Safeway

At the «Sandanista Safeway,» the selection is limited, produce is wilted, the lines are long, and the staff are rude and lazy. I told a worker that there was a spill in an aisle and she just stared at me and walked away without saying a word. The checkers look miserable to be at work. There is a tiny underground parking lot for about 15 cars that you access down the tiny alley behind the store (alley is to the right of the loading dock; hang a left when you get to the next corner).
Go elsewhere.

Expensive, usually long lines. What more do you need to know?

No matter what time I come to this Safeway, I wait an eternity to check out. Sometimes the lines go the whole length of the aisles/​store.
2 stars because it gives me time to think about and assess my life decisions that got me here.
The produce is dismal. Go to Harris Teeter to save your sanity.

I wish there was a way to shut this place down. They have the worst customer service ever. Disgustingly rude, hostile, and no courtesy cards for customers. A Giant/​Whole Foods/​Trader Joes needs to put these anti-​customer employees out of a job.

My first two star review! As is usually the case, I have to either be blown away or horrified to review a place, and this Safeway has inspired a review for the latter reason. It’s a fine place for things a grocery store can’t screw up — packaged, brand name things with a long shelf life, and non-​food items (alcohol, toiletries) hence 2 stars. Plus it’s in a very needed location, as there aren’t other super convenient groceries for people in north adams Morgan except the «Teet» on Kalorama. Which is why it’s a shame it’s not quality. Im all but finished buying produce or fresh food here, because I’ve personally had at least 3 experiences with moldy or infested produce and have overheard — not once but twice — other customers complaining about cockroaches in the deli. The employee who was being reported to during one of these incidents seemed unsurprised. Even packaged goods are often left on the shelves too long. They’re good about returns, but who’s got the time, everytime? Lastly, as other reviewers have mentioned, should you be in the undesirable position of needing to use the bathroom at a grocery store, this is close to the worst case scenario. I can’t imagine the amount of work that must go into keeping a large grocery store packed with fresh foods and operating cleanly, but unfortunately neither can the management here.

This Safeway, in a word, sucks wh is something to say coming from a 73 year old Adams Morgan long term resident.
You can’t find things, some personnel are rude, the meat counter help was dismissive to me, probably racist and agist.
I’m steamed

This Safeway is only worth going to if you can walk to it (or are 1 – 2 Circulator stops away). Else, find a better place. The staff here are completely indifferent and often rude. Of the 6 – 7 times I’ve asked a question, I got 5 – 6 brush offs. The selection is somewhat limited, though it is the city so I won’t dock points for this. The shelves are inconsistently stocked.
If you need emergency toilet paper or some basic stuff this place is fine. Anything else, invest in yourself and go to Trader Joe’s or a better run big box chain. I’m pretty sure I’d recommend the lukewarm grocery section at the Columbia Heights Target over this place.
Two stars for the location and the basic fact that I can fix a meal with ingredients I can find here. Also for parking (albeit limited).

This place is the worst Safeway in the pathetic supermarket’s chain, primarily because of the inept employees who don’t have a clue about customer service. After today, I won’t give them another dime of my money. Long lines in all checkout lanes, yet I counted four employees hanging around chatting & joking with each other; completely oblivious to anyone but themselves. I walked out & made my purchase at Harris Teeter. Good riddance, Safeway.

The service here is atrocious they wouldn’t accept my valid gift card and refused to do anything about it.

You will never find everything you need at this Safeway. They are missing important items and nothing is where you would expect to find it. Unless you go at off hours its going to take longer to check out than it is to find all of your items. They honestly have a look of shock and awe if you have a cart full of items in one visit. I would highly recommend walking the extra blocks to Harris Teeter.

I went to buy some produce and found everything in the entire aisle to be rotten. Go to Harris Teeter and spend an extra buck or two.

Reasons to shop at this safeway:
You absolutely cannot spend the extra 3 minutes it takes to get to the Harris Teeter a few blocks down.
A lot of people will say the HT is more expensive, but it really isn’t. Some things are pricier, some are cheaper. It balances out, and the HT isn’t a wreck like this Safeway is.

«Eek! Methinks not» sums up my feelings about shopping at Safeway pretty accurately. The only thing this grocery store has going for it is it’s convenient location on Columbia road, right by a handful of bus stops. The store is on the smaller side, which is to be expected for city supermarket. However, the aisles always feel crowded. This is probably because there are never enough checkout lanes open, causing the lines to overflow into the aisles. Even during peak shopping hours I don’t think I’ve ever seen cashiers operating all lanes.
The store is disorganized. The chips are scattered around the store and in display cases at the end of each aisle, making it nearly impossible for me to find pita chips one evening. The store is consistently out of stock of many items I want to purchase, so I end up buying the more expensive brand. I’d rather pay a slightly higher price up front at Harris Teeter just a few blocks away.

It should say a lot that this Safeway is the easiest grocery store to get to by bus and I almost never come. Yes, there is a bus that goes LITERALLY from the front door of my apartment building to the corner of Columbia and Adams Mill Road, a 3 minute walk from Safeway, but on most days you couldn’t pay me to go here.
On Sundays especially, the stock in this store runs low enough that you may not be able to buy milk, yogurt, or meat that doesn’t expire same-​day.
I will say that the staff is usually pretty friendly, which adds one star to what would otherwise be the minimum possible review.

As far as supermarkets go, my #1 factor is convenience. But, beyond being visible from outside my window, there isn’t much to like about this supermarket.
That’s because the #2 factor in supermarkets is how long the lines are. And if you come shop during any «prime» time (weekday or Saturday evenings), the line for self check-​out or any of the 2 – 3 registers will stretch down the aisles. Very annoying that they can’t open up a couple more registers during these times, but nobody seems to know or care.
And the #3 factor in supermarkets is variety/​stock, and Safeway strikes out here too. I don’t shop for anything remotely exotic, but commonly find that the store is out of 1% milk, or burgers, or other simple items, especially on Sundays. The deli/​fresh food area is a mess, as the food doesn’t look remotely appetizing (the one sandwich I had there was gross), and it’s inconsistently manned. Avoid that.
The redeeming factors to mention are 1) The beer selection is very good and 2) The workers aren’t the most competent, but at least they’re friendly.
If you’re making a simple shopping run, Safeway should suffice. For anything more elaborate, just go to Harris Teeter.

Customer service=NONE
Food Selection=BAD
Francesca is the epitome of rudeness and bad customer service. I’ve spent hundreds of dollars in this place and I got no «Hi!», no smile, no «thank you» from her. She rang up my items, talking (more like Ghetto talking) to the other cashier and handed me my receipt, just like that, as if I’m a robot. No more Safeway shopping for me. I don’t deserve to be treated like that.
And Safeway, you don’t deserve one star.

As far as I’m concerned, there are 3 supermarket options between Dupont and Adams Morgan (I’m sure there are more… but these three are the only ones I’ve tried). They are– the Safeway on 17^th St, aptly nicknamed «Soviet Safeway,» the Harris Teeter on Kalorama, and this Safeway. The Safeway on 17^th is horrible (see my review). They are missing staple items and it’s poorly laid out, and the lines are always absurd. I am always a fan of the «teets,» but, of course, given that it’s a slightly higher priced supermarket option located in the heart of DC, it’s a bit expensive. This Safeway is the perfect mix. Not too expensive, great location, and has a good selection of items. On my most recent outing, I stopped by to pick up a pint of ice cream and was in and out in less than 5 minutes.
Recap: this Safeway is MUCH better than the one on 17^th, has a good selection of items, and isn’t too expensive
Warning: DON’T ask to use the bathroom in here. It’s terrifying. Like actually I very seriously feared for my life and I would rather have an accident than go back into the bowels of this store to use the bathroom.

I didn’t live in the 17^th century so I’ve never seen something actually be pillaged, but this place comes close. If you choose to shop there Sunday-​Tuesday and you buy typical white people things such as greek yogurt, chicken breast, eggs, pasta sauce, kale, Naked juice, or anything that isn’t on the list of approved EBT/​food stamps items you’ll be screwed. At the end of every weekend middle class twenty somethings come to this store and hoard anything that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup as the first ingredient.
The self checkout line is an interesting social phenomenon. People seem unable to figure out how to use a touch pad. The best part is the only reason they use the self checkout is that they think that since they have a liberal arts degree from a small private college that they somehow can do a checker’s job better. Its funny to see them swipe an item and seem puzzled by the fact that the price then shows up on the screen. Watch out if they have to find the code for their free range micro sprouts because its likely its harder than most of the dudes on

Really, Safeway? Is plastic bag theft (checkout fraud) at this location SUCH a problem that I have to wait for a manager to show up to approve my self-​checkout transaction when I reported using my own bags? At $ 0.05 DC tax per bag, and with the ridiculously inflated prices you try to get away with at this location, surely you can afford to suck it up when your customers mis-​report how many bags they use?
Delaying me like this firmly ensures that I will shop at one of your conveniently located competitors, instead.
I’ve lived in the neighborhood a long time… a very long time. So I know the OLD Columbia Rd Safeway. Sure, you spruced things up, made everything pretty, and started carrying some token (really token) organic and high-​end items when Whole Foods, Giant, and Harris Teeter moved in close by… but you didn’t fool me. Your overall inventory still falls ridiculously short of what your local market wants to buy. I can’t remember a time when I went in there and actually came out with everything that was on my shopping list.

Looking for a break from the multitudes of farmer’s markets with fresh, green groceries and be offered wilting produce?
Looking for a place where you can spend an hour browsing the wares, only to not find what you need and be told that’s the best you’ll find?
Looking for a reason to avoid cleanliness and get dirty?
Looking for a place to get yelled at by a security guard for trying to buy beer two minutes after midnight?
Then step right up folks, this rat hole is for you. They must be doing something right though, because people keep spending money here to keep it open…