As a visitor to the area looking for take home food to combat the pricey restaurant food, this was a good option near our location. The rotisserie chicken was juicy and hot. The premade potato salads were also good. The deli counter has a large assortment of salads and casseroles, the ones we tried also good. We also did the chicken pieces and sushi. These were also prepared well and tasted good. The service was interesting. It appeared that the workers didn't want to be there, and answering questions was not a part of their job. We rolled with it, no big deal. The grocery store itself was well stocked. I was not accosted at the door. I did not see any disturbances. I was able to use the self checkout each time without any issues. Our family arrived around 5 pm or later each day we were there. read more

It's a nightmare! We call it the un-Safeway in the neighborhood. There are always people accosting you at the entrance asking for handouts. Customer Service is aggressively rude. I counted five employees chatting behind the deli counter with no customers and when I tried to get their attention by saying "excuse me", I was yelled at and told "you want somethin, you gotta show some respect". I hate that this is the only grocery store on my neighborhood. They updated the store itself a few months ago but that was lipstick on a pig. NOBODY in the neighborhood wants to go here but it's all we have. For now. read more

Great and convenient grocery store as it's right by metro stop and it's an easy place for navigating to find food. It has been improved a lot since two years ago. Service is average. People are friendly generally. Vibe is just fine like any other grocery stores in the area. read more

this Safeway is a full sized grocery store in the middle of the city, which is amazing. there are other large grocery stores close by but this one is closest to sw. it has everything that a suburban grocery store has. it also has lots of security. there's always security guards in the front and in the isles. unfortunately, the fresh food quality isn't always there even though there's lots of variety and quantity. sometimes the fruit is not super fresh. the meats section is small and not the freshest. I can only speculate but I think because not everyone who shops here buys lots of fresh fruit and big packs of steaks, that stuff goes bad quickly and they don't stock it in abundance as a result, maybe because not everyone who shops here can afford that stuff. not sure. The frozen food section has lots of variety. Even has that Halo ice cream if you want a sweet treat but not the calories. They have a great baking section, spices, Asian foods, Hispanic foods. big cheese section and dairy. their eggs are crazy pricy though. they even have a large discount section. like a whole section with discounted products like cereal, beauty products and health products. This is a union store. what does that mean? I'll tell you. the employees are union employees. they are not like regular employees. I once had to ask the service desk for a cake I wanted to buy. the deli employees refused to get it for me, even though they work right there behind the counter. they were like, "no, I can't give you that cake." I'm like," just hand me the cake. I have money. I want to buy the cake." and they were like, "no I'm not going to give you the cake. I can't." This is because (as it was explained to me) the deli employees are not allowed to touch the cake as per their union contracts. which I get, you organized and negotiated a sweet contract, so you don't have to do the work or another department. but dude, just hand me the cake. you're not going to break your back by giving me a cake. so that's it. This grocery store is ok. not as bad as the reviews make it seem, but it definitely has some character, and characters in it. SW DC, show you right! read more

Lived in SW for almost 20 years and this grocery store is awful! From the harassing and/or high people at the entrance, domestic disturbances just inside the door, "security" that serves no purpose, can never find a basket, self-checkouts are limited because shoplifting is an issue but security doesn't do anything about it. This could be a great store and I hope the new manager does something about it!! Until then - I'll go somewhere else! read more

I go to this Safeway merely out of convenience. They do a good job of keeping everything stocked. But the thing that makes the experience so bad at this location is the security following only black customers around the entire time while trying to shop but never doing so to people of other races. I just want to overspend on overpriced items in peace like the other customers who happen to be non-black. read more

It's cool place. Very convenient to where I'm working now. Staff and and security do the best job they can. Lots of poor folks shop at that store. If you got some money, leave some in the tip jar. read more

Poor customer Service. Buying fish was a nightmare today. I was looked at as if I don't belong there. read more

If you want to buy a product that's locked up, don't even bother trying to buy it. None of the workers want to do their job and will tell you to go somewhere else. Shopping carts are left wherever a lazy customer leaves them, even if in the middle of the way. Coming out of this grocery store always leaves you with a headache. read more

Purchased some flowers today and they are pretty and fresh! The florist worker assisted with cutting the stems. She even wrapped them in plastic with a little water at the bottom. She mentioned she added the water just in case I wasn't going straight home. read more

Safeway - Flowers - Grocery Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Had a delivery hiccup this morning and management at this Safeway on 4th street intervened and resolved it. Under Steve's management, it feels like our neighborhood Safeway is working out all the kinks. It looks great inside, there's lots of security and it's well stocked. With Steve at the helm, maybe his example with elevate the level of customer service for the whole team. read more

Hands down the worst super market I have ever been in and I've been in some pretty dicey 3rd world markets. This store is filthy, under stocked, staffed by employees who just don't care. It's an insult to the community who relies on accessible grocery shopping. I was absolutely shocked by what I saw. Dirty, half empty shelves, filled with empty containers of food that were eaten and thrown back on to the shelf or on to the floor. Broken beer bottles / puddles just left on the floor by employees. Given the lack of cleanliness at this store, I wouldn't buy anything other than pre-packaged non perishables here. Based on other reviews, this has been going on quite a while. Safeway should be embarrassed. read more

Safeway - Broken beer bottles ignored by staff. - Grocery Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Sometimes I wonder if the store is on the verge of being shut down. First off I always have a constant battle with the parking garage. Sometimes the ticket validation works and you can leave with no problem. Other times they send you back upstairs several times and you look like an idiot having to back up in an exit to get your ticket revalidated instead of just checking your receipt to show that you did make a purchase at the Safeway. If you do park in the garage, there's always an overwhelming smell of garbage, trash and pee which wafts up from the vents and the fans, and somehow permeates the main level of the store. You can even smell the garage from out on the street. If you decide to park on the street, which is rare since they're hardly has any parking, you have to navigate around all of the random folks hanging around as well as the police to get to the entrance of the store. Sometimes they have the door locked sometimes they don't. I think they're going through a remodel because everything seems to be in a different place every time you go and a lot of the times the essentials are not stocked so you and end up having to go to another store. The problem with this is that there aren't a lot of stores in this area, other than Safeway and Harris Teeter, and potentially Trader Joe's so you're left with minimal options. The prices in the store also continue to keep going up further, which is a real let down, but this may be due to constant theft. They even have went as far as to install gates at the exit to the self checkouts where you have to scan your receipt in order to exit. I am only starting to go here if it's a dire need. read more

UPDATE: 10/8/24 This store has undergone a major transformation (don't know how long it will last, but I'm cautiously optimistic.) The produce department is the best it's been in the last 10 years - beautifully arranged and well stocked. Whenever I go in the store there are staff filling the shelves. Hope this new trend continues. read more

While the selection at this Safeway location leaves a lot to be desired, the standout feature of this store is the pharmacy and pharmacist. If I could review them separately, I would give them a glowing 5-star rating. My Filipina girlfriend and I have had great experiences with the pharmacy staff here, who are always helpful and professional. That being said, the rest of the store's offerings are mediocre at best. The lack of a candy aisle is disappointing, and the selection in general is quite limited, often what I am looking for is out of stock. The employees seem completely checked out which I don't necessarily blame them for, but I do feel like I burden them any time I need assistance. Sometimes I just go to a grocery store further away to avoid this experience all together. read more

Unfortunately I have to lower because I was almost mugged here a few weeks ago. The lighting outside the store is pretty much non-existent except for right under the entrance and someone tried to put me in a headlock, presumably to take my purse... I let out a blood-curdling scream and luckily he backed off, but it could have gone a lot worse. I told the security "police" guy inside and he didn't give two f*cks. They need better lighting outside and security that actually does their job. Be careful after dark here, ladies. read more

See all

In my 60 years of living all over The ENTIRE WORLD, this is the undisputed champion, if not the #1 contender, for the worst grocery store ever. I went here in the past because it was a matter of convenience. Now I can't. If you are a 9-5er and this grocery store was conveniently at a subway stop, it would be a godsend! Nope. This place is the exact opposite! They had a need to upgrade security TWICE due to theft! Imagine getting off from work and "attempting" to purchase a nice steak or piece of fish for dinner. That rarely happens. Your options were usually limited to fork, chicken and ground meats after 5pm. Apparently "grab and go" was an issue here. How many grocery store have armed security guards? On that note. How many grocery stores have armed security guards that just sand outside and "chat" with teenage young ladies vs working? The majority of the staff are just there to be there and the others are extremely rude. The main entrance has about 6 self checkouts. Last night at 9:30 EACH checkout area was remiss of bags. ALL SIX! You have an attendant there during operating hours but they are usually "engaged" with random conversations. The only thing items stock in abundance here would be items that you would store in a bunker. I guess they are telling me to get ready for war? I'm going g to jump on the "I wish that I could give this place zero stars" bandwagon. I feel sad for all of the people that bought prime real estate in this area. read more

I live within a 10 minute walk from 3 grocery stores. Safeway is by far the best, in my opinion. Safeway offers the best prices are widest selection. If you download the app, you'll also save a ton with all of the virtual coupon offers! They also sell wine and beer here! I do wish they sold other liqueurs as well to make it truly a one stop shopping experience. If you're looking for the most affordable shopping experience, I'd recommend Safeway! read more

For the second time, I've gotten home only to realize I was overcharged for something. Another time I caught something ringing up wrong in store (a worker went back and checked the price and confirmed the price was incorrect). Today some meat I bought was supposed to be on sale but rang up full price and did not take off $$ for the sale price. Annoying. +1 a star because the meat selection is better than the Harris Teeter about 5 min away. +1 another star because the pharmacy is great. read more

Safeway - a close up of a receipt - Grocery Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

In addition to the hot bar, large sushi section, and multiple prepared foods refrigerated sections, there is also now a good salad bar with doors that close for freshness, so it doesn't need to be cleaned out every night. There is also a taco bar and made to order sandwiches at the deli. The bakery is large and comprehensive. The hot bar closes at 8 I believe but you should get there probably no later than 4 or so for best selection--it's both Asian and American but things sell out quickly. There are also 2 tables in the dining area. Unfortunately there is no microwave, but there is a fireplace which may or may not be operational in the winter. This store requires that you scan the bar code of your receipt to exit, which is new and different. Do not throw away your receipt before you exit! If you don't buy anything you should talk to an employee to let you out. The self check is in the the deli/prepared foods section, and it and the dining area both close at 9:30 even though the store closes at 10. There are no signs indicating this. Great place to grab something before an event at Politics and Prose, Arena Stage, Anthem, Union Stage, Pearl Street Warehouse, or free live music at the Wharf in the summer, not to mention lunch for all the new local offices and businesses. Carts seem to be in short supply but it doesn't matter which door you go in. read more

Very rude employees who will lie to you. My family was visiting DC and stayed near the Stadium. On our way out, we wanted to stop and get breakfast and drinks for the trip. We pulled into the parking lot of this Safeway, which said free parking with validation and purchase. We didn't see how to get to the store from inside, and my husband just walked out the car entrance (I know, we aren't city people). We walked down to the store entrance and before shopping, I asked an employee if I missed the ticket for validation somewhere. She told me a camera catches your license plate and you enter it on the ipad on your way out. She appeared annoyed at my ignorance, and walked away, but I chalk that up to city attitude. As she walked away, the security guard said to me, "The ipads isn't working." So I walked over to him and he continued. "The ipad isn't working, but if you drive over to the gate and beep, they will open it and let you through." I thanked him, we bought our stuff and saw the stairs to the garage by the registers. As we passed the ipad at the bottom, I saw it looked like it was on, but assumed there was some other problem with it and kept going. We beeped at the gate and it opened. How nice of him to tell me that before we got flustered over the ipad. NOPE. 60 seconds later, we get a text for a $17 charge for parking. The security guard literally targeted me with false information so that we'd pay for parking. Why? I wasn't rude to anyone. I purchased items at Safeway....so? Maybe because I was from out of town? Or maybe because he didn't like how we "looked". Take your pick. Anyway, glad to be out of DC because it's a rude place. read more

I really like my Safeway located at 1100 4th St, SW. It's convenient for me, as I usually shop online. I find fresh fruits, vegetables, seafoods, lamb chops, roasted chicken, salads, sandwiches, fruit juices, sodas, Perrier water, whole milk, eggs, noodle soups, chicken & beef bouillons, spring waters. All the spices I like to use! And best of all they deliver right to my front door! Great Job 4th Street, S.W. SAFEWAY. Stay safe. Great job keeping out the crime from our food supplies. read more

Not a very good grocery store. Seems like maybe shoplifting has caused it to go down hill. Looked so nice years back. Now it's sort of eh? Good luck getting somebody to unlock certain items from a cabinet. read more

Top of the evening to whom ever eyes will read this. During orientation are the employees instructed not to respond when spoken to??? I've had to get used to bad customer service seeing as I was born 1968 started working at 14 years old for Wendy's for eight years not one time was I allowed not to properly greet a customer (so customer service is very important to me) they don't speak and when you speak they don't respond when did that become popular? It's enough the consumers comes in and pays. We're eating the cost of the renovations to keep from going out of business due to theft. If it's at all possible conduct a huddle inform the attendants is ok to speak (you never know that very person could be of importance to your future. Real Talk you may have missed your blessings by not speaking read more

What's this DC Safeway's nickname? They're probably closing. The store has been moving things around and locking things up for months. Shoplifting and theft are rampant. There are never any carts or hand baskets. It's not always clean. A disabled neighbor told me he was beaten up there. Employees and security are unconcerned and rude. There are always at least two or three self-check out stations out of commission at any given time; there may be one other cashier working a really long line of people holding everything in their arms. It's unfortunate because this is the only grocery store in the neighborhood. People who don't drive and people who have mobility issues rely on the convenience of this location. At least Waterfront has a good farmer's market. read more

Great location and easy to get to. Being the only store in the area they take advantage of this. They have the highest prices and worst customer service I've seen in a grocery store. It's obvious they they do this to offset the financial losses they occur from theft From the Western Union counter to the seafood department I have NEVER seen a smile. I only use in case of emergencies The undercover stiffs that follow you around the store need to be more discreet Go to Whole Foods if you're going spend money like that read more

Honestly, probably one of the worst supermarkets I've ever been to. The staff are rude for no reason, it's been fraught with shoplifting, there's no carts, the produce is awful, and there is inconsistent selection of items. They've made some improvements in recent months to crack down on shoplifting, including installing one-way gates and other security measures, but this is still an awful place to shop. After an employee screamed at me to "walk my ass to the other counter" I had it, and I won't shop here again. read more

Remember when shoplifting was a crime that prosecutors would actually charge you with? Well that was then and this is now. The problem with this location is not the staff or local management...they are the victims of the soft on crime reality that is this part of the city. The complaints should also go to the mayor. The location is only about a decade old so it's not the store...The shelves weren't empty and I did see some spills on shelves that should have been cleaned up and selection is less than I expect for Safeway clearly the pandemic continues to cause businesses pain. Unfortunately I would not recommend anyone shop here but it does still exist for occasional dry goods to bring back to your office. The staff was courteous and I hope things turn around. The first clue that the theft is off the charts was that there are no hand baskets. This location is trying to minimize losses before it inevitably closes. read more

Safeway deserves a zero star. They are deliberately allowing this story to be destroyed. Anarchy reigns in and outside the store. The store is filthy, the produce awful, the shelves are depleted, and the staff is astoundingly rude. I have lived in this neighborhood for over 30 years and am in complete shock at the absolute deterioration of this store in the past eight weeks. The First District Police (literally three blocks away) seem to have zero ability (or perhaps interest) in controlling the rampant stealing and crime happening in and outside the store. Safeway should be ASHAMED of itself to let its store be a place of complete chaos. If they are selling the store, then they should be honest and let the neighbors know. If no store is replacing the Safeway, then the mayor and the our city council representative, Charles Allen, should be honest with us. read more

Working in the area for a few weeks. This is the worst Safeway I've ever seen. Very rundown, poorly stocked, very expensive, terrible produce. Not many other choices for groceries in the area, so I suppose Safeway doesn't feel it needs to have a well managed store because people in the are have no other choice. I started taking a subway to other neighborhoods just to grocery shop. It's a shame. read more

The food selections are extensive and excellent. And the checkout clerks are always super fast, courteous, AND friendly!

As of 10/28/2023, I'm happy to update you that Safeway SW DC has gotten itself together. After a very unsafe and unsatisfying summer, the store has not only renovated the interior, but has also re-staffed, and re-stocked. New security gates have been installed to prevent "steal and run" activity, and there's not an appropriate amount of actual law enforcement with badges shown in the store. Gone are the days of clearly teenage security guards. Kudos to the staff who stuck it out this past summer, because it was rough and hard long unsafe nights at this Safeway. Happy to see the much-needed change. Now it's a longer conversation about DC safety and the Mayor regarding the need for such security measures in a grocery store, but I'll take this over what once was. Do yourself a favor if you live in Southwest DC, and give our Safeway another chance. read more

Where do I begin. Staff are terrible. Store is always stocked out. Produce is left to rot. There are never any shopping carts and lines are extremely long. This Safeway is so bad that the Washington post wrote an article about it. read more

Nice to have a grocery store near work but this one leaves a few things to be desired. 1) Staff are often downright surly. (I'm sure there are exceptions). 2) Kind of weird layout means that that I always spend more time walking around and in and out than I would like to. 3) Never see baskets near the door, so I'm left dropping stuff as I walk around. (I don't like to use carts unless absolutely necessary.) 4) Seems like it should be bike friendlier. Problem #1 is the super blocked bike lanes in front of the store on 4th st. Not Safeway's fault but def part of the negative experience of shopping here. 5) The refrigeration cases are un-doored which is unfortunately not that uncommon in U.S. grocery stores, but you can feel the cold blowing on you as you walk by. C'mon. Let's do better with the energy usage. Much prefer the Harris Teeter in NoMa for my work grocery runs. read more

Felt like I was about to get robbed as soon as I left the store the store itself was fine but didn't carry and monster energy drinks

I don't leave reviews often but this safeway deserves this one. Worst safeway I've lived near. THEY NEVER HAVE WHAT YOU NEED STOCKED. I consistently am never able to make a full shopping trip because BASIC ESSENTIALS are not stocked. Bakery department is really horrible, there is maybe fresh bagels/donuts/bread 3-4 days a week when it should be daily stocked. I've even seen safeway's branded bread not be available! High prices are one thing but I just got fed up with half finished shopping trips because they didn't stock the shelves! read more

I didn't think it possible, but I straight up despise this Safeway after living in SW for 4 months... 2 blocks away. First of all, why on earth does it close at 10pm in the middle of a residential area and right next to the metro? Secondly, they are price gouging. They're more expensive than Whole Paycheck. My gf and I now usually prefer to drive to Harris Teeter much further away than deal with these horrid prices. Not to mention it's a little on the small side for a Safeway, so we get better options at Harris Teeter. Then, when I happen to be coming home off the metro at 9:30pm (or any other time) and just want to quickly grab one or two things on the way, I find there's a line that isn't worth waiting in for one or two items. Tonight I grabbed two things real quick, saw the kiosks were full but no line, went to try the ones by the other door since they were empty when I walked in, find out all 4 of them are closed for no reason other than I guess it's late and a massive corporation apparently can't afford to keep 4 more kiosks running despite having two guards right by them... headed back to the other kiosks only to find that in the space of 30 seconds, TEN people had formed a line by the other kiosks. TEN. On a random Wednesday night at 9:33. The best reason I can guess is that everyone suddenly decided that 9:30 was the time they'd better get there before it closes. Why are 4 of the kiosks closed when they're getting lines of 10 people at self check-out at 9:33pm on a random weekday? So this is the third of three attempts I've made to randomly walk in there and grab 1-2 quick things, only to just give up, put the items back and leave empty-handed. Oh and there was the one time I went to the smaller kiosk area to avoid the line, to find a line at the other one as well - a 3-year-old girl was holding the spot in line for a family of 4 apparently, by standing really far away from the next person and looking back at her family. I didn't realize so after I'd gotten in line some dude is like "hey, we were here first." I just got out of line and went home. On one of the rare occasions I actually managed to check out near the western entrance, an employee grabbed my basket from me while it still had items in it, to give to another customer - without saying anything to me. Which brings me to my next point... It is so hard to find a basket or cart most of the time I am there. And one other thing: NONE of the kiosks accept cash! Okay, maybe one of them? That I can never get to because I always have to take whichever kiosk is available first, since there is never not a line. Thought I could go there to use my cash, but no, the only way to get rid of cash these days is to deposit in the bank, apparently! And here we thought we were so lucky to be living 2 blocks from a grocery store!! Whoever manages this store is probably lazy and greedy and does nothing but sit around responding to 1-star reviews pretending to offer solutions, from what I can tell. 1/5 stars for price 1/5 stars for convenience 1/5 stars for customer service read more

I have never seen such an awful grocery store in my entire life. First, when you drive into the parking garage, it stinks of raw sewage, and it's been like this for years and years. The store is also incredibly filthy. The floors look like they haven't been cleaned in years. And the last time I visited--and I really mean LAST, as I will NEVER go back to that dump--I wandered around the entire store and could not find a single cart. I then had to walk back down to the sewage-smelling parking garage to find the lone abandoned cart in the entire store. Neither ground level entrance had any carts available. On a positive note, the pharmacy is pretty decent. It's really shocking how much the Safeway experience can vary, depending upon the city you're in, and even more, the demographics of the neighborhood. read more

This location advertises 8 pieces of fried or rotisserie chicken for $4.99 on Mondays. My friend turned me on to it last week and it was great! There was a constant line and they were frying it up along the way! The chicken was fresh, hot & tasty. I had both types and they both were slamming. I went back today. I had to wait 20 minutes. The line was slow, very few people not like last week. Well, I ended up with re-fried chicken. Some parts was too hard to chew and other parts too greasy to consume. That's it for me! I have no business eating fried chicken anyway! Thank you Safeway for saving me from myself. I threw the chicken out! read more

Safeway - These 2 pieces had part of the skin missing. The darker color is old chicken. No fresh chicken for customers today! - Grocery Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

See all

There are some really lovely staff on the cashier lines though and I think they do their best. Scott, Tina and the lady who sings are my favorite and I'll always try to be in their lines even if it means waiting. They get 5 stars!!! But I give three stars overall because of poor selection and what is there isn't the best quality. On a more sour note I got screamed at last night by two women who thought I'd cut the cashier line (I hadn't, the stickers on the floor can be confusing for people who don't frequent there like me) and it ended up a tirade that I was a racist and white privilege and I had no right to jump a line cos I am white. Despite trying to calmly explain to these women the cashier asked me to move over and one line actually serves both registers, it fell on deaf ears, they saw what they wanted to see and I was screamed in moving away. The cashier was very apologetic. But note for people who don't frequent this store, be mindful of the social distancing stickers and if in doubt check which line serves which cashier. And if a cashier tells you to go to a new line, Double check or just stay in the lane you are in to be on safe side!! read more