What a strange, strange Safeway. The highlight of the place is that the first level of the building is the parking level. The only part of the "store" on this level is the staircase and elevator. Otherwise, I think the store takes up the entirety of the second floor. The elevator has a huge car that can fit many people and shopping carts, but it took a long time, both to be called and to move, when I was coming and going. It was only when I left that I noticed that there are actually two entrances: the one I used near the middle of the parking lot and the one farther north. When you come up from the central stairs/elevator, it's as if you're inside any other Bay Area Safeway. Besides customer service being right next to this entrance, nothing else would alert you that you've floating over all this parking. Like almost every other Bay Area Safeway, the layout is both familiar and slightly different. You'll generally find the bakery and produce sections on opposite sides, but beyond that, everything is just so. In this store's case, all the cheese is in a regular refrigerated aisle; in most stores, it's along the back wall. It's one of the few Safeway stores that hasn't added local street names to its aisles. That was cute at first, but now that seemingly every Safeway (and at least one Vons in SoCal) has that--and some of the names are misspelled or have the wrong street type--I'm over it. Aisle 3 can just be aisle 3. It doesn't have to double as El Camino Real. I was shocked at how few people were in the store on a Saturday night. Because of this, I barely had to wait in line for checkout, and I was downstairs at my car pretty quick. The checker did a pretty poor job of bagging, but it wasn't atrocious, just wrong. I happened to be returning some canned goods here when I came. When I got to customer service, a woman was arguing her point about some discount she received in addition to WIC or some other need-based debit card. Two different customer-service people were standing there listening to her argument, and even after they had each explained to her three times the different options for resolving her issue, she continued to argue. That's fine, more power to her, but I don't understand why one of the customer-service people couldn't start providing me with customer service. When I finally did speak to the younger person, she didn't know whether they would accept my return, and she had to wait for the other person to confirm that they wouldn't accept my return. For some reason, Safeway doesn't accept returns after thirty days, even with a receipt. These were canned goods that didn't expire until 2028, but a policy is a policy, I guess. I ended up leaving the cans there, because I didn't want them. When I left the store about a half-hour later, the cans were still sitting on the customer-service counter, untouched. read more

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I moved out this way and have been doing curbside pick up with Safeway in Millbrae since about August. The last two visits have been straight miserable. Last visit I ordered chicken breast and got chicken breast with rib meat which has happened a few times and I finally spoke up since that is not what I'm purchasing. But today was by far the worst experience from customer service there personally and over the phone. I placed an order for 85$ at 130pm. ETA was 3-4pm at 256 I got the alert it was ready. I showed up and they said the new girl messed up and needed and extra 20 mins. An hour later and we're like where are our groceries. Another girl said let me go get it only to comeback and say the "new girl" gave it away. Now I have been on the phone for over an hour trying to get them to fix my order again. And all they want to tell me is I will get a refund and to wait 7-10 business days. How does that make sense? Why do I need to wait for my money when all I wanted was my groceries. Guy on the phone said it's beyond his control whether my kids have something to eat dinner with or not. He said Safeway Millbrae isn't answering and he is not representing them. Wild! So wild! I guess for a service that's supposed to be convenient they are not. Just get out and get your own groceries and avoid dumb people giving away your food. I legit wasted 4 hours waiting to get an order than no one wanted to take responsibility for messing up. read more

I've been doing pickup through the app lately, but whenever I do go inside, the store is always nice and clean and the employees are friendly. The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because a lot of times I'll come for an app pickup and there are cars parked in the pickup spots, even though they're not picking up orders. I wish there was a way to enforce that those spots are for app pickup only. Some people just don't seem to care. read more

Had a terrible interaction with a staff member at the self check out. I needed help with scanning a product while she was helping a customer next to me. I already noticed she was very impatient with the customer. Then she glanced my way and stared at me. I told her I needed the correct code and she mumbled something to me. I didn't understand and asked her to repeat. She finished with the other customer and came to assist. I said 'Thank you', yet she made a rude comment directly to me. I've never had this experience. read more

This is usually my go to Safeway in the area. Plenty of parking. Usually most items are in stock. I did recently find out the macaroni salad that was $5 sale on Friday was already expired by 2 days. I guess that's why the pre made salads are on sale.next time, I will check the expiration date. The customer service desk is usually always empty and you have to go ask a cashier for help to bring someone over. read more

I love this location, like the food products and vibe of it being upstairs, but I have a complaint... I saw this one manager and she was doing some questionable actions, even my child saw... She groped another employee and it seems forced and uncomfortable. Please look into this management because it has happened multiple times I have been there to different people. This will not happen in my area. read more

Safeway - Pickle section! loveee - Grocery Near Me - Millbrae, California

The gal who works cust.svc. was rude. I picked up 2 Gift cards and when I went to the counter, she had been on lunch, walked by me and said "too bad, its time for me to take care of me" walked over to the lotto machine to buy lotto tickets! I understand she was at lunch but she could have stopped to say that nicely and that and say that anyone at the checkstand can help me. She was rude and not customer friendly. read more

I had an incredibly frustrating experience at this Safeway location involving a defective product. I purchased a bottle of wine that had a faulty seal; it leaked all over my car and other groceries before it was even opened. When I brought the 1/3 empty, defective bottle back for a return, I dealt with Chrischelle at the customer service deck. Her behavior was completely unprofessional. She was immediately defensive and actually shoved my receipt back at me. Even worse, she tried to mislead me by citing "ABC laws" to claim she couldn't refund a defective item--which was untrue given the circumstances. The "Defective" ABC Exception: Under California Business and Professions Code Section 25600, a retailer is permitted to refund or exchange an alcoholic beverage if the product is defective, spoiled, or unfit for consumption. A leaking bottle with a compromised seal falls squarely into this category. Despite acknowledging the product was faulty and that I was within the return window, she remained rude and refused to help. I eventually had to file a credit card dispute, which I won easily because the bank agreed the item was defective. Save yourself the headache and go to a store that actually stands behind its products and treats customers with basic respect. read more

You know you're in an "area" when EVERYTHING is locked away Push the button for help and wait forever Th e staff are lacking all motivation. What a depressing site read more

Will not honor advertised amd tagged sales price when digital wallet accidentally shows wrong price. Not because it was inaccurate, just a lazy salrs person and manager. Totally embarrassing situation i never should have endured. Won't ever ask for digital coupon price again (warning: you also don't get digital coupon unless you add the coupon to cart after clipping it - safeway trick to also not honor couoons but irrelecant in this case), and also never go to this Safeway again. Anyhow sad I had to share my experience seems par for the course at this location based on "1 Star" as the most common review.. Amazon Fresh delivery wins again. Also refused to give me the $5 price guarantee credit since item rings up higher than posted. You have a lot of other grocery options in Millbrae. ....and I can't tell you how many times I've seen elderly people struggling at the cash register here only to have the checker pretend to not speak English or tell them they they're doing the app wrong. SMH read more

Safeway - Only rings up as $1 off and refuses credit. - Grocery Near Me - Millbrae, California

Quality/Quantity - Came here for a last second birthday cake for our guest since our restaurant offered free cake service after our dinner. See Rin Tei Yelp Review. Limited selection, I chose the one that I felt my guest would enjoy the most. And it was a hit!! Chocolate with fresh strawberries. Atmosphere - Good size location. Has all the departments, including fresh sushi, see pictures. The fresh sushi cases were twice as large as most Safeways. Also has a Starbucks. Open 7 days a week from 5am to 2am. Large parking lot, but crazy busy at this mall. Too many big box brand name companies that share this parking lot. Service - Today free liquor samples. I did not try as it was way too early in the day. I know, can you believe I said that, lol. Had to flag down a few employees to finally get someone to write Happy Birthday on the cake we chose. Price - I think I paid almost $30. Reasonable price. Well for all the positive compliments that I got, it was worth it. LOL. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1915 with your 904 locations in 17 states. In 2015, Albertsons purchased Safeway. read more

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Nice store. Deli was overwhelmed but not too bad: some excellent deals. Number One was a three salad + one roll deal for $6.00. So smart! Gives customers a chance to sample. Not so great was the Friday $5/lb chicken wings. If you like cold, fatty wings, this is your destination. I'd have probably loved them if I could have re-cooked them to my taste (almost burnt). Oh well. read more

Safeway - Grocery Near Me - Millbrae, California

Love their Asian buffet and wing bar. Always fresh and tasty. Great job Safeway!!!! We need a selection like this in Turlock read more

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I encountered very rude and terrible customer service from an associate that I found out was the manager, Cindy. She was not helpful and acted as if we were bothering her. read more

When will they get their act together it's been 3 weeks now that the escalator has not been fixed. The store is over parking yet for 3 weeks this store has had no way to get food out of the front of the building WHY? They care very little for the people who shop here. Are u guys in bankruptcy or are u just terrible people who care nothing for their customers Plus there are many times I come to the store and try to use the application to get discounts yet the program does not work when I am in the store. I was actually told by a checker to use the site at home. Really what kind of solution is that when I am looking for discounts in the store. She said it with a straight face and would not give me the discount on the item I wanted to buy oh I am sorry is all she could say no wonder I go to Linardies most days more expensive but much better customer service read more

I wish I could give this Safeway zero stars. I needed last minute food for the baby and rush to Safeway and made it there at 11:54 pm. The sign says close at 12:00 not 11:54pm. The employee would not let me in to quickly buy milk. Makes me feel like it was more important for the employee to get to go home 5 minutes early by closing the door before the actual closing time. So disappointing. read more

Safeway seems to always have better bargains than the Nextdoor grocery store. My wife and I always see random great deals such as these cranberries. read more

Safeway - Cranberries are for sale - Grocery Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Good for digital coupons, decent parking, although sometimes depending which day and time you come, it can get busy especially if they have only one cashier line, but the self checkout can be either out of order, or have a lot of customers. The $5 deals on Friday are sometimes available as early as 8am too for things like the $5 ribs or sometimes the 8 piece chicken Regina the morning Filipino cashier is always nice too everytime I go, and to other customers as well even if it's early in the morning (7amish) read more

After Halloween, the store had a rack of Halloween Candy on discount. There were a number of bags of one particular candy. So I picked up a bag. When I went to ring it up at self service, it was listed at full price. When I pointed out to the checker in charge of self service, that the candy was on sale. She disputed that it was, 'someone must have just put it on the rack' 'it's not Halloween candy' I pointed out that there were a number of bags of this same item on the rack, to which she said nothing and walked off. (I might note that at Halloween I gave out this identical candy.) Really? Yes, its a small item-but it says a wealth about the level of customer service. read more

Pretty much the best deals , esp. with how expensive everything is these days. Friendly staff - the cashier Mario is nice and helpful, service with a smile! read more

I appreciate that this Safeway has 'extended' hours compared to may others (5 am - 2 am versus 6 am - 12 am). Lots of parking (but watch out for other drivers; lots of cars going way too fast or way too slow, and going after parkinkg spots like their lifeboats off of a sinking ship). Everything is clean and well-maintained, and the shop is well-laid out. It's interesting to me that everything is on an upper level, especially since there is so much land compared to other Safeway locations, and where in those cases the store is on the ground floor, and auto parking is on the roof. However, the escalators have been working whenever I shop here, and I believe the elevators have as well. With the typical store and parking configuration swapped, the store itself seems to be of an average to smaller size than other Safeways. However, there is still plenty of selection to be had, and during the recent annual corn sale--6 ears for a $1--it seemed like they were able to keep a steady supply of restocks coming. read more

Go here if you need a place to stand around and be ignored. Stood at the deli for 10 or more minutes while employees just glanced over and never checked in. When I finally asked if the deli was open for sandwiches they shrugged me off and said someone would be there shortly as they continued to help walk-ups who were there after I was for the hot deli stuff. read more

I brought 2 packs wing with stickers of buy one get one free but the store manger will not honor it. I am so mad and frustrated read more

Safeway - Grocery Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Thank you Safeway for the necessities and stay open when I needed it. Restroom needed some TLC but still, I survived. I stopped by for nature's call. So, I shopped a little bit afterwards. Starbucks has few items that interested me. But I went to deli section to get a quick bite. The store was clean and inviting. I didn't interact with cashiers at check out. So, my overall experience was pleasant. The parking garage is really convenient, especially it's right across from USPS. read more

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3.5 stars, pretty standard Safeway. I like coming here more than the old fluorescently lit Luckys in Burlingame. Pros: - holiday decor is the best, way over the top. In September they already had dueling Halloween and Christmas decor up - huge parking lot and good nearby shops that are walkable - overall good selection and relatively large space to roam - pharmacy has been great for vaccines Cons: - produce is hit of miss -- some good deals and quality, some outrageously high priced basic items - ready to eat food can be hit of miss -- we like the California rolls and inari sushi - there's often a line for check out (both self and service), usually not enough cashiers open - not clean, lots of dirty corners full of dust read more

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I used to be a regular at this Safeway back when I worked in Daly City and San Francisco. This is a very convenient location that is located in the heart of Millbrae. You can take the ECR bus here and go right into the store. People from all walks of life come here. Sometimes I see coworkers here and sometimes it's full of natives who are trying to stock up on groceries or it could be some librarians who want to take a snack break. I got numerous drinks here that fit my tastes here and it's a good pick me up before I went to work. Service here by the employees is a little better than my local Safeway. Drawback: If you are not getting drinks I recommend caution because the quality of some items can be a weird. Don't go for the cake slices they are super bland. read more

The prices are crazy. And they lower them to only too high if you are a "member". But the checkers are amazing and kind.

The store manager, and the assistant manager are extremely rude They talked back, they don't care.

On any day (even Wednesday when the sales are in effect) you will find only 1 checker and no baggers. But in every aisle, employees seem to be stocking the shelves making it hard to get down the aisles with your grocery cart. There must be 9 check stands and the self service area but again, only one checker - this store sucks. You're better off at Lunardi's or Trader Joe's. read more

So if you have a basket full of groceries and aren't parked in the garage area your cart won't go pass a certain point and when you ask for help to get your groceries to your car they don't have anyone to help you. This didn't happen to me but to a lady who I saw was stuck because her cart wouldn't go past a certain point. I told her to bring her car over as I watched her cart and we could load up the groceries so that's what she did. They should have staff available to help those who need help as she clearly did and not just leave customers who spend good money at your store trying to figure out how to get their groceries home. read more

They overcharge me almost every. single. time.. They are taking advantage of elderly people, especially since they aren't as savvy with their app. My father just got back from there and they overcharged him for *SIX* of the 10 items he purchased. This is a regular occurrence. They have an overly complicated mobile coupon situation that requires you to add each individual coupon that you want to use. Just put the items on sale and stop trying to bait and switch people! If anything, I don't understand why they don't just have an "add all" feature for the coupons on the Safeway app. It's so time consuming walking around the store on my phone like a clown adding individual coupons when i'm trying to just get in and out. Adding all of the manually before you go is tedious. They're usually understaffed with checkers but the self checkout lines have helped somewhat. The staff making the sushi are really sweet. I think I'm officially done with Safeway. I will only go here out of convenience but I recommend buying what you can get from Trader Joe's and going to local produce markets, target, walmart, costco, amazon etc for things you can't buy from TJs. Absolute trash company with piss poor customer support online. **Again, check your receipt EVERY time you go here because I guarantee they WILL overcharge you over half the time. Always in their favor. read more

Still a 2 stars. I have not shopped at, nor will I shop at, this store again. My husband occasionally goes there after the gym so I get the updates. We are taking our hard earned money to Piazzas in San Mateo for great customer service and the excellent produce. read more

This Safeway is not the best. I do want to say I really do appreciate the sweet employees who go above and beyond for their customers. I had a sweet person Mario, who try to help me find seasoning and he tried to ask his manger and she was being very rude to him, and all he did was ask where the seasoning were at. Yes, she did get the a seasoning for me in the end but I really didn't appreciate how rude she was being. Yes, a lot may be on your plate as a manager but remember to be kind to your employees because you don't know what they go through when they go home. Thank you. read more

Sometimes It feels as if Im an employee here or something, im always in here. They have a large selection of items compared to other Safeways and the place is fairly well stocked and cleaned. They don't have as many "deals" as others I've noticed. But they're open late so that's a plus. I'm constantly buying Strauss milk and Strauss Yogurt and the particular location where the Yogurt is - the handles of the fridge has been broken for months it's literally a struggle to get the yogurt. How the employees haven't checked, noticed and reported it to maintenance to get fixed is beyond me. Other than that most of the employees are very friendly the stock guy literally went deep searching in the back for the particular yogurt I wanted since theres was none on the floor. However there's one Asian lady with long hair I always avoid. She's unpleasant and has attitude even when you're polite to her. After scanning all the items she rudely asks if I want a bag .... and when I tell her yes she literally just throws all the items in there with no care whatsoever. If I wasn't a better person.... but I digress. read more

The prices here are higher than most other grocery stores so I only shop here for items I can't get anywhere else. They do have plenty of parking but note that there shopping carts won't let you go beyond the parking lot right next to their building which can be a real problem if you park too far out. They do a lot of price juggling where they try and make the shopper feel like they are getting deals. I have scanned coupons before and had them not work at the register. They are conveniently located and I like their self check out. read more

It was hard to figure out how to enter this store. Once we parked in the indoor parking garage, all of the signs we saw say, "Please use other entrance.. Thank you." But there were no arrows on any of these signs to indicate which way to go. So we checked a few doors that all had the same sign of using another entrance, before we finally figured out where to go to enter. When we finally found the entrance, there were a few people waiting 6ft apart to enter. It's also an exit, so we waited for someone to exit before the next person entering could go in. Immediately once you enter, there's an escalator and stairs to go up into the store. There are signs on the entrance door and on the floor to remind people to social distance. When you exit, they have the carts only area so the cart can go down, and the escalator for people. And there's a return carts section in the parking lot. read more

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I like this Safeway. Lots of parking, very clean, good selection. Just stay out of the bathrooms. Not good.

Growing up in the Bay Area, Safeway was a reliable store. This was many years ago, before Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. After many acquisitions, it's now owned by the Lucky/Albertson's chain. And the same low quality as Lucky's. I was going to Dean's produce, so stopped at Safeway in Millbrae to pick up some meat for dinner. It's great to get a little exercise by walking up the stairs here. Imagine my surprise when I saw so many empty shelves. Where's the beef? I took 2 photos of the empty meat areas. All of the beef available was steaks that I did not want. This store has serious staffing issues. Normally I use self-check, but the lines there were longer than at the cashiers. I think the regulars know better than to go to the cashiers. The cashier hit total before she had scanned all of my items, and also before I had finished entering my club card. She had to get help from numerous employees before a supervisor arrived to correct her error. The supervisor scolded her in front of me and told her she should not have errors like that in her second year on the job. I agree, although I felt she should not have said it in public. read more

Safeway - At noon Monday meat is missing - Grocery Near Me - Millbrae, California

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Wonder if they sell POKE? Coming from Toto's Pizzeria (I know you read that review), I needed to grab some drinks. I could go to 7-11 but this two stories building stood out. Sure the first floor is just parking stalls but the SAFEWAY sign just dominates the building side and compels me to go in. There are three entrances but two are secured for Covid restrictions. And after taking the escalator, the a huge floor space just opens up. Fun fact: The average grocery store sell 40,000 items. This Safeway ain't average and it's row and rows and rows of stock shelves can back me up. There's a deli and bakery and florists like the other Safeway's. And to my surprise the seafood section sells POKE (excited). Just one style of salmon POKE (not excited). This is a great place and if you need some off the wall grocery item chances are it's here. Overall four stars. Plenty of stocked items. Parking is great. Prices are high but a club card knocks it down a little. Now excuse me, I got a pizza to eat. M read more

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It is nice to see that Millbrae Safeway is using compostable produce bags - well done! Would it be possible to bring back paper grocery sacks (they are nice for at-home composting) or a more eco-friendly option. I mainly shop at a less convenient Safeway because they have paper bags. read more