To be the absolute worst Safeway in Portland is almost something to take morbid pride in considering the numerous atrocious Safeways in town, and I think certain staff at this Safeway do take pride in being the absolute worst. I mean, for years/ever, this Safeway location has been OFF-THE-HOOK. Granted there have been ever-so-slight improvements from, say, 8+ years ago when patronizing this location was a potentially life-threatening experience, but save for not feeling like I might seriously get mugged in the parking lot as much (still a ton of geeked-out/tweeked-out locals lurking, and the front entrance is usually a scene of sorts, with mobs of angry mutants flooding in and out), the improvements have been modest, no, MEAGER at best, and that's coming from a historical perspective. This place has ALWAYS been horrendous. It's almost like because this Safeway has ALWAYS been revolting, there's a sense of duty to make sure this Safeway forever remains a spectacle of human suffering. I prepare/brace myself for endurance by making sure I'm equipped with a pair of headphones and an upbeat "I'm okay with whatever happens in life right now" attitude, 'cause if I don't have those two things, I end up being subsumed with HATE, LOATHING, and/or HOMICIDAL THOUGHTS. Look, I'm just being real, and if you've visited/patronized this location, you would have likely felt one-or-more of those emotions. I don't like feeling those feelings, and I try to avoid things that compel or bring forth those feelings. But sometimes the urge for pizza or imperative for coffee is heavy enough to outweigh the certain pain that the Safeway experience will likely unleash... ...or not, like today when I waited for only about 4 minutes (for some gawd-forsaken reason the self-check-outs were closed) before I politely vacated my place in line, put my items back in their respective shelf spots, and promptly left, opting instead to walk elsewhere to buy coffee, and to order pizza. Though walking elsewhere took more time and energy, and the pizza I ordered was much-more expensive than the pizza I was aiming to purchase at Safeway, the pain wasn't worth it. I could see in those 4 minutes I waited that the whole ordeal was likely to take 30+ minutes. In utterly-typical Safeway fashion, it was a bad scene, almost like a horror scene. So yeah, paying 3x the money to avoid the trauma of Safeway was totally worth it. read more

Hmmm, I think what I like BEST about this Safeway is that when you buy alcohol they ask if you're 21, then ask to see your ID, call their manager over who also asks if you're 21, looks at your ID, and then writes down some information on a clipboard. It's a delight to see this legal process in action. Though it does kinda make you feel guilty for going through the "express" line with your one bottle of champagne. read more

Today I had my best experience so far at this Safeway location. What made this trip so much better than the rest? It was the very first time I haven't had a rude encounter with an employee! I think they were too distracted by the apparently hilarious conversation a whole group of them was engaged in at the front of the store, but I'll take lack of service over scowls and sighs any day! The aisles are still narrow and poorly laid out and the shelves still aren't well stocked, but that couldn't take away the extra hop in my step as I departed. Thanks for being too distracted to be rude guys! read more

I've heard locals refer to this particular store as UN-Safeway. Seriously? Maybe it's earned that rep. A recent article in one of the throwaway papers detailed how the author purchased a gun from a gangster in the parking lot, but that goes on everywhere. I think the fear factor is way overblown in this burg. I've lived in some gnarly areas and I have yet to find one in Portland that even comes close to those danger zones. (I once had to square off against two muggers--with knives--in a grocery store parking lot deep in the hood of Long Beach, CA, so it takes a lot to scare me.) Also, the big chain store in my old neighborhood in Oxnard kept all the smokes, liquor, GERD meds and baby formula under lock and key. Picking your way past the panhandlers and lowlifes in that parking lot was like running through an obstacle course on a Japanese game show. I stopped by this store the other day and found it to be reasonably clean and well-appointed. Your typical chain grocery. I found everything I was looking for and the checker was friendly. The prices are moderate -- not as low as WinCo, but way better than New Seasons or QFC. I'd shop here with no reservations. read more

Like many other Safeway's, this one has installed self-checkout and fired (?) most of their checkout people. More than once, I have set my basket on the ground and walked out. I'm not waiting for 30 minutes to buy groceries. GO TO FRED MEYER. OR NEW SEASONS. OR A GAS STATION. Anything is better. read more

Way understaffed leads to conflicts at checkout. Poor selection of many products. Convenience store selection without the convenience.

Poor quality produce, often older and getting soft. Prices can be higher than other groceries, especially Fred Meyer. Many older and lower income neighborhood residents shop here. read more

"Unsafeway", as my sister called it. Foolishly, I told my out-of-town visiting sister and mother that they could run to the store, as there was a Safeway "just around the corner" a few blocks from my house. They hopped in the car and took off. I should have known something was up when they still had not returned like an hour later. I thought they went to the Safeway on Broadway, but inadvertently they took the wrong turn and got lost, then ended up on a tour of North Portland and wound up here. Look, I have absolutely nothing against North Portland, so don't yell at me (I live here, ok) for telling it like it is. The last time I stopped in at this Safeway to shop, I discovered as I made my way up the aisles that the "women's products" were locked under glass--as was anything else you might consider of mild value and easy to steal. That is a sad state of affairs, people. The other comments about disgruntled employees and slow lines are also true. Anyway, after shopping, my sister and mom (not from the big city and not street smart) go strolling out into the parking lot, where as my sister described it, my mom was apparently oblivious to being followed by a man who got quite close to her (unfortunately designer) handbag. They escaped "safe"way and eventually found their way back home, completely stressed out. At any rate, we need grocery stores, and nothing against them in general, but it just seems that one might feel safe shopping at "Safe"way, doesn't it? read more

Two stars, instead of one, only because the prices are decent. I can't give them a better rating because of the last five times I've been there, I've seen two people who had just pooped themselves. At a certain point, Safeway, it is perfectly reasonable to refuse service, ok? read more

What's wrong with all you people hating on Safeway? I love this Safeway and have been going here since moving to the neighborhood. If you want to see crazy, try the Beaverton Winco. Seriously, after shopping here weekly for only a couple months, all the employees are nice, and yes, the cashier lines are sometimes long, but hey, why is everyone in such a hurry? I love the $5.00 Friday happy hour deals, they are the best. I like the 60's architecture (wavy roof!), but unfortunately now they are in the midst of a remodel. I like the fact it's not a Safeway like the one in the Pearl or Downtown. This Safeway knows what it is, and doesn't need to put on airs. read more

The single worst grocery store i've ever set foot in. I mean, it's your typical, run of the mill grocery store that never got a remodel...or did it? The selection is just plain bad, and the produce is never that great. They never, and I literally mean never, have more than 2 of their 15+ lanes open. This creates unnecessary lines that stretch far down the aisle ways. In the 5 years I've lived a few blocks away, I've never seen even an inkling that they will address this issue. And yes, it is true that they will look at your ID, then ask you "Are you 21?" and then log your data in some suspicious book kept behind the register. Every time. There is no "in and out" with this place. I've never made it out in under 15 minutes. But then again, I go there about once a year. What does that say about a grocery store 2 blocks from my home? Also, right in front of their in-store Starbucks kiosk, I witnessed a very shocking and brutal girl on girl fight. Not Safeway's fault, no, but it happened directly in front of their "security guard." He looked all of 16 years old. He also looked as if he was hoping to catch a youtube moment. Seriously. He was utterly delighted. I could tell because he was on his cell phone giving his boy a play by play worthy of a sportscenter highlight reel. Thus: Unsafeway. It's funny to me that other people have independently established this moniker. If you are the kind of person that enjoys waiting 15 minutes in the single open lane of a giant grocery store at 3pm on a saturday for a semi fresh miracle-gro head of lettuce, this is definitely your place. read more

Ghetto poor quality don't shop here unless it a emergency the bathroom stinks like hobos shower in it heroine needles all over bathroom floor poor service read more

My local neighborhood Safeway. This has recently been remodeled to a much more modern look. Which is good, because this used to be referred to as "the Hood" and I had several neighborhood friends that would refuse to go in here before it was updated. Silly people. Well, they do still have an omnipresent security guard force here. Maybe my friends have a point. One of the main reasons I go in is the deli. The deli staff are nice, and they make good sandwiches here. I am not a fan of the fried chicken here, however. It is generally way over battered and over cooked.(The fried chicken at the local Fred Meyers is much better.) But overall, this is a good store. There is a Starbucks kiosk right when you walk in, a Coinstar machine, lottery tickets machine, and a movie rental box (I think Blockbuster). *Also-you can rent those industrial steam clean machines here, too. Which, living with a puppy, has been necessary from time to time. read more

This is the worst grocery store I have ever had the misfortune of shopping at. They have a crap selection. They are out of stock of so many items so much of the time. They are rude on the phone. 8/10 times, I wait in line longer than 10 minutes. They hardly ever open a second line. I shop here the majority of the time at 8-9pm. This is 2-3 hours before they close and they only ever have one regular line open with no options of opening up a second. More times than I can remember, I've had unhappy customers in front of me complaining and asking for refunds or complicated, time consuming money orders or the like. Instead of opening a second line, they let a line of 6+ people form. This is ridiculous. read more

Welcome to my 'hood and the venerable Rat-way. Why Rat-way? That'd be the rats in the parking lot, yo. And not the human variety. The fact that they remodeled this Safeway awhile back did nothing for it. It remains the dirtiest grocery store with the longest lines that I've seen anywhere in Portland. No matter what time you go, the customer service counter will be closed, and there will be one disgruntled (and slow) checker for every 30 customers and then one of them goes on break. The wine bottles have little locks on them. Visit at your own peril. read more

Yeahh, you don't want to go here. Well you know, unless someone has you at knifepoint and is demanding you buy them some shitty deli Chinese food. It's not even like, a standard sort of Safeway scenario, which you'd expect to not be great but to at least be tolerable. This place only ever has about two registers open at a time, despite the throngs of hungry people packed in every isle who just want to GTFO with their dang toilet paper and Tostitos. But Unsafeway wants to see you suffer, so you have to stand in a long, winding line, which sometimes stretches back into the isles, while you wait for someone who doesn't know how to work a register get about five of their co-workers to help them, who guess what, also don't know how to work a register. Of course if you're using EBT you should expect triple the wait, because they don't know what the fuck you're talking about. And the register is guaranteed to have some sort of meltdown. Now: that being said, they are the only damn grocery store in this neighborhood open past midnight. If you missed the Newseas boat at 10 pm, you still have until 1 am to get yr snack on. Doesn't that fucking suck. But whatever, I mean, they do have edible food, at least, I'll give them that. read more

Nice Job On My Son's Birthday Cake! We LOVE it! We will be going to Safeway for all our cakes! read more

Safeway - My Son's Birthday Cake GOOD JOB SAFEWAY! - Grocery Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Seemed a fine enough place to me. Clean, good lighting and the staff was okay. The clerk at self check out seemed attentive to the customers; came over, cleared the beer I bought no issue, (even chuckled that he didn't have to check my ID). It's a big chain supermarket, right on MLK and the parking lot never seems overcrowded. If you, unfortunately, have a bad experience in here, Popeye's is right across the street, (I find a 3-piece and a biscuit can do wonders for the mood :) ). read more

I'd rather not leave another 1 star review for any place, but I think in some cases people need to be warned. This Safeway pharmacy delayed my Rx twice for no apparent reason except forgetfulness, won't answer their phone, and never let me know when my Rx was ready. This Rx is dangerous for me to go without - a fairly common situation for many people. I am suffering due to the gap and would've been fine if they'd just done their jobs right. Based on the unprofessionalism I saw in this 'once in a lifetime' experience with them, I wouldn't trust them to get the Rx right, not make mistakes such as confusing similar meds, etc. I highly advise anyone to avoid them unless major changes are made (note the store's 2 star overall average). read more

Perhaps the worst grocery store in Portland. Chronically and habitually understaffed. The store is so cheap and incompetently managed that they even refused to fix card readers at the register for months, forcing customers to insert cards and pull them out three times before they would work. This location is little more than an overpriced bodega. They will customers line up 20 deep for the self checkout line and still not open a register. Their saving grace (though still not a reason to shop there) is that the workers are friendly and grin and bear it like it's nobody's business. Otherwise this place is a dump and should be razed. read more

Heeeeeeeeeeey, I was in here the other day and I must say, since Albertson's' parent company bought out Safeway, (or since I wrote that last review) I have seen some major improvements at this store. Way to go brining in organic chicken. It seems like there are just better fresh food options everywhere, like real pico de gallo in the produce section and HELL YEAH! Thank you for the continued discounts on Barefoot wine!!! Now for the less impressives: I must admit I didn't look in the deli case this time because I've been scared. Still running out of C2O brand all the time...and can you please not tell me to "Have a blessed day"? I am all for being kind to thy neighbor and treating people like Jesus did and whatever but when you say religious shit to me in a corporate chain where I am doing my groceries, I feel like there's a little devil inside of me and you're throwing holy water in my direction. read more

I'm a regular shopper at this location, and yes, its good people watching at times, but that's part of what I love about it. Its a mix of interesting people, just like the neighborhood in which it resides. I appreciate that prices are competitive, that the checkers often ask if I've found everything I need, and seem responsive and apologetic when I answer "no". I love some of the staff who have been there for as long as I've shopped there, including Robert at the self check-out line, his wife (I can't recall her name!), and Alfred, who is the nicest checker ever. My only beef is that the entire staff seems to smoke, and they take their smoking breaks out front of the building, rather than behind the store. read more

Do not eat the meat they cook on cookie racks and cement blocks it taste like garbage and that Rodney dude doesn't know how to bbq. Smells like eggs read more

My friends and I jokingly and not-so-jokingly refer to this as the "UN-Safeway" There is always good people-watching at this location. Very interesting people patronize this location. Sometimes it can be a bit scary. I try not to come after dark if I can help it. I totally agree with other reviews in that there always seems to be one checkout line open with 8 people waiting to check out. Really??? No matter what time of day I am here, the lines are always long and it becomes a feat of agility to try to snake your way through the front of the store w/o losing an eye or leg. Not a fan of this Safeway, but it is the closest one to my house and sometimes I just bite the bullet and go during the 8 p.m. soda/ice cream run. read more

safeway IS safeway.. but no faster way to ruin your day and be treated like sh*t just for walking in, than coming into this particular one. i just moved here from Oakland & darn if the brothas & sisters who seem so miserable working here couldn't use some BLM advice from my old hood Safeway peeps. however, their 'service' sure does get better the lighter your skin is. smh.. sucha shame. i can't (over)spend my hard earned money here no mo. i'll go out of my way elsewhere to not be treated so turribly. read more

I am not a big fan of Safeway in the first place, but I used to live about two blocks away from this store, so it was often the most convenient place to shop. Even then, however, I would often make the trek to Fred Meyer, about a mile or two further away. It's not that Freddy's is a lot better than Safeway, but I found it to be a lot more reasonably priced. An additional star gets removed though due to an incident in November of 2011, when I called the store to see if they offered aluminum can recycling. It was raining (not unusual for Portland) and I did not own a car, so I didn't want to lug my cans all the way to the store just to find out they don't offer it. I call up, ask the person on the other line and get an abrupt and very rude "All stores offer recycling", and they hung up. I was briefly puzzled by this, and asked myself: 1. Am I an idiot for not knowing that all grocery (or more specifically Safeway) stores offer recycling? 2. Is the customer service always exceptionally shitty in this city? or 3. The lady is just a bitch and had something stuck up her you-know-what? I tend to believe number two and three, though I am of course not perfect and make honest mistakes. But does it require being a jerk to a random customer? At the grocery store I used to work at, if you acted that way, you would get chewed out at the least, or possibly canned if a customer reported you to corporate. I was willing to pay more for convenience, but due to the awful service, my mind has changed. read more

Safeway delivery was ordered and the MLK store is the closest store. The driver called me that his truck broke down and could not complete delivery. I called customer service number he provided immediately and after waiting for an hour, reported the issue and was told another delivery would be arriving next day. Nothing happened. I repeated my inquiry on the customer service online site including the order numbNo resolution or refund after 8 weeks. So few customers are wearing masks at the store that it is not safe. Update: after inquiring yet again, a refund was finally issued. read more

Per this sign, this sign is not reflective of what actually happen tonight. There are currently three cashiers and only two self-service registers open. If what this sign says is true, then you four more registers at minimum should have been opened. I personally counted five ppl in each line. read more

Safeway - Grocery Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Ryan in the produce section is exceptional. He always says hello and always ready to help. Thank you.

Waited on man to fill toilet paper.. after 2 different people called Ike. took him for ever.. Ike saw me dancing waiting for it but even took longer.. mind u we just finished shopping.. so I spent money there.. omg I had to go so bad.. so I just went in so it did not end up on the floor and used paper towels.. really bad customer service. read more

What a shitshow. I have never been in this place when it wasn't too busy. Every single time I go in it is dirty and understaffed. Even the employees will tell you they don't care and neither do the managers. read more

Hey Safeway Corporate! The demographic around this store has change drastically over the past few years. How about you start to staff it with the proper amount of employees and build a positive employment environment. I just sent 30 minutes in line to buy one bag of dog food. It's a Wednesday night at 8pm and there was one checker and about 30 people trying to check out. read more

Very friendly and accommodating staff, always eager to help if I need it! This store offers the typically lower end prices that you'd expect from any Safeway, opens early--which is outstanding for working folks like myself--and their pharmacy once stayed open an extra ten minutes to help me with an insurance snafu. It's the grocery store I choose most consistently, and I'd encourage you to take a trip yourself before writing it off due to some of these other reviews! read more

This is not my favorite Safeway and I would never buy anything perishable but for other products they are generally stocked. Tonight I tried to buy two packages of TP, I was told that I could not do that, when I hesitated (because I had bought 2 packages of TP at another Safeway the day before) the woman was automatically defensive and kind of rude. I am actually giving out TP for gifts. Anyway, the entire exchange was pretty unpleasant. It's ironic considering the overall lack of COVID precautions at this store read more

This is my neighborhood grocery store, less than five minutes away. Not really a fan of this Safeway, so I only go here if necessary. It's kinda sketchy, and I don't really like coming here at night. For some reason, it's not easy to find stuff in this store. I've shopped at three other Safeway stores (St. John's, Janzen Beach and the one on Fremont), and I find myself wandering around this store, trying to find what I need, which can get frustrating. It also feels crowded, even when there aren't a lot of people around. I'm glad they have self checkout stations, but they only have a few, and one is usually not working, so time wise, it's just not worth it sometimes. They do have a Starbucks(like most Safeway's these days), which is decent, and works in a pinch if the Starbucks across the street is packed. Overall, not my fav Safeway, but at least it's close by. read more

I shop here but to be honest, I tend to travel further out to Fred Meyers or Target most of the time. I am not one to disrespect hard working people but this place has really tested my will. I have been yelled at to move out of the way by the employees when I was shopping. The aisles are hard to go down when there is another person in the aisle. My mother is in a wheelchair and has a hard time getting things down from the shelves and the store employees are never quick or happy to assist. On one occasion last week, I went in to ask information about the gift card program where they can cash out the remaining balances on gift cards. One of the cashiers, her name was Cookie, was rude to me. She yelled at me to come forward, I was very taken aback. When I asked her for more information, she glared at me and told me the only time they could do it was around 3pm and I had to have a visa gift card. She then told me to go away and hid her name badge. I was able to see it because I read her name badge after she yelled at me. Unfortunately, these incidents happen far too often and really make it hard to want to shop here. read more

If I could give a negative star, I would. The owner is too cheap to keep this place staffed and also too cheap to fix their self check out machines. DO NOT RECOMMEND, unless you enjoy standing in super long lines. read more

I'm giving it two stars, only because they open at 5 am, otherwise 0 stars. Check your receipt, prices often ring up incorrectly, clerks are a-holes read more

Pearla gave me great knowledgeable service very professional and polite best Starbucks experience I've ever had and I'm a stumptown kind of guy great job Ms. Pearla keep up the hard work should employ more people like this read more

The Slowest store in town. They never have enough checkers or staff. It's always 45 minutes to an hour just to buy coffee creamer. The checkers have long lines going halfway down the isles. Perhaps if they they had more than 1 checker!! Shame on corporate. This store is busy, they need to provide customer service. To avoid scenes like this morning I often go to other stores nearby and skip the long wait. One checker, really? Also the deli is filthy, the food looks old and the display cases are disgusting. Step it up people. read more