I was sure I had reviewed this Safeway, but evidently I have not. This is Alan's favorite Safeway. He shops here much more than I do. In general I prefer to shop for produce at Berkeley Bowl West, Monterey Market or now, during COVID-19, the Colusa Market. I have shopped here a bit over the years and like the fact that it's as small as it is, although I find it a bit on the dark side. It's been A-OK. My very favorite part of this store is watching the huge delivery trucks backing through the parking lot into the loading dock. It takes mad skills to do that and every time I see it I am awestruck. Yesterday when Alan went to the Kensington farmers' market the corn vendor wasn't there, so he went to this Safeway for corn since Tammy had brought us some from her Safeway the last time they were over and it had been good. I'm generally pretty easy going, but one thing that really ticks me off is when people peel back the husks on corn to check out the quality of the kernels. That starts the process of the sugar turning to starch and is just plain rude. Stores that husk the corn before putting it out for sale are beyond my comprehension. Tonight when I went to husk the corn Alan bought yesterday I was appalled that the silk had been cut off. Why?? That's one of the visual cues I use to judge the readiness of the ear of corn. The corn was OK, some ears sweeter than others, but if I had seen they had cut off the silk I wouldn't have bought it. Alan will be back for yogurt and the other things he buys here, but we'll probably buy our corn elsewhere. read more

If you have been to one Safeway, you pretty much been to them all. But the one oddity I will comment on is that they don't have a dedicated chip section, but rather their aisles have chips scattered at the end of them over the entirety of the grocery store. However, staff was solid and parking was ample. read more

The worst possible customer service in the world. 15 minutes to break a $5 to buy water from their machine. No help. I had to raise my voice to the entire store to get any assistance and that was to send me to the end of the checkout line. Abysmal! read more

Worst Safeway I've ever been to! Service is terrible ,the cashier Maria is extremely rude , throwing my groceries in the bags damaging some of my items.not the first time either.safe to say I will not be back . read more

This Safeway is lame. The lamest one I've ever been to. The oranges I saw were so old and dry. Lots of the berries had mold. Most of their produce was half stocked. It's a tiny Safeway with extremely limited selection. Not even worth the trip!!!!! (Across the street from bowl'd). If you want to be disappointed and surprised, stop by here! read more

Safeway - Moldy berries - Grocery Near Me - Albany, California

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They don't take Apple Pay which is ridiculous. Very old and outdated grocery store. Definitely in need of renovations.

I ordered two Holuday dinners here. The staff who waited on me in the Deli department were very kind. The employee even asked if she could go and get me a shopping cart because it was too much to carry! So thoughtful. And when I went through the regulat cashier line with additional items, the cashier was very friendly. Plus, they are well-stocked with many diverse foods. I recommend this Safeway for your shopping needs. read more

Yay for being open 24 hours. Yay for low cereal prices. Unfortunately, the produce is seriously overpriced, and the late-night lines are waaaaay too long. I recommend shopping at Monterey Food or Berkeley Bowl instead. I use this store only if I need something after hours. read more

Safeway - the line at 10:44pm on friday - Grocery Near Me - Albany, California

It's a grocery store and serves well enough in that capacity. Staff wore masks at the entrances and exits they directed, totally appropriate during a pandemic. Great! But the one star is because a Safeway clerk on 06/20 - unfortunately mine - pulled down her mask to answer my "How are you?" and then wiped her nose with the back of her hand before scanning my items without first using hand sanitizer. In the word of Elle Driver, "Gross." I used so much sanitizer in the store and at home, Lysol spray, the works to disinfect the items she touched. Couldn't do anything to counter her unmaskedness. Anyway, now I have the sniffles so thinking of that gross clerk. Thanks, Safeway! read more

Visit this Safeway for the first time and didn't have a pleasant experience with the cashier ( Tanika ) not sure is that exactly how to spell her name. That night she wasn't having a hospitality manner. She was quite impatient and lack of knowledge handling my transaction. Lucky the manager on duty ( Josh) helped me with the rest of my purchases. read more

This is a comment about Safeway in general and not about this particular store: I almost always bring my own shopping bags but today I forgot. I asked for paper bags, and the checker told me they only have plastic. Only plastic? I'm am so shocked, with all we know about the environmental damage of plastic, Safeway can't even provide a paper option? I will never set foot in another Safeway as long as I live. Given their presence in California, a state that is burning up due to climate shifts, I'm appalled at their practices. read more

They do have some good items, but the customer service is poor. I went in today, wanting to go to the pharmacy. The wait was too long (not sure why, just one person in line), so I decided to come another time. I picked up one grocery item to buy. I asked at the deli if they would ring me up but they refused. I then get in the "express" line - it took at least 10 minutes. So, all in all, about 15 minutes to buy just one item. I tried calling to speak to a manager but reached no one. read more

Take your chances if you come expecting a 24/7 Safeway. This has supposedly returned to a 24/7 schedule after reduced hours through much of covid. However, it is random whether they will be open if you come here after dark. They were closed at 11:35 pm tonight, a Saturday night. I don't know if they have a manager here or if they just close the store when they get tired of the customers. Thankfully, the Safeway up the hill in Shattuck was open until their posted midnight closing time. read more

We came to this Safeway because it's supposed to be open 24/7 but when we got there the lady said they were closed. What??!! When we questioned her she said she had no staff and needed to close. I understand that, it's not her fault people didn't show up to work, but COME ON, Safeway! :( read more

More than 15 people in line with 2 cashiers leaves me ample time to write a disgruntled review at 8:15pm. I live nearby, but haven't been here in half a year, because it's never been my favorite store. I must say, it's perked up a bit in terms of selection; there are more organic items, which is a plus. Some of the old employees seem to be gone, which is too bad. I don't see a manager anywhere, so I suspect the 2 people working are not having a good time, but they handled it well. The lot is packed, and the store is full of people on a Friday night, so I have to say I'm not impressed by the management. Not sure I'll race back here anytime soon, but it's handy in an emergency. read more

Don't offer a delivery service if the drivers can't follow simple, basic instructions. Right there at the top of the invoice are the words "instructions for driver" and, in capitals, it stated "DO NOT TAKE TO THE FRONT DOOR. PLEASE DELIVER TO THE BACK DOOR". Guess what the driver did when he got to the address? TELL YOUR DRIVERS TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS IF THEY ARE INCLUDED!! read more

I shop here often and had never had a problem. I went here the day before thanksgiving and I set my things down and the cashier started to ring my stuff up with the person in front of me stuff I said nicely that is mine and she said well you seen me pick it up you should of said something. I've never been disrespected like that ever in a place of business. I know people that work there and they have always been super nice. I will not be going back that is for certain. They need to train staff to not be rude read more

Come by and catch Coronavirus while you buy your cornflakes! Have visited only twice in the last couple of months and both times I've seen customers with masks incorrectly worn, one with her mask entirely off in the store. Do not shop here if you value your health. Also, Safeway needs to get some paper bags, it is shameful that they only have plastic. I'll say it again, DO NOT SHOP HERE!!! read more

This Safeway fuckin sucks. EVERY SINGLE TIME IVE BEEN HERE ALL employees have been very rude and today just did it. Went to the counter and was ignored by 3 ladies at the hot case doing something too important to take care of the costumers. Asked one for sauce didn't say anything just handed me one Checkers only comment to me was do you need a receipt. I don't need any one kissing my ass but some human decency would be nice. Would give this dump a 0 star if I could. Will NEVER go here again. read more

COVID 19 WARNING! This Safeway store has no requirement that its employees wear face coverings or gloves while working. I watched the only checker on duty last night check out and bag at least a dozen customers in front of me (all of whom were wearing masks) with no mask, gloves, or even a passing attempt to wipe down the conveyor belt or bagging area. I called the manager today and was told that they provide masks and gloves to their employees but do not require their use. "It can be hot and sweaty and hard to breath through a mask." Clearly this store has very little regard for the health and safety of its customers or employees. Personally I'd rather have a checker be a little uncomfortable in a mask and gloves than to have anyone suffer the "discomfort" of being hospitalized and on a ventilator as a result of corporate disregard. OUTRAGEOUS! read more

If this place didn't consistently have only one cashier with 15 people in line, I would give this place 5 stars. Almost every time I go the line will be in the grocery aisles but they will literally do everything they can to not open another register. That being said, out of all the local Safeways in my area, this one is the best in terms of fresh produce. I used to go to the El Cerrito location and my milk was always sour within a day or 2 and my veggies would brown within a couple of days (I think they don't store their food correctly). So definitely 5 stars with their produce. The deli needs some work to be honest. The last time I went there, I ate their chicken wings which were slightly undercooked and I didn't think much about it because it wasn't pink but the texture was off. I was so hungry I just finished the rest of my wings and ended up in the bathroom a couple of hours later. Overall, if you just want to go there for a quick shopping trip, don't expect it to be quick. But the customer service is pretty good and everything else I mentioned. read more

every time I come here maby it's because I'm black because I don't see a lot of us in here they never help me and make me wait at least an hour to help me with anything read more

I went there at 8 in the morning to get some fruit and something to drink. I went to the restroom to wash my hands and was disgusted. It looked and smelled like old urine. There is no way that this is kept clean on a regular basis. read more

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If I never go into this particular Safeway again, it'll be too soon. Yes, of course, never say never but seriously, this is the worst of the local Safeway stores. This is the second time this has happened to me in this store; I don't remember all the details re the 1st time but the result was the same as it was with this last event. It was 6:30-ish in the morning and I entered the store. Three employees were standing at the front cash registers... I walk in in full view of everyone and proceed to do my shopping, spending about 15 minutes or so walking the aisles collecting my groceries. Finally, I walk to the front to find a cash register with an open light on when I am told by who I believe is the acting manager, that they can't use the registers to check me out!!!!! Why on earth didn't they tell me that when I first walked in? I was livid to say the least!!! I uttered an audible expletive, put my hand basket and the 4 pack of Ginger Beer on the floor where I was standing and left - needless to say, extremely ticked off!!! Things happen... I get that and understand that but damn, don't make me waste my time shopping only to then tell me the registers are not working. That is NOT community oriented and horrible customer service. Someone should have been stationed at the door to alert incoming customers to the issue at hand. Tsk, tsk Safeway, shame on you. read more

This is quite possibly the worst market I've ever been in. It's dirty, shelves aren't stocked, there's rotting chicken in the meat case. Employees at the deli are taking care of personal business in the parking lot. The lines are so long (all the way to the back of the store) because they can't open more than 2 lanes at a time. When you ask for a manager, you're told that the manager isn't there. Called corporate and was told that complaints could only be processed on line. Surely Albany could make better use of this real estate. read more

According to their own website this Safeway store is open 24 hours. When we arrived at midnight the doors were locked and when we asked the manger/cashier she barked, "yeah we open but I ain't got no employees and I ain't workin no double shift," and she refused to let any customers inside, hence Safeway's new marketing campaign: "we ain't workin no doubles." Unfortunately it's the only "24 hour" supermarket in the area. read more

I decided to go here because somebody gave me a gift card otherwise I will never ever go to shop here. As usual everything was overpriced compared with all the other grocery stores I usually go to - even compared with Whole Foods. What's striked me this time, because there's always a problem here, is that the cashier lady was extremely unfriendly. I ordered to renew my drivers license and it hasn't arrived and I'm still waiting for it so I've been buying beer with an expired drivers license. I never had a problem at any other place I went to you can look at my birthday or you can tell that I'm 40 years old I look old. I have some white hair, I have kids, I mean I just wanted to have some beer for Thanksgiving that's it. I'm not an alcoholic or any of that stuff I just wanted to enjoy some nice cold beer. She refused to sell me the beer. Not only was she rude but she refused to sell me the beer. And the way that she handled it she kept saying No ma'am!!! You have an expired drivers licence ma'am!! So of course I went to target and I bought my beer. It was $4 cheaper too but the point is that this place is my last resort every time when I go shopping because there's always a problem and I always feel like crap after shopping here. The lines are superlong always. The customer service is extremely rude. It's just a weird experience every time when I go shopping here and The bill always ends up being $50 more at the checkout line because they keep adding stuff in the taxes. read more

If you are looking for something hard-to-find and have to drive through 3 towns to get to this SAFEWAY, Do NOT trust the operator, demand a shelf-check or second opinion. read more

Pro: 24 hours, great location, friendly staffs. Always have deal on items. Con: No Bakery Department read more

With grocery stores like Trader Joe's, Berkeley Bowl and Andronico's around, Safeway kind of pales in comparison to them in terms of variety, but the one thing that sets them apart from them, and the only reason that I go there, is because they're open 24 hours. They're also open on holidays (though I don't know for how long on holidays). I like places that are open for 24 hours and holidays :) The staff members are extremely nice and accommodating. When I go there after hours, I get like, five personal shoppers. Everyone's more than willing to help me find something. When was the last time you got a personal shopper at a grocery store??? One time, I came at about 3 AM and was totally perplexed as to what kind of canned soup to get in the long aisle of canned goods. A staff member came up to me and asked if I needed help, "I'm looking for *cough* a vegetarian *hack* soup", so he pointed out some vegetarian soups to me. Then he told me that I didn't look so good and asked if I was okay. I told him that I thought that I was coming down with something and that that was why I was getting soup. Then he asked me if I needed anything else. I listed off a few more items, including bread. He asked me if I liked Grace Baking, I told him that I did, and he said, "Well, I hope for your sake that we still have some at this hour. Wait here". A couple of minutes later, he not only came back with a loaf of Grace Baking bread, but some green tea, half a gallon of Odwalla Superfood and some grated parmesan cheese. Exactly what I had told him that I wanted. How awesome is that??? Pretty damn awesome if you ask me. Thank you, Mr. Safeway Man, for saving me in my hour of need. read more

Two words: Pink slime. A whole bunch more: Antagonistic butcher actually LIED to me, rolled her eyes and completely dissed me when I asked whether they'd gotten rid of it as an addative as I'd read they had. I promptly walked out and took my business to Andronico's. There, if I ask the butcher whether there's any "pink slime" in the ground beef I'm about to buy, I get a civil and informative answer. Fire that woman, people. She's a bitch. read more

This location has the most embarrassing produce section I've ever encountered. Why is it that in the heart of produce heaven this store can only manage to stock half rotten, and often times downright moldy, produce? You shouldn't have to pour over every single piece of fruit in hopes that one of them isn't wilted. I bought some blackberries yesterday that looked better than most of what they had there, only to find today that the berries in the middle were seemingly glued together with mold. What's more is that box of berries cost me $5. What a rip-off. The staff here is always kind, but for mold-laden produce and lines that wrap around the store at all hours, I think I'll pass. read more

I have made several attempts to get balloons from this location for a variety of events for work. I work early, so a 24 hour grocery store seems so convenient and helpful to those who don't work regular office hours. Every time I have placed the balloon orders they are never ready on time when I arrive, and when I ask other associates there is always blank looks. Their floral department associate only works 11-3, so consequently if you need something before that it is a struggle for them to communicate and complete. I was even told that I couldn't order them for that time by the associate, until I spoke to a manager. Staff and management team should be cross-trained to meet customer needs. If you are open, you should be able to fill orders as needed for customers without a hassle (especially when they call days ahead). I am a manager of a business on Solano and would be mortified if my customers experienced this trying to order product. I come from a philosophy to get to the yes. Unfortunately this is the closest location to my work that is open at the time I need, so I am forced to deal with the inconsistencies. read more

Note that this is a review for prescriptions and how they were handled. Note further that this is a remarkably tiny little corner drugstore across the street from a big CVS chain store. I should further note that this is an independently owned pharmacy not carrying Safeway products yet under the auspices of Safeway. It's also physically separate from the nearby Safeway grocery store by about a block. Amazing that this is a drugstore that's been around for the past decade during which I've been a homeowner in Albany, but no reviews have been written for it While the daytime counter guy is not the absolutely friendliest person, the pharmacists are very sweet and enormously accommodating and truly joyful. In the evenings it's the pharmacist that I get to see. She says that they are under the auspices of Safeway yet independently owned. She also notes that she loves working at the little corner establishment because she gets to speak personally with the clients in the evenings. Very sweet woman. In the past two visits over this past year, I've had excellent and supportive service for my prescriptions. Yesterday I tried to get a prescription filled at a Walgreen's in San Francisco but decided against it because they needed to order it and wouldn't get it for at least a day. I went to this near-to-my-home little corner pharmacy and placed the order instead. At Safeway I was quoted a price near $75 while at the little corner drugstore I was quoted the price of $19 and change. I've never had health insurance preferring to pay as I go directly to those who provide services. That's just me. I've noticed in these heady days of insurance health-care dominance of American life that the cost of any given product can be virtually any price ... even orders of magnitude of difference from place to place. The only set prices for pharmaceuticals have to do with specific insurance coverage and that pharmacy's relationship to that drug company or insurance provider. I'll be coming to the friendly little drugstore on the corner here in Albany for the foreseeable future on those rare occasions when I need a Western medicine pharmaceutical. Fortunately it's rare indeed. read more

It's after 1:00am, and it's open. Corny old grocery, still open, serving the community, still employing the community. I hope that doesn't change. NB, in the 1930's, my Dad had a job at Safeway in SoCal. He thanked his lucky stars. He left to join the Marine Corp in 1940. He survived, obviously. Promise, there's worse things than working at Safeway. read more

I'm so thankful this place was open at 12:30 a.m. for me to buy supplies for my severe, first-time acid reflux. I bought Maalox, Zantac, Tagamet, and Safeway generic brand Pepcid AC. I took the Maalox so far and though I don't feel 100%, I feel like maaaybee I could try reclining a little bit so I can try to go to sleep. There was just no way I was even going to be able to try to sleep without some meds and I didn't have anything at home other than Rolaids, which had been helping the last month or so, but were useless tonight. I chose to drive to this 24 hour Safeway even though there's a Walgreen's closer to where I live near the Del Norte Bart Station that I think is 24 hour. I feel uncomfortable going to that Walgreen's by myself even during the day because often there's some weird guy hanging out by the door making comments or asking for money. Not going to that Walgreen's in the middle of the night for sure. Yay, Solano Safeway! My only complaints are that there was nobody at any of the registers when I wanted to check out, and things were a little messy. I wanted to buy bananas too but they only had a couple of really green bunches out. read more

This Safeway is so very frustrating. Where to begin..... It's fruit and produce section is extremely inconsistent and poorly maintained. It's basically feast or famine. Either everything will be overflowing with stock, or it'll border on desolate. It's even worse if the item is on sale. Most confusingly is that there seems to be no correlation with days of the week. The deli counter, much like the produce section, is inconsistent. At random meats will either be overstocked, or not at all. There seems to be no cause or correlation, such as sale price, quality, or anything like that. Honestly, the whole store behaves this way, see-sawing up and down between massively overstocked, or barren and empty. Very frustrating. The worst aspect though is the staff. This Safeway is tortuously understaffed. I've been there Almost everyday at some point, at any time frame, and they are always understaffed. I've never seen more than two cashiers, ever. There can literally be lines of customers 6-8 deep, 3 times over, and they won't call anyone. Eventually a manager may appear, and he acts like having to check is the worst burden ever. I should not have to dig through produce like a foraging creature to find quality items. I should not have to time my deli visit like some sort of one time event. I should not take 30-40 minutes to check out. Argh. read more

Worst store in the area. I try to avoid it but when I had to get large quantity of chicken and rice for my sick dog I came here. Checkout girl was talking to someone the whole time while ringing up and apparently forgot to put a 7lb bag of rice in my bag (i only had two items total). I tried calling the store when I got home but no answer (at 5pm). If you like depressing stores with incompetent employees then you'll like this place. read more

The Mother needed an AC Transit bus sticker. We stopped by the Safeway store in Berkeley. Alas, they were out, or so we were told. ( You know who did not buy that story.) I asked the check-out clerk if she know of any other place that we could obtain a sticker. She recommended the Safeway on Solano Avenue. So off we went. I am pleased to report "Success!" The check-out clerk told me that they had the sticker and even went as far to leave the till to get it for me from customer service. One happy parental unit who is skeptical. One happy me who was going to persevere. I know I can usually count on this Safeway to find what I am or what The Mother is looking for. read more

OK, there has to be a good reason to spend one minute reviewing a chain store with questionable business practices, so here it is: one checker named Tom who sings while he checks your groceries, and knows ALL the words to ALL the old Top 40 tunes we sang back in the 60's. Tom's in da HOUSE! read more