Safeway

This Safeway is abysmal. It’s always fairly bad but tonight really took the cake. I went in to buy a roast for Sunday dinner. There were two available, both small inside round roasts, not particularly even suitable for making roast beef. Not only that they were so poorly wrapped in their trays that blood had leaked everywhere in the meat area. I bought one anyway, $ 18 for less than 1kg. I bought some veggies, too. I got home and discovered that the entire head of garlic I purchased was covered in mould. So that went well. The roast turned out ok — I had some garlic at home, it turns out. But seriously — Whole Foods is less than two blocks away. Do you guys not even try?

In general, I like Safeway. The King Edward, Oakridge, and Commercial/​Broadway locations are all great. Sadly, this one is absolutely not, even though the location is otherwise extremely convenient for me. There are one or two staff members here who are excellent, but the rest of them seem completely oblivious to the existence of customers. Almost every time I have gone there, which be it said is never anymore, a staff member cuts directly in front of me and forces me to slam to a halt (then goes on his/​her way without even a glance), or two or three staff members stand in an aisle chatting and blocking the way, or one of them parks a stocking cart sideways across the aisle so no one can get through, or several of those things one after another. The stocking practices are also very bad/​strange; I have never seen another chain grocery like this where milk expiring tomorrow is regularly right next to milk expiring in two weeks.

We first started shopping here and stayed shopping here because it was conveniently close and they offer 2 hours free parking. The staff with a few exceptions were not that helpful but they did have a couple of really nice checkout staff. When Sobeys bought Safeway, that was it. Prices immediately went up and general stock items were often out or discontinued. The produce has always been below par so we would go to Kins for that. Once when I needed something from the deli at 8pm (they close at midnight), I was told the deli guy had gone home. I asked if someone else could get something for me and the manager on the floor said no. After giving them a few months leeway, it just became worse each time we went. Suffice to say, Save-​on is now our grocery store and with their great produce, staff, and wide selection, we only need to make one trip.

The selection at this store is slim. The produced e is often not very good and the prices seem higher than normal.

This isn’t the best Safeway, however, this isn’t the worse one either. Granted if I needed a Safeway this wouldn’t be my go to location but for it is, there is a lot. I come here after my post work out in the gym to get some groceries or a healthy lunch since the food court or a protein shake does little for me. I don’t come here to do my main shopping, however, for the less than 5 items if you’re not picky about brand I am here. Customer service needs working on.

This is probably one of the smaller Safeways so if you’re really peculiar with something, chances are you will probably not find it here. Generally, I love the Atlantic Salmon from Safeway and this location always offer really nice cuts. Customer service is sort of what you expect, I have no complaints.

I don’t shop at Safeway that often and this one seemed to be the worst one. It’s so small and poor selection even perpetually out of stock of items.
The parking is free if you purchase over $ 5 and get stamp at the cashier.

Seems to be a labour dispute going on here. The check out is so so slow, it does not matter how cheap the specials items are there not worth the wait. Safeways sale prices are similar to discounts at other stores close by. Also a note to the Annoying Security Guard, I’m stealing your items because I have a bike pannier with with me when i shop.

Recently started working in the vicinity and was having a full on almond craving. I was especially keen when I remembered that Safeway was less than 2 minutes away and then I went in.
WHERE IS THE BULK SECTION??? I couldn’t believe that there was no bulk section and the only almonds they had on the shelves are Planters salted. I prefer unsalted, regular tasty almonds and all that was served up was crap.
I know I will be go there again for items like rice crackers but I am sooooo disappointed that I can’t get decent almonds here. I will just have to get them from the BULK section of my local Safeway.

I go here often as it’s the closest to my house, actually I like save-​on-​foods better but you can find nice meat here sometimes.
Its not fancy, quite dated actually, but I will say they have some nice breads.
The program is a good thing cause it’s not so cheap (i think), if there was a choices the same distance I may not come here as often as I do.

Stopped in here yesterday as I didn’t even realise it existed! Was cycling past all ‘Huh!?’ It’s pretty lacklustre. I’m more used to the one on Denman, which is big, open, everything feels new and fresh. Maybe it’s the building this one’s located in, but it all feels a little dingy.
I will say though I bought some nice fresh bread here! This place is just a little too far away for me to regularly shop in, especially when I live next door to Buy Low Foods ;) Sorry Safeway!

I shop here regularly so I must be a fan, that being said they just renovated, and i really think they could’ve done more. The place still feels like a cave. That being said they have a good selection, at pretty good prices.
Going during peak time and you’ll wait in a long line, they’re not very good at balancing the people that have a huge grocery cart full of stuff with those of us just grabbing a carton of milk.
If it wasn’t our closest grocery store I would never go here, but it’s conveniently located on my way to many things, so i visit often.

This Safeway is located right on the main level of City Square. It used to be the only grocery store in the neighborhood of Broadway and Cambie till everything opened up around the block.
The one place I seem to always walk right after finishing the gym upstairs. I find that the produce isle is always nicely organized. And the lettuce selection here is very lush.
I think this Safeway does need a little facelift, as it is aging, but the service here is like any other Safeway, very helpful, and always asking if you need a hand with your grocery’s to your car.
I still love the cheese loaf that they bake up here. And the free validated 2 hour parking, and opening all the way to midnight is always a plus.

i use to shop at safeway on a somewhat regular basis. but after today, i dont think i will anymore.
they have a rather pathetic organic produce section… sometimes i go in and i can not even FIND it! (although i found a few things today…)
i didn’t bother looking at their meats…
i hear that they support farm raised seafood… yuck.
if you value your health and prefer to purchase higher quality food items, i say skip safeway. head to IGA or whole foods down the street!

Why would you shop here? It’s small, dingy, and stocks almost nothing. The deli counter is especially basic. There are no self-​checkouts. Not to be mean, but I couldn’t tell whether the clerk had a mild neurological disorder or was angry with my yogurt the way he tossed it around. Either way, he didn’t seem happy to be there. Fair enough — I wasn’t really thrilled, either.
There was nothing fundamentally *wrong* about anything I bought there, but there’s really nothing compelling about the store, especially since the much more expansive Save-​On and Whole Foods are just a couple blocks north.
At least it wasn’t crowded.
Edit: Back home in DC, several of the Safeway stores had alliterative appellations, memorably including «Soviet Safeway» for the small, dingy, understocked one. I’m gonna start calling this one by the same name and hoping it sticks.
Soviet Safeway. Catchy, right?

You know what? I don’t hate Safeway. It’s nice to have a big grocery store near home, no matter how Satanic it is, where you can stop by and get all of your groceries.
Safeway does have lower prices than the other grocers nearby, (not including produce) and on the first Tuesday of every month you can get 10% off of your total purchase, or extra airmiles. Being the ghetto superstar that I am, my choice is always 10% off my groceries, sometimes the staff know this without even asking! Mind readers, I tells ya!
Safeway also takes in pop bottles and I think those cardboard 1 litre juice boxes as well, for a cash refund. I don’t actually go this ghetto, for me, taking recycling to the store is just going too far. I like to keep mine in the blue box for Hobo Joe to come collect.
The older staff are usually pretty nice and friendly, but some of the younger part timers move so slow you’d think they were high. None of them have ever been rude to me, but when you’re in the express lane and you gotta pee, the last thing you need is some stoner getting a price check on a red delicious. Just sayin.

Safeway never ever impresses me nowadays. This locations proves the point. Parking at this location is a nightmare, the stalls are so small and tight and the underground parkade is pay parking. Pay parking at Safeway is almost unheard of, but yes, this is the only one is B.C. Parking is free is you buy something at Safeway within two hours once you get the ticket, but you won’t get your money back if you don’t buy anything. It’s a shame, as most stores will give your money back if you don’t by anything like London Drugs and Mountain Equipment Co-​op.
The staff at this Safeway act like they haven’t had any sleep for days. They have no idea where things are located and it took about them almost 5 minutes to find a bottle of vanilla. Everything at Safeway is very expensive and the produce and the meats aren’t fresh either. Yuck.

This branch of the popular supermarket chain is one of the smaller ones I’ve shopped at. Their selection of fish is especially small and I rarely see anything that makes me want to buy it. And their produce always costs more than Kin’s Farm Market, which is close by.
The benefit of this location is that it’s in the City Square Mall, which makes it an easy place to drop in combined with other chores. Let’s face it, there will always be staples that you need to buy from a regular grocery store and you can count on Safeway to have a fair selection of flour, sugar, mustard, and delicious Tabasco Chipotle Sauce (to which I am ferociously addicted). Also, the check out staff here is always pretty upbeat and friendly.