Safeway Sucks
In this area there are people that are dedicated to their favorite grocery store. Auntie had a recent rant about Fred Meyer in favor of her beloved Safeway. I went to Safeway on Monday and my observations are as follows:
The store was really cold. I don’t know if they were having heating problems, but normally I enjoy the cold, but this was too much for me. Next if you intend to buy milk, bring a magnifying glass if you want to tell the whole milk from the 1 and 2%. Though the wine selection is good it is too dark to actually read a bottle.
What’s with the generic O products? I know they are there to appease those people that not only believe that organic products are better, but also believe everything labeled organic is actually organic. When I see the O label all I can think of is Oprah …no sale.
This is a rather new store that was designed for efficient shopping. I am usually annoyed by over loaded end caps in stores, but this Safeway puts end caps in their isles. You get half way down an isle and there is a cage of crap for sale that makes it impossible for two carts to go down the same isle. I know it is a ploy to get you to stand in an isle longer, but I don’t play that game.
Safeway has to be the noisiest shopping environment I’ve ever been in. The music on the intercom was loud and annoying and often punctuated with sales announcements and calls for employees to react to something. There are better communication tools available than ear piercing squawks.
Finally, why do they insist on calling you by name on your way through the check out? Unless your name is Smith or Brown they will mispronounce it. Even when they do get it right it doesn’t make me want to bond with the chaser or the corporation.
I left Safeway feeling cold, insulted, deceived and assaulted. I’m going back to Ken’s in Warrenton.
posted by The Guy Who Writes This at 4:00 AM
26 Comments:
Sorry you had poopy experience, Guy. I know you are a tried and true Freddie's shopper and don't easily change your habits. This must have been really hard for you, but thanks for trying!
Freddy's and Kens. Also Freddy pays you 5 cents for each of your own bags, Safeway only pays 3 cents per bag.
I boycotted Portland area Safeways about 12, 13 years ago. My daughter worked there. To make a long story short, it's an horrendous place to work. Her deli manager hated her and got her fired. Even tho the customers LOVED her. A little jealousy, maybe? I was SO livid, I went in to the store where Daughter worked, called for the Store Manager, slapped my Safeway savings card in to his hand, and told him I'd never, ever shop in a Safeway in Portland again. You DON'T mess with my kids, especially unfairly!!! I'd never shop in a Safeway PERIOD except in some small communities it's the only grocery store available. Give me Freddy's any day.
Wow! Zeezo the clown!
Could it be the same one I saw in gradeschool in Dallas Oregon?
And what a killer car!
Where can I get a car like that?
Gearhead, stop teasing Guy about that picture of him back when he was an "entertainer." After all, it was really really brave of him to put it out there today.
Also Freddy pays you 5 cents for each of your own bags, Safeway only pays 3 cents per bag.
IIRC ... the laws in WA and OR, and probably CA, will be that you have to pay 5 cents per plastic bag. It's the new "sin tax".
So by paying you that 5 cents, Freddies is just passing the savings directly to the customer.
Safeway, on the other hand, by only paying 3 cents - is still charging the customer 2 cents of the cost of each plastic bag.
I bet the organic's marketing people figured they'd cash in on the whole Oprah connection.
The Kansas City area lost all their Safeways long ago.
Auntie,
All kidding aside; Zeezo ROCKS!
All of us loved Zeezo the clown.
Thanks Guy, nice memory!
:-)
As we have neither Freddys nor Safeway here, I'll just stay out of this one. And I'm not all that fond of clowns, anyway. Even some of the ones I work with.
I'm with Gearhead. I remember Zeezo from grade school also. I can't remember if it was in Reedsport or Lake Oswego.
Kris, Corporate sets the management style. It's like a virus. I could see a big change when Kroger bought Fred Meyer. Employees weren't treated as well.
Gearhead, to get a car like that you can either join the Shriners or saw the top off your old Ford truck.
Auntie, you calling me a clown?
Walt, Rat bastards, they are.
Trish, Could be. I remember when O meant something else entirely.
Donna, you aren't missing much.
Darev brings up a good point, how come Gearhead and Jeff weren't afraid of Zeezo? What's up with that?
Jeff, it was probably in the valley. Back then it was easier to travel to Paris than it was to travel to the Southern Oregon Coast.
I disliked Safeway when I was back in the US going to school many moons ago, seems some things never change. We only have 2 small 'supermarkets' close, so much we get comes straight from the local producers. Veggies/fruit out of season and some packaged stuff is about it from the stores for us.
I too dislike Safeway....very much! It is a cold environment...even though its new it feels dark and depressing to me.
I prefer Fred Meyer and will always prefer Fred Meyer..one stop shopping baby!
Mike I always figured you for a make it your self kind of a guy.
Anon, Baby?
The Zeezo that you saw in Oregon is not the original "Real" Zeezo. The 1st and real Zeezo the Clown was in the Denver Safeway Division. He traveled to 6 states - but did not do shows in Oregon. That was Bob Berghim (not sure of the spelling) who used the idea and paid Larry Campbell (the original ZEEZO) a small amount each month for using the idea, name and dressing like ZEEZO. The postcards that Bob gave out of ZEEZO - was not of him. It was the picture of ZEEZO in the Denver Div. of Safeway.
Bob passed away many years ago. But Larry is live and doing well - living in Huntington Beach, Calif. (email: czeezo@gmail.com
I'm too crazy about Safeway too!
signed, ZEEZO the Clown (Larry Campbell)
Checkers need to say your last name so the store gets extra points and that means a bonus for the "manager" if you happen to be the so called freaking mystery shoppers. I worked in safeway. I was called by the the office cuz I didn't greet the mystery shopper though I asked him if he needed anything. I feel sorry for you guys, I shop at wal-mart anyway LOL.
It makes one want to go into Safeway without a membership card and pay in cash and see what they do.
SAFEWAY IN ASTORIA IS TERRIBLE! The whole place wreaks like white trash. The employees are one fry short of a happy meal and the place smells like that disgusting can room. Everything is in your way. I, too, hate those stupid basket they put EVERYWHERE jsut so you can feel that awkwardness when you actually find someone else in the aisle. I went to freddys for the first time in ages and now wonder safeway is going broke, everyone was at fred meyers! I worked there for 6 months and the whole secret shopper thing is a joke. I have to say hi and act like a retard so i can get a bonus for my manager? think i got to see any of that money? their whole corporate body is greedy, uptight a-holes and nobody gives a damn. TAKE ALL YOU CAN THE SLAVEWAY, WAY.
Well stated and funny, too.
are you fucking kidding me? get a fucking life, and move out of astoria, thanks
Hi All!
I work for Safeway in Colorado and have for nearly 20 years. Let me tell you all that the company is going down the shitter and quick. All the company cares about is paper work for the dept. managers they want more work and less pay. They also want more of your money so they can pay the Ceo Steve Burd his millions and on down from there it goes. So are you all going to continue shopping there or go somewhere else.
Safeway may not be ideal, but Home Depot makes Safeway look like a gift from God. I made a major purchase at Home Depot and paid in full. Home Depot sent it to a collection agency and I had to hire a lawyer to get them off my back. At least when you pay the Safeway cashier in full, you don't find yourself talking to a bill collector. Maybe we should shop elsewhere.
I do, small grocers and City Lumber.
Hi ZEEZO, (Larry Campbell). I remember that Zeezo the clown came to the Safeway in the Albany, Oregon area in the '60s and '70s. It was a real nice memory for my brothers and sisters.
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