Hey, it's an urban Safeway that has, I'm told, basically ushered the former war zone of Mt. Vernon Triangle into a nice, liveable, walkable place. I'm no grocery store guru, nor a foodie, so my comments are pretty pedestrian. The service here, though I read that it's better than before, is still pretty abominable. I refuse to use the in-store Bergman's dry cleaner after having to get past the incredibly bitchy, disinterested Safeway employee who took 10 minutes to find my shirts. On the other hand, some of the checkout folks are nice. It's hit or miss. But overall, the management should be IMMEDIATELY fired. My dog could do a better job running a grocery store, and she's no genius. I get that this is a dense urban core and that this store has to serve a lot of people. But why--oh why--are the self check-outs almost always out of operation? Why is the management so blatantly anti-customer? Why can't they re-arrange the entry so that I'm not constantly dodging people in line at the in-store Starbucks, people coming up from the garage, and homeless people just hanging out? read more

This is such a horrible store. And that's coming from someone who: a) comes from a place (California) with lots of Safeway stores, and, in general, likes Safeway. b) LOVES grocery shopping. Unfortunately (or fortunately, because my apartment is great), I live directly above this store, and it's open 24 hours. So I cannot avoid it... Here is why I dislike the store: -Their fruits and veggies are not always fresh. In fact, they are often moldy. -The lines to check out are super long, any time of day or night. For absolutely no reason. Most of the time, only 1 or 2 registers are open, but 10-15 people are in line for each. This shows that they have a COMPLETE disregard for customer service. -The store is very disorganized, and oftentimes if you can't find what you are looking for, neither can the safeway employees. -Unlike some Safeway stores, they don't carry much organic or natural meat which is disappointing. -It's really dirty in the store. -The cashiers are rude and act like you're bothering them by shopping at Safeway. The good: -Okay wine/beer selection. -Convenient location. -Open 24 hrs. read more

This store puts me in a bad mood the second I walk inside - and I LOVE grocery shopping. I live across the street from this location and go out of the convenience, but seriously, its a terrible store banking on its location. Many items are out of stock and the produce section is often pitiful. Plus, they seem to rearrange the store every few weeks which makes it increasingly hard to find items (I see what you're doing there, Safeway). And the employees, oh the employees... where to start? First, good luck finding anyone to help you find something. Second, expect ridiculously long lines (even at non-peak hours). They seem to never have enough cashiers, and the ones that are "working" are more concerned with socializing with each other. I despise this store so much, that when I have the time I walk a mile to go to the Noma Harris Teeter. Booooo, Safeway, booooo! read more

Well at the end it's a Safeway, so, I did not have high expectations but this location has definitely the worst customer service. Any time and any day, there are long lines and most of the self checkout machines don't work. read more

Why I hate: Everytime I pass through the produce department, there is always some moldy, fly infested produce in plain view. Someone doesn't care. I recenlty purchased a bag of Blue Diamond almonds that expired two and a half years ago. How can this be? That magazine I purchased didn't make its way into my bag. No tofu. No cilantro. No cucumbers. No Kale. No lemons! Do they stock on Saturday or Sunday? Both? Neither? I can't figure it out. Must always have a backup recipe in case they don't have some key obscure ingredient like lemons. Weird surcharges on some frozen vegetarian items. No carts. Are you kidding me? read more

Nice Safeway. Two words you never thought you'd read together in Washington, DC. There's all the usual suspects of a grocery store and of a Safeway except everything is new, rather well-stocked, and there's ample space to wheel your cart around. I had to do a double-take when I walked by the "mixed nuts" kiosk display - like the olive bar at a Whole Foods only... for nuts. Clearly, the CityVista Safeway is going for the upscale angle. I visited on a Thursday night, past the dinnertime rushhour, and found the store still on the busy side. Despite the two dozen shoppers there was no wait at the five cashiers open, and there were also self-checkout stands open. Though the meat and bakery counters were closed when I visited the surrounding stands were stocked, and I walked by the bread aisle distracted by the wine section! the endcap sales! etc! before I noticed it. Funny enough this Safeway might actually be the closest one to my neighborhood (Ledroit/Bloomingdale) and given the stories I hear about the Shaw Giant, I will probably find myself here more often. The extra trek certain will be worth my while. read more

The staff here have gone above and beyond during the Covid-19 crisis. They have worked hard to keep the shelves stocked and have been positive and helpful in all of the interactions I've had with them. Twice, I've gone in and have bought more than I could carry, and they watched over my bags while I carried what I could across the street to my building until I returned for the rest of them They had shortages the first few days of the lockdown, but after that they have done an incredible job keeping items on the shelves. The staff put themselves at potential risk and deserve our appreciation and recognition from management (e.g., bonuses, hazard pay) for their service to the community. THANK YOU!! read more

We don't like Safeway and only go here for late night cravings on a whim. That said our experience tonight floored me. We bought a banana pie, and while I don't expect it to be gourmet by any means or even very good, I expect it to be safe. The pie had ROTTEN BANANAS INSIDE. BLACK GOOEY ROTTEN BANANAS INSIDE A PIE. This is absolutely unacceptable and disgusting. Not to mention the customer service here is abysmal. I'll be returning with said pie in the morning, so wish me luck. read more

Forget your Soviet Safeway. Leave behind your Social Safeway. As the first to review, I dub this location Spectacular Safeway--seriously, make this your next stop for grocery shopping heaven! This Safeway feels more like a Whole Foods than your average budget market, with wooden floors in their produce section and organic, local fruits & veggies throughout. The rest of the store is well-stocked and easy to navigate--although the aisles are a bit narrow for my liking (especially because the checkout lines went back down each aisles--though they moved quickly!). While your Safeway card will get you discounts on anything from Lean Cuisines to Ziplock bags, the extremely helpful staff is there to help you save even more money! While waiting in line at the deli counter, one of Safeway's employees handed us a coupon for a free pizza on any purchase of $25 or more. This tip was perfect---my roommate and I were headed to a Super Bowl party shortly after, and were thrilled to find that our food offering would be free! The discounts did not stop here. As we were checking out, we presented our pizza coupons when the cashier alerted us that, on the reverse side of the coupon book, there was a $10 off coupon as well. Not only did my roommate and I walk away with a free pizza a piece, we saved about $20-$30 on coupons and Safeway card deals alone. All thanks to the helpful employees! A+ for service! I really, really hope this location stays as amazing as it is right now. For quality food and service, come on over to Mt. Vernon Square and to Spectacular Safeway! read more

This is such a pretty Safeway. It looks and feels more like a Whole Foods. I wanted to just stand in the middle and bask in the freshness and prettiness of it. A very different experience from the previous Safeways I've patronized. I didn't notice a difference in terms of products offered - it's a Safeway. It's just newer and nicer. The produce selection, though, is above average. The after-work crowd can create some long lines, so be prepared to wait. There's decent parking in the attached garage. And there's a Busboys and other places in the same building too. So you could make a whole outing out of your grocery trip. read more

Going to this safeway is about as pleasurable as going to the DMV. I wrote this review while waiting third in line - took about 20 minutes because there were hold ups weighing mangoes and using the credit card. Update: I'm adding 1 more star because actually they've been doing well with the registers during my past 5 or so experiences and it's been soo much better. If I see more consistency in the next few weeks, I'll add another star. read more

I live across the street from Sexy Safeway (it's a DC thing to name your Safeway). I neither love nor hate this Safeway, which is odd, since I tend to develop relationships with the local supermarket. By DC standards, it is reasonably priced - certainly when you compare it to a full-on earth-muffin grocery like Whole Foods or Yes! This Safeway is big, even huge, for the location, and has just about everything I could want. Produce is abundant, if uninspiring. Same with the meats and seafood and bakery. The biggest headache is with lines - the place is perpetually staffed just below what it needs. 4am? There will be a line, both at the staffed checkout, and the self checkout (since half of the stations are broken at any given time). You're okay, Sexy Safeway, but I don't love you. read more

This is strictly my emergency grocery store. Intended only for those extreme late night cravings of Magnum ice cream or baby carrots! And, yeah, I'll drag myself inside during the day only if classes have got me on a strict time crunch. Don't be surprised if your cashier is texting during your scanning of items, or if she's hollering like crazy with the girl that's pretending to bag your groceries or if you need help finding something and the employees all run away like you've got the croup. As for the customer service desk you wonder? Totally slow and completely unhelpful. How many checkouts are open during the busy time of the day you ask? Oh, um, usually just three! And the self checkouts are usually out of order or being check-blocked by some slow woman trying to scan 7,000 items without bagging them! FML!!! I don't understand the receipt checking people at the door. They don't check anything but the time on the receipt, so anyone could have easily gone back through the store and piled some items into their bags! The receipt checkers only cause traffic jams at the exits in this already traffic-jammed city! Arghhhh!!!!!!!!!!! Seriously, if I need groceries, I drive to Virginia and get some real help without the stupid five cent bag fee. Yeah, I'm from Georgia and the five cent bag fee is stupid to me. It only adds an unnecessary tax people that didn't plan out their entire day around the fricken' grocery store. I do have some of my own bags, but I tend to buy more than what I planned for. read more

Please have a conversation with the woman running self checkout tonight, Oct 31 at 6:30pm, she has a major attitude problem. I hopped in the self-checkout line and was watching intently for an open spot when I was next in line. As soon as someone turned to leave I sidestepped somebody passing in front of me to go up to self checkout and the worker loudly exclaimed NEXT PERSON!!! I'm right here, you see me walking up, no need to rush me. Then while I was grabbing my groceries to leave she walked up and took my receipt and handed it to me to usher me out quicker. When I took the receipt she snapped "Really! You have to snatch it?!" And then stood there and bickered with me about how it's her job to hand me my receipt and there's no reason for me to snatch it (I literally just took the receipt from her, no ill intent). As I turned to leave she said in an extremely snarky voice, "have a nice halloween!", you know the inflection I'm talking about. A few things: 1) Rushing your customers out of the store will not convince them to come back (I definitely will not be back). 2) if you choose to hand a receipt to a customer and they grab it from you, maybe don't pick a fight with them. 3) if you are so upset and riddled with stress that you lash out over that, maybe you need to find an easier job. read more

I only frequented this store because it was directly across the street from our apartment home. Here are the pros: -Open 24/7 -Reserves boxes for you if you need a few for your move -Parking validation -Starbucks on site -Pharmacy on site -Amazing discounts at Exxon gas stations if you have a Safeway card (the savings are tremendous!) -Safeway seems to always have a good sale on lots of items Here are the cons: -It's super crowded most of the time, which equates to long lines/wait times -Sometimes the meats look "suspect" -There's a park area just outside of the store that is occupied by the homeless---which doesn't pose a problem for me as they usually don't bother me; however, one has to deal with the awful smell of (human) urine when passing through to go to Safeway -The pharmacists are terribly slow! It's ridiculous how long one has to wait in the line to pick up a prescription All in all, this store was good to me as far as convenience and savings are concerned. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to go to this location! read more

Okay so things seem to have shifted recently. They added a bunch of self pay stations and recently updated the software so it is much quicker. More lanes seem to be open with humans as well. And the produce has improved. The selection is still limiting and random (only gluten free puff pastry in the frozen food section? No tahini? No parchment paper?). But at least they are improving. read more

I -reluctantly- went to this "Safeway" store after my awful experience at the Fairwood Parkway store in Boooooowie. But I needed to pick up a few things to take to an office party at work. So I stopped here (it was on my way, i.e. convenient). I parked for free (90 minutes with a $5 purchase). I found my office party items quickly (all the while scanning the aisles for order and discounts and found many). And (uh-oh) went to the self check out. Here, there was only 1 working self-check out. I used it. John, the self check out staff, thankfully employed the "hands-off" policy. He let me do my thing until he was absolutely necessary. When I asked him a question, his approach was even more like mine: "let's wait a second to see what the machine says". It said "transaction complete." Yay! (It was just taking a longer than usual time to do so.) I bagged my own stuff. Got my parking validated. Now, I'm on my way! I'll come back to this store again for the full shopping experience. For now, I'm a fan. Of THIS Safeway. read more

This place is a nightmare, yet I find myself going here to pick up a few random items because I don't want to go to Trader Joe's. What can I say? The meat department smells rancid and I'd never buy meat or fish here. A lot of the times the produce is rotting on the shelves. Oh, and most of the time at least half of the self checkout registers aren't working. And more than a few times I've picked up items that are "on sale" only to have them ring up full price. And the lines are longer than any DMV I've ever been in. Oh, and how ghetto is it? I was walking through the produce section on afternoon and saw discarded chicken bones laying on the floor. Apparently some of the customers couldn't wait until they got home to eat that rotisserie chicken. read more

Like so many other reviews, I am going to point out once again how terrible the customer service is at this place. All of the checkout people are far more interested in talking amongst themselves than checking you out. Most recently the checkout clerk actually stopped scanning my items to help her fellow employee do something with a time sheet. This litterally took about 5 minutes of the two standing right in front of me talking to each other while completley ignoring me and the customers behind me. Corporate Safeway really needs to institute a 'no talking to fellow employees', rule in this place. I know that sounds absurd but if the workers have such a hard time understanding even the most basic aspects of customer service I am not sure what else can be done. One extra star for having garage parking for free for 90 minutes. read more

After I came home from Safeway, I discovered many items I thought were on sale were not discounted on the receipt. It turns out the staff had not updated the signs, and so I was correctly charged the full price under the impression that many of the items I selected were on sale. BOO! read more

Safeway - Grocery Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I'm glad to have a Safeway in the area. It's true. But, jeez, the lines are rough. Whether there's a large crowd in the store or it's nearly empty, the clerks seem to move slowly. Really, slowly. It's also nearly impossible to find an employee when you're in need of assistance. Trust me - I've tried many times. The customer service center won't impress you either. On a very positive note, the store's stock is generally well-maintained and fairly inclusive. Thankfully, there are even small sections dedicated to natural foods, vitamins and pet care items, none of which are ever a given in DC groceries. For that alone, I'm tempted to give the place four stars. :) My tip? You'll probably be happiest using their home delivery service. That way, can take advantage of the well-stocked variety of items while avoiding the lines. It's a win-win! read more

Well, its cheaper than Whole Foods, and a whole lot bigger/nicer than the Safeway in Dupont. It is a shame they don't have the slightest semblance of how to treat their customers though. I like the phrase in one of the other reviews here: "Ghetto Witches" as they seem to run this place, and they can't be bothered assist you when they have their friends and coworkers to text and talk to. And what is up with the security people checking the receipts... is that supposed to stop shoplifting or something? They don't even look at what is in your bag, they just make random check-marks on your receipt. And of course, in typical Safeway-DC fashion, they do this exercise right in front of the shopping carts, which means there is a line of people waiting to leave the store right in front of the carts, which means if you are entering the store and you need a cart, you have to wait until everyone that is trying to leave gets past the "security" before you can start shopping. It's quite the system they got there. read more

I recently moved to the area and was pleasantly surprised to discover this Safeway within a short distance from my place. It is pretty much the only grocery store in the area as far as I know, but it is huge enough to satisfy all your needs and desires, even if they have nothing to do with food. It is open 24 hours a day so you can buy your frozen turkey legs at 4 in the morning if you'd like. Also there is an ENTIRE aisle devoted to dog and cat food. I don't even own a pet, but I was pretty impressed by that. Other amenities include an in-house starbucks, ready-to-eat meal counter, a full-service nut-bar. Yes, nut-bar. There is a station that has every type of nut known to man with a person standing on-call, ready to fill you with these tasty kernels until your intestines explode. Overall the place is very clean and nice inside, with a lot of check-out counters. However, due to some mysterious reasons I can't comprehend, the lines seem to go twice as slow as other grocery stores. My theory is that the Safeway is so big, it just feels like you are moving more slowly when you are inside of it. It could also be the woman in front of you buying 35 cups of snack pack pudding though. Since I live close by I come here a lot. If you are in walking distance or have a car I'd say it would be worth coming here for the large selections. Plus, there are always some interesting people standing around outside, so every trip is an adventure. I haven't been contacted by any of them yet but if I do, my plan is to throw some nuts at them and be on my way. read more

SOOOO glad this Safeway opened! I used to go to the one near Dupont Circle (on Corcoran) but I would have to go very early in the morning to get what I wanted (the shelves emptied pretty fast) and I would squeeze between people crowding the aisles and whisper "excuse me" at least two dozen times. Not to mention, the lines were ridiculous. The new Safeway is a little closer to my house, and it's in a great, up-and-coming location just north of the Gallery Place/Chinatown area. The reliable and affordable Safeway prices are the same and the space is much more open and conducive to heavier foot traffic. There are two entrances, which can be nice on a cold day, and there is a Starbucks by one of the entrances, which can also be nice on a cold day. The extensive wine and beer collection is a plus that is not part of the Dupont Circle store, and the salad bar is packed with toppings to enjoy at a few tables nearby. Again, I am very glad that this new Safeway is open. Grocery shopping does not seem like such a chore anymore, but more of an experience, and one that I am sure to enjoy in a relaxing environment. read more

I live on the other side of Mt. Vernon Sq. but I make the walk b/c it's so worth it. Reminds me of the Von's back in LA. Clean and well-stocked with a good bakery, deli, wine selection and produce (though they've been out of basil lately :( Nice little starbucks inside too. The staff can seem a little distant at times in the checkout line. But overall a very good experience and WAY better than walking to the overcrowded Whole Foods. I cook dinner almost every night and I can find exactly what I need at Safeway. read more

The good: The selection of produce is pretty great and the validated parking. The freaking awful: Too bad your parking is only validated until 1.5 hours; and yes, you will take over 1.5 hours because the line will at least extend down a full aisle, if not wrap around to the next one. I have abandoned a cart in line once here. Full on ice cream melting and everything. They closed from two lines to one. I almost had an aneurism. So the lesson is, yes they have great selections but to preserve your sanity you will never wait in the line and actually purchase the items. read more

It seems like this store has a lot of complaints, yet nothing seems to change. Every time I've gone into this store, there has been ONE checkout lane open..... ONE! How that's acceptable? I don't know... someone please do something about this. read more

I will also say that I ran into the "already punched out" excuse. The customer service at the location is very "iffy." I've been accommodated by workers and managers sometimes, and other times I've encountered incompetent managers and employees. But this is a common occurance in most businesses I've visited in this town. Everything from Grocery stores to retail stores show the same apathy. I know I'm asking a lot for DC to be just a little friendly like Charlotte, NC, but at least stores can have some sort of resemblance of customer service! Color me Irritated read more

I stopped in last night to pick up some victuals for jazz in the park and it was alright. I am not a huge fan of Safeway in general but I wanted to give this spot a shout of because of the wine/cheese/olive selection. The little gourmet back section of the store is really well set up, the only suggestion I would make is to have the folks that staff that area people who are knowledgeable in cheese and wine pairings but I am aware that that is a lot to ask for a chain grocery. There was some sort of event going on with professionally dressed ladies and gents walking around the store so maybe they have events here as well. Pretty cool that they have the Starbucks and tables in the front too. read more

For the second day straight, I went here and asked for a Safeway "card" to get the "discounts" on groceries. They were out. How exactly does this happen to a corporation that cares about its customers? I was told to keep my receipts and come back and I'd get the discounted price. However, today, a cardholder deal didn't show up on the receipt, so I'll miss out on that. And, don't go late Sunday night. The shelves are empty. Oh, and Trader Joe's across town has underground parking and sells their high end beer for less, e.g., Dogfish Head is $8.99 at TJ's and $9.99 at Safeway. And, don't go later at night, it's rough around here. read more

A necessary evil. The good: 1) location 2) underground parking The bad: 1) You will never wait less than 20 minutes to get through the checkout line 2) Lazy / useless employees 3) Unless you shop at 8am on Wednesdays, good luck finding yogurt, milk, fresh veggies or advertised items. 4) No carts- EVER 5) Check your receipts! Not all sale items are accurately recorded in the registers. 6) Beware of the men who try to sell you their food stamps for Boost Mobile calling cards (apparently calling their dealer is more vital than milk and bread for their 10 kids) 7) Skip your workout on shopping day- the elevators are almost always out of service. Staircase city, sweethearts. 8)Good luck pulling out of the garage without getting nailed by oncoming traffic. There is ZERO visibility when attempting a left. Oh, and you best red-line your first drive if you hope to make it through the green light across New York Ave. The whole 2.5 seconds will leave you smack dab in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic if the driver in front of you is unfamiliar with the fact that you need to charge through 2 red lights to safely make it onto L Street. In sum- GHETTO! But, given the alternates options of Ghetto G (Giant on 9th Street) and Whole Foods, I continue to endure the mess that is City Vista Safeway...sigh..... read more

This Safeway sucks. It's the closest supermarket to my apartment but I try to avoid it whenever possible. The security guards get real out of hand and I've seen them more than once detain and accuse customers of shoplifting, only to let them go after they were wrong. Second, a lot of the times I go in there on my lunch break, their deli/salad bar isn't there. They tell me, "oh the salad bar guy isn't on the schedule today so I don't think we will have salad bar today." Come on now, that sounds like bullshit. Either they were just lying or Safeway is dumb enough to actually not have someone there to prep the salad that day. Same thing has happened to me when I was looking for chicken wings. Chicken wing dude isn't working today, so no chicken wings. GTFOH!!! Is this for real? This Safeway is on some bullshit. read more

So far my local Safeway only has 2 1/2 stars. You gotta be kidding me! First - it's a 24hr store with a Starbucks for you coffee drinkers. Full service seafood, deli and bakery. Hot food bar, snack/nuts bar and a really good wine and beer selection for a supermarket. Parking is validated for up to 2 hours - free! I've been to Safeway about 40 - 50 times. Maybe more. Never one issue ever! I would like to say there are often specialty items I want that I try to find at Whole Foods and cannot. But Safeway always has them, and doesn't charge and arm and a leg. Meat - I love it. Some of the best shrimp and steak I've gotten from this Safeway. Once I both ribeyes for my boyfriend and I. We drool now just remembering those steaks. The store is always clean - even the public bathroom. Everyone who works there has been super nice every time I was there. I am not even going to read the poor reviews for this store. I'm sure some stuck up hippies who think grocery shopping should be like sex with fat free ice cream that still tastes good wrote them. I don't do hippies. Hahahaha read more

I used to solely go to the Trader Joe's in Foggy Bottom or the Target in Columbia Heights for groceries (don't laugh -- Target is amazingly cheap, as long as you're just getting the basics). The Giant at 9th and O was just gross, and Whole Foods took my whole paycheck. Then this Safeway opened up, a short walk from my apartment and just a few blocks away from my office -- making it a great place to stop on the way home from work. Trader Joe's is still cheaper, but Safeway obviously has a much bigger selection -- especially on produce. Their produce dept is great, and you can usually find good deals -- a few weeks ago they had asparagus for $1.99/lb! I bought, like, 8 bunches. They also have extra savings for some items on the weekends. Cons: some of the stuff is expensive (for example, Morning Star Veggie Bites are $5.49, but $3.39 at Target...I told you not to laugh at Target!). It's also not in the best neighborhood, so coming here after dark is kind of sketch for a few blocks. read more

Zero stars. I used to like grocery shopping but this place made me switch to Amazon Fresh delivery. It really is incredible how bad it is and that nothing has changed in years. read more

It's clean, nice, and new! It's a million times better and more convenient than the semi-local Giant. They have a good selection of foods. The sandwich making people leave something to be desired (slow service), but the quality of food is good. It's usually pretty busy and I've found that self-check out seems to be the way to go to get out of there if you're in a rush. Parking on the street is tough, but they have a garage where you can park for free with validation if you spend $5 or more (though I don't think they care). As far as the Starbucks: If it wasn't for it's convenience (inside the Safeway and close to my place), I wouldn't go to this Starbucks. The service is slow if you get something more complicated than just a coffee, the selection of pastries is pretty limited, and there isn't much seating. However, it's new and clean at the moment (a plus). Not the place to hang out, read, or relax. read more

Very convenient location. My hotel was across the street, literally and since my room had a kitchen it was perfect to pickup snacks and microwaveable items like popcorn. They pretty much have everything and prices are reasonable. Lines were a bit long, so checking out was slow. read more

This safeway is new, clean, and has a great selection. I live in logan circle but will walk the extra few blocks to this grocery store in Mt. Vernon Square because the prices are good and it is much more organized than the Giant on 9th street. The produce is decent for a Safeway. They even have a nice organic selection. My only disappointment is the meat and seafood. Often they are out of meat when I go, especially if it is on sale. And the seafood does not always look that fresh. However, this is a great grocery store to go to. It is clean, not expensive, and they have free underground parking. read more

Yeah, I am definitely gonna have to knock off a star. When I wrote that last review, I only bought non-perishable items. Now that I have been buying more veggies/produce, I am not raving as much about Safeway. Their selection is definitely questionable to say the least. For some reason, I seem to have the most problems with their red onions. Last time I was there, all I wanted was two onions and it took me about 10 minutes of searching through the pile to find two that weren't either messed up in same way or already moldy. I don't seem to have a problem with all of their produce, mainly just their onions, peppers and tomatoes. Oh and I also bought a can of nuts with an expiration date of the week before I bought them. Moral of the story: make sure to check your veggies and expiration dates before you buy them. read more

I'm a resident of Logan Circle, so my two options are Whole Foods or the independent, old-school Korean-owned Latino store on 11th. Whole Foods as my regular grocery store? Give me a f*cking break! I was enticed into this Safeway when they sent me a stack of coupons in the mail announcing their grand re-opening. Lured by the promise of $2 off coffee and 79 cent French bread, I stopped in with the intent of picking up a few things for dinner that night. Ugh... and you know how it goes.... I wanted to buy at least three shopping carts worth of stuff. Since my "neighborhood" grocery store insists on only carrying organic products, I missed things like Pop Tarts and Thomas' bagels and all those processed foods that are apparently so, so bad for you, yet so delicious. It may have been due to the re-opening, but they were running so many promotions, the shelves seemed covered with little yellow stickers announcing 10 for 10 or buy 1 get 1 free. Outrageous! Yes, of course, the store-made products are not of the same calibre as higher-end stores. The salad bar is pretty sad-looking and the cheese selection is serviceable at best. And the "Safeway Select Artisan" French loaf I got was laughable, but it was huge and dirt cheap. This Safeway is also gigantic and very clean. And yes, the store can get really crowded, but compared to how packed WF can get with the post-work or post-gym crowd, it was relatively calm. There are more people with full shopping carts in the check-out lanes, but at least more of the lanes were open and the lines weren't wrapping into the aisles. This isn't the suburbs... if you want to shop when the store is empty, you better plan to go in the middle of the weekday or at 2 o'clock in the morning. And you CAN go grocery shopping at 2 am because this Safeway is miraculously open 24 hours! read more