Albertsons

Was Albertsons, now the sign says Luckys — big whoop.
Same Staff, nearly the same stock (some is improved!), better now at checkout, and WAY better than Safeway!

I basically Unilocaled this defunct Albertsons when I wrote my Lucky review, so if you want to know what I think of the transition, read my review here:
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Sneaky Alberstons. Trying to disguise yourself as something called the Fulton Market. Well, you were overpriced, although you were clean. And I kind of miss your Sav-​on pharmacy, although only for nostalgic reasons.
It’s the first place I shopped for groceries after I moved to San Francisco. I can still remember where I parked, and the store-​brand olive oil I bought might still be in the kitchen cupboards, way in the back.

This place isnt’ closed. Its just Lucky now… which brings me back to my childhood. I don’t have too strong of feelings about this place because I don’t live near it. But my boyfriend does, so I come here from time to time. It fills the needs of a grocery store. But the low rating goes to 1) the produce isn’t very good 2) its laid out like crazy. Nothing is where you would think it would be so you end up walking a lot (which I guess isn’t that bad of a thing.
The staff is friendly but I hate the automatic check out… it takes FOREVER. Not convenient AT ALL!

A rose by any other name — it’s now actually a Lucky’s but the same «staff» is there.
This store is in my hood and my regular grocery store to
I am bagging on it out of frustration.
Never enough checkout lines open, and service with a snarl… or at best a dazed look.
The self-​checkout lines require more store help than the regular lines! I have seen numerous near-​altercations because folks do not realize there is a single line to get to the «machines.»

I was going to give this crap-​ass store a single star but a previous poster made a great point. The employees, for the most part, are friendly and helpful. BUT don’t ever call to try and see if they have an item. I just wanted cookie cutters and a rolling pin to make gingerbread men and I ended up yelling at the woman who answers the phone. First she acted like I was wasting her time, then she hung up on me (by accident she claimed). Then I called back and was put on hold for 10 minutes. When I finally hung up and called back, she said «Didn’t someone already help you?» like I was some kind of crazy person who was obsessively calling and calling about a flipping rolling pin. I asked her why she was «so mean and abrasive» and she claimed that she wasn’t. Oh well.
Worst part, they were out of rolling pins and cookie cutters.

Maybe I’m just more patient than other folks. Maybe I don’t go shopping at a Supermarket that often. Maybe it’s still a trip that we even have an Albertsons (I thought they were going out of business). Maybe it’s because my sister got all excited that they have free parking, well you need to purchase something. Maybe it’s because Albertsons is walking distance from my house… or maybe it’s because Albertsons has Lubriderm lotion for my hair. Yes, my hair, that I actually like this market. They have everything that I need and I always seem to run into someone I know so it’s always chill. Back to the Lubriderm because some of you seem lost. I don’t use gel and my curls are naatuuurraalll. So I love when someone ask, «G what do you put in your hair?» I say lotion. «Lotion?». «Ya, to keep it from frizzin.»… «No but what do you use to make your hair curly?»… «Um I wash my hair then put lotion in it»… «That’s it?»… «That’s it»… «But-​»… «No buts, this isn’t Coming To America»
If Albertsons ever replaces Lubriderm with something else I’m dropping all stars. Well all but one… they still are within walking distance and my sister loves their free parking.
****** ***********
update: so I’ve been told lotion makes your hair fall out… will find out and update again later.

Let’s have a quiz:
Which of the following does my dog eat?
a) oatmeal
b) pumpkin
c) chopped spinach
d) yogurt
e) raw eggs
f) raw ground meat
g) pigeons
h) groundhogs
i) baby bunnies
j) turtles
k) seagulls
Ok, so that’s a trick question. The answer is actually «l) all of the above» (with the occasional «m) whatever is in the garbage» thrown in for good measure). But I only buy a-​f for him. The rest of it? He’s on his own. And most of the time I buy this stuff at Albertsons for him. It’s fine for that kind of stuff, but it sucks for regular people food. Also, it’s set up perfectly… for somebody with severe ADD.
The people who work here are really nice — and the parking lot is convenient, so long as you remember to get your ticket validated.

There’s not a lot I expect out of grocery stores, especially chain grocery stores… but when you can’t find ONE decent pepper (be it red, yellow or orange), it does make me wonder about the produce.
As for the rest of their selection, meh… I couldn’t find Weetabix cereal which was a little disappointing.
It’s convenient as it’s close to my house and it’s great that you can park in a garage and get it validated… but to be honest, I miss shopping at Safeway on 4^th and Townsend. Sure, Trader Joe’s is just up the road, and I can get decently priced produce there, but I can’t get everything I need. Guess I may start trekking to SOMA for my shopping.

Listen people.
I am not made out of money. I do not have a vehicle. While I like Trader Joe’s and sometimes trek up the Masonic hill to buy my groceries, and while they sell some things I love, they sometimes lack in others.
Albertson’s has provided jobs for people in the area and is a block away from my house. While I double check the produce I buy, I tend to jaunt down to K&L on Divis for better pricing. Albertson’s is a traditional grocery store. Traditional for me. Growing up in New Jersey, this is familiar to me.
Sometimes I feel SF is too uppity for its own right. You’re not an organic mom and pop store, you SUCK.
The organic mom and pop store several blocks from me? Twice as expensive.
I’m not rolling in it. I NEED a place to buy my 25 cent ramen for those weeks that I may not make it to payday.

Well, I was just going to review this for the video that I just picked up for 99 cents for a 5 night rental. Huh? That’s such a great deal, no?
I feel weird defending an Albertson’s, but after skimming through the really negative reviews I have to. It’s a chain grocery store. They have exactly what you expect in a grocery store.
Personally, the produce I have bought there has been really good.
Just last week for Bay to Breakers I bought a lovely pineapple and I have to say that it was about the best, juiciest pineapple I have ever had. Also, I love the green beans that I have bought from there. They’ve been of good quality, fresh and a nice size (thick and long. no dirty thoughts!).
Plus, they have an ethnic section that has all of the Thai Kitchen spices and curries that you might need.
Another plus, there is free parking, in a garage.
And one more plus, there is a Washington Mutual ATM and bank there, which is my bank which is hard to find in SF.
Well, minus one star because sometimes it can be ghetto in there, and because I hate their self-​serve scanners (they always make me MAD. saying things like: «unknown object in your bag, please remove,» meanwhile, there is NOT ANYTHING in my bag… «please get cashier.») Ugh, just go to the regular checkout.
Anyway, a 99 cent video is what made me happy tonight, and I have 5 nights to watch it! C-​ya.

I must admit, the initial gleam of my new neighborhood superstore has faded since our first meeting. «D, did you know that there’s a semi-​fancy Albertsons right around the corner from us?» I asked in an awed voice. «That’s crazy talk,» D replied. «Everybody knows that Albertsons is totally ghetto.» Truth be told, I was completely blinded by the considerable travel size section. I am a sucker for little bottles of stuff.
Beyond the travel section, the staff is very cool and helpful here, including a pharmacist who helped us find a product with a specific active ingredient for our dog’s puppy mange (acne medicine, whodathunk?).
However, there is no getting by the completely lame produce section and the ridonculous prices. They occasionally throw the «Albertson’s Club» discount price in there, but it’s pretty scarce, and probably still above the average grocery price.
I truly realized the honeymoon period was over when I was searching in the Latino section for the chicarrones and was coming up with nothing. In general, I have noticed a dearth of chicarrones in San Francisco, when by contrast in southern California I couldn’t sneeze without hitting a chicharron. Not that I eat them on a semi-​regular basis or anything. Are you going to make me ask you where the chicharrones are? Stars were being peeled off left and right, until, somewhat mollified, I found them in the snack food section.
So then I finish the drive home and in my starving state start munching on chicharrones and the dust flies into my mouth and I start coughing. I mean, screw dirty underwear, choking on a chicharron has got to be near the apex of mortification in an accident. As I moved towards the light, I realized several things. First, I am disgusting. Second, Albertsons, while conveniently close, is overpriced and really more suited towards toiletries shopping. Third, and finally, I can suffer the slings and arrows of the Trader Joe’s parking clusterfuck if it means I can buy delicious, fresh food for cheap from a company that I genuinely like (and not be tempted by the deadly chicharrones).

Albertson’s is that friend you can’t get rid of. He’s not really that good for you socially (irritating, always pissing off your friends) or personally (irritating, always pissing you off). He costs you a lot of money & he’s not at all health conscious. But he’s convenient & he lives in the hood.
You’ll feel like a shitbag after you realize how much money you’ve spent & time you’ve wasted here, but occasionally when you least expect it, he’ll come to the rescue & do you a huge favor.
Albertson’s is one of those necesary evils…

I fucking love this place for the pure fact that it ISN’T TRADER JOE’S!!!
You can park here without wanting to shoot some old lady in the head for taking EONS to load her shit and get the fuck out!
There aren’t any Ben Hur chariot crashes here! I can move past the other people in the aisle!
No lame ass hippie children with parents who allow them to «express themselves» at the top of their lungs that they «WANT A LUNA BAR MOMMY!»
I love Safeway, Albertsons, Andronico’s, etc… WAY MORE AND FOREVER BETTER than Trader Joe’s.
So suck it! FOUR STARS BEYOTCH!!!

I completely agree with the other review here that the line are way too long but come on people, you can check out yourself!
Not only that, this store has an enormous selection of: wines, ethnic foods (every kind you can think of), cheese, veggies and frozen goods.
There is also a Starbucks and large drug store area.
My sis and I love this place to much we call it the «Fulton Market» rather than Albertsons — sounds fancier.

Ok, I have to get something off my chest. Here it is:
I have been doing all of my grocery shopping at Albertsons exclusively for about 6 months.
I am an idiot.
When I shopped at Albertsons, I spent about… say… $ 100-​$ 150 per week on groceries for me and my fiancé. It seemed a little pricey, but hey, I figured, this is San Francisco, everything’s expensive. (I had just moved here in August so how was I to know?)
When my fiancé started investigating the reciepts (which I, of course, never do) he decided that maybe we should try doing all of our shopping at Trader Joes. So we did.
WE DID ALL OF OUR GROCERY SHOPPING AT TRADER JOES FOR ONE WEEK AND SPENT $ 67.65.
Groceries at Albertsons for $ 100? Or buy better, higher quality, healtheir items at Trader Joes for $ 67.65. Like I said, I am an idiot for not realizing this before.
Also, Al’s ALWAYS has a line and it takes forever to check out. And the people who work there aren’t the brightest bulbs in the bunch either. One time I was in an aisle where a huge tub of yogurt was splattered all over the ground. A lady pointed it out to one of the guys who worked there and he shrugged his shoulders and walked away. Whaaa? The peeps at TJ’s would never do that. They’re dedicated. They’d be there with a mop and a bucket in 5 seconds flat.
I would have given Al’s a 0 star if that was an option, but I guess it deserves one star because at least you don’t have to wait for parking. Perhaps I have discovered the reason why.

Fuck this cesspool of chemicals and trans fats. Is it too much to ask that grocery stores sell something that won’t give you cancer, or turn your arteries into sewer pipes, or additives whose «excess consumption may cause anal leakage»?!? Don’t even bother with the produce; if it’s not underripe, it’s rotten. Fuck you and your rotted out $ 2.50 pomegranate.
Albertsons’ success as a grocery chain is about as fucking insane as the fact that some fat fucking redneck with a retarded hick accent is the top grossing comedian in America.
We are so fucked. As a people. I mean, just shoot yourself now.

For a shiny new Albertsons, this place is THE WORST. I go here because it’s near home, and they validate parking, which is nice, but I’d like to submit a list of the things that make me mad every time I go here:
1. The lines are too long because they only have 4 real checkouts, usually understaffed. And society is not ready for self-​checkout.
2. Did I say understaffed? Oh yeah. Well that’s because the lazy teens who work here are too busy walking around staring at the ceiling to be bothered to work.
3. Produce costs 3x too much. $.75 for limes? $ 2.50 for avocados? $ 3/​pound for bell peppers?
4. Produce costs too much, especially considering half the time it’s moldy and will spoil in about 2 days.
5. They run out of everything that’s on sale.
6. There are never enough carts and baskets. See complaint #2.
7. They close at 10. What the hell? I’m not a USF student, which is obviously like 70% of this store’s business, but I remember when I was in college, I needed to get food at odd hours! I don’t want to have to drive to Safeway.
8. It’s shameful, but it’s putting the small corner markets out of business.
I think that’s it. The only good thing is the one checker who runs your stuff through fast and the fact they validate parking.

I’m actually pretty pleased with this place. After reading everyone’s reviews, this location sounded pretty lame. So I checked it out earlier this summer and hey! it’s NICE!
A large grocery store (for a city), bright, clean, well-​stocked, and a large selection of produce that’s always been fresh for me.
I’m not ‘feeling’ the deli, as warned by others, but that’s okay. I never get food from a grocery store deli anyway. What’s the point of paying extra for macaroni and cheese that’s been sitting out all day when I can easily make it from scratch at home? Exactly.
Bonus: I bank at Washington Mutual, so that’s a plus. There’s no closer one to where I live. I dig the one-​two punch.
Free 2 hour parking with purchase validation. They’ve got those oh-​so-​fun self-​checkout lanes when you feel like avoiding personal interaction. Most of the time it’s not difficult to manage it yourself.
Prices are a bit more than my local Safeway, but I think it’s worth it given that I’m paying for cleanliness, lighting that postdates the 70s, and some selection comparable to Whole Foods.

I do not mind doing my grocery shopping at this Albertsons because they usually have everything I have on my shopping list. Plus, the store is clean and well lit :-)!
In my opinion, here are some good things about this Albertsons:
: 2-​hour free parking with validation
: wide variety of wines
: spam and vienna sausage are well-​stocked
: huge selection of fruits and vegetables
: ca grown fresh flowers (carnations, roses, daisies, etc.)
: friendly butchers at meat/​seafood department
: starbucks
: dvd rental place
In my opinion, here are some NOT so good things about this Albertsons:
: long check out lines (not enough cashiers)
: long self-​check out lines
: shoppers are mean and crazy with their shopping carts
: where are all the shopping baskets?
: the workers can be friendlier with their customers

Update 7÷27÷2007:
Albertsons is CLOSED. Long live Lucky!
— — — — –
Original review:
I gotta love a store I can get to without going outdoors and touching rain! Originally I thought the selection was inferior to Safeway, but now that I know what’s where it looks pretty good. Read the labels and you can find almost anything — from peanut butter made with hydrogenated vegetable oil and sugar to peanut butter made with peanuts and salt. They do have a little inventory control problem, because the trucks can only come in twice a week during business hours. If something isn’t in stock, try again later.
Things to remember: If it’s a doodad like a sweater or a giant teddy bear, get it while you see it. It probably won’t be restocked. If it smells bad, keep moving (especially meat & seafood). All the Gillette blades, and the house brand cheap disposable razors, are kept behind the service desk. Read the labels. Often a national brand will be cheaper than the house brand.
My favorite stuff: real peanut butter, see above. Real pineapple, grapefruit, and cherry juices. Odwalla. Fresh vegetables — these are what made me like Albertsons. Better than Safeway. Check out the ethnic foods section behind the Starbucks station. Smile and say hi to the guards; they are real people too.
The older employees look like they’re waiting for retirement, but the younger ones are really helpful. I like the automated check-​out. The place gets crowded 5pm-​7pm and 9pm-​10pm. Other times of the day you pretty much have the store to yourself.
There’s a City CarShare pod in the garage. That’s a lot closer than Saint Mary’s Hospital.
5 stars for the fresh veggies and City CarShare pod, minus 1 star for the meat & fish department.