Nice people... Bakery could use some upkeep...just got a box of cookies and their all stale. read more

I had a terrible experience at this Safeway. My friend and I were treated horribly because we are teens. We were watched the whole time by an older woman. We were picking out my ice cream and once we went to self check out the screen told us to wait for assistance but no one came to help. We waited for 20 minutes and people in front of us were helped and my friend went up to go ask for help but was ignored. When we went to another register to check out the same woman watching us in the ice cream section came over and asked what school my friend and I go to and accused us of moving the ice cream to the bottom row which we didn't do. While she was checking us out she told me we needed to talk for a little after we checked out. We paid then she asked for a camera as if she was going to take a picture of us,so we left. Worst Safeway I've ever been to and I'm very insulted by the way my friend and I were treated. update: I went back with the same friend and purchased ice cream again. On our way out the same woman who had bothered us last time asked for our receipt to prove we had paid for the ice cream. We told her we had paid for it but she wouldn't let us leave without proving we paid for the ice cream. My friend had thrown it away and we had to get the receipt from the trash! On our way out she grumbled something about how we need to learn to talk to adults like her which i disagree with because she was talking to us in a way she shouldn't have been. My friend and I were quite insulted. No other customers were asked to prove they had purchased their groceries. read more

Echoing another reviewer in saying can we PLEASE get another grocery store at South Lakes Shopping Center! I usually do all my shopping at Harris Teeter at the Spectrum Center - however, that's not always possible. I only go to this Safeway when I don't have time to go anywhere else and out of convenience (I live right across the street) and even then it is horrible. The freezer section is always broken with condensation and leaking, so they constantly have paper towels on the floor soaking up everything. I cannot tell you how many times I have bought something thinking it would be ok based on the appearance of the freezer (no condensation/no paper towels), only to get home and discover the item had clearly thawed at one point and then refroze because it was covered in freezer burn. The produce and meat selections are never fresh. Multiple times I've picked something up only to discover it is expired or will expire the next day! They also do not have a lot of brands to select from. There's usually only one person checking people out no matter the day or time of the week you go in there, so there's always a long line of frustrated customers waiting to pay for their items. They removed the self check-out a while ago so that's no even an option anymore. Once someone does ring up your items, there is usually something incorrect and it's conveniently always in their favor aka you've been over charged. I never have issues anywhere else I shop with price or sales not ringing up correctly. This place is just an all around hot mess and needs to go. read more

On Tuesday 5/5/20 I went to Reston South Lakes Safeway during Senior Time. All of the Safeway staff had on masks and gloves except for the store manager. He was walking around assisting staff and customers without maintaining six feet distance. I notice him when checking out else I would have shopped somewhere else. read more

I live across the street... this place sucks. The lines are just ridiculous since they removed the self check out stations and have like no cashiers ... last time it took me 30 minutes to check out and I only came in to pick up one thing. So frustrating, and it's always like this every time I come in. read more

Ridiculously long lines and skeleton crew staff since they removed the short lived self check outs. Bob is the only redeeming quality of this store. read more

DO NOT GO HERE!!! They have no self checkout lines so it will take you forever to get in and out... There's no such thing as a quick trip to the market here! read more

THE WORST COSTUMER SERVICE EVER! Every time I go in around 8 there is always a long line and one cashier open. The rude Asian women and the bald guy with glasses should seriously just find another job because clearly they hate the fact they are working in a supermarket. This place needs to clean house and get a new staff manager read more

Due to living approx .3 miles from my house I've been pretty much forced to go here out of convenience. However, my experiences have been so terrible that lately I drive to the Harris Teeter in the RTC just so I don't have to deal with Safeway's BS. I could write an entire book on every single mishap I've had here, but I'll just highlight the general things here for ya: 1. 9 out of the 10 times I go, I have to ask for a price correction on at least one of the items I buy. Is it really that hard for them to make sure their sales are accurate? Also, when I get coupons in the mail the registers won't even take them. 2. The place is never staffed. I've gone after work, on the weekends, and during the Super Bowl and yet I never see more than three cashiers max (no self check out btw). In fact, they have so few employees that they can't staff the customer service desk. The lights are off and the space is used for storage, which I think is hilarious. 3. The produce is sub-par. There's not much for selection, and often I find their produce to be wilted or bruised. Ew. 4. Haughty/dumb cashiers. It's either one or the other. There was this really nice guy once that gave me candy (kinda weird but at least he was nice) but I don't think he works there anymore. 5. Non-existent managers. When the cashier is making the inevitable price corrections (#1), they need a manager's approval if it's over a certain amount, so I end up waiting 10-15 minutes for one to come by. Once time a manager took so long that the cashier just flat out gave me cash out of the register. So if you're forced to go here, or really hate yourself and want to spend an entire afternoon trying to buy a gallon of milk, I'd recommend you at least check to make sure they're ringing you up for the right price. read more

They should employ someone whose full time job is to walk aisle-by-aisle and just check expiration dates of every item in this store. In a two month time frame I have purchased expired yogurt, expired Chips A'Hoy cookies, expired Indian-food sauce, overripe melons, and Deerpark water that tastes super-plasticky. Is this a roadside gas station or a full-service grocery store? A lot of the products are okay, but shopping there now takes twice as long since I have to run each product through a 5-point inspection process just to be able to put it in my cart. Purchase at your own risk!! read more

Would be a zero if possible. No more self checkout makes this place unbearable. 8 lanes and have never seen more than 3 open at once.

Worst Safeway ever. Long lines no matter what time of day. Closed self check out lines. Manager claims she can't find people to work there. Please close this location so another grocery chain can move in. The location deserves a top tier store. read more

This Safeway has changed a lot since I wrote my initial review. Employees are not seen lurking out front as often, for starters. Also, they completely re-did their wine and beer section and, if you go at the right time of day, the manager of the wine section is always in the aisle to offer advice or answer questions. For beer lovers, check out the super secret, hidden beer section in the back, right of the store. read more

I wish I had the ability to give this store zero stars. I come frequently for misc groceries and dry cleaning services simply because of convenience. I've always dreaded bringing laundry for cleaning as the service desk is unmanned 95% of the time I am there. I can understand not having staff at the service desk every minute, but to stand there and be ignored for five minutes or more is inexcusable. What really gets me is all the staff that see me there and go about their business, including managers. Tonight I endured 10+ minutes of waiting before I finally forced the issue. That was the straw for me. I will never shop at this store for anything again, even if I have to sacrifice convenience! read more

This is the closest grocery store to where I live, but I'm really hesitant to go here. They removed the self checkout stations and now the lines are super long and tedious. Wish they would stock more healthier and organic options at a more affordable price read more

Safeway home delivery is awful. The delivery is 45 minutes past the time window at this point and still is not here. The customer service rep I talked to on the phone was not able to give me a definitive answer on anything; she offered me a $5 credit and the opportunity to reschedule delivery. I stopped using Peapod for this same reason and will not use Safeway delivery again. It's interesting that the money has already been deducted from my bank account --They had no delays with that. I will not use this service again. The home delivery is as bad as the store. Now I remember why I stopped shopping there. When I called customer service, I was on hold for 20 minutes. I've just called back as my order is still not here and I've been on hold for 15 minutes. I'm going to cancel my order and drive to another grocery store for my food. read more

I wish u could give this place negative stars! This is not the first time I have had an issue here and I'm sure it's not the last. I wish the two safeways I have less then a mile away would close down and bring a grocery store close to me that actually cares. My issues today: 1. No one in the store knows where any thing is. Simple frozen chicken tenders. Come on! 2. The cashiers are more in tune with talking to Each-other than the customers. Great customer service. 3. The manager was very intent on saying have a good weekend to his associates while he was leaving than the lines forming behind them. 4. There cashier was slow as hell! 5. And this is the worst part. I had to explain to the cashier why I wanted a new box of baby formula and chicken after he bagged them together. Really??? Raw chick can kill someone. Yes he formula I purchased was in a box, but that doesn't stop bad things from getting in there from raw chicken! I'm so pissed at this place. If you buy raw poultry, and want to live don't go here. I worked at a grocery store before and we spent about 5 hours learning how to fucking bag groceries. And I'm not going to talk about how he put a card in a bag with beer... Yea that card will survive. Oh and by he way when I asked for a new box of formula and chicken he was very fucking rude. read more

This Safeway is the WORST. Let me put it this way since actions speak louder than words. I'd rather drive 3-5 miles to the north side of Reston so I can go to rival grocery stores in Spectrum Center and North Point Plaza. Since I live less than a half mile from this sorry excuse of a store, I find myself going here more than I'd like, especially when pressed for time. My experiences are not based on 1 or 2 visits, but many over the course of 9 years. Lines. Everyone on this forum mentions the lines. It's true. This is the worst I have ever seen. Always understaffed. I wonder why store designers built 8 or 9 lanes when 2 and 3 are the typical staffing amount. Stock. Always out. Forget sale items. I know there is a Safeway in Upper NW DC that is called Soviet Safeway. The South Lakes store is giving a good run at that title. Staff rude. If you're lucky they're silent so you do not have to endure the rudeness. The one exception is Bob. He is great, friendly and knowledable. They ought to make him manager. Staff Lazy. If you are lucky enough to come across a rare species known as store employee, don't ask for help. They either don't care or don't know. Another time, my wife was looking at flowers. She found one she liked but noticed some dead leaves on the other size. She asked the worker there. The response was sometimes hanging the flowers that high puts the flowers closer to the heating vents and sometimes dry them out quicker. Plus they are harder to water. Translation: too lazy to bother. Recommendation: use the local florist located a few stores down in the same strip mall. Produce. Hit or miss. Sometimes you find some decent stuff. Sometimes I'll see fruit flies and fruit bruised worse than Rocky Balboa. Avoid the watermelons simply because those are hard to determine freshness. Far too often the ones we have purchased are mealy. Deli and Prepared Food. Tired food.The same unimaginative potato salad and cole slaw. Go to other grocery store chains for a real selection real prepared foods. At Safeway we see the potato salad, comeback 2 days later and see the same serving only the edges are crusty. Nice. Bakery. Inexplicably closed on Fridays. Why close on a day that starts the weekend when most people have parties? My wife ordered a birthday cake. The person failed to decorate as requested. It was blank. Of course, that person was not in that day so others had to do it on the spot and added even more time to the trip. Frustrating. Self Check out. They have none. Stuck in the 80s. All the other area grocery chains have them. Not Safeway. I asked them why. The answer was a rude blurt, "Job killers." Never mind the fact that I see more checkers at their rivals in North Point and Spectrum Center yet both have self-checkout AND more checkers. My response is if automation is so bad, then do they use EZ-Pass or ATMs? Lack of self-checkout is a combination of indifferent management and militant unions. Dated food. I bought Children's organic milk in the paper box. It was out of date by a 2 WEEKS. On 3 occasions, I have picked up gallon jug milk past expiration. I came across a loaf of bread that had so much mold, it was more green than white. I am not exaggerating here. It was that bad. I brought it to the attention of a checker. He acted annoyed and blurted out that this is the bread delivery company's problem since they stock that shelf. Maybe so, but the average customer does not know which shelves vendors stock and which one Safeway does. In the end, this is a Safeway store and it's up to them to ensure product quality and freshness. Dry Cleaning. They lost my shirts the 1st (and now only time) I used them. Besides, a Caitlin C said, the customer service area/dry cleaning counter is usually dark and used for storage. Once in 5 years I have actually seen a person there that didn't require tracking down. You're more likely to find life on Mars then in this section of the store. Recommendation: use the dry cleaners in the same strip mall. Quality service and I'm in/out in 3 minutes. Innovation. Not in the Safeway lexicon. Not only do the other chains have had the aforementioned self-checkout for a dozen years, but the the Northpoint Plaza rival chain also has the portable bar code reader. When unused in conjunction with self-check out, I'm usually at the checkout for 20 seconds. Safeway? 20 MINUTES. Also, its rival has different types and sizes of carts. I've seen the double decker hand carry carts and a cart that takes a traditional wheel cart, cuts the length in half and makes it two tier. Safeway? It's like the 80s. Never trying anything new. Not bothering to look for ways to improve the customer experience. AVOID THIS STORE read more

Friendly staff, everything stocked well, they keep lines moving. Don't listen to haters, this is a solid store with everything you could expect and more. read more

This place needs to be shut down and most of the staff needs to attend customer service training. Don't ever buy deli from the case. Have them slice it fresh for you and even then--make sure the meat or cheese has not been laying out on the counter. Perhaps one of the most depressing stores I have ever been to. The best part of the store are the self check out lanes so you don't have to deal with cashiers who think they are doing you a huge favor. Stay away. Go to Harris Teeter. Shop at your own risk. read more

This Safeway never seems to have more than two or three cashiers working at one time so it takes longer to check out than it does to do your grocery shopping. I can think of many other better ways to spend my time than waiting in line at a Safeway. read more

I don't go here unless every other option is out of the picture, then i will force myself to go to this store. I don't buy enough to know whether the products are good or bad, but the customer service received from the cashier every single time i go here is so bad. read more

Great staff! Great Prices! I was trying to buy some deli meats and this helpful young man name Jack gave me such great tips I made this account just to yelp this store! I gave him a joke in return and I have never seen such a happy man. 100/10! read more

As many other people have mentioned, the lines at this store are ridiculous. Please, please hire more cashiers! I have never gotten out of this store without waiting in line for at least 10 mins. One day, I needed peanut butter, I walked in the store, took one look at the line that was 20 people deep, and I turned right around and walked out of the door. I didn't need peanut butter that badly! read more

The long lines continue! I'm not sure why they did away with the self check out but the experience here is terrible.

The worst Safeway store in The US. SLOW; never enough cashiers; no more express self check out and now it seems the small carts are disappearing. No manager on duty at night either. Unfortunately it's the closest grocer to my home. Every day I have to pop in it seems for something and every day it's the same no matter what time it is: consistently 5 to 8 shoppers per line waiting; slow cashiers as if they are in a semi coma and often empty shelves of common items for weeks. read more

Surprisingly terrible grocery store for such a high volume area. They recently took away the self checkout lanes so now the already insanely long lines are even longer and the poor staff is so overwhelmed. Can't even tell you how many times the freezers & meat refrigerators have been out of service and therefore empty. The staff are all very nice (the only reason why I gave two stars rather than one), it's a shame that Safeway management isn't doing a better job of making the store a viable place to shop. read more

Attention Safeway regional management: this Safeway store continues to be mismanaged. The store manager needs to be seriously coached on proper staffing to meet the number of customers in the store. Lines are absolutely unacceptable. Staffing of the store needs to be overhauled! Location is perfect, but management is awful. read more

We found some accidentally-vegan Safeway-branded products here that were quite pleasing: crumble cake cherry and apple pies. Also, glazed, handheld, calzone-like pies à laTastykake. There is a decent clearance section that rivals the Giant's at North Point Village Center. The lines used to be notoriously long here, but lately when I visited I never had extraordinarily long waits. read more

I made my last trip to this store yesterday after more than 25 years of multi-week shopping for my family of five. It has become much too frustrating--the lines are ridiculously long, the staff are untrained in basic cashier skills (e.g., how to scan the meat label), and in common courtesy. I ran to the market to pick up a few items on Friday---there were two check stands open, each with about 12 customers in line with filled carts. I had 17 items and the cashier refused to let me go through the EMPTY 15 item express line. I had a choice of waiting for 20 to 30 minutes for the lines or go to another store--I went to Giant and will transfer my loyalty there even though it's not as close to home. The store shelves frequently have empty spaces for out-of-stock items. The freezer aisle is often leaking with dirty rolls of paper towels and rags in place to sop up the mess. Even the deli quality has dropped--many of the salads look like they are days old--yuck! It's very sad to see these changes when this store was once a bright, cheerful location with happy long-term employees who knew us by name. Not any longer. read more

I've come to learn that at any Safeway location I'll encounter a sub-standard customer experience - whether it's a dirty store, poor quality produce and meats, or bad service...whatever it is something will ensure an unpleasant experience. This location does not suffer from the bad customer service at other stores (actually the checkout clerks I've had at this location were personable and efficient). What this location suffers from is a more insidious problem: fraudulent pricing practices. Time and time and time again this Safeway location's advertised prices do not match what you actually pay -- and in almost every instance the amount you pay is MORE than the advertised price. This isn't just an occasional price discrepancy you sometimes encounter at a grocery store, this happens on EVERY visit to this Safeway location. As tedious as it sounds, I've started documenting the advertised price and comparing it with the charged price at checkout for every visit - and in just the past few weeks that has resulted in a rather staggering amount. Safeway has been sued (and lost) for fraudulent pricing practices in the past. This kind of fraudulent/negligent pricing is an easy tactic for the store to use as it takes advantage of customers either not really paying attention to the subtle price switch, or not wanting to deal with the hassle of having the overcharge corrected. More egregious is this location has a significant number of elderly customers who might not be aware they are victims of this fraudulent pricing tactic. I'm compiling documentation along with a list of ways to report this Safeway location to oversight authorities/consumer groups/local media who can fine/monitor/spotlight this Safeway for their fraudulent pricing scam (and any store engaged in these practices). I'd warn anyone using this location on a regular basis to start monitoring what the advertised price is with what you are charged (better yet, avoid this location and probably Safeway in general). It may not amount to much on one trip, but it will add up fast if you shop here on a regular basis. read more

The South Lakes Safeway is right around the corner, so it's very convenient for me. But.... it's only OK -- as in meh. The cashiers are generally unfriendly, with the exception of one or two. The food is pretty run of the mill -- you can't get fancy cheeses or other high-end products. The wine selection isn't bad, and there are some good sales on their wine. But the freezer section -- especially for the ice cream -- hasn't worked right in YEARS. You can tell that some of their frozen items have defrosted and then frozen again. Why can't they fix that? And why do all the cashiers hand you your cash and three sheets of receipts and coupons at the same time? Yeah -- the only thing Safeway has going for it, is convenience. When I have more time, I go to Harris Teeter. When I have a lot more time, I go to Wegmans. Now that's a store worthy of a full 5 stars! read more

As others have mentioned, the checkout lines are not well-staffed, nor is the service counter. I'm not expecting Whole Foods here but they lack staples I often buy like organic bread and 6 pack eggs, and what they do have is way overpriced ($6 Silk Soymilk!?!?). One of my items rang up incorrectly (scanning errors happen pretty much every time I go here) and when they did a price check, the lady didn't look carefully at the barcode and said the price was right. I marched over to the aisle and pulled the sticker right off the shelf, documenting the incorrect price. The staff can't even do a proper price check. I'll keep going to this place just because it's close, but I wouldn't advise others to shop here. read more

I dread going into this grocery store, because half the time I spend in it is standing in line, trying to get out. On the unfortunate occasions that I haven't had the time to drive elsewhere, I've stopped here. Each time I hope it might be different, and each time I'm disappointed. I've found Safeways to be more expensive than their competitors, but the other stores I've seen make an effort to be worth the extra $ you pay for with fresh items, a varied selection, and an effort to maintain a pleasing presentation. This store appears to be coasting solely on its location and captive audience. Watch out for abandoned shopping carts in the parking lot. You'll often see an associate or two taking a break at the picnic table and pondering the growing collection of carts left outside. The produce selection is often meager. You'll be digging through bruised or moldy items to try and find what you need. I don't buy meat or seafood here -- doesn't appear trustworthy. The deli foods look old; the olives are always mushy and over-salted. The check out lines are interminable; I've never seen more than two or three lanes open. I've seen associates refuse to jump in a lane to help check out customers when lines get ridiculously long; they'll kind of walk by like they don't see either the customers or their fellow employees. Management of the store doesn't appear to notice either the abysmal state of produce / deli / check-out lines. The location is convenient if you live or work in the area, and a few of the cashiers are excellent (including Bob!), which are the only things going for this Safeway. If you're in a pinch and are only looking for commonly used things, this store might work. For your more general shopping trips, it's worth your time and sanity to go somewhere else. read more

I shop here only because it is so close to my house. This place has to have the slowest checkout lines around. They have about 12 registers but I don't think I have ever seen more than a maximum of 3 ever open at one time and I shop there 3-4 times a week. Express lane? When it is half way down the frozen food isle I don't think you should call it express. Why they haven't torn out half the registers that they never use and put in self-checkout like all the other major stores have is beyond me. If they don't want to add staff, then at least let one staff person run 4 self-checks. You could spend as much time in the checkout line as you would driving another 5 miles to different store. Staff is very friendly and helpful, but management is horrible. I keep hoping the place will go out of business and real grocery store will take its place. read more

I see that many of my fellow Restonians have already voiced their frustrations over this lousy excuse for a grocery store! Ditto on the 100% accurate reviews by Denise, Gig, Lindagrace (too generous with two stars), Will, Gregory.... My house is about a 1.5 minute drive from this Safeway and I refuse to do my heavy shopping here. It's HELL (can I say that?) at this Safeway. The produce sucks. The seafood sucks. The bakery sucks. The deli sucks. The employees could care less about their customers. Oh, and the worst of all nightmares, the check-out lanes will always, ALWAYS be LONG. Very, very rarely will I stop in to grab necessities and only if I absolutely have to. This is, of course, after a prolonged internal debate about how bad rush hour traffic would be to get to Wegmans versus shopping at this Safeway. Yes, for my heavy shopping, I drive 20 miles out of my way to the Wegman's in Sterling because their store, their goods, and their customer service are exceptional. In fact, in every category, Wegmans has Safeway beat. Hands down. So how do we boycott this Safeway and give another grocer a chance? Anyone? Do we need a petition or what? It's time to kick these losers out of our neighborhood. read more

I love the safeway for u program saving me up to 1.00 off the gallon. Sometimes they just give me free things based off of what I buy. Last week I got 60 cents off the gallon and a free 6 pack off toilet paper! The store is very clean and the staff is always very friendly and helpful. Wal mart beats the prices by pennies but if you fill up on premium like i do it definitely evens out. read more

I try NOT to use this store because each time I go there I get frustrated. It is almost impossible to get assistance, I have no idea where the employees are-I rarely see any except at the cash registerers. Today I needed a few items but was surprised to see only ONE cashier open, and this one open registered has a few people in line with large carts full of groceries. The only other option was the self-check out which also had long lines! It took about 20-25 minutes to wait in line, scan and pay. I find this ridiculous!! Please consider having more employees available to help and more registers open. read more

Why do I come here? They recently did away with all the self checkout lanes which makes no sense because they never ever ever have enough staff to keep more than 2 or 3 regular lanes open. I'm currently waiting in a line so long it's halfway down the frozen foods aisle. The only redeeming thing about this store is Bob, who's worked here forever and is always pleasant. read more

Terrible...they used to at least have self checkout so you could leave quickly. Now they have removed those stations and there is never enough staff present... So you can be there at midnight and still wait in a checkout line. What I would give for another grocery chain to come in and buy them out so that at least some decent products with decent wait times could be offered to South Reston. read more