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I love 24 hour safeway.
Actually, living in CV and Hayward, I love 24 hour anything.
Setting aside the fact that I can get anything I need at any time of day here, the place is just another Safeway. And, yes, I like that.
Shopping the specials here is the way to go, but if you do, you can get some great deals. Once I saved about as much on my bill as what it came out to, cutting it in half!
They do close the registers every night to switch money out, but it's not that big of a price to pay for a 24 hour grocery store that isn't Food Maxx. Ew.
Bottom line: Yeah, it's open 24 hours, so GO HERE.
This is the worst grocery store I have ever shopped at. I have lived in Castro Valley for 23 years and used to love it until they got the present manager who has been there for about 6 or so years. The place is always dirty looking and the staff and manager have a crappy attitude.
A couple of months ago they had a 10 for $10 sale and none of sale items rang up. When I told the clerk it wasn't ringing up, he proceeded to ring it all up anyway and directed me to customer service which started to help me but abandoned me to do something else. It took a whole 30 minutes to fix that mess and give me some money back. Since the sale prices weren't ringing up on the first day of the sale one would think they would have fixed it all since they had a whole week to go with it but no, 2 days later same crap.
I refuse to shop there anymore instead shopping at Mi Pueblo in Hayward on A and Hesperian, Coscto, and Trader Joe's.
I'm tired of the dirty place and the bad attitude of the manager and some of the staff.
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Already hate shopping here because of the parking and lines and don't let me forget price of everything is ridiculous. But they just got the liquor license back after losing it for a month or something for not checking ID or selling to under age kids. Not so great Safeway . Clean up your act!
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I hate the shopping at this Safeway. Its ridiclously busy ALWAYS. Parking and over crowding pushed… Read more »
Went shopping here today and the liquor is back. Oh yeah!!!
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WHAT THE F*CK. I went here today specifically to see if they had a port wine that I've been looking… Read more »
I have been shopping at my ghetto ass neighborhood safeway in Oakland. This place is open 24 hours, nice and clean, very big and has lots of stuff that I can't find in my normal store.
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I hate that when I come here at night, they're always closing the registers to do.. whatever they do. It always happens when I go! I need to avoid the night shift.
Other than that, there is one guy that talks SO LOUD I can hear him down the aisles.. He's annoying. Every time.
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WOW! THIS MUST BE THE QUEEN OF ALL SAFEWAYS! I've never been to a Safeway with a pharmacy, with a fresh bread station (loaded with artisan bread) and Starbucks!
I'm also amazed that they make their own sushi (Fresh sashii and combination rolls) and has a Chinese Food Bar (although everything looks dried and been out too long). Also, a huge eating area!
I haven't been here at night, but apparently the lines sound pretty slow. It's find during the day! I
Always have and always will love this Safeway!!! They got conned by the cops with some underage drinking scam where they used real ID's and distracted the clerk, what a joke. They will have my business as long as I can keep giving it!!!
This is one of the better Safeways I go to. Take what you want from that, but here goes nothing....
The lines usually aren't ridiculous, and everyone gets served quickly, even during the lunch rush. This does NOT include the in-house Starbucks, which is run by one or two klutz employees, depending on the day and hour.
I had a mad craving for sushi the yesterday and was willing to settle for Safeway sushi if it looked fresh enough. There was a woman actively making new rolls behind the counter, so I held up an existing box and asked if she could make a fresh one. In less than 5 minutes, she had a new box made up and it was pretty tasty. I probably shouldn't have gotten the whole-grain rice, but I didn't notice before I ordered. Still excellent and as fresh as you can get short of going to a reputable sushi establishment.
Anyway, selection is usually good. I've had decent luck with the produce, and their donuts are always tasty.
That's all for now!
Ok, I love safeway, and I can't believe I haven't written a review yet especially since I go here once/week for 8 years.
The Pharmacy knows me too.
I don't like the starbucks in the store so I will deduce 1 point for that - especially when Peets is right next door.
And the they do escrip - so if you want to register your Safeway Club Card & support a school/charity you can - and if you want to support a certain school (like the one my kids attend - email me, and I will tell you the school!) ...
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My mom just cashed in all her Safeway Club Card points for two airline tickets, she'd be saving them ever since they introduced the program back sometime in the 90's I think. I had no idea you could even do that!
Was it worth it? It was for my mom but I'll never achieve the same feat. Safeway in CV is just too popular for it's own good. It's hectic both inside and in the parking lot, crowded aisles and long checkout lines. Seems every time I go they are out of something, last night it was real parmesan cheese.
I'll always remember Safeway as it was in my childhood, in adult life it just doesn't measure up anymore.
I failed Geometry once, cheated to get through Algebra 2 in college and barely passed my statistics class, thankfully the last math class I ever had to take. So maybe this is just a shot in the dark, because I very well could be functionally autistic when it comes to math, but if there's at least 30 people in line, you might want to have more than 3 checkers in the store.
Go into Safeway any day of the week past nine at night and you will be treated to a mass of people waiting to get checked out. They recently put in four self check out stands and then decided to have them close around eight or something.
Do you like being uncomfortable? Or putting yourself in situations where you're wedged in between angry, frustrated people? Well now you can, just shop here at night.
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The whole grocery store in CV I would give them a 4 star but the deli section it totally deserves only a 2 star. I wanted to try out their flatbread pizza so i was waiting at the deli side for a good 8 minutes before being acknowledged. I was hoping for a courtesy greeting of "someone would be there in a minute or two" but the 2 other employees were chatting in the back (i did figure they were the cooks) but to say at least something !!! the other lady near the sushi section was checking or maybe counting inventory but still didnt have the courtesy to "say hello or someone will be right with you " Finally the 4th employee finally got done with her customer and said sorry for the wait how may I help you " so i asked for the flatbread pzza and when she looked they ran out.. WTF!!!! so all in all I musta been waiting for more than 10 mins..
i wouldn't be here if nature wasn't calling and trader joe's had opened already (8:30). while here, i sniffed safeway's artisan breads (filone jalapeno cheddar cheese,filone asiago cheese, & filone sesame/everything1.29). the aromas hinted some flavorful eating. WRONG! the bread was barely tasteful, all the flavors are in the crust.
pros
-very helpful staff at deli counter and checkout.
-the bread was 30 cents off with safeway card. i mentioned i didn't bring mine's. she told me i had to go to the end of line.
Me: "you mean, don't pass go,...just go to the end of the line?"
cashier: "yes" . the cashier then got me another card and i got my discount .COOL!
-no problem parking and checking out early mornings
-many different food courts, incl starbucks, available. didn't check out pricing.
cons
-artisan bread not so tasty
-safeway isn't "labor friendly".
-4 stars for service, minus one star for "poorer" bread quality, have to go to joe's or pw next time.
disclaimer: the aforementioned may be been verbally enhanced to dignify a bread run.
This is a review of the customer service desk.
Stupid stupid dirty whore. If i had 20 nickels in a sock and her home address . . .
Ok so i go in with 15 minutes before customer service closes to quickly send cash to my boo in Africa. I speed through the Western Union form and wait patiently as she clips her dead toenail in "the back" (or whatever she was doing). I white-knuckle it through her hunt-and-peck typing when she finally looks up I'm a year older and no wiser. I hand her my debit card and she says "oh, sorry. cash only. it's Safeway's policy." You dirty liar it is not! I use my debit card at other locations all the time. So i run to the ATM several feet away, grab the cash, come back, pay the trollop, and dash out of there.
The next day I find out the money never arrived and for the last 8 days me and the aforementioned "Boo" have been arguing politely about whether I actually sent the money at all. I get in touch with the lovely, helpful guy on the Western Union phones and he finds the problem. . . drum roll please . . . .
SHE SENT THE MONEY TO ME! .......TO ME! FROM OAKLAND TO OAKLAND. I guess Oakland CA and ZIMBABWE look the same on paper. Stupid dirty whore may you reach for a cherry Jelly Belly and get buttered popcorn. A Pox on you!
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This Safeway is a half-assed attempt at a more 'upscale' Safeway (like one would find in the tri-valley). The selection of food is decent and you can usually find what you are looking for. But, my major complaint is that the store is way cramped, crowded as hell, and as another reviewer pointed out, wicked-hella frustrating come checkout time. If they got rid of some of the more meaningless shit (the Starbucks - there's a Peets 100 feet away!) and redesigned the space if would be a better place shop.
Other annoyances:
- The small parking lot with gigantic spaces (if that makes any sense). I only like to drive my MINI to Safeway (or have my wife go for me) as I find Parking, especially on a busy day, to be a pain.
- The lazy fund raisers who set up flimsy card tables, donation boxes and yumble (yell+mumble) at you to give them money (especially after you've spent an arm and a leg on milk, ice cream, and lube).
"hmmrahpfs a giveuh vett renary dolla?"
What?! What did you say? Oh, thanks for the dirty look when I didn't give you money because, I don't know, I DON'T CARRY CASH!
Three stars - but only because I can't give two and a half.
Pros:
Right by my work
Clean
Nice selection of foods at lunch time, ie. Chinese/sushi/sandwiches/deli
Some helpful staff
New seating area with booths and tables to eat my lunch
Cons:
Not enough parking
Lots of new staff that don't know what the fuck they're doing
It takes a LONG time for them to make my sandwich
Sometimes long lines...I think they need to adopt the "3's a crowd" thing that Lucky's does (is it Lucky's that does that?)
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I used to work in a customer service center at Bel Air Market in the Sacramento area, and am familiar with the ins-and-outs of that world. So when I was told that I would have to come back to the store the next day to return a steam cleaner because the office was closed for the day, I was surprised: courtesy clerks are more than capable of returning a machine. I asked about it, and the clerk jumped on me like a tiger on a raw steak. "it's the rules, I don't make the rules, nothing I can do about it." I spoke to a manager, and the manager said essentially the same thing, just a little nicer. Not exactly executive action to point to the book of arbitrary rules, but I could play along. I came back the next day to return the machine and brought it up to a second young person behind the counter. Apparently this one doesn't make the rules either, and isn't afraid to express as much with a heaping side of condescension.
Here's a tip in customer service for all the customer service clerks out there: when a customer finds themselves in a position where the rules aren't working in their favor, just smile and apologize for the inconvenience. It's a small token to be sure, but a meaningful one that will help smooth things over. Customers don't want to be difficult, they just want to feel listened to. In this series of transactions, Safeway is 0-2.
I worked at Safeway, and I must say, the "stubby turd" and the "pin faced creep" are the best people IN that store. They were doing their job as required by their boss. Now as for that midget man of a front end manager, he is a complete idiot.
The absolutely worst grocery store that I have ever shopped in. Where did they get the disgusting freaks that work as clerks at this store? Ringling Brothers Alternative Universe? That stubby little talking turd and the pin-faced tattooed nasty creep need to be fired immediately. Horrific excuses for human beings and definitely not retail service material. Just hard to believe that they would demand ID from someone 55 years old to buy wine then start an incredibly weird argument that corporate makes them do it, when that has never happened to me in the San Leandro store. Sticking to my home turf from now on...OK, can you tell that I am livid from that experience. Thanks goodness for Trader Joe's down the street, besides they have cheaper wine anyway!
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I like this Safeway, I like the staff. To me, the attitude of the employees can really make or break a business.
Regarding the comments about difficulty parking, I know what you mean, BUT I have always had easy success going straight to first entrance on your left on CV Blvd if you're heading toward Redwood from Castro Village. It's not too far of a walk and you can get a cart on your way. Most people drive in circles around the main parking lot and forget about this side area.
I can't comment on the variety or availability of organics. I don't specifically shop for organics but they now have their own organics brand and the price is comparable to non-organic. I can always find what I need.
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I too was raised on Safeway - the dependable layout of the store helps me navigate any Safeway. And while no duobt this store is new and LARGE - I do not want more quantity of the same White Bread and Velveeta I want more variety. And this Safeway, my friends, do not have.
Want shelves stacked with lots and lots of the same? Shop here. I believe the Quick Stop down the street has more of a Selection! Do not bother if you want something Organic or perhaps made without Potassium Sorbate... or even Toothpaste beyond the BIG names like Crest and Colgate cause that is all they have - but they have a lot of it!!!
It's your basic ordinary local grocery store. Every Safeway seems to offer the same, the only difference is the staff. This is my local Safeway and it's close to home. They do have starbucks inside but I like Peet's better...which is in the same parking lot. Parking...that's the issue. By 3pm, this place is already getting busy.
The staff is nice and friendly. The food court does offer quick chinese food, sandwiches, and fresh sushi. I only shop for whatever is on sale or whatever the Safeway Club Card has to offer.
Love this Safeway!! It is always clean and fairly well stocked. There have been a few times, when items on sale have been out of stock, but they are always courteous about giving a rain check. The cashiers are always super friendly as well as the cashier assistants. Love that they ask everytime if you need help out to your car. I very rarely take advantage of this awesome service, but when I was in my last trimester of pregnancy it was a godsend! I loved that I didn't have to go out of my way to ask for help, that it was offered every time and I never had to wait around for someone to help me. I also love that this location has hired some employees with disabilities. They are always the most helpful and the most friendly and I know they are enjoying the experience and exchange as much as I do! Thank you!!!!
The only drawback to this store, is that the Starbucks inside is never very well staffed. The employees who work there are always very nice and try to be as efficient as possible, but they never have enough staff behind the counter to assist the volume of people they have waiting. One Sunday it took 30 minutes to finally get my drink from the time I got in line, ordered the drink and waited for it to be made. I usually skip the wait and head over to one of the other Starbucks in the area.
5 stars for having ladyfingers when there is none to be found anywhere else (trader joes has stopped carrying them, so they say).
and at the cash register, if you donated any money towards prostate cancer they'd say thank you to you over the loud speaker and you get an applause. you feel like a safeway-celebrity for like 15 seconds.
store is nice and pretty new, but parking is a nightmare and the store is a little cramped.
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they have a great bakery with fresh daily baked bread... can you say cheese bread cheddar and asiago mmm mmm mmm
Since remodeling and becoming a 24 hour store my local safeway has gotten much better. They have a great selection, and a lot of nice people that work there. Plus the sales are great...
I like safeway a lot, but I have to say that this one sucks... The selection isn't as good as the… Read more »
Huge store but not very appealing. The main reason I am yelping about it though is the fact that it has wifi. Craziest thing...wifi in the grocery store. Is this a new trend?
Well, I'm not going to write a generic Safeway post and then post it for every Safeway that I have been to in my life... so I'll speak specifically about this one.
Since the remodel this is a very nice Safeway. Unfortunately the parking lot is way too small to support all of the customers. In the evening on a weekday it can get nasty between impatient drivers. I would say that the store has a good selection, but if you shop late in the day produce is fairly picked over due to the amount of business they do. Good for them, bad for me.
One compliment is that they have hired some challenged individuals as baggers. While I applaud them and think it's fantastic to give people with disabilities a job just like everyone else, I find myself getting impatient when I just got off work, I'm hungry, and I just want to rush home and take my shoes off. But that's my problem.
I have tried other supermarkets in the area and I find myself consistently back at this Safeway. Minus one star for the insufficient amount of parking.
I've been a proud Safeway Club Card carrying member for more than a decade now. I think it started back in the summer of '96 when the Westlake Safeway hired the finest specimen of a bagger I had ever seen. I started going there 2-3 times a day and thought, hell, I might as well save some money on all these bags of chips, liters of sodas, and boxes of tampons (hmm... maybe that's why he never asked me out).
But anyhow, that has nothing to do with my review other than that I used my Club Card at the Castro Valley store today. I normally frequent the Safeways in Berkeley/Oakland or the one across the street from work. But since I had a hankering for their sandwich and didn't particularly feel like walking across the street, I hopped in the car and drove to Castro Valley. This is one of the nicer Safeways around having been renovated within the past year or two. They also have a Starbucks inside. I didn't have time to admire the architecture or store layout as I only had one thing on my mind --- to get my salami and pepper jack with everything on Dutch crunch fix.
I really shouldn't be eating sandwiches though. Especially not ones from Safeway because they don't skimp on the meats and cheeses thus making one big fatty sandwich that you would have a hard time fitting into your mouth. Yes, I have a hard time putting large things in my mouth and last time I was at the dentist, I asked him about it. He notified me that the muscles in my jaw weren't working properly hence the clicking noises when I chew or yawn. He recommended that I stay away from chewing gum, eating sandwiches or hearty burgers, and then he was going to say something else but he stopped. Naturally I checked my knees for rug burn marks. He never did complete his thought. But that openendedness has actually come in quite handy as now I am able to say, "Oh, my dentist says that, due to my jaw condition, I'm no longer allowed to put that in my mouth. Sorry. " which sounds so much nicer than, "You want a what?!? HAHAHAHA!." Don't you think?
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My elderly mother was verbally attacked by one of the cashiers at this store, because she had 16 items in the 15 item line. I called to make a complaint and wasn't impressed with the store manager's response either. I think the employees in this store must think they work for the government. If any one from Safeway corporate is listening please give these people some lessons in customer satisfaction. I will not be returning to this Safeway! Lucky has my business now! See what one (or two) unprofessional employees can do to a business.
Compared to other East Bay Safeway's, this one is the best. It's clean inside and they have lots of available prepared food options. You want Chinese food, sandwiches, sushi, it's all there. Parking leaves much to be desired, because, put simply, there isn't enough of it to go around. Make the mistake of showing up when everyone else did, and you will be circling the parking lot and praying to whatever Parking deity you believe in that you are the first person to see someone leave.
I like this safeway this is the shopping place of choice for me in the hayward area. Has the starbucks and its open 24 hours which earns an extra star for me. . It's small but I don't seem to have any issues finding anything like "ichiban" noodles.
Maybe its because I was raised on Safeway (my family always shopped here rather than *shudder* Lucky's) and shopping here reminds me of childhood, but I have always found folks here courteous, helpful and cheery and a friend from college managed this location for years. Make sure you get a Club Card for the extra discounts!
There is nothing here you can't get elsewhere cheaper. If you live on ready-meals and junk-food then consider the convenience food over at Trader Joe's just up the road. Any of which will have fewer ingredients and cost half the price of something at Safeway. Safeway lost my business 2 years ago when I realised it costs twice to three times as much to get a week's worth of groceries. PW Market also has a very nice selection and the even the prices there are better.
Castro Valley, CA
Castro Valley, CA
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Lower Hills
Category: Coffee & Tea
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