Safeway

walked into the store looking for the perfect snack. i saw a young man who looked like he was in charge and if bit he should be. my day wss a reck and every thing that coukd possible go wrong did. my truck brole down and my wallet whent missing two houre prior and just wanted a snack before the walk up five canyon roads in castro valley in hayward. this guy looked pretty busy, you can tell he was in that work mode being a business owner my self i can tell when a person is all about business and has pride in there work. no matter how big or small the job is it gets done the right away. he welcomed me with a smile. for some reason he put the additional food into my bag he saw that i was n’t able to pay for then reched in his pocket and pulled out a couple of bucks, the bill and gave me a couple more bucks and said have a good day. i was blown back?! well i just made it to my house and wanted to say thanks donald. he is am assest to his com[pany and i recomend that safeway to anyone who passes by

I like this store. I really do, never had any issues– but then again I never need assistance.
This particular review is about an «Assistant Manager» named Gail Tan.
So incredibly rude. I went to the store for few things and to do 2 WIC transactions. I get it, doing WIC is a pain in the a**, complain to the state.
Mind you, I am very organized with my transactions, always making sure they are separated and everything is as it should be to make everyone’s life easier.
She keeps looking at me and my stuff, like I did something wrong, and then when I sign– Which I do not have degree in Graphology (Hand writing analysis) but my signature def. does not look off.
She told me that the signature does not match and she wasn’t going to process my transaction. Are you serious? I’m like– What you want my ID or something? She did– totally checked my ID. Hella rude and lightweight discriminating. What, because I have tattoos, and get WIC, do you think in uneducated? Don’t work? LOL. B please. I am educated & work Full time-​Have since I was 16.
It’s 2016, Step out of your tiny bubble, maybe you shouldn’t treat your customer’s so poorly– Just because your life sucks, don’t reflect that on your customers.

Some of their staff is loud /​obnoxious, not clean inside, the employees are obviously not trained which means most of them are not professional at all. This store is pretty big, but really you would think there would be a lot more to choose from, there isn’t. NOPE never going back

The deli here is gross. Some of the deli employees are either especially slow or unsanitary. They touch everything with their gloves to the extent that it defeats the purpose of cleanliness and preventing cross-​contamination.
Not super dirty but definitely not clean.

This reviews for their deli/​café. Everytime I come here I have to allow a minimum of 15 minutes to get what I want. Whether it be a sandwhich or just some chicken tenders & wedges. Not only is it a waste of time, but it’s frustrating. What bugs me even more is that they aren’t even busy yet I still have to wait. It’s like none of the deli employees want to take the task of making a sandwhich or dealing with it altogether. I’ve been going to the Redwood st Safeway just 5 min down and not only does their café have more options but their attitudes are a lot better. You actually get greeted and helped right away there.

Came here today (Tuesday AM (feb 9^th)) to pick up one of those super sub sandwiches for $ 8. I got there and there was very little selection to be had. Then, when I looked among the sandwiches that were left they all had a Feb 6^th pack date. That means I had a choice of 5 three day old sandwiches that were still marked at full price. I was in a hurry, so after a quick glance for a manager (none visible) I just decided to pay and go. There were only 2 clerks ringing people up and a 6 person line at each. So to the automated check out it was with me, which suprisingly was the only easy part of this stop. The sandwich was as to be expected after 3 days sitting. The bread was stale. The meat was skimped on. The lettuce tomato and bread mushed together on one side making that side soggy. The mustard and mayo ratios were way out of proportion. The lettuce was starting to brown and the tomato looked greenish, yellow /​red, so just really old. And like a schmuck I ate the darn thing with my gf who got a stomach ache 2 hours later… that is all. $ 8 completely wasted.

I would just get groceries here, I tried getting food at the deli over at the Castro valley Blvd one (because Safeway deli sandwiches are pretty good) but the service at this one was pretty bad. I was waiting to order for a bit but no one acknowledged me until a passing by woman (who worked there) asked around if anyone was working the counter and a girl who’s back was behind it and stocking something needed to wash her hands to help me. And then the same woman who was asking around who was working the counter went in front of me and said she was first (an employee) and asked for samples of Mac and cheese. I think this is the second time I just walked away and just went to Subway a couple doors down after I paid my groceries. The woman at the registrar was nice enough to give me a $ 5 gift card for a sandwich though after I told her what happened but I’ll prolly use it for groceries or a sandwich at the Redwood road Safeway. I’m a server too but I have to perform a service and if I just had to take people’s orders, make it and check them out right away that’s pretty easy.

The best thing about this store is most of it is clean. The East CV Safeway is over all a necessary evil. You MIGHT find some of the things you need but don’t expect it or helpfulness or a smile except for select few which don’t include ANY of the front checkers, baggers, or managers*. I have shopped here because my home has been near by for 8 years. Every time I come back I wonder why? Most people in CV know you can’t count on this Safeway having everything you need and the only reason it is used so much is because there is no competition, you feel slightly safer (no pun intended) than the Redwood Road location. And the other store has sushi and coffee.
Safeway Corp: WAKE UP and pay attention to the lacking and opportunity to profit at the East CV Safeway location.
*The guys behind the counter of the meat and fish department are regularly helpful and nice. They are the reason that this wasn’t a 1 star rating. Keep them.

I rarely write reviews and they are bad of course. I wanted to take a few moments to shot out Lisa in the bakery. My daughter was turning 7 and we needed a cake fast. We ordered at safeway E castro valley and the cake came out fabulous!
Great Job Lisa my daughter loved the cake! The whole birthday was a success being it was a spooky Halloween theme. It did not only look good it tasted great!
I would highly recommend anyone to purchase cakes from this location. It was made within about 48 hours.
Thank you!

This review is for the deli department. Placed an order for a All star meat and cheese platter and a condiment tray yesterday to be ready at 6:30am today and they said no problem. Came in 6:40 and they hadn’t started it. My work started at 8am in san fransisco and I had to leave immediately to make it time. Had to call a bunch of safeways in the city to try to rush an order by 11am. 2 of them were booked allready and refused, luckily jackson street safeways deli said they could do it. You ruined my morning and made me struggle and pull favors to make my event happen.

Again, another crowded parking lot. A small store with what seems to be unfriendly angry employees and a limited selection of items, we’ve decided to head to other Safeways outside of Castro Valley. Many times we’ve purchased items not paying attention to the expiration dates while shopping, only to arrive home, unpack the groceries and find expired dates on items on many occasions. I’d much rather drive the extra distance and spend the extra money on gas to be treated with kindness and respect, something both Castro Valley Safeway’s lack!

I’m at this Safeway at least 1 a week literally. It’s open ²⁴⁄₇ which is perfect. I always come here for groceries or dinner. Their Safeway brand soup in the front of the store is bomb. Everyone should try it. My favorites are the tomato bisque, jambalaya and baked potato. The Safeway is always clean and it’s easy to find what you’re looking for. The bathrooms are always clean as well. They’re located in the back through the double doors. I also love the self-​check out. It makes it easier to come and go as I please. Parking is never too bad here either.

I bought a Turkey sandwich it at the deli a year or so ago, and they gave me the crappiest dried out cheese and refrigerator tasting turkey I swore I would never give them another dime. Well, hunger got the best of me today, and against my better judgement I went back and got a pulled pork sandwich. Absolutely disgusting. Put your sandwiches in the garbage where they belong, you have lost a customer forever. I’ll get my groceries someplace better.

I come here all the time. Its my go to spot and close by my house. Its ok. I come in and i come out. Pretty small comparing to other safeways. Theres always a bagger to help you out and employees are pretty friendly. I usually go to an asian market since they dont have certain meats that i want like oxtail, short ribs, etc. and they can get pretty pricey. So i always go for sales

This is definitely my go to Safeway in the area for my shopping needs. I was so sad when the PW shut down but then Safeway came in and saved the day. While it is not as large as the one down the way, I find it to be a little less crowded. Even if the parking lot is busy, you can always find a space at this location.
What I like:
–meat counter: They usually have 1 inch thick bone in rib-​eyes already cut. This is something I have to ask to have done at other grocery stores. Their selection of dry rubs is also good– they will add it before they wrap it for you to take away. Makes the BBQing easier when you do not have to do anything except get the grill going.
–Marinade selection: This is just me, but I like the location being on the end aisle right after you make your way through the meat area. Makes it intuitive.
–Pre-​cut veggie selection: For my lazy cooking days. I like all the choices they have– keeps me cooking at home instead of ordering take out.
–Service: Friendly cashiers and baggers.
***Super Bonus: There is always a bagger! I am so sick of going to grocery stores and feeling guilty if I do not bag. That is part of what I am paying for at a Safeway, right?***
What I don’t like:
–The layout of the produce. The organics (which I don’t buy) are in the middle of the non-​organics. I feel like they put them there to fool me into buying the more expensive stuff.
–Lines can get quite long. I find my self pushing the cart one more time around the store to wait until they die down. The extra twenty bucks worth of stuff I thrown in the cart is usually not a good find =)
–Biggest Dislike!!! The layout of the parking lot. The aisles are bi-​directional and narrow which means it can be a pain to navigate around the large truck parked and the person driving at you that want to be in the middle of the lane. They repainted or re-​paved the lot before they opened so they had the opportunity to fix this problem that was present at the PW.
Overall, this is a great place to shop and as long as it is open I can avoid the unnamed grocery near Bay Fair as long as I live here!

Safeway here is quite small, the usual departments not present? (didn’t look, just a hutch), the restroom and liquor section was all i looked for.
this place has lots of liquors, more than CVS.
buys: Drake’s Dark Robusto (3.99) $ 2 off.
–3 drakes to choose from
–smooth, silky brew, 6.3% alc, no bitterness
–lot of brews to choose from (usual safeway inventory).
drips:
–no long lines, checked out quick
–last time here, this wasn’t a safeway.
3.5 stars for the liquor selection

My go to for quick grocery trip. It is right by my house and not too crowded like the bigger one downtown. Staff is always friendly and helpful.

As clean as this Safeway is, I much prefer going to the one downtown… but when in a rush for something, this place will do. Not only do they run out of products quite often, the customer service needs some work. On several occasions that I’ve asked for help about something, I usually just get pointed in the general direction, «that way» then silence as he/​she disappears (an aisle would’ve been nice).
Once when I got red potatoes here, 5 out of the 6 that I bought were rotten in the core. Maybe I just have really bad luck at choose potatoes but 5 out of 6? Another would be recently that there’s a Just for you deal for McCormick A to Z or Gourmet Spices ($ 2 OFF, 0.43 to 3.62– oz, limit 2). I got a McCormick spice and I added it to my list. It didn’t work at the register, so I showed it to my cashier but she said that it’s only for Gourmet McCormick Spices. I doubled checked it and saw the OR, which she kind of just ignored. At that point, since I already was in a rush to get to a meeting, I didn’t bother arguing it with her. It maybe just $ 2 but every penny saved is a penny earned.
I’m just glad I’m only in the area of this Safeway for a few weeks. I’d have my parents go to the one downtown if they can.
Final Thoughts: Come ready with coupons memorized and time to point things out.

Every time I come to this Safeway I always have an annoying and unpleasant experience. It just seems like most employees here are rude, into themselves and engage in personal conversations. Yeah, they say, «hi, how are you?» But the rest of the conversation is history, smacking their gym or are very annoyed to be dealing with you.
The only reason this is even getting two stars is because of it’s convenience.

This Safeway is in walking distance from my sister’s house. This is fantastic, because I found out they were out of diapers when I babysat recently. Since I didn’t have the car seats, we took a little walking field trip to the store. This location is smaller than the Safeway I shop at in San Jose, but this location was clean and looked relatively new. I didn’t take the time to go up and down each isle to really give the store a good once-​over, but the diaper section had what I needed, so that was all I was really interested in.
I know it’s not really Safeway’s responsibility, but just so you know, there is no sidewalk out in front of the parking lot by the driveway entrance, so it’s kind of tricky maneuvering up to the sidewalk with a 5 and 2 year old.