Total Incompetence and dishonesty.........went in wearing an APPROVED CDC face shield and after paying for my purchase at self-serve, before I could leave an employee comes up, turns the register off and tells me I have to leave (without my purchase) because I was not wearing an approved face covering - which I subsequently verified through a phone call with CDC is approved. She would not let me take my purchase, yet after I left, completed my transaction so the charge showed up on my credit card today. I then tried to contact Corporate - IMPOSSIBLE - after 30 minutes of trying every number, I gave up. I then called the store -ABSOLUTELY no help. If Safeway (or thei employee) needed the couple of dollars so bad they could have just asked me for it! HORRIBLE!!!!!!!!! read more

Chaos. Really short of staff at the deli section and in need of help. However, the staff are nice and helpful doing the best they can which I can appreciate but I can't say the same for one of them that manned the bakery area. Long cashier lines during lunch hour and not just on a Friday when they have the 5 dollar specials. Even the express line is long. And don't get me started with the parking here - carts all over the place and what makes them think they have the right of way. If you like humor, this is the place for your grocery needs. read more

Friday night 9pm still long line one checkout open. Every time. Absurdly rude. I hope they can find more people to staff the checkout lines. I can't count how many times. Last time i shop here on Friday and Saturday night. Day time is better because they can put you to work checking yourself out. read more

I just want to thank the Pharmacy employees at this Safeway for helping me get my medicines replaced in a very short time. We think my medications might have been accidentally picked up or disposed of by hospice or another health care worker helping my sister in her final days. The Pharmacy staff was great and patient with my many phone calls......Judy Walker, Spring Creek, Nevada read more

I am so disappointed. After waiting for 5 days for delivery apparently my order was cancelled without them notifying me. I just placed another identical order. I have to wait 6 days for the first opening. Odd thing is that on this identical order they say they are out of stock on only one item. Shame on you Safeway. I have been a customer for years and this added aggravation during these tough times could easily be prevented. It may be time to take my business elsewhere. read more

I'm visiting a friend and house sitting. I went into this Safeway. I wanted to buy some farm fed salmon. I went back to the fish department and was helped by one of your employees. I asked if I could buy a piece of the Farm Fed Salmon...which was on sale. He said I could only buy a 2 lb. filet. I have NEVER been told that. I'm very a unsatisfied customer. I will be telling my friend about this horrible service. read more

Good place for basic groceries. The prices are good if u have a clubcard and buy items with club card specials on them - which are quite a few items ! The gas rewards are also nice, you get 10c off per gallon for every $100 you spend. for packaged/canned items, I usually drive over to Target as they are much cheaper , for fresh fruits and veggies, I shop at safeway. read more

Super convenient Safeway if you aren't trying to spend a lot on food in wine country every day. The Starbucks line in the morning is out the door which for me is a little odd but considering it is the only Starbucks in the area makes sense. We got some stuff we forgot at home, and the following day we got some super cheap gas before leaving read more

Currently the cdc and local recommendation is for everyone to wear masks at places like grocery stores and most in Safeway have them. However Safeway is not providing them to staff and while some have their own many do not . Given their exposure and spreading hazard this is a hazard to all. But reason I wrote this is employee at Safeway Starbucks not wearing mask then goes outside for smoke , then back in serving customers . No mask or gloves. Why does Safeway management not spend the $ to protect its employees and us shoppers isn't this the owners responsibility ? Maybe they don't think so read more

Wanted to order a cake for my mother's birthday. Tried phoning many times. No answer. Went in person to the market's bakery section. Saw people in the back. Called out to them. Many times. Ignored. They glanced at me. Ignored me anyway. It's a great market otherwise, definitely one of the best Safeway markets in the area, but their bakery section, in short, simply sucks. read more

I been living in Novato all my live. Been coming to Safeway since I can remember. I will no longer come to this Safeway again. Each time my twin and I come into this store no one never speaks to use the cashier never greet us. Self checkout very rude taller lady she never ever speaks or even smiles. Such an awful feeling that I just experience that I just had to share I'm sick of letting this slide by. I will no longer step foot at this Safeway! read more

The worst experience I've ever had in a store, I have been living in California my whole life been to stores all over the Northbay this is the first store that doesn't accept my metricular identification card, A card issued by the US government, you cannot get these fake you can get a California ID fake real easy smh but these YOU CANNOT ! They are scanned !! talking about they only can accept US valid IDs, if you look on alcoholdaddy.com look at all the valid identification as they can take and they are really just being picky since they wanted to sell minors alcohol back in the day I'm fucking 26 years old not having alcohol sold to me because of these unprofessional workers ! I asked for a store manager, and I ask for the policy on paper and he just kept saying oh it's our rule. And he owns the store! Couldn't even get his name because he took off his name tag. But he is Asian and the " manager " even if you're doing quick shopping I advise you to go to another store and let them get shut down!!!! And then he wanted to say if it had your height we can accept it, didn't even try to scan the card or anything! I asked multiple times to see the policy on paper, even called someone over who works in the alcohol justice program! read more

I appreciate all the staff here. Especially Norma who's always fast, efficient and friendly. All the managers are helpful and most of the checkers are super nice. The three stars are more towards the deli, except for Pat and Beau. Pat always seems to cover for her lazy coworker Allen. He's constantly pretending like he's busy, when we're standing there for help. Pat always picks up the slack, even though she's clearly really busy. I realize Safeway delis seem to always be short staffed, but I know when I'm being ignored. I work with several disabled clients and patience isn't their strong point sometimes. read more

Employees are curt and not helpful at all! Found fruit past its prime (moldy strawberries) still offered for sale. On December 7th they had Jennie O ground turkey with an expiration date of the 5th. To make matters worse it was turning color to brown and looked shriveled. The people in the meat department are dense. Could not wrap their head around Butterball dark and light turkey roast. Item had been sold by this department for years. Kept telling me all turkeys are dark and white! What makes it worse is the guy I spoke with English us his primary language!! read more

I have traveled all over the world, lived abroad, and lived on 3 Islands, I have never been to a more upscale 'regular' store. This Safeway is not equal to other Safeway's, This store just doesn't have the hip olive bar like every other new Safeway, this Safeway has a Nut Bar in the middle of the store, which is a very East Coast thing. Glass display case of nuts, (just like a See's candy counter) sugar coated nuts,savory nuts, salted nuts, unsalted, and warmed nuts......at least a selection of about 20 different nut styles. If Corporate Safeway reads this review, I would like to say...... Dear Safeway Corporation, I love your Novato Safeway. Why can't the Safeway's in Martinez be like this one? sincerely, A Martinez sNob Hill Shopper read more

BEST. SAFEWAY. EVER. It's like a COSTO without the membership. Let's see...what might you need? +Coffee-Starbucks-check. +Smoothies or steel cut oatmeal breakfast-Jamba Juice-check. +Organic Products-O Organic Safeway Brand-check. +Bulk food like at whole foods-check. Pictures coming soon! +Gas for your car not from beans-check check. Swipe the Safeway card for discount! +Flowers-check. +Fried Chicken-check. +In a rush-self check outs-check. Envision those at the super Walmart. Friend, happy people-check. Staff will greet you with "how may I help." Take heed Safeway's and Lucky's of the world-BE MORE LIKE THIS! On your way to Napa, Sonoma, or the 5, stop in here for everything you need. If you stay at the Marriott next door, skip the $10.00 breakfast and get what you truly want at Safeway. Just don't use the self checkout for produce-that's a freaking nightmare! read more

Out of all the Safeway's in Marin County, this one has to be the OMEGA! This beats out all of the other Safeway's In Marin because it has all lot of different things in it all in one. Statbucks-Yup Jamba Juice-Yup Bank-Yup Gas Station-Yup Hot Nut Bar- OH YEAH! Self Check-out-Yup There are so many good things to say about this loaction that no other loaction in Marin has. You will just have to go there and check it out for yourself. read more

Novato is moving on up! I live in San Rafael and travel up to Novato to do our grocery shopping ever since this one opened up. Here are my random words of descriptatorial verbiage for this place: Unsoiled Abundant Neighborly Expeditious High-Grade Scrumptious Beauteous Astute The placement of this store was definitely a power-play on Safeway's part. The rest of you grocery stores betta recognize! read more

The Safeway in Novato might be the most multicultural place in Marin, and I don't think that's a bad thing. Whether it's 9am or 10pm you get a bunch of different people going here for different reasons--family groceries, hydrating before a night of binge drinking--all sorts of awesomeness. And the people at checkout are either totally positive or so weird that either way it's a great experience. I love this place. read more

Update - I got horrible food poisoning from eating a poke bowl from their sushi bar. Never again. Eat their sushi at your own risk. I will NEVER eat Safeway sushi again, ugh. read more

This Safeway is completely mismanaged. Every single time I come here it is so poorly staffed, the lines take forever (Whether I use a cashier lane or a self checkout). Why is this store ALWAYS understaffed? I am not even saying that I came at 8pm or 10pm and was unhappy with the service, I am talking about PEAK hours when a grocery store should be fully staffed. Waiting in a checkout line for over 20 mins is completely unacceptable. Not opening more lanes while seeing people waiting that long is also completely unacceptable. One employee specifically has made my experiences at this location less than great over and over again and her name is Gina. The first time I came to this location I did a self checkout and the machine malfunctioned and froze up after it took my payment. She came over in a huff and said to let it restart and to swipe my card again. I said okay, but I wanted confirmation that the charge didn't already go through because I got past the last screen, I was just waiting for my receipt. She looks at me in complete shock and says "WHAT DO YOU NEED PROOF OR SOMETHING??" and I started to laugh a little bit because the way she spoke to me was so ridiculous and I said "Well yes, its called a receipt or a voided receipt and yes I would like one" and she told me Safeway can't provide those so I have to pay for my stuff and check my bank account later and call back to complain if I "must". I should have known after this visit that I shouldn't expect much from this store and its employees. read more

Lets be real, Safeway usually sucks. I will drive out of my way to avoid Safeway and go to United, TJs, or Whole Foods. Safeway's generic brand sucks ass, they hardly carry any organic products, and their premade deli foods are terrible. This new Safeway is better than a usual Safeway because: - BINS: Bins full of grains, dried fruit, treats, nuts, etc are a grocery shopping necessity because they allow for easy grazing while shopping. I eat out of these like I am a farm animal. Also when I go to the movies I love to load up on a few healthy snackies from the bins. - NUT BAR: I don't know why this is awesome, but it is. - GELATO BAR: obviously every establishment (even the pet store/gas station) should have one of these. - JAMBA JUICE: Aloha Pineapple bitch. - DELI SECTION: doesn't suck as much as the usual safeway but the food doesn't look that appetizing still. - GAS STATION: If you shop in the store you get coupons for 10 cents off of gas. read more

Even though I hate that they stopped stocking tortilla land tortillas (wink wink) I had to stop and leave a review for 1 cashier. I believe her name is Ardith. What a wonderful, engaging, personality. I was kinda over the day on a Tuesday and watched her interact with the guest in front of me. She was just beyond words with customer service. I didn't really interact much with her when it was my turn but she continued on just the same with everyone. Please acknowledge her and encourage others to model her commitment to service. Thanks! read more

Would give 0 stars... This is not for the specific employees working there, this is for the mismanagement, poorly staffing (by quantity not necessarily quality) this location during peak hours. HIRE MORE EMPLOYEES, waiting in line to check out doe longer than 15 minutes is unacceptable and a show that Safeway as a company could care less about the satisfaction of its customers. Today, 3 cash register lines are open. At 6pm, when most people are doing there shopping. The lines for these are 15+ people deep and no express line is open. DO BETTER SAFEWAY. You are stretching your employees so thin it's a wonder they all haven't quit read more

I justed wanted to give a shout out to a couple of employees who go above and beyond Amy who is always smiling I am handicapped and she found me a cart to get my meds , Christian who always says hello and very helpful, William the manager who when I couldnt find an item ordered it from me and called me when it came in. Keep up the good work guys read more

Yes they have DIESEL, fill up your truck before you head out of town, groucery shop in one stop! So nice to have these together. Easy in & out depending on time of day of course. Also food options to grab& go in the same parking lot. Safeway for the win! read more

Well, I think the sushi people do a great job, and this Safeway has an incredible amount of inventory. I always find whatever random thing I'm looking for, so that makes a trip here well worth while. But, it always seems crazy busy The parking lot intimidates me a little. Small spaces and folks with really big cars. Yikes. I find myself parking at the very end of the lot and getting some extra walking in my day. And...this is weird, and it may just be my imagination, but I seem to encounter a whole lot of Joey Tribbiani-esque "How You Doin" Dudes there...(and by the use of this reference, you can guess the demographic I fit into... Pretty much past the supermarket pick up age bracket, I'm thinkin' ) Has anyone else noticed this? I wouldn't mention it in my review, but it happens almost every time and I've started thinking it's some amazing reincarnation of the Marina Safeway, circa the '70s era! Trippy. read more

Yes I know, I am reviewing a chain grocery store. Deal with it. Safeway, you are killing me. You are pretty and shiny and new which is enough to bring me to your store against my will. But for starters your parking sucks. You made the spaces way too small so you could fit in a few trees for looksies. I would take my car not getting scratched by the car next to me or deal without the little old lady that actually backed into my car while I was walking out of the safeway for less nature. If I want trees I'll go to the forest. Secondly, the individual wrapped pieces of cake that speak to you the moment you walk through the door is an example of marketing genuis could do without. It took me years to learn to avoid the pastry section of the grocery store. So then you, safeway, feel the need to put it right in front of my face. Are you challenging me? I thought we were on the same team? And they are usually on sale..damn i love sales. Its bad enough you added the amazing incredible freaking gelato stand. I have finally just sucuumbed to the fact that I have absolute no self control when dealing with the gelato, particularly the caramel pecan. It takes whatever will power I have not to flip the top off and lick it while I am waiting in line at the self check outs. Why would you add the cake? My waist line hasn't suffered enough safeway?? I do like the self serve bins..I love getting just the right amount of flax seed or whole wheat pasta...good job. Just make sure there are no flies in them, thats happened a time or two. Biggest pet peeve, I can never reach the half and half. Seriously its like right before I get there ten people come and grab the ten closest and the last one is a mile back in the worlds longest fridge. So I instead of doing the super risky balancing act of reaching back to grab the half and half that is taunting me at the same time keeping my overfilled basket up I just buy the more expensive organic half and half. Not because I am super conscious, though thats a nice side benefit. Ooh, safeway, I know I know, How about you take the people that lost their jobs with the self checkout and post one of those people at the door of the half and half. You do get points for the staff. Like the older guy that works there and serves samples. He is so friendly. And the deli people that convince me I do need a sample of cheese while waiting for my pre-cooked chicken breast. I love that. Ok, I think thats enough for today. Its best in communication not to lay too much down at once. And safeway, don't be sad. I am not saying any of this out of malice. Just trying to improve our relationship. read more

I was born & raised in Novato & have shopped Safeway, along with other California chains for nearly my entire life. But for 8 years I shopped at Wegman's in New York, the model for premier supermarkets with a gourmet touch, and admittedly nothing here in California compares on quite the same level in terms of sheer selection, quality of food, and at the same reasonable prices. Safeway's customer service leaves much to be desired: flies everywhere inside deli cases crawling on food, pens & tags at bulk food bins are always out & meanwhile clerks always gripe to us about not writing the codes down (with what, may I ask?), sandwich makers that move at glacial speed while blabbing (I once waited 25 minutes for a sandwich maker to make 2 uncomplicated sandwiches --and then he forgot the cheese, so he wrapped it up separately & handed it to me--of course, it was all dried out & inedible!); now we go to the Safeway on Diablo if we want quick sandwich service. My latest gripe? I bought 2 whole crabs two days ago. Asked the fish counter guy to crack them and he did. But unbeknownst to us, he threw away the ENTIRE BODY of the crab, leaving us only with the legs. What did he do? Take them home & eat them himself? This is NOT standard practice and, of course, the crab was weighed in tact, before he cracked the shells, so we paid for the WHOLE crab. What a rip off. We're NEVER buying seafood there again & plan to return just to complain to the manager. read more

The high level management of this store needs a serious overhaul. Don is horribly inconsiderate, and the other store managers are incompetent to an extreme. I feel sorry for the lower level associates who have to work under this management, and sorry for the paying customers who have to endure the managerial staff. read more

There are not a lot of things going on here in Marin. So when Safeway plunks down a new, massive 60,000 square foot store complete with Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Signature Cafe and a Gas Station right in my backyard...I'm excited. This store was the answer to their problem at their nearby location in Ignacio: shut the place down and move into a larger venue closer to the freeway. Safeway did the same thing here in Marin back in 1986 when it decided to close its nasty location at the corner of Bon Air Road and Magnolia Avenue and move over to Corte Madera Town Center instead. Now, technically the store does not open until Friday, August 22, 2008 at 8am...I am already a fan from what I was able to see today (five days before opening). Minus one star because Safeway is not a great corporation, but I am sure they are ready to please with this Flagship Location. The store is part of a new shopping complex called Hamilton Marketplace, which resides on the former Nave Lanes Bowling Alley site. Also opening on Friday, August 22nd will be a Wells Fargo Bank and a Peets Coffee and Tea on the opposite side of the center. The rest of the stores will arrive in the months to follow, including Pet Food Express (November 15th), Sonoma Latina Grill (Late October), Toast Cafe, La Boulange, Verizon Wireless and many others. Who would have thought a Mega Safeway would cause such excitement? Well, it is Novato after all... read more

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Went this morning for soup at 8:45 and there was none i had to ask... As i ask i see the guy rolling the cart so i wait, and then to top it off no utencils or big cups for soup... I go ask again now for a container and realize the soups cold!! I adk to heat it up and they say we have no microwave... And to go the gas station to heat it up... Really safeway???? I threw my soup in the trash never had i had to ask for everything to eat read more

Hello Gelato!! This Safeway rocks! That is if you can manage parking and have a good sense of direction. So many yummy goodies I have never seen at safeways before. Jamba and Starbucks! A nut bar! what!?! read more

What ever happened to customer service? This morning was probably the worst I've ever had at a grocery store. I thought this was a 24 hour Safeway (The sign on the window still says 24 hours), but I showed up around 4:40 in the morning and the doors were locked. I saw an older guy working the produce section and I knew he could clearly see me, but he chose to ignore that I was standing out there for over 5 minutes wondering what was going on. I didn't knock or bang on the door because I didn't want to be one of those people, but jeez! He could have at least acknowledged I was there and let me know the hours of operation had changed, but instead I got nothing. read more

I am giving this Safeway a 5 star review because it is open 24/7, the employees are friendly, hard for homeless bums to get to because it is right off the freeway, there is always security, and parking. I like the fact that if I get off late from work and need to go grocery shopping, I can do so and feel safe. In the middle of the night I never have to wait in line. I can simply get what I need and go. I live in San Rafael and I go to this supermarket, when I have to. I also really like the strawberry location for all the same reasons stated above. read more

On our way to camping at Casini for the Thanksgiving weekend we used a new Apple Map feature that find coffee places along your route, cool! It found us a Starbucks and we followed the directions to this Safeway. Turns out the feature also finds coffee inside of other businesses. Good thing this in-house Starbucks was open, it way maybe 6:30-ish AM on a holiday so we were thankful! Service was fast and the layout of this store was big and seemed well maintained. read more

I walked in to grab a few dinner items. I move to produce and met an entire table of corn husks. Not one ear of corn. I then moved to seafood. No one there and could not find a staff member to select or ask a question. I then tried to find just one person not working at check out or Starbucks to help me find a seafood boil powder, again failed in my quest. I bought cherries and paid and left. The manager of this store needs to pay greater attention to the level of functionality in his or her store. Perhaps Novato residents are less discriminating. read more

Who hasn't shopped at a Safeway before? The extra feature of this place has Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Red Box, and Gas Station attached to their establishment. Beside the usual fruits, vegetables, cans, and milk that all supermarket has this place is tidy and clean. In the words for Forrest Gump, "That's all I have to say about that." read more

Having visited many a Safeway over the years, this would be right up there as one 'o the best. It's HUGE and very cramped with merchandise. In fact, for as big as this place is, it's kinda hard to move around with your cart because many of the aisles are narrow. They also put things (shopping opportunities of course!) in the aisles. That's meant to attract your attention and get you to buy it. But, it also means traffic jams. We were here just before noon on Saturday, their 2nd day. It was busy but not insanely so. They were giving away many free treats. We managed to resist until we tasted the Chocolate Chews. Yummmmyyyy! Very large organics choices in every section. The produce was abundant, and prices were reasonable. Of course, with Safeway card the bargains are even better. This place has lots of 'bars'--nuts, olives, cheeses...Very nicely displayed meats & seafoods. But...I won't buy that stuff here. I'll spend the extra $$$ for prime beef at Bryans. Anyway, overall a great addition to the neighborhood. As the rest of the Shopping Center opens there will be lots of great reasons to come here. Then, they'll need more parking and better traffic control/traffic lights. It's already a bit of a pain, especially if you decide to get Safeway gas on your way out. read more

I am generally not a fan of Safeway, but I have to say this particular store is a very good supermarket. There's a large selection of most things, and I'm very impressed by the growing Safeway Organics brand. Lots of stuff, and with pretty good prices. The best feature of this store, without question, is the row of self-checkout kiosks. I know that each one of these things represents several actual humans that are out of a job, but I love them nonetheless. Checking yourself out is as easy as can be and saves a ton of time. I've never seen a line to use self-checkout, but that will change I suppose, as every last checker is replaced by machines. Now that I've written this, I realize this Safeway has just depressed me a little bit by making me think that we are all ultimately going to be replaced by machines, but I'll still give it four stars. read more