No understanding of very basic Covid safety. I made three trial trips (quick, & walked out) over three weeks and saw multiple Safeway staff & checkers not wearing masks, masks down at the neck, or covering only the jaw but not the nose or the open mouth when speaking. Every time I have observed 2- 3 staff taking their masks off in the aisle when they thought they were alone; last trip I saw 2 checkers & 1 stocker wearing only open face shields. I spoke briefly to each the manager about the need for well-fitting masks, but he just wanted me out the door. Sadly, the face shields will not protect the checkers from anything other than a direct sneeze and shoppers are faced with aisles of staff who have been breathing all day in the store without masks. I can only assume that Safeway central instructions are vague or meaningless but good management could improve this locally. Safeway as a chain rates far below Trader Joe's, Rite Aid, Lucky's and Andronico's in a recent "Covid compliance" published rating and I sadly see it is true here in Monterey. Good stock & friendly staff can't make up for an indoor environment without basic precautions. I feel sorry for the staff that are working there and will not return. read more

I live within walking distance of this Safeway and would rather drive to the other side of town to go to the other one. They don't carry much here, they are over priced and most of the people that work here can be rude. Lines are always ridiculous and the parking lot, though bigger than trader Joe's, has issues with how customers drive and park. read more

Meh, as we all know lines are a function of the times you shop. As far as checker-tude, haven't seen any, quite the opposite. Place is small however. read more

First time I came in everything seemed ok. I didn't get a good look at the store. This time I really didn't enjoy my shopping experience. This Safeway is very small. They place items in an awkward way which had me walking around to whole store looking for things. The Safeway prepared guacamole had lots of chopped onions that were over powering and I was chewing on them in every bite. Their cookies were stale. I guess it's ok if you need some supplies but I will try another grocery store next time. read more

I know you don't really go to a grocery store for the customer service but geez the employees here looked absolutely miserable. The had what I needed so that's what counts but still, the Safeway at The Crossroads is so much better. read more

Let me tell you how much I dislike this Safeway, so much so I would rather drive out of my way to use the one in Seaside and mind you I live in PG.... This palace never has enough checkers and the majority of them are inept. The Starbucks in this Safeway is also most unpleasant, the staff doesn't listen to your orders and most of the time they have just one Barista, I mean come on, this is the only Starbucks in PG and the locals don't want to patronize the tourist laden one on Cannery Row, there is also "MANY" times I have gone in and there's note on the register that the Espresso machine is " out of service" ! Okay so I personally think a lot of the time they just don't have enough staff to make Coffee.. Some might feel I'm really focused on " Starbucks " but the employees are cross trained and work for Safeway as well and I have never had a problem at free standing Starbucks. read more

1 out of 3 times I would end up buying expired products at this store, from moldy cheesecake, to yogurt that passed expiration date by 2 months. If you shop here, you have to be very very very careful, make sure to check the expiration date on everything you buy. I was in a hurry yesterday, so I ended up buying a box of Belvita cookies that expired 3 weeks ago. Unbelievable. read more

i have always love safeway, but not sure i'll ever shop in this store again. With a full shopping cart including 8 gallons of water, this disabled vet with back problems was pushing the card around the sandwich isle/display and the cart wheel locked up and stopped me in my tracks jarring my back causing spasms. The floorman started to explain how the cart lock works (like i'm an idiot, i know how it works) i just didn't know it was that sensitive and locked INSIDE the store, after releasing the wheel with his device he continued explaining how the system worked and NEVER ONCE asked if I was okay. I should called 911 and filed an accident claim, i just might be contacting a personal injury lawyer after posting this. I went to check out moving slowly and gingerly and explained what happened to the cashier who was kind enough. She also stated the system does that and never once asked if I was okay, so I told her I wasn't. and would have to go home and treat it myself. What happened to care and compassion in this world for anyone, especially the disabled or older person. read more

At first I thought everyone was just leaving a bad review cuz they were having a bad day. But seriously, one line?? Awful, just awful.

Lines are always horrible and the cheeks don't seem to care. It's a small store and 20% of the floor space is taken up by an unused Starbucks..., I hate coming here. read more

I agree with the others... they could use a tip or two about customer service... but for some reason I feel like the younger employees here are more alert and attentive v.s. the older ones.... that's just from my personal experience over my last few visits. read more

After reading some of the other reviews here, I see that I'm not the only one to receive horrible service at the deli counter. The deli is poorly stocked. There were only two pre-made sandwiches that I could find, and the counter itself has a very small selection. I've been to other Safeways that have far more to offer. Now, the service. I was looking specifically for egg salad but didn't see any. After a few minutes of me standing there, the man at the counter asked if he could help me. I asked if they had any egg salad and he sarcastically replied "Do you SEE any egg salad?" Keep in mind that I've been to that particular Safeway maybe once before. I'm unfamiliar with that store's layout. I don't know what they carry, whether they have additional offerings in a refrigerator behind the counter/in the back, or if it's something that's there and I am just not finding. That's why I asked. Taken aback by his rude attitude, I just sort of fumbled for words, and said something like, "No I don't see any, but I just wondered if maybe you had any more pre-made sandwiches somewhere or anything..." (Some places get pre-made sandwiches in shipments, therefore they might carry something in their extended deli selection that they don't necessarily make on the premise. With that in mind, I don't feel like my question was ridiculous. Although the clerk sure made me feel stupid for daring to ask.) After that the clerk mumbled that he "didn't think" they had any pre-made egg salad, but he didn't seem to know for sure and he didn't offer to check. Then he said, "We have chicken salad." Ok? That's not what I was asking for. At that point I walked away. I heard the clerk calling after me, "So no, then?" Hmm, let me think...Do you SEE me wanting to buy anything from you after you treated me like an idiot for asking a simple yes or no question? And you know what? I actually was planning on getting something else if they didn't have my first choice, but after that service I decided that I didn't want to give this store any of my money. I don't even care that they didn't have what I wanted. It happens, it's not the end of the world. But the clerk's attitude was totally unnecessary. Whether or not he thought my question was dumb is immaterial. You don't treat customers that way. I won't be going back to this location. I can get better sandwiches and better service at the Trader Joes next door. I wish I had taken the time to look at his name badge. This happened around 3:30 on 9/3/14. read more

Is this where the burned out, bored or rude Safeway checkers are sent to die-- like an elephant graveyard? Thank God for the remodel, but it's just a bandaid on a store that seriously needs some good customer service pep talks. I come here for a couple of things, but choose to give Trader Joe's the majority of my business. Since I don't "do" Starbucks, I bypass that new area entirely. Otherwise, I go to the Canyon Del Rey locations that has MUCH better customer service. read more

Went there to get some food and some champagne. While I was in the alcohol aisle a group came up to me and made a joke asking "are you even old enough to buy alcohol" I replied "yes I'm 21" the group continued to talk as I left. An employee named Zach was in the aisle over and rushed to the check out clerk to tell him not to sell the alcohol to me. When I presented my ID he rudely said "make sure to swipe it" and the pushed the clerk out of the way as he grabbed my ID and did it himself. After swiping he told me "your ID is invalid" I replied by saying that my ID was real but he continued to say that it was not. I told him that if he wanted to call the police that they would be happy to verify that it is a real ID, he continued to say that I was underage and was very rude and hostile towards me. Zach was a very rude and very disrespectful employee. The only reason that this bothered me was because he was so hostile about it and because I doubt he actually tried my ID. read more

I live just down the hill from this store so I prefer to shop here because it's convenient. I usually shop late to avoid the crowds because this store is so small. I've been shopping here for a long time and it is kind of frustrating because they don't have as much variety as other stores in the area. They are often out of the things I want and even don't carry some at all because of lack of space. I understand that and will usually settle for my second choice or just go without until I can find it and buy it somewhere else. However, tonight was even more disappointing than normal. There was one thing I wanted because they had a coupon in their add for it, but the clerks said they didn't carry it. I think if they have a coupon for something they should make sure they have the product in all of their stores or not put out coupons for them. Also, I wanted a head of iceberg lettuce but came home without it because there was not one decent head in the eight that were in the section. My final thing involves customer service. As I said, I go here a lot so I know late night process. Usually they have a light on at the checkout they are using and you know which one to go to. There was no light on so I looked for the one with the squeaky toy. I went to it and as I normally do, I unloaded my cart and I then squeaked the toy when I was ready. No one came after waiting for a few minutes so I squeaked the toy again. I heard someone say yes or something so I knew they heard it that time. So the clerk walks up and just says "number 4" and walks down to it and stands there waiting for me to put all my items back in the cart and then wheel it down to where he was. I don't know. To me that is horrible customer service. I was a grocery clerk all of my life, over 40 years and Safeway was my employer for ten of those years. I get it! I worked graveyards before and I know that it can be tiresome running back and forth while stocking and trying to get things done but that is part of the job. You still need to be cool with the customers. It's not their fault Safeway doesn't want to schedule more people to make your job run smoother. If I was the clerk that was working tonight there are things I would've done differently. First of all, I would have greeted the customer with a "hello, how are you?" or maybe "hi, thanks for waiting." Not just walk past me and mumble "number 4." The next thing is when I saw that the customer had already unloaded the cart, I would have helped reload the stuff into it and taken it down the the other check stand. Especially because there was no light on letting me know which one to go to and then the squeaky toy was at the one I went to knowing that is the usual routine. Then on top of it all, I get home to find I was double charged for an item. it was only a $2 item but this is not the first time it has happened here. Anyhow, that's it. I've been going to this store and settling for less for ten years but I'm starting to think it would be worth my time going to the Canyon Del Rey store. I will get all the items I want most of the time and better service too. It seems there are different clerks here lately. The ones I used to see, I haven't seen in a while. They were always very nice and helpful no matter what time it was. Maybe it's just the way of the world but customer service is not what it used to be. It is unfortunate but I'm going to change where I shop. It's worth a little extra of my time to go somewhere that I can get all on my list and get treated nicely too. I've settled for less long enough. read more

This used to be a good Safeway, but the management has put profits over people, and so there are long lines, etc...they also put in a Starbucks rather than modernizing the store, which was not too smart. The people who work here are great...the business, not as much. You can tell they are cutting corners at the expense of their staff....and customers. read more

This Safeway has come a long way - nice remodel since the last time I visited! Starbucks coffee shop upfront, same friendly associates, cleaner store. Selection of items is still somewhat limited, but this is a small store. Produce was fresh and reasonably priced - big plus for me! Nice wine selection for a small store too. Convenience can't be beat. Well lighted parking lot. If you haven't tried the kale salad from their deli, you must! It's delicious. read more

Just has the worse experience at the deli here! Mona the deli manager was rude and took 30 minutes for 5 sandwiches. She even started making them without asking what we wanted on them and got upset when we said we didn't want something. She also lied and said that the 3 minutes to make or sandwich is free thing wasn't going on and that she trains her whole team to just make the sandwich and not ask what the customer wants on it. She then ignored us when we tried to talk to her. I went over to the Starbucks and let Renee who was working there know how bad the service at the deli was. Kico the manager of Safeway came over and helped resolve it. If it wasn't for them being willing to listen and help I probably would never of stepped back in that store. But I will never order from the deli if Mona is working. Totally unprofessional even for a sandwich maker. read more

Journeyed from Fremont to stay for the weekend. Forgot some bread. One checker for entire store of six shoppers in line on a Saturday and two baggers??? read more

The worst checkout guy / man on the shorter side,very poor attitude/ started by saying a very rude comment to customer before me /then proceeded to argue with me instead of solve problem / I asked to speak with manager and he claimed it was him / managers solve problems not create them / if so / upper management must know this man needs to reprimanded ASAP! read more

This store really deserves ZERO stars. Never, EVER enough cashiers, and the store is sooooooooooooooo inferior to the one on Canyon del Rey and the store at Rio Rd. Scrappy service and the smallest Safeway you'll ever enter. read more

I went online to find the phone number for the pharmacy....and started reading some of the reviews. "C"monnnnnnnnnnnnn man!" ---they're not that bad. I've always found the store convenient, efficient-by and large, and friendly. Some people need to take a chill pill. read more

This Safeway is the worst grocery store I have ever been to in my life. I recently went to this Safeway with only three things on my list- basil, bean sprouts, and limes. Note that these are not exotic items. The woman in the produce department informed me that they had NONE of these items and also told me that they did not carry ANY organic produce. No organic produce, at all. She told me to try the frozen food aisle. What a joke. read more

The meat department staff at amazing . They have a great manger in this department very helpful . Love to buy from them I buy the meat and they cut it for me very good as I want they make it very nice . read more

I only come here for items I can't get at other "local" spots. The prices are ridiculously high and the produce quality isn't consistent. The staff is friendly and the store is clean. It has lots of parking and located at a light, so it's easy to get in and out of the parking lot. read more

Feels too small and the workers are not very polite. I would prefer to go to Trader Joes which is just a few feet down the street and I can get a whole variety of healthier and exciting food with a good staff. read more

This deli is appalling the staff stares down each other rather than trying to help you. The actual food is great and maybe the week day staff is better. The are always huge stacks of boxes impeding the employees? Just terribly organized took 12 minutes to make two basic sandwiches. That was after the 4 minute staring contest. read more

If I can give it ZERO stars I would have. Simply this place can be characterized in the following statement, " Over priced, Dreary, understaffed, non existing selection, and they careless about customer service attitude" Save yourself respect and go to Savemart instead. read more

YELP needs the rating that indicates it's best to stay away. The Safeway in Pacific Grove has empty soup pots burning, dried up kale, half empty shelves, and there's not a smiler in the store. In An effort to assist a friend one time who was very ill (at the request if my friend) the pharmacist got irrate and dragged her in the back room and refused to allow me to support her; she was so sick at the time she was unable to recall or remember any of the instructions that had been given her regarding the medications she was given. After shopping yesterday I looked for the manager to have a discussion with how sad the state of affairs was in the store and the big sign on the office said we have no customer service today! that was really apparent! Just a half a block away on the same side of the street is Trader Joe's, you're far better off spending your money down there. You will still have a couple of bucks left over and you'll find everything you need with friendly shopping. read more

While I've been a loyal customer to other Safeway stores in the country thanks to great customer service and consistency in advertising/pricing, this location felt dirty when I entered it. The "I'm outdated" structure planted the idea... and the cramped, narrow corridors with poor lighting reinforced the idea... and the mystery-stains on the old floor emphasized it even more. Those were my first impressions, and it's always better to get beyond first impressions by becoming a repeat customer. So I did. What I found was although the floors got nicer after a renovation, the employees had indifferent attitudes on the floor and weird behaviors behind the register. Not too big of a deal as long as the products are legit and the service is quality. Products were legit, but unfortunately the service was not quality. I learned this store used deceptive advertising techniques to advertise products at lower prices while ringing them up several dollars more than posted. I didn't catch on to this until several shopping trips later, when the charge for the meat was almost double the price on the tag next to the product. I contacted Safeway's customer relations department, which informed me it "consulted" with the store's management who informed the CR department that all the pricing was fair and consistent. Maybe I made the error, I figured--it happens. So as a reality-check, I took a photo of a product/price during my next trip. After completing my purchase, I looked at the receipt, and then I looked at the iPhone pic. I just got overcharged by several dollars again. I followed up with a polite refund request to the customer relations department, which replied that they value the principle of quality service, can't speak about the situation, and would I contact the store's management directly. The way I see it: if they do this to me, they are doing this to everybody, over and over and over. Hey dirty PG Safeway, the service at TJs is so much better, and no fake pricing there. read more

I said I'd never go back, but today I decided to give the place a second chance. I hadn't been in since it was remodeled and wanted a sandwich. I noticed right away that the customer service hadn't changed at all, they still didn't have enough cashiers for the rush of customers at lunch time. The cashier ran out of ones and so there was a wait while she got them. I was really thinking, 'Well, I gave them a second chance and it's gotten me nowhere' but then something amazing happened. The cashier fixed the issue of the missing ones herself, got the person ahead of me through quickly, and apologized for the wait. She even went above and beyond what I would have expected anywhere and really made my day. It's nice to see an employee like Mary who sees a need and fills it and even goes beyond the expectations. I'll still be wary of future visits, but at least the store has redeemed itself a bit. read more

I have visited this location twice since my previous review, and it has been my (more recent) experience that the message was received, and acted upon in terms of customer service. Including my visit yesterday, it was a DRAMATICALLY different experice. Every employee I saw was personable. This is not a place I can speak with as much experience on the stock issue, since it is not normally a place I would plan a full shopping trip. They did have what I was looking for, though. read more

This is the worst Safeway I have ever been in. It' trashy looking inside, you can tell the employees are treated poorly, and the check out lines are horribly long. Please, please, please... get some more check stands open! We are trying to pay you money. The last thing you want to do is piss people off in a check out line before they pay you. read more

Super packed and a tiny store with only a few checkout lanes open. Just so crowded you cant even shop. Employees nice though.

I've never been disappointed by this facility or the staff. Not sure what everyone is talking about. Wish they had a bigger selection though and the store could be a little better organized. read more

I always regret coming to this store. It is tiny, the produce is terrible (selection and quality), and the clerks are rude!

I'm not sure when some other reviewers went into the store, but every time I've been to this Safeway (about once a week) the staff have be friendly and very helpful. read more

Don't come here if you're in a hurry or looking for a big selection. It's small, and the staff move as slow as molasses. I guess that's just the way of life in Pacific Grove. Glad this isn't my local Safeway, or I would go insane! read more

Every other Safeway I've been to was a better experience than this one. Although, the employees who are there- are extremely knowledgable, helpful and diligent, they simply do not seem to be fully staffed to meet the needs of the store. This particular location seems to have the least amount of variety when it comes to selection in every department. I went there this weekend to purchase meat and produce for the Labor Day Weekend, and their selection was incredibly limited in the meat department! I was so disappointed. One perk about this location is that there is always adequate parking and it now has a starbucks. read more

The lines are insane! I go here only because it is convenient on the way to work and my house. They don't seem to have enough people working here. The produce section is lacking by far. Can anyone find me a lemon (non-organic, just one?)? read more