We've not been frequent shoppers of Smart & Final. I had always assumed folks shopped here because the prices were lower. After we grabbed our cart and started looking at prices, I assumed the "HIGH" prices were because this was California! Smart & Final frequently mentions no store membership. Are they referring to Kroger type stores where everyone with a phone already has a membership? No idea but our next stop was down the road at Von's. I wished we had stopped there first. We would have saved money. We found the folks friendly and the store clean. It was just much more expensive than what we had expected. At least now we know. read more

The store got a new oven for the rotisserie chickens, however, they didn't quite know how to work it, and it was taking longer than expected to cook the chickens. I decided to wait because I saw the timer on the oven said 11 minutes. Well, after about 20 minutes of waiting, Dawn came to check on them and stated that they weren't ready yet. She said it was likely because one of the larger chickens isn't cooked through. She offered to check the internal temp of one of the smaller chickens and pull it out for me if it was done. This worked out and I was able to take the chicken home for a family dinner. While preparing a casserole with the chicken my Dad kept steeling bits of the chicken because it was so good. This happened two weeks ago and tonight during family dinner my Dad brought up how good that chicken was. Thank you Dawn for going above and beyond! read more

I go to Smart & Final when I'm looking for items to purchase in bulk but not incur on the cost of membership like Costco. They have popular brands and also they have their own brand which is the Smart & Final brand cheaper in pricing! read more

There's a smell, much like the bottom of an unclean refrigerator vegetable crisper, which greets you as you enter. Disappointing: the bakery, the second-show produce, any of the fish in the 'butcher's case' and the really-not-a-bargain prices. The store that says it saves you money? Not really. Pass! read more

Friendly helpful staff and good deals. Recommend a visit here for your grocery needs. Alcohol prices aren't the greatest in town but convenience sometimes makes a difference than running around town. Only other complaint is the smell from the roasting chickens I always think it smells bad(might just be me). Everything else is great! read more

Update for early 2025: The foul odor is slightly better than it was a couple years ago, but not by much. The floor in the bakery still hasn't been cleaned. The selection and stocking of items is improved. Only one or two hand baskets exist for the entire store. The staff are usually friendly and helpful, however some could clean up their appearance (Beard trimmed, better uniforms, etc.) Dogs have been observed to be allowed in the store and in the carts, which is unsanitary. Apparently a regular customer with a white poodle type dog brings it in all the time. The animal had previously torn open some food packaging, which the owner allegedly refused to pay for, and then the dog was banned from the store. While tied up outside, the dog barked constantly, so the store employees allowed it back in, thinking this was the lesser of two evils. Now the dog enjoys rides in shopping carts around the store while looking down on humans that it passes. read more

Always good deals on the veggies , I always come here for my onion and tomatoes etc . Employees are always very nice and helpful

I have to say that I have enjoyed every time that I have gone to Smart and final extra in San Luis Obispo. Not only can you get regular items as the supermarket but you can also buy items in bulk without a membership and that is a good great deal to me. The produce section has the freshest items and if you're looking for a variety they got it! They have an extensive wine section will have you come back to try something new. Some local supermarkets claim that they have reduced prices but they charge you full price as you scan the items. To make the most of my money, I go to Smart and Final Extra in San Luis and I know that the prices that I am being charged are exactly the prices listed. With prices going up, why not stock up on items that you regularly use? Of course, including food. read more

Smart & Final is one of my favorites Is. And this Smart & Final in san luis obis San Luis Obispo is no exception.. The store is large clean clean clean is clean and has a great is fruits and vegetables section Period When I am in town It's a good stop. The cheese selection was excellent with lots of specialty cheeses. I guess I could ramble on but the real deal is I like this place.. And I'll come back. Today I found some beautiful manshago cheese And a whole turkey at 99 cents a pound. Some beautiful peppers and I'm happy.. Oh yes don't forget the bosc pears. Yum read more

Usually an easy and lovely experience but as of late, there has been one person who is so rude when checking out, on my receipt is says Lexie Jane. I thought the first time she may have had a bad day but it's every time she checks me out. Honestly, I try to avoid her if I can now. read more

I have occasionally shopped at the Smart & Final store in San Luis Obispo for at least 15 years or more. Generally, I am pleased with my purchases. BUT, this last time was a different experience. First, the Haas avocados were a great buy at 2/$1.00, but when I got them home and cut open the first one, it was about half black inside. The second one was just fine, but averaging it out, it was $1.00 for one small avocado. Second, I needed some eggs, so I bought a flat of them without really looking at them. Flats usually are 24 eggs, not here, they are 20 eggs. And two in the middle were broken. I usually buy eggs at Costco, where a flat of 24 runs $4.99. But I figured I was here, and I really didn't have time to go to Costco. Wrong decision. Last, I used to buy Better than Bullion in the large jar. Not available here anymore. And just for grins, a few years ago I was shopping there and I had to go to the bathroom. So, I did my business and flushed the urinal. What to my surprise, but it flushed with such force that the water came out and splashed all over my trousers. I was less than thrilled with that happening. Lesson learned is pay more attention to what I am buying, if I come back. And also to stand well back of the urinal when I flush it. read more

This was my first time into this location, and I was not impressed. First, the aisles are really narrow. Like, couldn't fit two carts side by side without almost scraping, so if someone was occupying an aisle I'd have to wait until they were done. The layout of the store in general does not have the flow to it that I have come to expect in a grocery store. Box of canned cream of mushroom soup was sliced open, but it was the last one available, so I took it anyway. Not a deal breaker. Cruised down to the freezer section, and the ice cream section was nearly EMPTY. I was looking for rainbow sherbet, and they only had 4 tubs of rainbow sherbet left. Phew, at least they had some. WRONG. Upon further inspection, I realized the lids were cracked on 3 of them, and the other tub was glued to the shelf in a sticky mess of melted sherbet. Moving along to the refrigerated section, and it was nearly empty as well. Where was all the sour cream and cottage cheese? What is happening, I thought?! Thankfully they had a few containers of their First Street Sour Cream, so I took two. Come up to the register and I'm putting my things on the belt only to realize that one of the tubs of sour cream the lid is cracked and the protective film is sliced open and not sealed. The other tub the lid is cracked, but at least the protective film is intact. I tell the cashier about the one container of sour cream, but he does not offer to grab a replacement for me. Okay, that's fine- but he had NO customer service skills. The register I was at did not have a belt bringing the groceries to the end. (Not sure if the other registers had this or not- did not look), but he did not offer to help move the goods to the end where I was having to bag myself, so I had to lean over to pull my goods to me so I could bag and not hold up the line. All in all, I stopped here because it was convenient on my way home, but never again. If I had never stepped foot in another Smart and Final, and this was my first experience, it would be my first and last visit to one. Management really needs to take a closer look into what's going on with their practices from unpacking items, stocking items, to the customer service provided up front at this location. read more

Good selection and their organic produce is reasonably priced and fresh. My biggest gripe is their customer service. Most of the cashiers don't seem to know how to say hello and thank you. It's the closest store to my house but I go there only if absolutely necessary. read more

i came here at 9:48pm and one guy name John saying themselves a manager at this place he said no entry now just for no reason and started arguing with me and he allows other guy at 9:58 pm inside to buy. it was really worst service I hv seen ever. I came here everyday read more

The meat department looks so much better than it has in the past! I was shocked to see how organized and clean it is! The girl stocking the meat was very helpful! I will definitely be returning! read more

I don't typically go here but when I do it's an okay experience. They have a large variety of products which is very nice. I also like their check out stands how they've incorporated the SLO community with street sign labels. I once called in asking to check in on an item but was told they don't do that, so I had to go to the store to check. Luckily they had what I was looking for. read more

what in the world is up with the horrible smell in the San Luis Obispo store. Absolutely disgusting every time we go there. Do they have something dead rotting under the floor? read more

This store has a lot of great options for quick grocery shopping, bulk items, even hard to find imports that other stores don't carry like all the Jewish delicacies my lovely mother in law misses from Israel! We usually stop here to pick up their large sirloin tip roasts to cut into steaks for grilling. Way better to buy a large roast for around $35 and get around 25 10oz steaks from it plus several pounds of sirloin tips for stews and tacos, etc than buying individual steak packs. However, we were really delighted at the produce selection and pricing, the selection of coffee syrups (especially the large selection available in sugar free which is hard to find) their selection of halo top and enlightened ice creams which are also hard to find at affordable prices and of course plenty of good deals on bulk cheeses (can you tell we are keto people? LOL) read more

Smart & Final Extra! - Lots of imported goods from Israel and other Jewish delicacies available at this location! We were thrilled to find this stuff here. - Grocery Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Watch out for the potatoes! I was sick for 3 days before figuring out the problem. The white potatoes I purchased showed no green, but left a bitter taste in my mouth and caused flu like symptoms. Potatoes need to be protected from light otherwise they become high solanine and toxic. Staff in the store always looks overwhelmed and frazzled; the potato storing protocol must have gotten lost in the shuffle. read more

Total jerks, every time. If you've perused the other reviews, you know I am not alone in being totally disappointed in this lousy market. The staff (with one exception) apparently hate all people, or at least make you feel that way. And yet I keep coming back for more because of their convenient location. I fill out the survey on the receipt every time, and never get a response, and the poor treatment of customers continues. I am done. You people at NotSmart&Final are so rude that I will forego the chocolate covered almonds from your bin section, and that makes me sad -- but not as sad as the way I feel after interacting with your cashiers. G'bye. read more

This store has some good sale prices and pretty fresh produce and meat selections. Why I only gave this store one star is the terrible customer service we received at the check out stand. We spent around $45 and brought our own bags. The checker I believe her name was Dani Love according to the name on receipt had the worst personality I have ever had. She did not greet me with a hello or smile and after I paid she just turned and started on next customer my wife was putting items in bags and this clerk never offered to help mind you we had more then one bag. What took the cake was she turned and gave us the look like why are we taking so long getting our groceries off the counter. I don't think we will go back to Smart & Final with that type of Customer Service!! read more

The online ordering is unreliable and customer service fails to respond to detailed complaint. I continue to order and they are always out of the item although it appears on website. They need to get accurate inventory if they want to grow business customers. After paying $9.99 for delivery and the one specific item I wanted is not delivered but appeared at checkout. This is a common theme and taking my business to sysco as more reliable. Poor inventory management if your a business and rely on certain items and consistentcy. read more

Low quality food and products for cheap - obviously. I've seen moldy produce, the store is dark and gloomy and not so clean. Always a backed up line at the register. Some of the cashiers are not so friendly. I once forgot to write down the number for my bulk dried mangos and the cashier girl huffed and puffed about how I NEED to have the number written down. Jesus women, I forgot, SORRY. Accidents happen. We bought dish soap there which didn't wash off anything. It didn't even bubble up. Ridiculous. The only reason I had gone to this store multiple times is because I needed goods for baking and I didn't want to drive to Vons. But I will be making that trip now. read more

God damn it, my middle aged white woman is starting to show. Here we goo with another Yelp review b/c no one wants to take me seriously. I'll try to make this short& sweet. I frequent this store because of the location. I recognize employees because this is a small town. This older judgemental blonde woman is not a fan of me. Like, that's cool, but do your job m'am. There are some long ass lines today, son. This older blonde woman opens a register. She looks at me& and her brain is like nah, don't wanna engage with her, so she asks the dude behind me to come to her to her line. Am I good at this moment? Yup absolutely, not offended. My cashier goofs, so I now need help. So I follow the first employee I see. I lock eyes with her& raise my eyebrows. I think it's pretty damn clear I need some help. Guess who it is? Older blonde missy. She realizes, " no, I really don't want to spend one minute with this customer," and speedwalks to the BOH warehouse. In case y'all did not understand; she actively walked through the entire store with me behind her to avoid contact. In case anyone has acess to the camera this was about 3:40 pm. I next flagged down an actual manager and told her my issues. She said she was very busy and that she would tell her supervisor. Did she do anything about it?idk. Side note: Am I angry about this interaction? A little upset, but not enough for "anger." And so your sitting there like girrl, why you wasting a precious moment on a salty ass woman working at a grocery store? I am putting this story out to the universe because I hope one day that some one takes me seriously. read more

Great staff. Very friendly :) The store is clean and well organized. They have some amazing produce prices! I was floored at how cheap their prices were. Parking can be a bit of a pain during lunch and before work since they share parking lots with Rite Aid next door. Keep an eye out for their clearance racks. Scored some delicious baked good at killer prices! read more

I am from out of town and I am glad that I found this specific store. I purchased a few items and while there the manager, a gentleman by the name of Alan Knapp was very professional and polite. He helped me in finding my way back to the small town of Cayucos where I was staying at for a few days. I was thoroughly impressed by all the staff there and the cleanliness of the store. Even in these current times where certain products are scarce, the store appeared to be well stocked and in order. I wish the Smart & Final store of my home town looked that good. read more

Recently I went into Smart &final in SLO looking for a last minute gift for a 3yr old. One staff in particular, Dawn, was so helpful and stopped what she was doing to come and assist me. She recommended the 60 second water balloons, and they turned out to be a big hit! Excellent customer service like that is rare to find these days and those essential workers are greatly appreciated! I know this store has drawn alot of negative attention due to the video involving a customer not wearing mask, but i have had nothing but positive experiences while shopping at the SLO location. read more

The store is clean everything food and vegetables is well organized but their cashiers are not welcoming people they look tired and all stress out like not even wanted to be there not helping the customers at all . Like saying well the machine is not reading your card and their not even helping it's seem they have cashier that they don't know what to do with the registers and how to be with people. Customer service in the register is 00000000000 . It's time to have happy people that love their job and love people. read more

This is our "Go To" store for food to accommodate our often impromptu guest lunches. Their rotisserie chickens are the best in SLO, and they're Foster Farms natural. Their bakery rolls are essential for one of our favs, rotisserie chicken sandwiches! Always a hit with our friends. read more

I just had the best shopping experience I've had in a long while! I want to send a big shout out to Frank in the meat department for going above and beyond in finding me what I needed. Larry switched out my cart when I found a bum wheel, and the manager put her code in for me for online coupons when I found I'd forgotten my phone, saving me a bucket load of money! The cashiers are always so friendly and helpful. Thanks to all of you for making a tedious chore a pleasure! read more

In a word, disappointing. I have shopped the old S&F location occasionally for years, not my favorite store but a good place for bulk packaging, and special occasion needs. Wasn't sure what to expect with the new location replacing the previous long history of supermarkets; Safeway, Von's the tear down and rebuild as Scalari's followed by Albertson's, Haggen's and now as Smart & Final Extra. This my least favorite store of the bunch. Somehow the blend of a regular S&F with its unappealing warehouse rows of bulk foods and supplies masquerading as full service grocery store because it has made the outer walls of the store look like a grocery store, but falls short. Its quasi bulk deals in the middle and over priced grocery staples on the outside. The grocery store staples are anything but a deal, unless they happen to be on special. This last last week the deals were within 10 cents of Von's deals on the same items, so no real savings, in fact shockingly high prices. And they don't have everything you need for a complete shop, frustrating. So you still have to make a trip to Ralph's, Von's or other store to complete your grocery shopping. What's the point? Why bother stopping here? Just location because you don't want to drive 5 minutes further. Produce section looks great. Prices are good, but quality I found to be poor in terms handling prior to shelf, and shelf life, so no better than Food 4 Less, in fact quite comparable to F4L for produce, use it quickly. Many items were also out of stock. [UPDATE: Had toss half the produce I bought, due to very short shelf life or 'rough handling' before purchase. 2/3 of California avocados went straight into the trash after cutting in half to make guacamole, big bowl turned into teaser little bowl. My summary is produce cost twice as much and avocados 3x as much after 'loss' rate. Really aggravating!] Store is clean, staff is very friendly. But staff is slow like the old location, but this store has more customers so you can spend a while in the checkout line. Double check you're selections as I found spoiled produce, and over ripe fruit for sale that should have been tossed. Will I shop here? Yes, because it is close and handy. Will I like it? Most of the time not really. If they were to carry the full line of 'Full Circle' brand food (organic/natural) like Scalari's and Haggen's both had, I will shop here more frequently. Until then I will stop for milk and eggs etc when we're low at the house, and still make the occasional shop for special occasions and hosting. Overall quite disappointed at not having a 'real' neighborhood grocery store anymore. I really wanted to like this store, but after a couple shops I just am not liking it, in fact I'm kind of disliking it. Maybe if they figure out a better selection over the next few months, get the stocking correct. They could hire some faster checkers while they are at it too. In many ways this store is like a Food 4 Less, but with higher priced staples and more 'cheap' quality bulk foods. No paper bags either, just the heavy plastic (bypass the ban) bags. House brand is mostly sub-par quality compared to national brands, okay for some occasions to keep cost down, but noticeably sub-par like the free dinner and breakfast food at economy hotels. A sad reality for this end of town, so disappointing. But on the bright side better than no store option. read more

Very rude staff! I asked if I can have a free bag for EBT and they just don't even want to respond. Bad customer service

This place is always dingy and poorly lit. Many areas are not kept tidy, especially the dairy refrigerators and bottled water areas. Compared to the previous building occupants (Albertsons/Haggens), this store is abysmal. I'd rather drive across town to Vons than literally walk around the block to this place. read more

Would not allow me and my mom in the store without a mask. We walked 4 miles to get a few items there and I don't have access to masks due to the shortage. We asked them to provide some for us and the manager only gave my mom one and made me wait outside. He cussed me out on my way out to the front. Like SERIOUSLY? We were being polite considering the circumstances and he was being SO out of line with us, and even followed us out of the store. I will NEVER spend money here again and I will do whatever it takes to make sure people I know don't spend money here because of the customer service. read more

This is a nice clean store! I didn't even know S&F had an 'Extra' version. While it's not a full blown grocery store, it has a lot of what you might want. It's still totally a S&F which is all that really matters. When you need 1000 plates or cups, or whatever, you need to know you can count on these guys. And you can. Good for picking up dry goods and some produce. It's a good location and we need a shopping choice on this side of town. The staff were friendly and helpful, the aisles clean and clear, the place well lit, and checkout was a breeze. read more

I miss Scolari's! All of my coworkers & customers. It's just too depressing going in here now...

Always empty shelves, staff always seems to be new and slow. Heard they don't pay well, so that makes sense. Prices are reasonable. Stopped by to grab donuts at about 7:45 this morning. Bakery smelled great, but the donuts were so hard that the edge of an apple fritter hurt my teeth. I don't expect much from grocery store donuts, but I have no idea how you mess up donuts that bad. The kids usually devour anything with sugar, but they wouldn't finish them. read more

Great place. I really love the manager joe. He has nice hair, hes tall, and a amazing person. He gave me a special discount. Hey Joe, I would love to get to know you more. If you ever see this you can find me at the mystery flesh pit. I drop there every game. We are going to rot in hell. All of us for our sins. We are destroying the planet. The fog is coming the fog is coming the fog is coming the fog is coming the fog is coming the fog is coming the fog is coming. read more

I need to try the Atascadero one. Cons Emty shelves Items not rotated when stocked and on shelves Only 2 checkers Pros Friendly checker i had No trash anywhere For being a less that a year old store needs more things to be filled them emty read more

Hello Smart and Final Manager. I understand your reasons for asking patrons to wear masks while in you store. Sort of like, No shirt, No shoes. No service. However, I believe you employee that verbally accosted a patron for not wearing a mask should be terminated at once. It has ben a lot g time since I have witnessed this type of rudeness from a store clerk. Can his ass before he treats another of your paying patrons so rudely. read more