The Market by Safeway

small little safeway… i wouldn’t be able to fully grocery shop here though. It does have majority of stuff I need when I’m running short on a ingredient or so.
Service for the most part is good. I’ve always been dealt with nice cashiers. Except for today (1−29−16/530pm) @ the self check out line. Needed the worker to approve the discount ticket on the item, she was rude. Rushed through the process, wasn’t very friendly. After it she scanned the item again she just dropped my food on the bag area. It wasn’t like a total throw but it was a hard «toss». Luckily it landed right side up otherwise I would’ve been a total prick and complained to the manager for messing up my fish. LOL. If she isn’t happy with her job I’m quite sure there are plenty of people who could use the income.

My home is downtown so this is my Safeway! Great staff, great selections, and they are constantly making renovations and upgrades!

Pooor service. Meat counter can take 15 – 20 minutes to get service (literally 20 minutes today). Could have gone and caught a salmon more quickly than picking it up from Safeway.
Received rude and slow service while cashing a winning lottery ticket last night (not the $ 1 billion powerball ticket unfortunately).
Food is expensive, even floor San Jose (on par with Whole Foods prices, but much less quality and freshness).

Expired food (perishables as much as by a MONTH) is a regular part and parcel of this place. Having to rummage through items to make sure you end up with something not yet expired makes you feel as though this supermarket’s goal is to swindle you. Homeless people hanging around-​both inside and outside the supermarket-doesn’t help the atmosphere of this place. The staff is very, very nice, which is always a plus, but there are never enough registers open. The prices? Frankly, it often does not seem any different than Whole Foods (the quality, regrettably, is not).

I am always returning food that i find is expired after I get it home– Salsa, salad dressing, chicken bullion, cheese, guacamole, bread, mac n cheese, sour cream, yogurt, milk… the list goes on. I shop here because it is half a block from my house. I have even returned expired salsa (which I opened), returned and found restocked the following day (I know this b/​c I tore the label when transporting). I called corporate and they had the product removed. I would never buy any meat or seafood items from this location and make sure to check the expiration dates on EVERYTHING!

The guy who worked at the sandwich station was seriously the nicest guy ever, he ended up giving me a sandwich so big I had to take out the filling – I seriously think he ended up giving me like 20 pieces of bacon in my turkey, bacon, avocado sandwich. Super bomb, super worth the money.
The store itself is small but their placement works very well, it certainly could be a one stop shop if you just did your regular shopping here. The location is very convenient, modern, and chic.
The only thing that was weird was their bathroom was so ghetto/​gross, totally different from the rest of the store.

The store itself is clean, well stocked, with really friendly employees that work hard. So if you want a Safeway for this reason and live close to downtown, it’s good for picking something up quick.
My complaint, however, is slightly in the management of this store. The sandwich area takes so long, I just go for the soup in the end. As someone that works nearby, I’m sure I’m not the only one that comes in here during a lunch break. With the attendants having a line and only one person making food, my hour lunch turns into 30 minutes of waiting before I’m finally out of the store and able to eat. And that’s with just waiting my turn, having it made, and then grabbing a quick snack before I leave. I remember when the sign used to say the food would be free if it was not made in 3 minutes but it looks like they took it down.
They really need to increase the amount of people that can help around so it moves faster. If you want a sandwich, the nice ladies at Togo’s can do it faster because they have enough help. The ones at Safeway — I feel sorry for since they have to man the pizza area, hot food, and sandwich counter alone.
(I wrote this same review for another Safeway but it was for the wrong one — this is the one I meant to review for. Can’t figure out how to delete it)

Today was a great day for mankind in which Frances the cashier lead the way to saving money the safeway for patrons of this location. She seemed on top of her game and before knowing i could pay less she inquired if I put in my safeway card number. Thanks again girl!

I work close by and some mornings I’ll stop by to have a breakfast sandwich made before heading into the office.
1. The parking lot is out of control. Super packed with people not going to the grocery store, its taken me upwards of 15 minutes to find a spot and walk to the market elevator. Its also a shame all the quick spots right out front the door for us 10 minute visitors are off-​limits. Which requires them to validate my parking as well for a quick trip.
2. Its literally never been less than 20 minutes for me to get a sandwich made. Even when i’m next in line when I arrive, still 20 minutes. The employees are good, but very slow, like to chat to each other while they work, etc. Definitely no sense of urgency. I timed them this morning — averaged 7 minutes per sandwich. Maybe they find that OK, don’t know. But I’ve had the same sandwich made in Pleasanton & Dublin Safeways and the time can’t even compare. Definitely less than half.
3. I unfortunately had to use the restroom once. Ugh. Remember those scary bathrooms we girls used to use at nightclubs because we were drunk? That’s a step up from this place. A plastic bag as a door handle should have been the first sign. The there are only 2 stalls — 1 of which was taken up by a woman, who I assume was homeless, who took a «toilet bath» — using the toilet water to spray up onto to herself — washed her hair like this — changed her clothes. Eventually grabbing her rolling bag and leaving.
The Checkout is always nice though — i will say that. Lots of self-​check options an if theres even 3 people in line they’ll bring up more cashiers. Wish they’d do that with the sandwich area! I’ve seen lines 10 people deep and at least once every time i’m there somebody leaves because its not worth the wait.

The Safeway Market was OK until the last management change. With the new planogram it has become mostly a junk food store much like a 7 – 11. What store needs two isles devoted to chips? And the new shelves were installed in an area that is now barely one shopping cart wide in front of the meat counter. Oddly, with more shelf space and a reorganized planogram the food selections and variety have decreased significantly. Once open space is now crowded with stacks of soft drinks. What was a nice inviting open plan is pretty trashy…
Worse yet, the other day most all of the strawberries were spoiled and the fresh green beans were so wilted they were wrinkled. What gives?

A great pit stop for your grocery needs — including drinks — and quick eats. They’ve done a great job catering this for college students, as well as for local residents who are living in the area. If you’re visiting, The Market can be a great stop to meet any of your needs in case you forgot toiletries or if you have any food/​drink cravings.
If you’re in the area for a quick business meeting during business hours, The Market can also be a great parking spot. There is a parking garage underneath The Market and you can get validated inside of The Market. The validation gets you the first two hours for free (that’s the equivalent of $ 6). Currently, the rates are $ 1 for every 20 minutes. So if you’re there for longer than 2 hours, then prepare to pay for the extra time.
This is my go to stop in case I need quick parking for a short 2 or 3 hour meeting in downtown San Jose during business hours.
Remember The Market is owned by Safeway, so you can use your Safeway Rewards card here.

This location is clean and usually very organized. Considering that it is a rather small grocery store the selection is average at best but the deli and produce departments are great and always fresh.
My main gripes with this place are the deceptive pricing and terrible customer service. I came here last night and was helped by a new cashier named Marleen. Upon accepting to have my groceries bagged she only bags half and leaves me to carry raw chichen and eggs to carry. Umm if you offer to bag and I accept, I mean everything not half. I asked her to Akzo grab me some «Camel Crush Menthols, it’s the green one». She returns with Marlboro Menthol. I tell her again verbatim «Camel Crush Menthols, it’s the green one». She comes back with Camel Crush. After repaying a third time slowly, she gets the correct one with the help of another associate.
Mid-​way through the cigarette debacle I ask her co worker, is she new? and told her about how she bagged half my groceries. Said associate then says yeah she’s new and explains it’s 10 cents per bag and SOME people pay with food stamps and can only afford 1 bag. UMMMM WTF THANK YOU FOR ASSUMING I’M ON FOOD STAMPS AND AFTER BUYING $ 60 (NOT A LOT) WORTH OF OVERPRICED GROCERIES THAT I CANNOT AFFORD ANOTHER 10 CENT PAPER BAG. THAT WAS INSANELY RUDE. EVERY CUSTOMER IS DIFFERENT SO DON’T GENERALIZE. I’M NOT GOING TO SPEND ALL MY MONEY EXACTLY TO THE POINT OF NOT AFFORDING A BAG?!
After paying I got weird looks from the associates like I was crazy, go ahead and talk about me, you guys work in a grocery store.
The only nice helpful person here is the red head at self checkout. If you can avoid normal check out do so!

This safeway is located downtown, so it’s walking distance from SJSU. If you do drive here they have a parking garage and youll just have to get your ticket validated for free 2 hr parking — but the spaces here are a bit tight, so be careful! So I stop by here few times a month to pick up some groceries or just some random snacks. This safeway is small and there’s always a long checkout line — they have self checkout lanes! Also, there’s always some homeless people hanging out at the entrances, so I don’t feel very safe here.

I don’t always go to Safeway for produce or meats, but they have good weekly sales sometimes, but I won’t be coming back again. This Safeway is located in the middle of downtown with free validated parking which is really nice. The lines get kind of long here, even for self-​check out.
The reason why I won’t be coming back is because Safeway had a deal for avocados ($ 1 for 2) which is pretty common and a good deal. I came in and bought 10 avocados because I love avocados. When I went home and opened one up to eat, there were black spots and it seemed kind of rotten even though the outer shell looked perfectly okay. I figured it was only one so I opened up another one and AGAIN bad. I proceeded to open all 10 up and they all had the black spots.
I’ve bought tons of avocados before and NEVER have I had the problem where more than 1 or 2 had that problem, even when I bought them on sale. I will probably only come back for meats if they have a really good sale, but I would NEVER come back for produce.

This review is for the bakery, more specifically Gabriella at the bakery. We decided last minute to bring a birthday cake for my son to our Easter festivities with family. I called a few bakeries but as I had figured, they were not taking any orders nor did they have blanks ready to be decorated.
Then I remembered that Safeway has a bakery, so I called. A girl named Gabriella answered and saved the day! She told me they were not a full service bakery, so they didn’t have the kits with figurines for the cakes. But that they can freehand a design if I felt comfortable with that. I asked if Batman symbol would be possible and she said it definitely would. Then I got brave and asked if they can do the symbols for Superman, Green Lantern, Flash and Captain America on the corners. She said no problem and put my order in for that afternoon at 2pm.
So I’m stoked that I scored a superhero cake for my son last minute and tell my fiancé, then he tells me, «They are gonna free hand all that??? Hope it doesn’t come out weird…» I instantly thought of all the Pinterest monstrosities of supermarket cakes. Well as 2 rolls around I head over to pick up my cake hoping for the best. Gabriella brings out my cake and I am completely floored! The cake looked AMAZING! It was perfect, just as I had first imagined when ordering if not better! I must have gotten at least 6 compliments on it just walking from the bakery to the checkout. My son was over the moon, not only did it look awesome it was delicious! I will definitely be ordering cakes here again, especially if Gabriella is the one decorating it!

Safeway is one of those supermarkets that you wish would come to NY. I mean, come on Safeway, why do we have to be left out?!
This location is on the smaller side, hence the market part of the name. They still have the basics for a supermarket including a deli counter… And the other thing NY supermarkets lack: wine. Aisles and aisle of wine!
The aisles are wide considering the location. The store is also brightly lit and it seemed as though every cashier was open, which was a nice touch and sped the line along.

I dropped by this place cause I’ve been starving! It is located downtown San Jose and just adjacent to the VLA light rail Santa Clara and 2^nd. The store is clean and organized. I had a deal from there Signature café. I got the 5.99 deal 1 entrée and 2 sides. The guy behind the counter gave me 3 pcs of friend chicken, a lb perhaps of Mac and cheese and 20+ of potato wedges. And he jokingly said, «you think this is enough? «and I just winked.
There is also a parking place.
Even though the friend chicken is over fried but my body really needs nourishment irregardless!

Note: This review is base on my experience there a few years ago– when it just opened.
I was thirsty for some Redbull and thought I took advantage of that moment to check out the new grocery store that open at the heart of Downtown San Jose.
LOCATION
Classy spot to be located at I have to say. It is located under what seems to be a condo building. Like I said, located at the heart of Downtown San Jose, you can’t really miss it. If you do, just look for the huge «The Market» sign in front– can’t miss it!
PARKING
It’s Downtown therefore, parking is simply not easy to come by no matter where you go. If you are lucky, you can find one on the street in front of Fahrenheit Ultra Lounge. Otherwise, you can count of paying for parking there at the lots. If my guess is correct, I think it’s between $ 5-​$ 10. Then again, it’s been awhile since I parked there during the day. Don’t take my word for it.
INTERIOR
Very clean. Considering it is a grocery located in Downtown San Jose, it is kept immaculately clean. Again, I’m thinking how it was when it first opened. Everything has its place, organized, spotless floors and shiny.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
This is where it goes down hill– someone accidentally knocked over a glass bottle of soda and it shattered. I watched the workers reaction and I have to say, surprised. Not that I was expecting to see people running around like their head chopped off to get it cleaned up, but more like a bunch of teenager that seems to be high or something. A couple of guys, walked over there, looked at it (talking about anything but the spill) and took their time getting it cleaned. Yes, let us not cry over spilled milk but in terms of customer service, a little urgency in their attitude to get it cleaned would matter in that case since it was concerning broken glass shards on the floor. Then, there was the register. So how come three (3) was open and yet it took them eight (8) minutes to ring 5 people up? Yes, there was a line. I grew impatient not because of the five (5) person that was waiting in line but more that the store lack of customer service.
VERDICT
I decided that the can Redbull wasn’t that important to purchase.

PARKING: is tough since this is downtown. You have to park below Safeway in the inside parking structure underground. Be careful of the steep ramp though. And be careful for pedestrians as you are leaving because there are major blind spots when you’re coming up the ramp into the street. It’s not a big underground lot either, and it seems kind of scary.
They used to have a few parking spots out front, but now they are by permit only… boo to that. Sometimes I would get lucky and find a parking spot here, but that’s no more. There is an outside parking lot right next to the Safeway, but I don’t think they validate or maybe they do? I know for sure their underground one below the actual Safeway does so I just stick to that one.
You can also pay by credit card when you drive out of the parking structure. Also be sure to validate right BEFORE you are ready to drive out of the parking lot. Don’t validate then spend an hour eating dinner. Eat dinner, THEN validate or else it charges you for more time.
ENTRANCE:
Then you take elevators to get up to Safeway. They validate your parking ticket after you checkout. There’s a person there that takes your parking ticket and gets it stamped. You can buy anything as small as a pack of gum, and they’ll validate your parking ticket.
Loiterers out front a lot. Some of them ask you for money.
INSIDE: seems quite new actually. Organized and clean. It’s not a big huge Safeway, but it has what you’ll probably need.
CHECKOUT: lots of self-​check out stations with one long line. I can’t complain about their customer service everything went smoothly everytime I’ve been here.
DOORS: they have two different entrances, but at night they close one of the entrances the one near the main street. Then they only keep the door open that faces the outside parking lot behind their cash registers. I’m sure they do this to prevent theft.

Came by since I needed water and a Diet Dr. Pepper.
The way the store set up is kinda weird, but I suppose it’s the way the building and layout is. I walked in and to the left I see cashiers and a line to pay. Great… All I needed was a couple of drinks and there was a huge line.
This was the only convenience store in the area, so it had to do. I walked around a bit and the prices were moderately higher than a regular Albertsons or Trader Joes. There was a place to grab sushi to go as well as a sandwich place that made fresh subs. I was tempted to grab a fresh sandwich but the line was so long. When I circled the store and came back around to the sandwich line, the same people were still in line!
I opted to purchase my drinks and left. I utilized the self checkout, which was quick and easy to use.
Bring your own bags for your groceries!