Safeway — Restaurant in Berkeley

This rating is for Ricky. 02/07/2025 around 4pm Friday

I drive for Uber Eats and was having difficulty finding cheese. There are four sections with hundreds of cheeses (the corner of the fruit section, two sections by the deli, and the fridge in the center of the store), and all 15 aisles listed on the app are marked as "Center S" in this branch of Safeway. I asked Ricky where the Mexican cheese was, and he told me aisle 9. All good until here. I asked where another item, salted peanuts, was, and he started being sarcastic, saying, "Are you going to ask me about everything on your list? You know it's kind of your job to find them." So I told him, unlike other Safeways I've been to, this one doesn't indicate what aisle the item is in. He again sarcastically said, "Are you sure you came to the right store?" I have a computer science degree and a multimedia degree. The reason I'm doing this is because I have a mortgage, and finding a job has become a challenge thanks to AI. I really did not need someone talking down to me over asking for directions to an item. Things are not easy to find. For example, bacon for Boar's Head brand is by the meats, but another brand is in the aisle in the fridge. I did look for the peanuts and found them in a different spot with different plastic packaging at the end of the aisle, and the ones on the list were in cardboard packaging. In Uber Eats, things need to be exact, or it won't allow it, and not everything is as clear as it is for someone who works there. So, if answering customers is not your job, Ricky, I apologize for this one-star review; I'll fix it when I find out about it. If that is your job, and you didn't help like the other three amazing colleagues (Mr. Bill, who offered help before I asked, the tall guy with a beard in the butcher section who left what he was doing to help, and the kind lady in the bakery who was on her way somewhere and came to help), shame on you, Ricky. I don't appreciate your sarcastic tone. The estimate was 40 minutes, and it took me two hours and 48 minutes, as the aisles and the shelves are not properly marked in this branch, and you made me feel bad about asking for help comfortably. I made less than four dollars an hour for this almost 3 hour task, thanks to you.

Thanks to everyone else who...

A couple months ago I had an experience at Safeway 0691 that I’m reminded of every time I visit the store.

With so few lanes open, the lines had grown so long that they were in the aisles and grew into one another such that it was difficult to know where to stand. Fine, I thought, it’s busy, and I can be patient. I waited 30 minutes as the girl behind me was live-streaming the disfunction. Finally I got to the front… but the cashier began ringing up the wrong items. Usually one would be able to cancel this and move on. But it soon became clear that NO ONE IN THE STORE HAD AN OVERRIDE AUTHORITY! The manager had stepped out, and my cashier, herself the assistant manager, had left her card at home. Not knowing what to do, and overwhelmed by the situation, she declared “Well, this lane is closed,” and proceeded to leave for the night.

Those of us who had waited 30 minutes in line asked how the store could be open and operating without a manager or assistant manager. Shrug. We all now had to pack up our items and find our way to the back of another 30 minute line. I was tired from the work day, and frustrated by stupidity, so I decided to stay put and wait 30 minutes for the manager to return.

I used my time to call Safeway customer service and complain about the store. Nearby the cashiers and baggers were joking to one another that if I was waiting for the manager, I’d be there for a while. Of course, the manager never returned, and I eventually checked out with a lane that had just opened and was kind enough scan my handful of items first. They seemed to understand that yes, this is unacceptable, but no, it’s not surprising. On the phone, the customer service rep asked if I’d like the manager to call back, and I said yes. Of course, no one ever called.

If typing out a google review of an incident that happened months ago seems petty, you’re right :) but I just got back from 0691 and felt like I lost just a little bit more of myself. Was it waiting 10 minutes for the case to be opened for hydrogen peroxide? Or getting angrily yelled at by an employee to grab the cat litter from the belt? Or the cart that locked up as I tried to take it INTO the store? Just little things that call to mind why I avoid this store...

Safeway at 1444 Shattuck Pl, Berkeley, CA 94709 has a Starbucks, pharmacy, bakery, deli (hot & cold plus gourmet cheese, sushi, sandwiches), meat counter, florist, liquor section as well as the regular depts like produce, meat, frozen foods, etc... Parking is underground (closes early) as well as on the same level as the store with handicap parking near the front entrance. Regarding Covid, masks are required and they usually have someone dedicated to spray down and sanitize the shopping carts after each use and additional wipes are available near the entrance if you want to sanitize yourself. In the bakery section, all baked goods are in their own clear cellophane bag or container. Make sure you download the Safeway app for weekly specials and often there are Just4U(J4U) discounts through the app plus they usually have FRI $5 specials plus your purchases accumulate toward reward pts in the APP. Here's an example of how you can leverage all the discounts. This week their 16 oz large container of organic salad (reg $5) is on sale for $4.28. But in this week there is also a $1 discount for produce and another $1 discount for organic. That reduces the price to $2.28 ($4.28 $1 produce discount $1 organic discount = $2.28). This week there is also a 10% discount if you get a flu shot and $5 off for groceries $50 or more. Sometimes you can even get a FREE item through your app. A few weeks ago Safeway launched their Signature Cafe Firecracker chicken sandwich and for one week, it was FREE. I've even gotten a free tub of ice cream, butter, yogurt and various sodas & drinks so always search for FREE items and $1 OFF on your app. Recently Safeway started a pop up FLASH sale section and you need the app to receive notification since it's not in the weekly ad and shows up in the middle of the week. Typically Safeway weekly specials begin on Wed and run thru Tue. If they're out of inventory, some stores will issue a 30-day raincheck to preserve your sale price but some stores will tell you they suspended rainchecks during Covid. Policy seems to vary by store manager but it never...