To change it up, we decided to walk this entire center prior to our intended destination (Trader Joe's), reminiscing about the original businesses that were here years ago, while a couple have remained, such as Start & Final. While this was not our original plan, I'm glad we entered, where I discovered an attractive produce section; the store was clean and organized; seeing retro candies triggered childhood nostalgia! Most impressive was the positive, energetic, friendly, and helpful staff -- specifically, the cashiers (main reason for my rating)! Wow, what a credit to management! I succeeded at finding everything on my short list except 1 item (only because I didn't need such a large quantity of sandwich rolls). Fun rediscovering this store! read more

I got something and good on return of expired product. Had good service regarding that. read more

Smart & Final Extra! - Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

This Smart $ Final store has been around for so long. I used to shop here all the times back then when I used to live in Irvine. Had to pick up a few items quickly and was surprised when I walked inside this store. It was nice and clean, and well-stocked. They carry many varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables too, which they didn't have years ago. Parking is a nightmare though as there are other popular stores in the same shopping center. read more

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I have been a loyal customer at this location for many years, but my experiences with Susana have been so unpleasant that I now avoid the store whenever she is working. Her attitude and customer service have repeatedly left a negative impression. If you value a positive shopping experience, you may want to avoid dealing with her altogether. read more

This is my favorite Smart and Final! Such a nice well kept clean store. Nice employees. Greeted me when I entered. (I was not used to that--caught me by surprise--they don't do that in Los Angeles.) Easy free parking. Great neighborhood and shopping center. They have the best in class Brawny Tear a Square Paper Towels, Best Foster Farms Turkey Slices, Best L'Croix Coconut and Lemon Mello, Orowheat 100% Whole Wheat Bread, Simply Orange Pulp Free juice, great bananas, birthday balloons. I love this store! Next door is Trader Joes--Another store I love. Last Sunday, I see this guy, late 60's or early 70's unloading 8! giant cases of CocaCola into his SUV from Smart and Final in the front of the store. I ask him what he going to do with all that Coke? He says drink it--it was on sale! I tell him that's a lot of Sugar! He says, yea, I know--my wife she says it's going to kill me! She doesn't drink it--she just drinks the tap water and I tell her--that's going to kill her! That's a perfect couple. read more

Stopped by to pick up some baking ingredients and truly did not expect to be greeted so kindly and feel so welcome by the gentleman working at the register :-) read more

My first time here. It's a bit smaller than other locations but they had everything I needed. The store was clean with polished floors. My roasted chicken was delicious. The cashier was very nice. Only bad thing is the small parking lot but that's not their fault. Smart & Final is always a nice place to shop. Great prices without paying for a membership. read more

I was looking for an actual tamarind (not powder/paste) and they have it, great! Most grocery stores either don't have or they have sweetened tamarind. However, I was surprised when I asked if they have okra and the lady behind the register didn't have a clue what okra was (",)/ read more

Quality of food is low and quality of fruit is awful. A total waste of time and money to buy anything from this place. Selections are also limited to bad or worse. I totally decided to limit my purchases to bottle waters, can food and occasional beer purchases. I'm totally honest about this. Sorry S&F I wasted a lot of money with you guys. Just throw away a whole watermelon and box of Blueberries. read more

The gentleman that greets everybody that walks in which I think is nice. For the most part, the store is pretty clean. My biggest complaint is regarding the Internet service. It's very poor. While checking out trying to use the attached digital coupon which I showed the cashier I was unable to connect. The cashier suggested I go outside and try to connect. There was a line. I went outside tried to connect, but when I went back inside, I got dropped off Line so was unable to clip my coupon. I showed the cashier my coupon, but the cashier denied my savings because it would not clip properly. May not be much but six dollars is quite a bit in today's shopping market. Very disappointed Smart And Final management. read more

Smart & Final Extra! - Yes, I did buy three items, but this coupon wasn't honored - Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

I went in today looking for mini water bottles , after circling the store , I was convinced they didn't have any and was just about to leave . An employee Timoteo comes out and asks me " you didn't find what you need ? Let me help you " he went back inside AND BROUGHT ME A CASE OF WATERBOTTLES . I was sooo happy, He saved me so much time and we had the best interaction. He expressed his love for the store and helping costumers . People like him deserve recognition. I never leave reviews like this . He genuinely made my day . read more

This Smart And Final is a bit smaller than most, but generally have a pretty good selection of most of the thing should we go to Smart And Final to obtain particularly bulk items, and things that you would like to have a larger size to keep around. They always seem to be a bit understaffed with regard to check out, but they keep the store clean and fairly well stock so I guess that is really the best you can ask for. read more

Warehouse options without the membership fee. Make sure you take advantage of weekly sales and the mobile app with digital coupons. Lots of produce options including plenty of organic. read more

Great people. Well stocked. Great prices especially for water. They always also have the best ice cream and super friendly.

All right, let's just go to the nitty-gritty. It is not smart and finals. Fault for bad parking lot. The company that owns the property who made the parking lot made it really ridiculous to the point where you can get into a serious accident here. Now onto the positive review of Smart and final. Love smart and final. We buy a lot of our bulk items here. Whether you're buying some things in bulk or not we're prices are reasonable and their fruits and vegetables are always fresh and delicious . I can count on it being in the store when they say it will be there when I come to pick up my supplies...good to have a reliable partner that understands the needs of their customers. The employees have always been friendly and very helpful here. read more

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I used to shop here frequently, but as the years have gone by I find myself with mixed emotions about this place. The parking is terrible, people think they own the road and drive reckless all over the place. But that's not my main concern, my issue is with the female cashiers, because most of the time it's harmless where a cashier will make insensitive comments. It may not sound bad at the time, but certain things just felt like they were mean spirited. Now the male cashiers are great, absolutely phenomenal. But the females are pretty rude when it comes to common sense. I've witnessed a woman (cashier) complain that someone was using food stamps, and she didn't offer the customer bags. I've seen a woman claim that a man was old because he had gray hair. The older woman (who works afternoons) was extremely rude to a customer, I overheard her saying she was apparently the expert on working the cash register and told him not to talk to another cashier. That wouldn't fly at my job, you don't tell a customer they can't talk to anyone, and her claim she was an expert on that cash register made her look dumb because when he paid she had to press a few buttons before the transaction was completed. This was a complete neglect on the other cashier, because she pretended not to pay attention to the customer. I don't know if it was fear of the other cashier, but it was overall a boneheaded thing to do where a bad situation could be diffused. I put my items back in the shopping cart and chose a different line to wait in. She saw me, gave me a mean look, but that's why I don't shop here often. The only times I shop here is when that lady is gone, and I prefer to shop here when the men work as cashiers. They're just better workers, who want to make sure all the customers are happy. Plus that cashier is simply rude, I refuse to support her. I'd rather shop elsewhere for my items, and unfortunately it's why I rarely shop here. read more

Lower prices for groceries! I was telling my friend that I make Almond Float for family potluck parties and how I have to open 6 packets of Knox gelatin. She suggested that I go to Smart & Final and get the Knox gelatin in a container. I never knew that it was available in anything other than paper packets! She said that it would change my life! So...when I had time before going to Craig's softball game in Irvine, I stopped by this Smart & Final. There's free parking, good air conditioning, and organized, neat, and clean aisles! I looked at the signs above and went to baking supplies... and there it was! A plastic container of Knox gelatin! I'm so excited to take it home and try it out! Thanks to Mei for opening my eyes to new options! read more

Smart & Final Extra! - Store front - Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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I came across this place during my morning stroll, I was surprised it was open so bright and early. Morning hours are great, you can see all the items without the crowds, it was pleasant. I bought a few morning items, milk and bought juice for lunch. The lady at the register was nice, she told me they're always open at 6 in the morning. I had my items bagged up and went about my day. This location is great to shop at, but you might want to check the expiration date on some items. I had a wonderful experience here. read more

Smart & Final Extra! - Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

Majority of their bread is past expiration date. When I asked two different associates for bread that wasn't expired in the back, they where extremely disrespectful. Shop elsewhere or you can. read more

With Costco, Ralphs, Albertsons, Sprouts and Trader Joe's on my carousel of shopping destinations, going to Smart and Final always seemed unnecessary. But a couple days ago I actually read one of those mail flyers that I normally just trash and saw they had some good bargains on some things I wanted. I've always noticed that even though they are located in a busy shopping center, there is always parking in front of Smart and Final. The store is relatively small and seems to have more normal grocery items than bulk items. I hadn't been into a Smart and Final for ages and remember them as carrying more bulk stuff but I guess that has changed. Unfortunately most of the great sale items I came for were out of stock. I guess the population in this area jump on good bargains when they see them. But I picked up a few other items since I was there (potatoes, perrier, pesto...). The prices are generally pretty good; most are Wal-Mart cheap but many are just the same as any grocery store. They seem to have most products you would want but not necessarily the brand or particular "flavor" you usually purchase. I did notice that although their wine and champagne selection is small, most are priced between $4 and $10 which is a great deal (and is decent stuff!). The employees are moderately helpful. One guy checked in back for a product that I wanted that was out of stock on the shelf. He came back to tell me they had more in the back and it'd be out on the shelf tomorrow. LOL Only one checker was open but she was friendly and quick so the line moved rapidly. Although this store won't be on my usual rotation, I might pop in here if they have a great deal on something I need. read more

Smart & Final Extra! - Grocery Near Me - Irvine, California

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Smart & Final at 14417 Culver Dr., Irvine, failed to include one item in the shopping bag, and refused to refund its cost. 9b

Not a huge fan of their fresh items, not the best prices on fruit and veggies, the bakery items are also very poor quality. Best deals are on freezer and fridge items, but again pretty generic. Service is fine, the store clean and well stocked, not too busy. Will so in a pinch, but I'd much rather shop at other grocery stores. read more

Overall an okay store. Service is okay too. I wish they would open more registers. The line can get a bit long. Also, the red bell peppers also seem to be a hit or miss here. A lot of the times they are all spoiled, and there are times where I'm they are okay. And another thing here is, it's not the stores fault, but it's located in such a busy place. People don't watch out for oncoming traffic when backing up from their parking spots, people sitting in their cars in the middle of the road and will not move so you have to find a way to get past them, drivers are crazy here and it gets very chaotic at time, so just be careful when driving in this complex read more

The parking lot can be a nightmare depending on the time of day. The store is always bright and clean. The bathroom usually is spotless. The shelves are organized and it's pretty easy to find items. The produce is decent. Note: the rotisserie chickens aren't always "plucked". In the past I found the bottom portion that still had feathers. It was gross and I would never buy another. Most of the employees are helpful and nice. So why did I give a one star? This one star is dedicated to my interaction with Barbara. One of the cashiers at Smart and Final. Barbara ruined my entire day with her unnecessary , rude, belligerent attitude . I kindly asked her to not make the bag so heavy. She ignored me. I asked her again. She snapped " I heard you!" I asked why was she getting nasty? She proceeded to tell me to "stop talking to her!" As she through her hand in my face. I asked for manager. She said no one was around. I asked someone else for the manager. Who turned out to be a supervisor. The one she said wasn't around . As Barbara's supervisor stood next to Barbara. Dear ole Barbara still was hostile to the point her supervisor had to tell her to stop it. After I left the store. I came back later. To speak with the assistant manager. I told him what happened. He looked throughly unbothered by the entire episode. I had much faith that nothing would be done. With all that being written. Avoid Barbara's line. Her behavior was disrespectful, rude and unprofessional . Customers shouldn't have to put up with that negativity. read more

Most of the time I go to this Smart & Final for my canned food, or some vegetables. 6 months back I bought garlic powered, I came home next day i opened bottle, the bottle lead was opened & maybe used some powdered, recently, I bought vegetable broth, I came home, opened bottle, the packing was already opened half way. I was so tired & didn't feel to go back to store. I am very disappointed. Please check your products that fully packed. read more

I've never had a bad experience will shopping at this smart and final. Store is organized well. Their oven roasted chicken is delicious that they already have made and fresh. Veggies are average but they have a great selection. Their prices are great. Overall happy every time I've gone here. read more

Right before the cashier began scanning our items, one of the employees cut in front of us to pay for her items.

Cell phone dependency for digital coupons makes them completely useless to me. I do not have a cell phone so then I can never use them. At least your ad is online for the few times I care to travel so far. I do wish you could take over the grocery outlet next to the AMC theater on Barranca. read more

I'm not sure how a grocery store can get bad reviews other than service and cleanliness. This place was great with service and cleanliness in my opinion. I wasn't able to find this particular item on the mailer and it turns out they were sold out. They gave me a rain check to come back and get it at the sale price at a later time when they stocked up. That's fantastic! I didn't know grocery stores did that but glad they told me. As far as cleanliness goes, it's on par with the other stores in Irvine. It's hard to compete if you don't keep up with the other bigger names. They tend to sell things in larger quantities which is a stark contrast to Trader Joe's which is in the same center but it's a good thing if you are having company or going to a pot luck. Of course not all things are cheaper just because of the name... you've been warned! read more

The worst service I have ever experience! My order never came, did not get a call advising me of any delays or issues with my order. I called customer support serval times! I was hung up on, told to call back, The system was down and finally, there was no manager was available to talk to me. I'm still trying to get my refund. I will not use them again.! read more

Irvine Smart & Final Extra is very clean, well-maintained and well-stocked. For the past five years, I have purchased various name-brand groceries at this store because many popular products are on sale at Smart & Final. The store employees are professional, hard-working and courteous; and the store is conveniently open 7 days/week. If I ever want to place a "special order" for a product (or if I need to ask about a product that has already sold-out), the store employees have provided me with the (next date) of product delivery, as well as a telephone number to call to obtain updated information about the product delivery. In so doing, the store employees have saved me time and expense because I "know" in advance if the product I want to purchase is actually available and "on sale" or "in stock" at the store. 5 stars to the employees for excellent customer service. read more

I do not have a Costco membership because I do not think we have a need for it. We rarely, if ever, have a need of such supersized packages of food items. However, Smart & Final sells some of the good size food packages that we can use -- typically larger and better value than those found in regular supermarkets, but smaller than those in Costco. It is a perfect place to shop for that occasional party at your house and you need to feed 10 - 20 people. Or maybe a football Sunday BBQ which calls for large packages of paper utensils and paper cups. Or maybe that church or school event that needs a hundred muffins, croissants, and cookies. Even for daily grocery items, they have some good ideas there. For example, they have those large Campbell soups that's good for 6 people so it's much cheaper than buying 3 regular sized cans from a supermarket. Their frozen vegetables (First Street) is of restaurant quality (SAF's main target customers are restaurant owners) and they have sizes as small as only 40 ounces. Their wings packages are the perfect size for a weekend BBQ. The ideas are endless and so are the bargains. I know some people complain about the service. But seriously, this is close to a warehouse outlet kind of store, so what kind of service does one expect? And what service does one need? You load your stuff into your cart, pay the cashier, and out the door you go. So honestly, I feel some of the bad reviews about poor service is not warranted. You can't walk into a Wal-Mart and expect Nordstrom service. Smart and Final has always met my expectations and I'll continue to shop here for good bargains that fit the occasion. read more

Today I had the worst experience at the store, (never happen before till today with Sergio) I got some toffee peanuts and there was no pen to write the code on it so I took the bag with me to the register, he gave me a pretty uncomfortable time ever because of it and i told him there is no pen on either stands he made me look like a dumb with the people behind me on line I left the bag pay the rest and leave. Manager should do something about this ASAP next time I wont be so quiet. read more

Stopped in yesterday to get some coffee filters... Third stores the charm? Every pack of filters I bought were too small. They say they are bigger, but they lie :) Finally Smart and Final had the ones I needed. There was one cashier open, and a woman jumped in front of me with an overflowing cart of items, compared to my one pack of coffee filters. She had another girl open her line, which I thought was awesome. And now, I know where to get the correct size coffee filters and I can stop that madness. :) read more

I'm a fan. Smart & Final often has good deals on random grocery items (like pork butt at $1.49/lb or asparagus for $0.99 or 15 Häagen-Dazs bars for $7.99) and while it's definitely not my go to store for groceries, I'm happy to swing by to pick something up when it's cheaper than Trader Joe's (next door) or Ralph's (across the way). It's more convenient than Costco, but with a slightly different vibe and selection (less premium, I think) but for a lot of things, cheaper than grocery stores (though maybe similar to Walmart?) The Irvine store is smaller than the Tustin location, but it's closer to me now, so can't complain. (I do think it's interesting that in both cities, the TJ's and S&Fs are in the same plazas) Also, sometimes the line's long but they're pretty good about opening up another line, and the customer service/cashiers I've interacted with (including manager) have been fine, so no complaints from me there. Bonus: they have Girl Scouts selling cookies outside their store right now! read more

Like purchasing most items, but their meats seem iffy to me, I will not purchase chicken or any other meat here.. I even pointed out to the meat manager that one of the plastic wrap was bulging (which is an indication of it spoiling) and he says " it's fine"... Not for me. read more

Sometimes the place is hit or miss with the prices, but it's very well maintained. I have no trouble finding items, and oddly enough I meet some interesting shoppers here. Some nice lady in her golden years was asking me to help her shop, claiming she was a midget and needed a giant to get a few items for her. Currently they're remodeling the outside of the store and the structure of the parking lot, but the place is still open. This shopping center has been known for years to have horrible drivers, so hopefully the new parking layout will remedy that situation. If anything I would say the place could use a few more cashiers during the more busy hours, otherwise I like shopping here and just hope a few items are on sale the days I shop. read more

With their recent upgrade to a plus store, it's been a great addition to the Ralph's and Trader Joe's in this area. S&F have been around for years and I remember when my parents owned a restaurant, they would get their supplies from them. Some reviews have pointed out that they carry some strange stuff. They predate Costco/Price Club/Sam's Club and is the original box store really designed to sell supplies for the mom & pop stores. So a lot of the things they carry will start to make sense with that perspective in mind. Pros - Ice cream - similar selection as the super but usually much cheaper. Especially Hagan Das pints! - a great selection of catering tools and accessories. Great for when you're hosting big parties. - They have complementing selection to TJ and Ralphs and Costco that you won't find at those stores. For example, you can get single serving packs of Philly's cream cheese. - Their nuts and grains selection is great. - Candy selection is AWESOME but sold in bulk. You can get hard to find candy here. Great for parties. - you can buy lots of things in bulk like Costco but without the long lines any day of the week. - aisles are clean and things are generally easy to find Cons - sparsely staffed but there isn't the same crowd that you'll see in a Costco, TJs or Ralphs. So I think they are staffed appropriately. - prices are not always cheaper than the other stores. You have to be selective to get the best prices just like anywhere else. Overall a great alternative to some of the grocery and big box stores in the area especially if you want to quickly pop in and out for a few items and don't want to wait in long lines. We are blessed to have so many choices in Irvine. read more

Typical Smart & Final. It really does represent the slogan in their commercials: "The smaller, faster warehouse store!". This is the place to go where you have 6 people to feed instead of 20, in which case you would go to Costco for bulk stuff. I mean, what do I do with 40 chicken legs when I only need half of that? And yes, its a rhetorical question because I do know what to do with 40 chicken legs when I only need half. Prices aren't too bad either. I do like how they have a small section where you can actually get some cooking supplies and tools on top of every size and shape party trays you can imagine. A triangular platter? Can I use that as a pseudo boomerang? I can? COOL!!!! When I need copious amounts of ice, I always come here. Too bad they don't have blocks, then I can go ice blocking. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, google it. The few things I do try to avoid getting here is the produce. I'd rather spend a little bit more and go to Ralph's. read more

I like to go to Smart and Final because it's wise to buy somethings we use a lot in bulk. Like rice and teriyaki sauce. Today, we bought a gallon tub of Dreyer's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, a 72 slice box of Kraft American cheese and a 24 count box of honey battered Wienerschnitzel corn dogs. Oh, my summer diet is going straight to h@ll. read more