. -- There are now ONE WAY lane markers on the floors of each aisle. Nobody follows them ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ -- Cheese is apparently all the rage now and they run out very quickly read more

Safeway - temporary hours during shelter-in-place are 7am - 9pm - Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

Manager is very rude. After coming in to customer service every other day because no one answers their phone at this location, finally came in and was told someone will come out to help me. She comes out and asks what I needed until an elderly person cuts in front of me and demands help but can barely speak. I patiently just waited for him to get what he needs. Then the manager looks at me like I'm wasting her time, says no for my request and tells me I'm giving her an attitude. No I don't have an attitude. You're literally acting hostile and I'm uncomfortable. This whole interaction could have been avoided if someone would just answer the phone. read more

Habitually understaffed, they try to force you to the self-checkout machines, but they don't even have enough of those. On top of that, their checkout machines are slow and buggy so you're constantly waiting for their overworked attendant. Every time I end up coming here for something the smaller Safeway's don't have, I leave swearing I'll never come back. read more

There's an older Asian woman that works in the deli department of the Safeway on Shattuck in Berkeley. And she barely knows any English at all. And I don't think you need to know perfect English for such a job but you should know at least some basic words. For example if I ask her for 5 of a certain item she won't know what the word five means. So it's very frustrating trying to get her to understand what you want. And she gets upset at you for the fact that she hasn't bothered to spend the 15 minutes it might take her to learn a few basic words in English (such as the numbers 1-10). I've seen many customers get frustrated with her, give up, and just walk away without getting whatever they wanted. I myself would buy several things there almost every day but I won't go there anymore. It's too stressful trying to deal with that woman. Maybe Safeway makes enough money so they don't care that this woman is probably costing them a few hundred a week but they should care that one of their employees is offending their customers. read more

Went in at 6 o'clock on a Sunday evening. There were hardly any customers in the store. However, there was not a single shopping cart available. Nor were there any hand baskets near the west door. I asked to see the manager and I was told I would have to wait. as I left - to go shop someplace else - I found that the handbasket were piled by the store. Last time I was there, the store was exit only. In short, there was absolutely nothing for me to put my groceries in. Where were there weren't many people there?and then when I went to the baby food aisle - for my sick cat Dash all they had was ham. My cats never gonna eat ham. This place is a mess. I will never be back. read more

What felt like an eternity of this supermarket being closed, the spruced up Safeway on Shattuck finally opened earlier this month, and it is nothing short of 5 stars . The supermarket boasts an underground parking lot, longer and bigger grocery aisles, even a sushi bar, where you can pick from an array of sushi (see pic) being made fresh in front of you. Two thumbs up on the renovations made despite the long closure. Shoppers know that this supermarket was long over due. Suggestion: How about having this Safeway stay open 24 hours like the one on College Ave? read more

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Not the best quality and all the food is kind of over priced. Only good thing is it's open till late

I know that food INFLATION is going up everywhere, but this Safeway in Berkeley is jacking up the price of food that is ready to be thrown out aka near "expiration date" aka "50% off." So the NEW "sale price" is now what the regular price was a few weeks ago and it's going to be moldy twice as fast. FJB! And FU Democrat voters for voting for this Build Back Better Bull & Green New Deal Bull! Y'all screwed up your cities, state, and now the whole country. Slow clap. Food was not this expensive before Biden screwed everything up! read more

The old chinese lady who work on the food service that make sandwiches was so rude and unprofessional while she did my order for 2 sandwiches. It's take horrible and salty. I would never comeback here again for lunch takeout. I would not recommend anyone who come here for lunch take out especially sandwiches. There would be any problem when I go with different Safeway to avoid rude toward this Safeway. read more

Safeway - Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

I would sell my soul to avoid shopping here. The employees will give you the most hateful, mind numbing, murderous looks when they see you. I get it, most people hate their jobs... But this... is a whole new level. I just can't describe how much the employees hate the shoppers here. Here is my most recent example: Got in checkout hoping to take out cash. The customer in front of me was trying to ask the cashier something... instant death glare. The little old lady customer was very uncomfortable. Can you imagine handing your card to someone that hates you, won't look or speak to you, moving in that slow "I hate everything" move...? Then it was our turn... I tried to be super nice, maybe she had something bad happen. Requested the cash. SHE STARTS TO PULL OUT CHANGE FOR $100 IN $5 BILLS! WHAAAAAAT!!!! I asked for bigger bills. Omg big mistake. I thought she would jump across the counter and strangle us. She bashed the money back into the register and told us to go to customer service, which was empty. We waiting there in shock for a bit, unable to leave without cashing out the receipt. After 5 mins an employee comes out of the back room and she looks more cheerful. I thought about complaining to her or asking for a manager, but I didn't want to be ~that~ person. Then I realized it would have been useless... We asked for change in bigger bills, she told us she didn't have change. She told us we would have to wait in different lines until we found a cashier with bigger bills. Are you freaking kidding me...!? Someone please sage this place of the demons that possess the employees! The thought of shopping here makes me so anxious! read more

Welcome to the worst grocery store in Berkeley! Possibly the entire East Bay! Okay, the selection and produce are de rigueur Safeway. So there's no problem with that. Standard hoi polloi "Why didn't I go to Berkeley Bowl?" type stuff. It's the employees, and many of the customers, that make this place the awful pit of consumer despair that it is. On rare occasions you might find someone who will actually acquiesce to helping you, but their employees are the epitome of DGAF workers. Ask for help, or even just ask them to check out the items you've chosen to buy, and they act as if you just interrupted them from something important. Oftentimes employees will be engaged in conversation or horseplay with, not just other coworkers, but sometimes their friends who just happened to wander in. I've actually got annoyed looks from them when I've asked them to tell me how much I need to pay, forcing them to turn away from their conversation partner. Standing at a counter waiting for service? Annoyed looks from employees who ignore you as long as possible until they reluctantly decided to help you. Customer service desk? Constantly deserted. Need to cash in that lotto ticket or wire some money? Bend over backwards, or just bend over, because trying to get someone to help you there is a long and tepid chore of asking clueless and uninterested employees. "Sorry, no customer service right now," is a common phrase. And it's not just apathy. You can be greeted with outright hostility! I once walked up to an employee, (Because I needed help at the customer service desk,) who literally started shaking with anger and chattered in a hurried voice "What do you want? What do you want? What do you need???" All I did was approach her. I didn't say or do anything except walk up to her, yet she was not simply annoyed, she was visibly upset and angry that I dared approach her to ask a question. How dare I! I would cry in my own beer for my Berkeley Safeway experiences but for knowing that I am not alone. Many is the time I've heard upset and angry customers giving the staff hell. Outbursts are common. The staff is quite used to it. They could have a red-faced customer blasting them, and they move or react not at all, completely unconcerned about upset customers or that someone might take a swing at them. Just another day on the job. Which brings me to the clientele. I've been accosted, shoved, bumped into, yelled at, and muttered at by every kind of anti-social hellbat of a customer in there. It's like a Bukowski story in that place. That store is a freak magnet, so be prepared to have an random fellow customer blast you or wave a bible in your face. (True story!) I don't know how much I can fault the store for whacky clients, but that's just the cherry on the parfait for this wonderland of awful people. In hindsight, the place is rather fascinating and entertaining. How could a run-of-the-mill grocery store be so awful? read more

Went in there Jan. 16, 2023 to get milk & some chicken. Dairy case smelled like rotting corpses and poultry & meat area worse. How did it get so bad? Not appetizing. read more

I'm so sick of these stores trying to force customers to use self checkout! I WON'T do it. You're trying to eliminate jobs. Shame on you! Trader Joe's doesn't have self checkout. Maybe I'll start doing all my grocery shopping there! read more

Safeways are Safeways, however this one always seems to have a long line at the only 1-2 manned registers while all self-checkout stations are not in use. Would go anywhere else on principle if this store wasn't right next to my residence. read more

Safeway - Red lights in back = all self checkout stations are closed while there is long line at registers, smh worst Safeway ever. - Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

I don't even know why I have any sort of expectation for this place. Can I say that I hate shipping at Safeway's. I came here today to pick up something quick (I didn't want to go get fast food and I didn't want to go sit down somewhere). The deli was so under whelming nothing looked good and it was even more obvious that the lady serving did not want to be there. I ended up grabbing something fro the pre packaged food but I needed a fork. I was trying my best to get out of the store but ended up having to walk all the way back to the hot food case to get a fork. Seriously of all the people I asked I couldn't have someone pass me a fork. In my Safeway working days I would have gotten marked down on my secret shopper score if I had of pointed and not offered to take the customer to the item. Or even offer for me to go get the for for them (I digress that was over 10 years ago). Any who I don't know why I subject myself to this place. I always come back with more anger and frustration than satisfaction read more

So today I was at safeway when a older gentleman walked up and sounded concerned about something. What ever it was he left his number for a return call. After he walked away the cashier's either got a phone call or cashier called someone and he laughed and said "I told him what ever he wanted to hear" and laughed about it. He was a young Hispanic kid in the self check out lanes with a light blue shirt on. I just thought that was rude and he should be disciplined for that. read more

This is the Safeway my family and I usually go to since it is the nearest location to our house. It is usually hard to find staff that work there and are willing to answer questions if you have any such as "where could I find raisins?" or "where can i find ketchup?". Compared to other safeways that I have gone to, this place doesn't smell which is a plus right? Another issue that I have is when I go into the store, I can't find baskets so I have to literally go past each paying counter to see if there are baskets. Another downfall of this place is that when you go to the meat counter/seafood counter they make you wait even though they see you there waiting and clearly look like you're ready to pick out what you want. The worst thing that happened to me was that I had to wait 10 minutes because the meat staff kept passing me and going onto the men that were waiting. I felt a little bit discriminated because I was the only woman and either they didn't take me seriously or the fact that I didn't look ready? I did say that I was ready and I was before the other customers, but they disregarded what I said and I was hurt by it. The lines can get pretty long and busy including the self-pay line. Sometimes you have to wait a while for an attending to okay whatever you're purchasing in the self-pay line. Fair warning, you could be waiting 5-10 minutes until someone notices that your self-pay has a "please wait for an attending to okay the transaction". If I could go somewhere else I would, but this is the closest location to me. read more

The pharmacist here today refused to give me my booster shot I waited 3 weeks for an appointment for. I chose the earliest appointment and when I arrived, I was the only customer at the pharmacy. I was told I had no chance of receiving my booster even though I had an appointment. He told me they had two call outs and could careless if I get Covid. I remembered that Safeway is a grocery store, and they clearly care about the profits of that over the care of it's pharmacy patients getting Covid. I sure hope I don't get Covid and die between scheduling a new appointment. read more

I usually just go here for groceries, but last night a friend and I decided to grab dinner from their prepared food section - $6 for a combo tray of one entree and two sides, which, I thought, was a fair price. We got some of their fried chicken as the entree and double potato wedges as the side (comfort food at its finest). The chicken was what you'd expect for the price, but the potato wedges were burnt, rock hard, and generally inedible. Not being ones to complain usually, we figured we'd just pick out the good ones and deal with it. however, when it became evident that there were no good ones, we decided to see if we could switch them out for a different side. It was late in the evening so no one was waiting at the counter, but an irritable employee did yell at us from across the kitchen to ask if we needed anything. we explained the situation, to which she just shrugged and said, in the most dismissive way possible, that since we'd already eaten some chicken, there was nothing she could do about it. Another employee working in the Starbucks area where we were eating saw the food and was incredulous that they'd serve it, and said she'd put in a complaint for us. Not sure if she followed through, but it was definitely a nice gesture. We ended up giving them to some homeless men outside who were ecstatic, so I suppose the situation could have been worse. I did try to find a manger to email about the situation, but found not find any contact info online for the store. read more

Safeway - Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

Bathroom door lock does not work... they could've at least put a sign on the door. Had two people walk in on me in the bathroom. Ridiculous read more

Safeway is my source for cheap booze, If i get lucky. this store had lots of wines, some on promo. microbrews not a large selection, just the usual known names. store clean, parking lot nearly full. lucky to have found a space. buys: drakes: "black robusto" (3.99 w/card) -should be robust stout" drips: -smiling, helpful checkout -safeway associates always 4 stars in my view.... read more

The last manager in the AM (6/7 ish) is rude as hxll and downright disrespectful. Couldn't believe she was the manager. I was ringing up my items clearly lost and a bit disheveled. Instead a "hi good morning would you like some assistance " I was taunted and made fun of by her she never said hi or good morning just taunting and pettiness from her. Needless to say I will NEVER return. Congratulations you have successfully run me off. read more

Worst customer service ever. After being in line and having a rude cashier be mean to my father because he's blind. The cashier didn't even tell him the total of the grocery he is paying for. My father isn't disabled. He can function with just a little bit of help. I will never buy from this grocery store after dealing with an incompetent cashier. read more

I travel for work and one of my favorite places to get a sandwich from is Safeway. I always get the same sandwich every time I go. Davida at the sandwich counter has made by far the best damn sandwich I have ever had from any Safeway! read more

So what can I say about this Safeway? Is it overpriced, inefficient, and slow? Yes, yes it is. Like many Berkeley students, my options for grocery shopping include Trader Joe's, Safeway, and Berkeley Bowl. Though Trader Joe's and Berkeley Bowl are cheaper, I can't really get by without getting some of my processed/packaged items at Safeway. I can usually find what I'm looking for here, but sometimes, it seems like they're out of every single thing I want or need. I've literally had to go to other stores to buy corn starch, broth base, and produce. The staff can be quite brusque if you ask questions and it's almost impossible to flag someone down to ask for help to begin with. Lines are painstakingly long, even during what you would consider non-peak hours. It takes so completely long to check out that I dread going in and buying more than a few items here. Yes, this Safeway has a parking lot, but there have still been times when I've had to struggle for street parking because all of the spots were somehow full. Make this your grocery destination if you have no other choice or just really need a few times. read more

As others have mentioned, it feels weird reviewing a Safeway. However, it can not be said enough how horrible this particular location is. The only reason I might pick this location over the Community Market literally down the street is because they do carry some items that the other does not since it is bigger. 1. The employees are downright rude. Yesterday I was in the checkout line and had separated my items into two orders, one for groceries and a second order for a single bouquet of flowers that I could not pay for with my EBT. (I was unaware until today that you could ring up everything in one order and that at the end it'll ask you to use debit or cash for any items not covered by EBT, but I digress). The cashier finished scanning my groceries and then grabbed the flowers. I said, "Oh, that's going to be separate." He YELLED back at me saying, "I am aware of that already!" which made everyone behind me in line look up and in shock. I rolled my eyes just as an automatic response to someone being rude to me and after a pause (and probably realizing he was being rude) said, "I knew it was separate because I already saw your EBT card." Whatever dude, no need to get in a huff. 2. The lines are always so, so long. As others have also mentioned, steer clear of the self-check out because if your machine errors (and it probably will) you'll be waiting a long time for an employee to come help. 3. The Starbucks sucks. First and only time I went, the employee working was talking to a friend on her phone about her day and talking about how she's excited she's almost off work and made me feel like I was interrupting her! My bad, just trying to be serviced by an employee. Glad you have plans for the night but please finish out your shift politely... 4. Alcohol/beer in particular is more expensive at this location. 6-packs are the same price but the 12-packs are always a few dollars more than at community market. The selection of flowers is also exponentially better at community market. They are often wilted at this location. I would like to say that I'm not coming here anymore, but they do carry stuff I need and that sucks. I will vow to avoid this location at all costs from now on unless it's urgent. Please get it together. read more

I live close by. So if I forgot something at Target or need something short notice, I come here. The store is large. There is a reasonable variety of domestic items.The items are somewhat reasonably priced. Berkeley bowl is still my fave :) read more

Safeway - My shrine of Madeline/brownie bites. Yummmmmm.... - Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

I've lived in the neighborhood for a long time and love going to this Safeway. Even before they renovated, I loved coming here to do my grocery shopping. The employees are always helpful. This is a fixture in the neighborhood and I highly recommend coming here. read more

This Safeway could be much better ... why is the service so "all over the place"? Some of the employees are really good & nice & helpful, and some are really bad & even outright rude with unpleasant attitudes. (This review doesn't apply to their pharmacy ... it's excellent!) read more

This review is for the pharmacy within this Safeway only. Since our local pharmacy has been going nowhere good in a handbasket lately, I decided to try the Safeway pharmacy since it was super convenient. Our prescription was a nothing fancy, topical antibiotic. I had never been to this pharmacy, but because our information was already on file from another Safeway, it did not pose any problems. There was no line at this pharmacy, the staff was super nice, there was no line and I was in and out in under 10 minutes. Now that is what I call service! No wait, no missed promised time and no coming back after they had already promised the prescription would be ready (like my other pharmacy fails). When I am in the area and I have an easy prescription I need filled, this will be my choice for best service! Thank you Safeway! read more

Standard Safeway. Parking isn't as bad as people say it is, but maybe it's the times my husband and I choose to go. Located in North Berkeley, so it's out of our way. We keep our visits to Safeway to a minimum because the prices are more expensive compared to other grocery stores. Appreciate that it has nearly everything you'd need in a grocery store: deli, meat section, soup, and floral. This Safeway is slightly different in that its bakery section is a lot nicer and "classier" in comparison to other Safeway locations (including the one on College Avenue). read more

Feels weird to review a Safeway but my GOD what is this establishment.... Within the abyss that is the N.Berk Safeway, there exists no sense of urgency and no whisper of customer service. The employees do not want to be there and they are definitely NOT there to help you. Don't ever expect to do a "quick grocery run" for 1-2 last minute ingredients bc once you enter this Safeway you will be sucked in for at least 45 min waiting in the longest check out line known to mankind. Note how I used check out line - singular, not plural - because there is almost always literally ONE single check out stand operating at a time and is the SELF check out line, which always has errors because the machine says "your cantaloupes are not the accurate weight for a cantaloupe, please wait for an employee to assist you." PLEASE, MACHINE, WHAT EMPLOYEES?! Oh my god, this place is turning me into a monster. Once my boyfriend and I realized how entering this Safeway immediately kills our mood, we vowed to never go to this Safeway again. We only go to Trader Joes or the Safeway community market (prev. Andronicos) down the street to avoid the utter frustration created by this place. PLEA TO SAFEWAY MANAGERS: YOU HAVE THE POWER TO MAKE MEANINGFUL CHANGE. PLEASE USE YOUR POWERS FOR GOOD NOT EVIL. Rant over. read more

DO NOT TRUST SAFEWAY!!! I attempted to place an online order for a delivery to my home. Safeway's website is so unreliable that after three attempts to place the order, I never received confirmation. I am glad I became frustrated and stopped trying because a day or so later, I happened to call my bank for a different reason and discovered I am being charged for multiple deliveries that were never confirmed and that I will not receive. I attempted to reach the customer service and was quoted a wait time of 2 hours and 15 minutes to speak to a representative....really? Safeway is making thousands, if not, millions of folks like you and me....THEY NEED TO DO BETTER! FIND ANOTHER STORE! read more

Making people remove masks INSIDE to check IDs is barbaric and a public health nightmare. We refused and they asked us to go outside and remove our masks. It was very uncomfortable. We are well over 21 and both my ID and my partners ID are CA and scan in their machines. No need for this ridiculous policy and for Safeway to knowingly expose others to covid 19 for a stupid policy. IF YOU ARE ASKED TO REMOVE YOUR MASK INSIDE, SAY NO, outside is safer! Protect your community. read more

This is not a great Safeway location due to the impatient staff. I've been here a few times and experienced less than amazing customer service, however, I keep coming back because of $5 Fridays! A bucket of 8-piece fried chicken is only $5 along with selected sushi rolls and sometimes the super big sub sandwiches. These deals are hard to pass up especially since this amount of fried chicken from Popeyes or KFC can be around $10+. Safeway here is fine for this reason but SoCal Vons is so much better!! read more

I really dislike this grocery store. Seriously. I previously lived next door and unfortunately still *have* to come here for certain food items. To their credit, they fixed much of their staffing issues that would warrant a 1-star rating. But overall their prices are still crazy high and I often have to wait forever in the checkout line. If you live in Berkeley, it's best just to shop at Berkeley Bowl and/or Trader Joe's read more

THANK YOU to the wonderful lady who assisted me in the cake department today. Sorry I didn't catch her name. She wrote this for my coworkers birthday. Greatly appreciated!!! read more

Safeway - Cake - Grocery Near Me - Berkeley, California

Their restroom was THE worst bathroom I've ever seen - the smell, the black mold, the broken toilet seat. Can't believe this could pass Board of Health standards. Obviously has never been cleaned and it makes you wonder what else is going on behind the scenes there. Won't be going back. read more