It ain't the Ritz, but that's A-Ok with me. This place reminds me of grocery shopping with my mom when I was just a kid because it's got all the staple poor people food that we lived off of back then (and that I still relish in now) and for California, the prices here are hard to beat. Nothings organic, the prices are cheap, most things are available in manageable bulk sizing (far more manageable than Costco, at least), and don't be surprised if you see unsupervised kids blowing up the produce bags and tying them off on their fists to play punch each other like rock 'em sock 'em robots in the middle of the busiest aisle without a care that they're blocking the liter-sized tub of Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce that you're eying... which has been the case on my last TWO visits here. In addition to liter containers of name-brand buffalo sauce, you can find such wonderful (and nominally priced) items as... * 5-lb bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese * A gallon of sour cream * (sometimes) .69 cent avocados * Stellar pricing on bulk plastic wear cups and utensils * WAY shorter and faster lines than Safeway * WAY better prices than Safeway * Super cheap household cleaning products * 47-cent cans of the garbage cat food my dudes genuinely enjoy * About 17 different types of BBQ potato chip * Decent bulk veggie burger patties * Eggs sold by the 2-dozen * Over a dozen different types of tortillas... though those aren't priced very well and none that even come close to the quality to El Milagro * A gross of frozen fish sticks * $2 JACK'S PIZZAS * Alcohol ... basically all the essentials. All that, plus I can load up on those plastic produce bags when I buy fruit so I'll have something to shovel my cat litter into. Huzzah! read more

Smart & Final Extra! - Storefront - Grocery Near Me - San Mateo, California

Smart & Final is one of those love/hate places - you love going there because of all the cheap stuff they have, but you don't want anyone to see you leaving. Okay, so not all of their items are a bargain, but they do have some pretty good deals. Sometimes it's just fun to wander the aisles, looking at all the stuff until that "aha!" moment where you find something you may or may not need, but absolutely must have, either because of price or because you haven't had it in years. This S&F is close to home and the employees are always really nice and helpful. Why not give it a walk through if you happen to be passing by? read more

I was shopping today and I had a "Rain Check " for spaghetti sauce. There was a challenge with the register taking a discount off . The New checker " Jeff" was very calm even though the line was getting long while he waited for assistance from management. Had great customer service skills, he apologize for the wait , smile and was very nice. mean while other check stand opened up so nobody had to wait that long . read more

Call for info...leave me hanging on phone...wait 3 minutes nobody comes back. Call back and nobody answers the phone. Just a simple question about product selection. Would be nice if they could answer a question? read more

While I do understand we're in the middle of a pandemic this one line checkout crap has to go. For those of us that don't buy a cart full every time we go in and you need that one or two items... I'm not going to stand in a line of 25 people. Safeway has since abandoned this way to check out. I suggest you do so as well. Or at least bring back the 10 items or less lane! Never going back. read more

I gave an OK rating. The store does have good prices on most items. My issue is the "buyer beware" produce. I just bought strawberries and noticed mold on them, also had to throw out blueberries I bought a week ago after 3 days for the same reason. Not the first time this has happened read more

Seriously folks, no self checkout? check out mine is super long, moving super slowly no doubt because they don't have enough cashiers. The store otherwise seems fine and typical for a store and prices are okay. But waiting 10 minutes plus to check out isn't okay in this day and age. read more

Occasionally go here if I'm nearby and need to grab a quick something. Sometimes you'll find really cheap produce, but sometimes they're not the best quality or things are going to expire in the next couple months. Nothing too exciting to post about for a Smart and Final. Except today, when a young worker takes my cart of bananas and avocados and uses it to start throw his packaging material into it. I confront him and ask him about that cart that he must've mistaken for his own, and this worker lady comes up and says that it's theirs. Wtf? The guy who I asked didn't even say anything because he obviously knew that the cart is mine??? You have a cart with a banana and avocado that you're throwing trash into? Unprofessional with zero sense of customer service or integrity. Unamused. Only regret is not getting their names and reporting. read more

I typically do my grocery shopping at Safeway and Costco, with the occasional trip down to my local Trader Joe's when I'm seeking more organic/holistic type food (I still cannot justify shopping at Whole Paycheck). Today however, since I happened to be in the area, decided to do some shopping at Smart & Final instead. I have not actually been inside a Smart & Final since I was probably 12, so I can't honestly say I actually remember what the inside of one looks like. However the first thing I noticed when pulling up to the parking lot, was that this particular location was called "Smart & Final extra!" Being the Google addict that I am, I immediately Googled "Smart & Final extra!" to find out what was so "extra" special about this location. Apparently the addition of the term "extra!" signified that this location was bigger than their typical locations. First impression upon entering the store was that this was definitely an older location, that has not had any serious remodels or facelifts done in a long time. Maybe it was the lighting, or the Costco style fixtures, but the appearance of the seemed a lot more worn down than the typical clean, modern appearance that I am use to with the Safeways I typically frequent. They have all of your typical grocery store fare, with plenty of selection to choose from. All of their fruits and vegetables seemed very fresh and plentiful, and the pricing was actually very competitive as well. At one point, I had to ask assistance from one of their stockers/baggers who was passing by because they were out stock on some bottled water. Mad props to this African American gentleman who was super friendly, helpful, and always had a huge smile on his face! I wish I got his name so I could give him a proper shout-out, but he is truly a credit to his employers! My only "complaints" about this location, is that the checkout lanes don't line up with the aisles. Thus on a busy day, such as this Sunday during which I shopped, there were lines at every register that would up going sideways and crossing into other lines. Also not much of any organic selections at Smart & Final, but I will always have my Trader Joe's for that! read more

Buyer beware...this store does not honor advertised sales. l made a purchase of green beans with an advertised price of $1.49 lb. I was charged much more and when I brought this to the attention of the checker, he told me that it is not his fault and price was already set in the system. He did not try to assist me and instead told me that I could get back in line if I wanted a refund which I did not have the time to do. I realize that this is not a huge dollar amount however if this is a consistent issue, customers are being overcharged consistently and this is just wrong. With the inflation situation, people are struggling to make ends meet and small amounts add up. I left a message with the corporate office but did not hear back. I am not surprised. read more

I brought several mangoes at this location. After waiting 2 days for them to ripen, we cut into 5 of them and the flesh were brownish in color. We couldn't eat them. I was going to throw the uncut ones away but I wanted to bring them in to show the manager. Somehow, I got busy and forgot about them until we brought more mangoes at a produce store yesterday. I called and spoke to the manager, Liz. She was helpful and told me to bring the uncut mangoes and would refund the money. The cashier, Brian, offered good customer service and reminded us that we had to return the items earlier. But, as one time courtesy, he will refund us the money. I appreciate their help. read more

This is my closest neighbor grocery store . I have back problems so I can not walk so far anymore . Everyone here is very friendly and helpful . They have a great selection of beverages and frozen foods. I always enjoy shopping here. read more

The service was horrible!!!!! I went there around 7 and no one helped me I asked to get something down and they took forever so I went and got on my cart and got my sprite down and then he comes and tells me I can't do that when I asked if they could bring it down !!!!! But I got my sprite and it was expired Horrible experience don't go here read more

I've honestly just received the worst customer service I think I've EVER had in my life. Yvette and Donald are two of the most unprofessional and rude employees I've come across in my years of shopping and working in customer service myself. Entered the store to just extremely rude looks for whatever reason (racist maybe) You can never be too sure nowadays. When I tried to receive help from Yvette she wouldn't even let me finish my sentence before RUDELY cutting me off when all I was trying to tell her is I'm here to pick up my order I called out. She confirmed the order- went to go and get it from the office then proceeds to tell me to go back "over there" as if I'm some child or pet. I do NOT find this okay at all. Not only did I go back to where she told me but when she finally started bringing my items out she didn't even return to where she to Me I should go continuing her rude antics by telling me to "get over here" referring to the next checkout lane, that again she was not at but Donald was. I wasn't thinking anything of it until Donald asked for my ID and I showed him without hesitation and politely asked if he could please not grab it as we are all in the midst of a pandemic of course. He very aggressively responded "would you like your order cancelled then? U want it cancelled? We can cancel it?" Threatening me to let him hold my ID. What was that all about? I proceeded to let him hold it as I felt very uncomfortable and just wanted to check out and get out of this store that made me feel so uncomfortable ASAP. He just simply Held it at the same angle I did previously so what was the point of this? A scare tactic? I am a grown man in his mid twenties. He then gave me a squirt of hand sanitzer to clean my ID with which proved to me he knew exactly why I didn't want him to hold it. To make the entire situation worse we were confirmed for 14 bottles and were successfully charged for 14, but since Yvette wants to bring out the bottles in groups of 3 she miscounted and only gave us 13. When we asked her if there are more she again rudely replied "that's it that's all I got! Did you count it! Look!" I then proceeed to count them together to find out that yes indeed, she only gave us 13 and NOT 14 even though she was putting up a huge fight almost as if she thought I couldn't count correctly or something. Not only was I offended at this point but I felt downright disrespected. She had to give me my refund of course for her mistake and threw the receipt at me saying "HERE!" I understand we are in the middle of a global pandemic so I do seriously appreciate all of the help they offer but you do not have to be so rude and disrespectful to do so. I would suggest whomever is in charge of the staff to maybe include extra training And diversity courses because the treatment I received just now is NOT OKAY in any shape or form read more

Great selection at this store and well stocked. Staff was really friendly. The gal in produce pointed out she was reducing some of the salad I was looking at to 95 cents. Then at check out tHere were 2 people in front of me but the the asst manager opened up his register. He was so pleasant at check out and he hustled. I didn't catch his name but he was a young Asian fellow. Then my jalapeño fell out of my cart without me realizing... he ran out to parking lot and found me. San Mateo smart and final was great read more

As someone who plans a heck of a lot of parties for a living, how am I just now discovering Smart & Final? Total lifesaver when it comes to picking up last minute needs including: + bar towels + cups + plates + bottled water All of which you could purchase at Target, but it's way cheaper at Smart & Final. And not everyone has a Costco membership and it's a hassle to go borrow a friend's card and then you're stuck with 1,000 cups when all you really needed was 200. Meandering around the store in an old, rusty shopping cart is a small price to pay for the value. I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the employees here are super nice. There were even bragging about how they're getting a new San Mateo store and how much better it will be in a few months. Oh, I'll be back to find out! read more

Smart & Final is the only grocery store around here that I know of that carries Berkeley Farms' manufacturing cream, which is a natural gourmet cream that contains over 40% milk fat and hence is the "cream de la cream" and generally used in professional food service and not available in retail stores. They only come in gallon-size though so you would have to need a lot of it if you buy it. I only needed two cups so did not end up buying it and just used Berkeley Farms' heavy whipping cream from Safeway, which has a little lower fat content. I know Philiz's uses this as creamer in their coffee and that was part of the reason their coffee taste so good. I believe the whipped cream frosting on cakes using manufacturing cream would hold up better than regular heavy whipping cream due to its slightly higher fat content but haven't tried it myself. read more

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30 pack of Stash raspberry green tea = $3.69 Stash teas are $2.99 for 20 at Whole Foods and they don't stock this flavor. I've been looking for it everywhere, and was on the verge of buying a 20 pack on ebay ($1.99 + $3 shipping). for $4.99! ps- Dreyer's ice cream is only $2.49 = half price from Safeway. read more

I love this place if you're on a budget~ I come here for my kitchen stuff, party/bbq essentials, frozen chicken kiev, ambiance teas, and my perrier water in BULK! it's not sophisticated nor glamorous but pretty grocery-friendly minus the fresh produce section. read more

This feels like it might be the most glamorous grocery store in Cold-War-Era Bulgaria. This particular S&F is located in the most ass-forsaken shopping plaza on the entire west coast. However, the place has grown on me since my original review. They have spruced up the food aisles, but I don't spend much time there because I honestly have no place to put a gallon of mustard or 200 frozen pizza rolls or whatever. What I LOVE here is all the restaurant supply type items, like little entree dishes made of coated foil that you can both microwave and reheat in the oven. Ka-CHING! I also found that they carry some other household supplies that we find sporadically missing at Costco, like a box of 1000 bags that we use for doggie poopie bags, just as cheap as Costco. read more

Yay! First one to review after its renovation! I almost never shopped here in the past due to lack of fresh produce and meat items, but is has become completely different! It is called "Smart & Final extra!" now. Likes: - Much more selections than it used to be! They claim there are 3000 new items added. Most groceries I usually buy from Safeway and Trader Joe's are in stock here now. Very decent selections and varieties of fresh produce and meat. Now they have Foster Farm chicken, Berkeley Farm milk, national name brand items on anything related to cooking, food and drink just as what Safeway has. - Cleaner and neat. I feel happier inside than in the past. - Some fresh produces are very cheap this and next week during the grand opening period. Good bargain! To Be Improved: - Not many choices for healthy and organic meat and vegetables. They are missing organic chicken and 95% lean beef patty. They do have 85% lean ones packed in amazingly different sizes. - Aisles become narrower due to the store is packed with grocery now. - The store associates can be more friendly and helpful. Still far from Safeway on this. - I wish the milk prices (especially Berkeley Farm milk) could be a bit lower. I also have some bad impressions on their store brand ("First Street") in the past. I wish they could change their store brand name. I will definitely come back when I am buying grocery next time. I love getting everything in one place. read more

Smart & Final Extra! - Grand opening after renovation! Now this store is called Smart & Final extra. - Grocery Near Me - San Mateo, California

So dorky, but I flippin love this store. Since I first shopped at Price Club (proto- Costco), I've been enamored of bulk/industrial-sized items. Alas, I no longer have a Costco account (I don't exactly have a Costco-sized family), so I'm never there. But Smart and Final has just about anything I'd really need for parties and large functions. Large sizes of just about anything. Drums of condiments. Cute paper and tableware at reasonable prices. Cooking implements, pans, containers, and such. Lots of appealing desserts in the freezer section. And a lot more that I can't think of right now -- all at good prices. The folks who work there aren't exactly proactive about seeing if you need help, but they seem approachable and every interaction I've had has been ok. And the store looks a lot nicer now -- it was never horrid, but now it's very bright, and it has a layout that's easier to navigate. It's not where I'd do my "regular" shopping but it's worth shopping there every so open, and certainly worth a stop if you're shopping for a large party, event, or family gathering. read more

Great customer service, mad props for the worker who understood my broken sign language, and a grand place to buy Jell-O shot making supplies! I only come to smart and final when anticipating a Jell-O Shot endeavor and they never fail! They have all the ingredients you need and the lovely little 1oz cups (with lids) for you to put them in, all in all it is a one stop shop for Jell-O making supplies. read more

I went to smart and final yesterday and i needed a product i did not find. I met Dan the manager and he was so gracious and funny. He helped me and i left with a smile. GREAT PERSON read more

Great selection of fruits and vegetables, even organic, at a great price and good quality. Proteins are also very affordable and good quality ( steak, beef, chicken, etc). All sorts of things you may need, from utensils to cleaning supplies, and even liquor (great prices on liquor BTW - better than Bevmo.) Sketchy clientele, but safe super market, worth it. You don't need a membership card and yet you still are buying in bulk. Their bulk isn't like Costco though, just double the size of a regular package. read more

Bottom line: Kinda creepy, but overall, if you do a lot of baking or are buying for a bbq or get-together, this place is a lifesaver and you will forget the creepy part. We came here once because we made oatmeal-cookie-mix-in-a-mason-jar for colleagues and friends around Christmas time. Well, what sounded like a great Pinterest idea at a time turned into what could have been quite expensive in the amount of ingredients. Apparently this place sells huge quantities of decent brand baking supplies (i.e. chocolate chips, brown sugar, powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs by the sack, oatmeal by the tub). The sizes are large but not like so large that the item will go half open but unused and sucking up space in the cabinet. The prices are comparable to Costco or Walmart (better selection than Walmart too). There is a huge selection of packaging here as well (i.e. food boxes, food wrapping, plastic cups, paper cups, plates, you name it) so it's a go-to for a bbq or event involving lots of people eating. The produce is also surprisingly not bad. The only thing about the place is that the clientele can be kinda weird or creepy but when the stuff is this cheap, who the hell cares. read more

They've got so many inexpensive items, and their produce is fairly priced. (Just stopped by today to pick up a couple bundles of green onions, and they were about 79 cents per.) Staff is pretty nice, too. Only downside would be that they don't have an express line?? And they don't seem to have enough register lines open. I stood with my green onions behind two people with carts of stuff. read more

It's not as cheap as you think, but hey its cheaper then most places. I come here for the chicken breasts and vegetables. Their employees talk about the weirdest things too. lol read more

Great deals if you're looking to buy in bulk, without having to pay club membership fees. Definitely stocked to support small businesses and families that need to buy in bulk. Good mix of products meant for home use or more specialized things like buffet servers and commercial cooking equipment. If you're having trouble finding something, the staff will happily check their stock or give you a raincheck to keep that deal pricing when the item's back in stock. read more

First time to S&F was today and it really is in a very off shoot shopping mall that I had a hard time finding at first. S&F seems like the cheap and very cheap knock off of Costco, although I know they have been around for some time they had a large amount of junk food in large sizes and a bunch of frozen items. The prices were not that much cheaper if any at all than most places. I had gone there based on a deal for 5 HASS Avocados for $1 which is a really good deal but to find out they are very small and not even ripe at all avocados but for $1 I just bought more. One nice touch is they do cater to having restaurant style equipment so if I ever need a barrel of BBQ Sauce or 5 gallons of soda syrup then I can go here. They also have restaurant size cooking equipment that may come in handy some day. Okay place with a scarce staff, the only staff I saw were at the registrar and they were just talking to each other while ringing us up. read more

Like the SM store, it has a lot more products than the RWC one. Meat selection is good if your into chicken & ribs as I am. After Costco this is my second choice for large items like TP,paper towels,drinks and cleaning products.The store is well organized and clean.They have fairly good weekly sales also. read more

The lines are unexceptable. There are over 50 people in line. And nobody working here cares. I won't be coming back. 35 minutes is crap

Not the friendliest checkers and lines are always radiculous! I just went in to get lettuce and the lines were backed up into aisles-I just left and decided to go somewhere else. Have been living in the area for a few years now and it's the same story everytime. read more

this morning I wrote to customer service. I arrived at 7:45 am. the cart area had a sign 'sanitized carts' yet customers were leaving their carts there. the spray bottle and wipes were empty at the entrance. perhaps it was too early but the produce bins were not stocked up yet. if the store opens at 6 am , one would think the bins were plentiful. the line formed where the freezer was and a person (vendor?) was filling the freezer without a mask or gloves. some of us tried to stand as far away as possible. I hope that don't get sick from shopping here today. read more

I can't believe they leave the refrigerator door open. Milk and all dairy were actually warm to the touch. Could not find "whole milk shredded mozzarella" which should be a staple but sold out. We were ready to check out but since the lines were so long, we returned our stuff and went to the S&F in Daly City. There is nothing "Extra" in this store worth going to buy. read more

I hate to give this 3 stars, because I really love this store. But had to take away 2 stars because: 1. Not enough checkers, especially on the weekends and in the early evening. The lines get really long and they don't seem to call for additional checkers...(maybe they don't have any) 2. Most importantly, (and no one else I think has mentioned this) You take you life into you hands pulling in and out of their parking lot. The MAJOR reason I don't do all my shopping there is because of this. Parkside Plaza would really help their businesses if they get the City of San Mateo to put up a stop sign or light?? Anything, because it is soooo difficult pulling out of this parking lot. My in-laws won't shop in the plaza because of this, so I am sure there is a lot of people that feel the same way. I am surprised the owners of Parkside Plaza hasn't been more vocal with City Hall about this situation. Fix this and I bet your business would double........ read more

This store is always crowded and the parking lot is congested, but everyone that works here is super friendly so I keep coming back! I was blown away by how helpful Priscilla was on a recent visit, she went above and beyond to help my grandmother find a product and when that product was sold out, she gave her suggestions for similar items. It was so kind and she was so personable. I know there's a lot of tension with the pandemic, but it was nice to have a brief sweet interaction with someone. Thank you, Priscilla! read more

It is one of my favorite neighborhood grocery stores that I visit every week because it is fast and convenient. The price are great for produce and every item like Eggo, milk, eggs, lunch meats and fresh meats. The checkers are friendly and helpful as well! read more

Receipt I got is almost unreadable. However, It looks like its mostly accurate but not entirely. Good selection of food though. Many employees also take food home. read more

Smart and final is a great place and I use to work at pet club right next door so the people know who I am and are so friendly..I love the place it's always so clean and people are so nice and helpful there..Better prices here then Safeway to be honest even though I use to work at Safeway too..Still like smart and final much better .They also have alfalfa sprouts which not many places carry read more