If you care about your time and a pleasant shopping experience, you are better off driving to Piazza's in south Palo Alto.

Safeway sucks.

That place is a nightmare. Once I was 13th in line to buy one item. After paying, I went to customer service and asked for the manager. He didnt seem to care that there was a long line and he didn't seem to care that I not only wasted lots of time in line but wasted even more time waiting for him to come to the customer service counter so that I could give him feedback to help him improve his customer service.

I've vowed never to go there again. I can drive 5 minutes to a different store where I don't have to wait 15 minutes in line.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Timing is everything. Would you go on 101 during rush hour traffic?
You have to know when to go. Mornings/early afternoons are the
times to go to the Safeway on Shoreline. You won't even have to
wait in line. I have been going there for almost 20 years. I know.

This isn't unique to this area. Lived in three different states, and every safeway is the same - understaffed. Has nothing to do with ability to find employees and everything to do with Safeway not willing to hire enough people to keep the lines reasonable.

I remember when high school kids used to work the registers at grocery stores.

Saying to go when it is not busy shows a basic lack of understanding about the situation. Other stores in the area are usually properly staffed whether it be Piazza's, Nijiya, Milk Pail, Whole Foods or many others.

This is Safeway's uncaring policy not to staff adequately. At many of the other stores I've seen managers work the registers periodically. I've never seen a single Safeway manager on the floor unless they get called out.

The check out process could be sped up if Safeway accepted Apple Pay (those authorizations are almost instantaneous). The authorizations with credit cards using EMV chips are maddeningly slow. Also, Safeway hampers the checkout process with their stupid Club Card loyalty program as occasional promotion gimmicks (like the Monopoly game). Those are problems that affect all Safeway stores, not just the one in Mountain View.

Safeway is a poorly run business that has been given very little thought about a pleasant customer experience. They know when it's going to get busy, they have ample evidence of revenue per hour on a daily basis and should be able to predict when they are likely to be busy and staff appropriately.

If other grocery stores can handle this, it's pretty clear that Safeway should be able to do this as well. But only if they cared. Which they apparently do not.

The same thing is happening at the Safeway on Miramonte & Cuesta. I have been going there for 15 years and it is noticeably worse. I have abandoned my cart on a couple of occasions and will likely start driving the extra 5 minutes to go to Knob Hill on Grant if it saves me 15-20 minutes waiting in line...

Word on the street is that the lines have gotten shorter lately.

Here's the story no one is talking about: thee is a checker at this Safeway store that twice as slow as the others. Everyone that shops there or works there knows him. He has even been transferred to other stores only to end up back at this location.

Happy that Safeway has a delivery service. No lines, and keeps me from randomly grabbing things off the shelves I don't really need.

Go to Ava's Market on Castro Street. You can park in the parking garage in the rear. A great local market with loads of organic options.

This has been happening at the Blossom Valley Safeway in the last few months, as well. I've shopped there since the early 90's, and in the last 2-3 months, it's been truly awful. There would always be occasional long lines, especially in the post-work rush hour, but I was in there after work several times a week, just about every week, and it was never consistently as bad as it has been recently. I'd drive down to Nob Hill, half a mile away, and have no problem. My sister in San Francisco said the same thing - she won't go to Safeway anymore because of the long lines. I wonder what gives.

The lines in this store are always long at off times. I don't shop there anymore. They suck!

Nobody mentioned that Safeway will be opening a new store at Middlefield and Rengstorff. There's been construction there for the past month or so with a sign 'opening soon'. This should take some pressure off the Shoreline store. I have seen 'Hiring' signs at the Shoreline store. In fact there are many hiring signs at other retail stores. I guess nobody is applying... Maybe they should think about hiring some high school kids.

I live in the Mountain Shadows neighborhood (as part of Rex Manor). I have been shopping in this store ever since it opened in 1965 or 1966. I was a tween then and now I am 62. But never have I seen the lines as long as they are until now. Perhaps 6 or 7 months now have I seen these long lines.

I myself have worked for Safeway Stores---from 1977 to 2010---33 years in the company. And the Safeway of old would never allow these super massive long lines to happen. Safeway had ample help in the store. But the company that took over Safeway just does not seem to care about true customer service.

I've been at the Shoreline Safeway at 10 in the morning, and have seen these long lines then. It's a travesty to see this. And I am sure the few checkers that are working don't care to look up and see all the angry customers.

The Safeway of old would always have an express line open. All day long. But not any more. Saturday's in the mid afternoon I would be in a long line and with only two checkers working...AND THE EXPRESS LINE WILL BE CLOSED!!! That is not customer service. I'm sure the same thing is happening at the Safeway in the Blossom Valley Shopping Center on Miramonte at Cuesta.

The workers at the Shoreline Safeway need their hours back so that the store can operate more efficiently and with a lot more help at the front end. This is not the way to run a store. Will Safeway run the new store this way, the one opening up where Fresh N Easy used to be? Lets hope not. If the new company continues to operate their stores this way with a lot less help and have huge lines, Safeway as a company since 1929 or so will cease to exist.

Will the new Safeway company management WAKE UP TO WHAT THEY ARE DOING to the stores, AND TO THE CUSTOMERS!!!!

To say nothing of the understaffed and poorly laid out pharmacy

To all those saying that the store is understaffed because it does not care, I honestly don't think that is it. Safeway is struggling to survive. The lines have gotten noticeably worse at several stores in the last year or so. They are not able to compete well between Costco for bulk, Target and Walmart for cheap, and Whole Foods and Trader Joes for niche and organic. They are trying to survived two ways: expansion (new locations) and diversification (Safeway Neighborhood Market). In the mean time one of the easiest ways to cut costs is staffing.

That said, this is usually a spiral that just ticks off your customers even worse.

another Safeway is due to open on Rengstorff and Middlefield soon

I was surprised to read this article, because I haven't encountered unusually lengthy lines at the Shoreline Safeway. But that's probably because I don't recall ever trying to go there on a weekday evening. Usually it's to pick up a prescription after a doctor appointment in the middle of the day, or to get an item that I can't find at JL Produce (on the corner of Moffett and Central Ave) right across from where I live.

That said, I'm not surprised that rush hour traffic applies to grocery stores too. Is it as bad as Saturday or Sunday afternoon at Costco?

The pay stinks. Why work there when you have to join a union? $11-12/hr for a part time job? And not to mention you have to pay $300 or more to join a union who will continue to suck money out of your meager check every month? What a scam.

Not to mention if you ever change departments, you might have to pay ANOTHER initiation fee if that new job is covered by a different union.

The unions don't care either, if you quit, you are replaced by someone else who will have to pay $300 or up for the privilege of working there.

Another symptom of over building. There have been fights in the parking lot over spaces.
It is our deteriorating quality of life. Some people stay home and have things delivered to avoid the unpleasantness.

Ava's Market in downtown Mountain View is literally one mile away from this Safeway, it's a small store with great produce, parking at the garage next to CVS is usually available and you are supporting a small business that cares about its customers. Yeah, I know prices are a bit higher, just like Books Inc is higher priced than Amazon, but much prefer to support a small business than the likes of Safeway. Web Link

*** NOTE - other than being a customer I am not affiliated with Ava's.

Since 1968 I live about one mile from a Safeway. It was during the seventies that I stopped completely from shopping there and any other Safeway, whatever the location. I recall poor service, rude or non-caring checkers and poor quality fresh food items and high prices. Now I notice that the Rancho Andronico's (also a poorly run business) has been converted to a Safeway "boutique" store. Well good luck with that, I predict it will not last long. Who needs the aggravation?

In 2014 Safeway was bought out by ALBERTSONS. I'm pretty sure that is what changed in their service. Miramonte/Cuesta store is ridiculous - the customers are complaining out loud, and nobody working there says a word. Nob Hill is much better. Then there is the "new" safeway on foothill expressway that took the Andronico spot, I haven't been there yet.

The same thing is happening in Belmont where I now live (used to live in MV and used this Safeway all the time). Irate citizens in Belmont have been working together via NextDoor for the past several months to talk with corporate and the district managers, etc. It did stem from when Albertson's purchased them and they cut the employees and the hours that the remaining employees worked. The employees are equally frustrated and will tell you that if you ask them because they have been the brunt of many angry customers complaints, but it's not really their fault. The company as a whole has forgotten customer service and only wants the bare minimum of staff out there to cut costs and corporate is well aware of the problem, but doesn't seem to care. The only way they might care is if people, en masse, take their business elsewhere. Such a shame...

There are some employees people who have 40(+) hours at that store. Basically the ones who can actually get things done. There are workers that come from the east bay because they can get hours at the Shoreline store--because they are worth it.

Otherwise, since the laziest and rudest of employees will get the same as the hardest working, since the union contract doesn't allow for paying good workers more. You get paid the same as the slovenly bottom feeders until you reach the total number of hours needed to get to the next pay level.

So much for unions doing anything for their workers. And certainly NOTHING for you because they also protect the rudest and nastiest of cashiers--like the one with short hair, wrist brace and glasses....if you shop there often...YOU KNOW WHO I MEAN.

Love the headline in the email:
Neighborhood revolts over lengthy grocery store lines

I was ready to storm the store with pitchforks and hangman's noose!!! But all I found was that same guy sitting outside hoping for handouts.

Been going to the Shoreline Safeway for years. Always seem to get great service and 'know' the cashiers. Sometimes a line but I'm lucky enough to pick the times I go so I'm able to avoid the crush.

The Safeway at San Antonio is horrible! Many times I stood in a line way down the aisles right underneath a sign that said they would open a new register if there were more than 3 people in line. That NEVER happened. I got frustrated and took my business elsewhere. Unfortunately, I took it to Safeway Shoreline, and I was sad to find the same problem here. I used to shop at Shoreline a long time ago and there was not a problem with the lines. Now it is just as bad as Safeway San Antonio! My new solution: Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. They both care about customer service and provide excellent service. I'm still frequently shocked at how much we get for a fraction of the price at Trader Joe's, and they have the fastest customer service! Whole Foods is pricey, of course, but Safeway has gotten to be almost as bad as Whole Foods on their prices anyway. I've been surprised at the higher prices at Safeway that are more comparable to Whole Foods prices on many staples we eat. Vote with your dollars. Go somewhere else. They will not change as long as people continue to stand in lines wasting precious hours of their lives.

It would also help if the customers actually BAGGED THEIR OWN GROCERIES. So many times I see customers just standing there while their groceries pile up and they wait for the cashier to bag their groceries. It will speed up the process if you do it yourself. It's not rocket science.

If Safeway is unwilling to staff the store at $11-13/ hr, what do you think will happen when we get to $15/hr?

More staff and lower prices

Less staff and higher prices

Less staff and lower prices

More staff and higher prices

Such outrage! I wonder how the people in Flint Michigan feel about waiting in line for clean drinking water to be distributed every day because what comes out of their pipes can not be drunk!

This sounds like middle-class entitlement.

Please be careful to check your sales receipt before you leave Safeway. I have been overcharged everything from $7.50 at the San Antonio Safeway to $.22 at the Shoreline Safeway during the past year. The San Antonio courtesy clerk was quick to refund the overcharge and added a $5 gift certificate for "my inconvenience." The Shoreline clerk was disbelieving that I would request a $.22 error returned and was not pleasant. The smiling gentleman behind me in line happily requested repayment of a $.17 error. It is not the size but holding them responsible for the error that counts! I do still use Safeway for small numbers of purchases so I can check the receipts for errors, but I'm much more likely to think Trader Joe's or similar for larger purchases. Only at Safeway (and Albertson's long ago since I no longer shop there)are there likely to be errors -- never in the customer's favor.

I was sorry to hear that the Safeway on San Antonio is supposedly no better than the one on Shoreline. And, kudos to Mr. Markle! After Albertsons bought Safeway, I heard it was closing.

I go to the store on Shoreline because it is so close, open 24 hours (liquor cannot be purchased from 2-6 AM), and it is a habit. In addition to the long lines, the shelves are never restocked. I have seen entire empty shelves, and often all the milk gone except for the "designer" brands. That is as maddening as the lines wrapped around the aisles (almost as bad as JL Produce, which is a nice place, but be prepared to wait). I have actually had nice conversations with fellow waiters in line.

When almost half of the shelves were empty, I was convinced that store was about to close, even if the chain did not, and suddenly about half the shopping carts were replaced with really nice new ones. Most of the older ones locked and could not be pushed. Go figure....

The wait in line is better from ~ 10 PM on, but you have to maneuver around the restocking carts. Forget the meat section -- there is almost no way to get to it; you really have to want it a lot and climb to get to whatever it is you came for.

Five-dollar Fridays are a horrible day for long lines, and also Sunday evenings. Five-dollar Fridays are nothing like they used to be -- it was like a carnival atmosphere, with barkers calling out and samples everywhere.

The deli, bakery, and meat/seafood counters are closed at the best time to shop, after 10 PM. The deli is not very good anyway, but it is not possible to get anything that has not already been put out from any of the sections.

The Starbucks seems OK, and there is free WiFi in the store. A plus for both.

Some of the cashiers are faster and more experienced than others, but most seem to try to be courteous and helpful. There is a bit of a wait to have help at "customer service," but the floral section is located in the same area, and it is nice to look at the flowers.

I love some of the other stores mentioned, especially Whole Foods and Nob Hill, but often feel that I have to put the food on layaway before I can buy it.

Anyone know how much of this is from limiting to 30 hours so they don't have to provide company paid health insurance?

Unfortunately the real issue is that the company saves money doing this because they get to pay fewer wages. Many of their customers NEED the items in their cart so they have no choice but to wait.
Just another example of why corporations are terrible for humanity.

What a relief to finally be joined by others in both noting and having to endure the "ever increasing" number of inefficient Safeways in this area. The Los Altos Safeway has frustrated as well as offended me since it opened. Parking underneath the store has meant seeing baskets strewn at the bottom of the escalator and out into the garage itself. Twice there has been a water leak flooding the garage and when reported I was met with disinterest and the words "We already know about it."

Shelves are seldom restocked and one day when there was a Cheerios special and I asked in the middle of the day if there would be re- stocking, the clerk said: Well, when we do that, customers just buy it all again and we have to do it a third time!"
There are seldom employeees on the floor to answer questions and this is at least the third manager since it opened. They hide in a little office at the end of the produce section I think and the only time I have seen one is when executives are visiting and being shown around.
The Checkers change often so any friendly familiarity isn't possible. One mother and daughter duo both transferred to another store and when I said I would miss them and why were they leaving, they both smiled and said working conditions "Just look around."
The meat department is "glamorously" laid out and much too large for efficiency. There was a butcher there at first, but now it is staffed by young people who know nothing about their jobs. I have twice had to return rotten - aged out shrimp so do not buy there any more. I could go on and on. I have been a Safeway shopper since I was a child, but now the lack of employeess, the surly attitude or indifference and the emptiness of the store which is definitely NOT "Too Big to Fail" are sending me elsewhere.

I go to the military commissary on Moffett Field. Prices are rock bottom, no lines and they bag your groceries and help you to your car with them. Of course, you'll have to suffer through three deployments and put your life on your line fighting for all the entitled people who complain about long lines at Safeway.

At this point I just go to the Safeway on San Antonio. The multiple self checkouts make it speedy and I'm there and back before I'd even get to pay at the Shoreline Safeway.

[Post removed due to disrespectful comment or offensive language]

Although most of the time I shop at the commissary, when the commissary is closed, I hit the Safeway on Grant and El Camino Real. I haven't had an issue with long lines and am usually there on weekday evenings.

Today I received a very nice, encouraging response to our letter to Safeway [see Nextdoor.com postings regarding Safeway letter by signing onto Nextdoor.com] from District 8 Manager, Steven Kozak. Although our letter was about the Shoreline-Bailey Plaza store specifically, if you have constructive suggestions for any other Safeway store in this area, do let him know via his e-mail address below. It also wouldn't hurt to let him know you read his note (below) and appreciate his positive response and effort. I believe they are sincere in trying to work with us now.

From postings to the Safeway thread on Nextdoor.com (and my own recent experiences) I believe improvements are evident at the Shoreline store already. Here is Steven Kozak's e-mail:

George,
I wanted to follow up to the email Wendy [corporate spokesperson] sent you last week. I am the DM that covers the area and have just recently taken over in the last couple of months. I am coaching the new Store Manager Brandon through writing the schedule and we have done some things to open up the lobby and added labor to the front end. I have been spending time there in the evening to get an understanding of the opportunities with the lines and overall conditions of the store. I read through every comment and appreciate the feedback both good and bad and want to ensure you we will do everything in our power to correct this store as well as make the new store [coming soon at Middlefield and Rengstorff] amazing to take some of the pressure off of this store, which will be mine also. My phone and email are below which you are welcome you give out to your readers to contact me with pictures and opportunities if they see them so we can address quickly. Thank you again,

Steven Kozak
District 8 Manager
Steve.Kozak@safeway.com