It seems the Grocery Embiggen Ray, the antithesis of the Grocery Shrink Ray, has struck Safeway Select ice cream and they’re offering up a whole two quarts, just like ice cream makers used to all do back in the old timey days. [More]
No, You Can't Have These Cheerios For 14 Cents
By February 15, 2010
Phill tells Consumerist that he saw a pricing error on cereal at his local Safeway, and brought it to the attention of store employees. In the process, he tried to invoke Safeway’s price guarantee. After all, if the cereal was marked 28 cents per pound (instead of 28 cents per ounce, as it should have been) why shouldn’t Phill be able to buy it at that price? Yet the store employees would hear none of it. [More]
Safeway Sold Me Milk That Expired More Than A Year Ago
By January 19, 2010
Tia says she bought some milk from Safeway, pictured here, that expired more than a year ago. She writes: [More]
Bumblebee Tuna Tricks You Into Watching Commercials At The Grocery Store
By October 26, 2009
Must we put video screens everywhere? Reader Grey says that he was fooled into pressing a button above a tiny video screen at his local Safeway — only to be subjected to a very low-res commercial for Bumblebee Tuna.
Reader Isn't A Bad Person, Just Doesn't Want To Round Up His Grocery Purchase
By August 13, 2009
Dustin isn’t a jerk, really. He just feels like one every time he shops at his local Vons, because they’re always pushing him to donate his change to charity. He wants to know whether your local Vons, Safeway, or other grocery stores do this to you, too.
Grocery Store Just Can't Stop Selling Expired Yogurt
By June 17, 2009
Esther doesn’t want much. She just wants to buy some yogurt that hasn’t expired. It seems that’s too much to ask of her local Safeway near Baltimore.
By March 24, 2009
If you recently bought organic brown eggs from a Costco, Safeway, or Pack ‘n’ Save in California or Nevada, you should check to make sure they’re not part of yet another salmonella recall. [MSNBC] (Photo: Bonzo McGrue)
Supermarkets Begin To Shrink
By September 12, 2008
The New York Times reports that several supermarket and retail chains, including Safeway, Walmart, and Whole Foods, are beginning to experiment with much smaller store sizes that emphasize things like cafes, prepared meals, and produce. The idea is to emphasize speed over choice, and was apparently triggered by UK competitor Tesco, which has launched over 70 small-format supermarkets in Nevada, Arizona, and Southern California over the past year. Of course, the stores also require less shelf space for products than they did a year ago.
Safeway IDs Everyone In Your Party When You Buy Beer
By September 5, 2008
Daniel went to his local Safeway with his brother to buy some beer. Daniel had his ID, but his brother didn’t—but that’s okay, because Daniel was the one buying the beer. The cashier, however, felt otherwise, and wouldn’t complete the transaction without carding both of them. The store manager told him “the policy is, at the discretion of the clerk, to check the ID of every person present.”
Do Not Be Fooled By Safeway's 2 for $7 Milk Trick
By August 5, 2008
While shopping at Safeway today I noticed something odd about the “O” Organics Milk. After I listened to a mom tell her daughter she buys “whatever is on sale” I went to purchase my own milk and realized that’s not such a good plan. A half gallon was on sale for 2 for $7. Or if your a savvy shopper you could buy a gallon for $6.59. The Safeway website confirms it.
Lucerne Yogurt Fails To Escape The Clutches Of The Grocery Shrink Ray
By July 13, 2008
Nothing is safe from the Grocery Shrink Ray: not babies; not household brands backed by expensive ad campaigns; and apparently, not even discount private labels.
Grocery Shrink Ray Unleashes Its Fury On Safeway Bakery
By June 9, 2008
In an attempt to cut expenses on donuts and signage, this Safeway in Oakland, CA. reduced their “dozen” from 14 to 12, reader Leonard discovered. We would have preferred a new sign or no sign at all. The “14″ crossed out with a Sharpie simply mocks us.
Safeway Tries To Sell You Meat Substitute That Expired 37 Days Ago
By May 27, 2008
Reader Daniel wrote to tell us about his potentially unsafe purchase from a Safeway store in Daly City, California. When Daniel arrived at the checkout counter, he quickly checked the expiration dates on his Yves vegetarian sandwich meat only to discover that one of the packages had expired April 18th, 37 days ago, while the others had expired 4 days ago. He even took a hostage-style photograph with the expired product next to a stack of current day newspapers to help substantiate his claim. We would expect that when confronted with this information that a Safeway employee would promptly be instructed to scour the shelves as to prevent other hapless shoppers from buying the expired imitation meat, but apparently we expect too much. Daniel’s letter and photos, inside…
Birds Live In Virginia Safeway Store
By February 12, 2008
Jose writes, I thought that the long lines and the produce always being out of stock was bad enough, but then I noticed the small family of birds living at my local Safeway (Nutley St, Fairfax, VA).
Safeway Takes Rusty Nails In Your Bread Seriously
By January 17, 2008
BONUS QUOTE: “I’m frustrated by the lack of information they’ve given me about what they’re trying to do to determine where the nail came from or make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
Eagle-Eyed Safeway Cashier Catches Bobbled Coupon
By November 12, 2007
Reader Amy writes in to praise a Safeway cashier that saved her $1. One dollar might not seem like much, but it shows how little is required for someone to go above and beyond. Amy writes:
I went to my local Safeway today and picked up a package of Boboli bread that had a $1 off coupon attached. I made a mental note to remember to remove the sticker and hand it to the checkout clerk, but forgot.
Safeway DVD Kiosk Comes With Credit Card Skimming Device
By November 4, 2007
Crafty identity thieves attached a credit card skimming device to a DVD kiosk at a Colorado Safeway. The 2-inch skimming device was discovered only after a customer asked a Safeway employee for help after his card wouldn’t scan.
Organic Principles, Regulations Ignored By Nation's Largest Organic Dairy
By October 21, 2007
Consumers in twenty-seven states are suing Aurora Dairy, the nation’s largest organic dairy for selling milk that failed to meet basic organic standards. The suit is bolstered by findings from USDA inspectors, who found that between December 2003 and April 2007, Aurora: “labeled and represented milk as organically produced, when such milk was not produced and handled in accordance with the National Organic Program regulations.”
