I know what you're thinking. Yes, I'm reviewing the Safeway, but this is my local store that I've been frequenting since forever, both before it was rebuilt, and after - it's fairly new. When this portion of downtown Los Altos got a face lift, the entire area has been redesigned and updated, including tearing down aged structures. Now this urban structure has underground parking and escalators up to the store level, separate ones for shopping carts and for humans, it's kinda cool. The layout is pretty good and the selection is up to par with fancy. It's convenient to get fresh cut flowers from here when heading out to pay a social visit. There's a corner Starbucks cafe, just like at most other Safeway's, even though I prefer the stand alone one, only a block away. But hey, it's an option if you want it. Good deli selection, cut meets and salads. Your basic grocery stuff and artisan foods, too. Some specialty and international packaged items. I'm the type to get in and out quickly when getting one item that I need, but if you like to shop thoroughly and do your weekly or bi-weekly grocery runs, I'm sure there are many good buys to be had. Of course Safeway is a large corporation and they play by their own rules, though some flexibility is allowed by way of "manager's discounts". That way, they can get rid of soon expiring items quicker. My problem with this is that they discount raw fish and meet very little, 30% at most, then throw it out in huge quantities when it doesn't sell. Why not donate? Why not discount aggressively (when product's expiration date is today's or tomorrow's) in order to sell, at any price, rather than throw food out? Sell it for pennies on the dollar if you must, but don't waste. The only reason it doesn't sell to begin with is that initial sale price is way too high - if you cut it in half or more, I'm sure it will sell. It hurts me to see how much in perfectly good food is thrown out every day when it could benefit many food banks and soup kitchens in the Bay Area. read more

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This Safeway is a little nicer than most, being nestled in swanky downtown Los Altos. Parking is on the ground level and the store is above it. There is plenty of parking and the store can be accessed via stairs, an escalator, or the elevator. Take your pick! My favorite parts of the store are the deli, fresh produce, and wine sections. The store is well laid-out, and there are enough check-out lanes open to accommodate crowds. This Safeway is a great option in the area to grab groceries - it's more affordable than the Draeger's down the street. read more

Such a huge turnaround. from the old dated Safeway before. It's weird because it exists on the 2nd story and the ground level is a 150 space car park. Lots of Melissa's produce and much more high end products than the Safeway's near me. I guess they're competing hard with the Draeger's and Andronico's nearby. Welcome upgrade and competition choice read more

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Get rid of the pantry moths, I had a bunch flying around me. I don't think customers wanna bring home pantry moths. Other than that, it's a decent store read more

The lady who checks patients in at the pharmacy is rude ! She is probably overworked. Switched to CVS.

The worst self checkout I have EVER used. The meat station was quick, unusual for a Safeway, and they had in stock everything I needed, but when it came time to check out and use a coupon. FAIL. Had I known a dollar would cost me ten minutes of boredom I would have skipped it. As it was, I scanned the coupon, and proceeded to wait... and wait... and wait, since they had no one staffing the self checkout station. The honey finally had to go up and ask a regular checker, while another woman and I were stuck in limbo unable to leave with no clerks even bothering to come over. Even then it took another five minutes for someone to saunter over. And another few minutes as he helped the other woman first and had to sort out my computer issue. He then glanced at us and proceeded to walk away. Because apparently, this location does not employ a staff member at their self checkout. What the heck, no one needs to be anywhere right? Time is a social construct. Ugh and glad this location isn't near me. read more

How the heck do you give one of the nicest Safeway stores around 3-4 stars? LOS ALTOS SNOBS FIND A WAY! L-O-S-E-R-S! The previous store was a cramped, dated...an ugly piece of crap. It was replaced by a modern, state-of-the-art grocery store with excellent products and Safeway prices. I love this Safeway! I'm thankful for it, it replaced an out-dated mess. Poor Los Altans...you have the time and arrogance to complain about shit other people would love to have. 0 stars for the "elitist" Los Altos "nouveau" rich. 5 stars for Safeway bringing their best to town. read more

Big new store, just opened. Don't offer grocery delivery - major oversight in this demographic IMHO. But the store is big and bright. Weird 'grocery cart elevator' thing because you need to take stairs to get into the site. Pic attached. There is an elevator too tho so it's disabled friendly. Just never seen a thing where you send your cart of groceries down an electronic chute before. read more

Safeway - To get your stuff back to your car, you are supposed to take the escalator and send your cart down this weird chute thing. - Grocery Near Me - Los Altos, California

Love the parking they have here, especially with the recent rains. Food selecting is as a most other Safeways with nothing that really makes this store stand out. I do love the dual escalators that they have available. This definitely make it easier to get around with kids and they find it to be a bit of an adventure . read more

Safeway - Grocery Near Me - Los Altos, California

Very nicely laid out store, good selections and decent prices. However, when checking out the other day, I bought a lot of seafood. The cashier, who I did not know and actually complemented, asked me what's with all the seafood? I was buying a bit more than usual. And I said yeah, I'm trying to get away from red meat and eat lighter, and ultimately more plant-based. She said oh OK, well I don't eat that because I don't like to kill animals. Yes, she really did say that. So I told my spouse and friends to definitely ***avoid interacting with and checking out of the store with the older woman with long, wavy gray hair, who speaks with a Persian type accent and who likes to wear dark purple (or the like) lipstick*** She "seemed" nice but came across as negative and just plain odd. I thought it would be better for her to just stay quiet and not make my experience worse. Unless you want your food choices inappropriately scrutinized, very wrong, gross behavior from a grocery store worker. And I would say something to her boss but I like going to this store. I think I will go out of my way and go to the San Antonio Safeway where the staff is amazing and the store is impeccable. Don't want to run into her and incur her creepy wrath. She doesn't seem right in the head. read more

This location has plenty of parking space in the garage below the actual store. The staff was nice if I needed to find sometime I was looking for. They have elevators and escalator for you to go up to the actual store. They also have carts up stairs so you don't have to look for a cart in the garage. I came on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn't too packed at all. Found a space to park real quick. All the produce seemed fresh and replenished. read more

Never, never buy produce here! We have been shopping here for two months and every piece of produce, except the avocados, we have purchased has been rotten or gone bad within two days. At first we thought maybe is was our new refrigerator, but the last straw came when I had to throw out grapes and raspberries immediately upon getting home; I opened them and they were covered in fungus. read more

I see they are now under 'New Management' and things appear to be improving! 1) The baskets are back! Yea! I was tired of going on a 'scavenger hunt' walking down the row of check out registers looking for a lone basket I could use since I only come here for a few items. Not a shopping cart full! 2) More checkout clerks! The new ones need more time to get proficient, and the ones that are not quite there have been great to comp me items for my wait. 3) The vegetable produce area has improved and is much better stocked than before! The items appear to be much fresher. 4) Better stocked isles. No longer fishing for the very last item in the back of the shelf. Kudos to those who have made this a better place to shop! read more

This review is just for the pharmacy. The folks there are great. They get my medicines on time and follow up with my doctors until they refill the prescriptions. Even when there are issues they do their best to fix any such issue. I'd definitely recommend this pharmacy to get your medications read more

I like this store. It's a nice local store where we get all our groceries and also the pharmacy is right inside the store. We also get good discounts when using the Safeway card. We also got our flu shots here, and we got a benefit for 10% on our groceries for it. read more

This is the worst Safeway store in the area by far. Dirty, terrible staff/ management, do not even bother to go here Menlo Park has the best Safeway - what I want to know is why they would allow this location to fall apart? Are these franchises? read more

Just trying to have a sit after buying my dinner and saw about eight or nine white people sit and talk to each other in the dinning area. However, just right after I put down my meal on the table (that I just bought from this Safeway), there run out a man, and the man was extremely rude yelling at me like NOOO DON'T SIT DOWN, and GET OUT. Actually, I didn't visit this Safeway for about a year. The last time I had a similar experience. The only difference is that at that time there was no one in the dinning area, I found that when I went in someone set off fire alarm, and so I walked to outside for a few minutes till someone stopped the alarm. Then, I went in again, and the alarm was triggered again, and again for at least three times. (after reading some previous reviews, I noticed a pattern that it seems like as long as you're underage females then somehow you're allowed to use their lounge area. And in my last experience, those eight or nine white people are all underage girls. they were probably doing their group project over there. Also, guess what, I found that I'm not alone: "Had a very poor experience on my last visit to this store. The loud black guy who works behind the deli & hot food section is a total jerk who likes to go around and harass customers for no reasons.") I really don't see why we should buy anything from this unethical Safeway, and we should educate them stop being rude to ethnic minority groups. We deserve better than this in our town. read more

I came here years ago before the remodel. It's been about 3 years and this Safeway is really, really nice. Did I say really nice??? There is underground parking. You can either walk or take an escalator up in a well lit area. Once upstairs, you'll see that this Safeway is grand. It's not that local dinky Safeway anymore. They have a nice wine selection over other Safeways around. Plenty of space to push your cart up and down the aisles. The produce is fresh. There's a deck area to enjoy your lunch and a loungy fireplace area to warm you up. There is also a Starbucks located inside this location. What's nice about this location is that they also have a cart escalator too. It's a must visit Safeway again! read more

Safeway - The lounge area in Safeway; notice the fire place - Grocery Near Me - Los Altos, California

Downtown Los Altos is an upscale place. This Safeway has tended to be a bit shabby&used for emergency errands rather than regular shopping. Recently, they've upgraded things significantly. While the sole Napa Safeway is 24 hours.... not sure on this one. Its lot has tended to be small, awkward, with lousy drivers (hopefully the renovation has solved this) I remember this as a place where you picked up stuff as fast as you could... and left. Not a place for lingering. Unlike the Napa Safeway, they don't have problems with loitering&becoming a de facto campground. A more upscale place for where http://www.stevejobsthefilm.com grew up and invented Apple. Of course, you can get apples here. read more

What a great Safeway! Lots of upscale items and the selection is great. Gail, our cashier, was super friendly and courteous. Loved the second-story floorplan and the cart escalator. read more

Quite a decent Safeway. Excellent parking, decent selection, and reasonable pricing. Not as convenient as my local Castro location, but obviously it's safer, cleaner, and all-around-nicer in every other possible way. read more

Three self checkout machines freaked out on me. Made eye contact with two employees, no one helped. The problem clearly isn't staffing, there's enough employees around who didn't help. Fix your broken software, Safeway. read more

The pharmacy works pretty well. They honor GoodRx and even keep it on file (unlike Walgreens, which doesn't always honor it). They cheerfully arrange delivery (unlike Walgreens, where their automated system for that is broken). read more

Sick and tired of seeing their carts scattered all over town. Asked a manager about the retrieval policy and he said he didn't know. Ugh. Going on 5 weeks for a couple of carts near my house. SMH. read more

Safeway - Going on 5 weeks now. Safeway wow. I asked a manager about their policy on retrieving carts and he said he didn't know. Unreal. - Grocery Near Me - Los Altos, California

This Safeway is the worst! They sell expired products, everything from packaged soy beans to refrigerated cookie dough to baby food. Always have to check dates when shopping here. There is something missing with their inventory system, when they run out of items it takes weeks to restock, if they ever do. Checkout is slow!!!! Customer service is nonexistent! No smile, no greeting! Overall terrible experience! Corporate needs to get involved! I would like to add that they don't bag your groceries. The checker stands there as if the customer is doing something wrong when they don't start bagging their own groceries. read more

I have been shopping at this store many years and no matter what time of day I go into this store the fruit department almost always has old bananas, old and moldy strawberries, soft tomatoes, cantaloupes that are clearly deteriorating and apples that have SO many bruises! Also, many times, the bagged lettuce is beyond the expiration dates. I know since Covid Safeway is having an employee shortage but I see some of the employees just standing around chit chatting. For instance, several days ago after waiting for the checker to stop talking to his coworker and return to his checkout station that I was waiting at, he was also very rude! He should have been nice especially since my husband was doing all the bagging for him. read more

This is the most disgusting safeway i have been to. The tables are always dirty, there is graffiti in the bathroom and the bathroom itself is always disgusting and i can barely use it. Last time i had someone check me out that was so busy with the chatty bagging lady that i felt like i bothered them. I come here a lot to have lunch because its convenient but i always try to avoid it if i can. read more

I always like safeway, but the people in the deli for this store is very stupid and ignorant, and very lazy. They take forever to prepare something, you ask for something and they ignore you. I been there 3 time for lunch but I finally decided to do something about this guys. I don't recommend this safeway deli read more

There is never anyone at customer service. I waited for half and hour while other employees kept paging then. This store is not managed well and I don't feel like shopping here anymore if changes aren't made. The produce is fresh though. read more

Worst safeway deli sandwhich ever! I ordered a hot pastrami. The guy asked me 3 times what i wanted in it.. i told him lettuce,pickles onions, mustard and mayo.. after warming it up he puts the lettuce and onions on the sandwhich and puts the sandwhich together. I asked when do you put the mayo and mustard on? He does not say a word uncovers it and puts it on, then i remind him about the pickles.. he sighs and then puts them on.. wraps my sandwhich and gives it to me and just stares at me. Wth?? My bad for you not understanding a simple sandwhich order. Hector dont forget that you are there to service the customer and you need to get a new attitude. no napkins out or lids for the fountain drinks either. read more

Great breakfast burritos--highly recommend. The man making them was extremely rude and difficult and even had an attitude.

Not generally a fan of Safeway (too many processed offerings although it's getting better), but *love* this new one! It's more sophisticated and urban than other branches nearby, fantastic location in downtown Los Altos, and parking is easy. Neat cafe area with fireplace plus patio seating tucked away in the corner...perfect for a serene lunch. Tremendous improvement from the old eyesore from the 60s that used to be here! read more

Safeway - Cool cart escalator. - Grocery Near Me - Los Altos, California

A significant upgrade over the old Safeway. Safeway knows it's market, and they're tryue to that vision. If I want fancy-pants, high priced groceries, I go to Whole Foods or Draegers. If you want normal food, though, Safeway is the right place. Although others may be frustrated that the new store didn't upgrade the merchandise, I'm actually happy about it. Our town has enough places to go for high-end products. What we've been lacking is "normal" places to shop. The design of the store is great. Parking is at street level and the store is above. parking also includes bike lockers and bike racks, which is fantastic. A simple elevator or escalator ride takes you up to the store. The store is brightly lit, and the food is well displayed. My only complaint is really about the mid-store "break". This seems to be the favorite trick in laying out grocery stores nowadays. They stuff all the non-food items into the middle of the store. For folks who are well organized, it probably doesn't matter. For those of us who forget items across the store, it just lengthens the trip back and forth. overall, though- well executed, and THANKS for being willing to invest in our sleepy little town. It would have been easy to emphasize Cuesta and San Antonia as the nearest stores. Glad they decided to invest in Main Street Los Altos. read more

I love this Safeway! There's secure parking downstairs, elevator to take you up, and the store is super nice and clean. I'm taking off off one star because this Safeway has significantly less products that other ones. read more

Safeway delivery service is the worst of the worst. Again they confirmed a two hour window and after not showing up I waited another 50 minutes on hold to talk to someone who told me they just weren't going to deliver it and reorder for tomorrow. Are they kidding? I could starve before they bother to deliver anything. Forget them, its not the first time they've done this. read more

Currently working in Los Altos Hills. So come here regularly to pick up food from Boars head. The customer service is the worst ever. Would've thought at least be a little better for the area this Safeway is located. Food decent taste like it's been sitting for a while. Overall employees are the worst here. Elevators/parking lot are nasty. read more

Not sure if the workers here are aware of COVID-19 or the manager for that matter but today as soon as the store opened I witnessed a young man in produce eating a pastry and drinking Starbucks while arranging the tomatoes. Mask hanging off his face, eating and drinking, touching the produce then eating again. Not a care in world .... the manager was no where to be found so I was unable to let them know. I'm sure they have a break room? Completely unsanitary and disgusting. Do better Safeway. read more

The produce dept is Art and I really appreciate the marked down food ex specially the meat dept Just because it's LOS ALTOS doesn't mean EVERYONE is rich and can afford pricey marked up rates Sales will always be same in region but not the depts that hardly get coupons it's location location location !!! And being up in the hills and limited transportation this is my forced choice Only real gripe is too dark in areas closes too soon on weekdays (ordinance) if the elevators ever failed you got several stairs to think about read more

Been shopping here for over 30 years, tonight I went in for some spaghetti and sauce. Went through the checker, Gail, always helpful and great going through her. Paid for my food, and started walking towards the elevator, got stopped by a Isabel, asked me for my receipt, seriously? No, I just bought it and you saw me buy it. I refused, started walking again, her: show me your receipt, me: no! Go away! So, she calls over another guy, James from the deli. He asks me for my receipt, sorry no. Since when did you start asking for receipts, I asked the girl, she pops off everyday. Yea no, in my head I'm thinking, I'm here 3 times a week and you never, or has anyone else ever asked for a receipt.. continued to walk away and was harassed by Isabel by blocking the elevator door so I couldn't leave. I said call the police then.. I guess James was already in the process. $11 worth of food.. This is Los Altos, not the ghetto, wtf people!! Thankfully, Draeger's is close by down the street, might have to start going there. read more

Yes, Los Altos, where the rich live. This is the only safeway I've been to with an elevator and garage parking. I felt poor by all the nice things this safeway has, but I'm ok with just a regular safeway. I went on a Sunday at 2:30pm so parking in the garage wasn't much of a hassle thankfully. This is near dt Los altos too. Even some sections of the store were fancy like the wine areas! I walked by a glass collection of expensive wines by the pharmacy. I didn't browse around the deli area since I only came for snacks. Check out though, had long lines. Idk what was wrong with the self checkout......most rich people I've met in my life are downright snooty. Thankfully, people here are friendly. I give 2 for their fancy elevator/parking garage, friendly people, and 2 for being safeway. read more