3 Strikes For The Worst Safeway Ever
By Silver Springer • Mar 2nd, 2007 • Category: Uncategorized
The Safeway at Four Corners was in the lead to take the top honors; but time after time of unfavorable experiences at the Safeway on Thayer Avenue, in downtown, it is clear to me which store gets the label as the worst store ever.
The Four Corners Safeway is a facility with a pungent order as though every item is as old as the store itself, 50 years too late; they combine to form a neutralized yet still offensive odor. I can’t quite put my finger on it…The building is old and seriously needs the wrecking ball. Needless to say the downtown Safeway always smells like garbage and spoiled milk.
I had a recent argument at the downtown Safeway that will keep me from ever going there again. The service there is inexcusable and it’s time the lazy heads up the corporate chain did something about it.
Past experiences have made me wonder why I keep going back.
On several occasions I have come across too many expired items, I always try to check the expiration dates but one time I got caught. For instance, I remember buying some Pillsbury cookie dough at the freezer section, I had a sense that something was not right about the packaging. You wouldn’t suspect the cookie dough as a misleading item but…ready to bake them I happen to come across the expiration date, only to find out they’re about six months past due. Returning them wasn’t easy either; I had to play the 1001 questions game.
Of course customer service is key and bad customer service is always the linchpin in keeping people away. In another memorable experience, I made the mistake of choosing the irate cashier of the day. Since she was having a bad day she decided to take it out on me. Getting snippy at the checkout line she starts raising her voice and catching an attitude because I happen to be using some rain checks (everybody knows that Safeway is always out of inventory so this the best you can do). Apparently she didn’t like me wasting her precious time with them.
Because of the previous bad encounters I decided to check my receipt before I left the store and rightfully so, somehow she charged me for two loafs of bread instead of one and not at the sales price. She also charged me for medicine that belonged to an old lady that was ahead of me. Once again reconciling the situation at customer service was a hassle and it took more time than it should have.
Then of course there’s the facility itself. It’s cramped, it smells, and it just plain sucks. And beware of the bathrooms! Let’s not forget the crazy drivers on the surface lot who park haphazardly and will hit you at any cost.
Now this brings me to my latest great experience I had one evening. You would think that everybody that walks through the door willing to spend money is a customer but somehow I did not qualify that evening.
Looking to purchase a money order, I found that no one was at the customer service desk, even though they hadn’t closed yet. Since the only person around was the security guard I asked her if anybody was going to attended to the service desk, she directed me to the manager at the checkout line attending to other customers. She told me if I waited in the check out line he would attend to me. The B.S. light bulb went off in my head but I was in need of the money order so I decided to go along with it. “Let’s see where this is going” I thought.
After waiting for the two customers in front of me to finish their purchases it was my turn.
“I’d like to purchase a money order can you attend to me at the customer service desk?” I said.
“No”. said the manager.
“We’ll, since I’ve been waiting in line and it’s my turn to be attended to shouldn’t I be serviced?”
“The check out line is more important than you.”
“As you can see I’m at the check out line and I’ve waited my turn to be attended to and I’m a customer so what’s the problem?”
“The people at the check out line are more important, I’m not going to service you”
“Is this the way you treat all your customers?” I said,
“Yes” was the manager’s reply.
It gets uglier from there. I got the manager’s name which is Austin Espeut.
So if any of you still shop at the Safeway and see Austin Espeut be prepared for that kind customer service (which is an ill-fitting terminology to describe such treatment).
Take this as a rant but I will be sending a letter to the regional offices of Safeway grocery stores. I know many other people have had bad experiences there. If you want to follow suit please simply use the Silver Springer (Your News Live!) link at the top header of this site.
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The Thayer Ave Safeway you mentioned really is one of the worst stores I’ve ever been to. I live in the SS Towers right across the street so it’s hard not to go there because it’s so darn convenient. That being said, the service is remarkably awful. Every time I go in I witness a similar scene you described. There seems to be a customer arguing with a manager around the clock.
For as busy as that stores gets, they never have more than 3 or 4 cashier registers open which forces the long lines to snake all the way down into the isles.
There’s a Giant on the other side of the Metro that’s much better and nicer. Plus, there’s always the downtown Whole Foods which is like night and day compared to the Safeway. Of course, you’ll pay for it in higher prices.
In your letter, you should direct the management to this thread, I don’t doubt it will grow; everyone hates that store.
The Giant is actually 2x what the Safeway is. I don’t understand why people complain about it but I will agree that Whole Foods tops all.
I’d tell you where I grocery shop, but then I’d have to kill you…because no one goes there…well, people go, but it’s a well kept secret.
Okay, I’ll tell you…crap, I can’t remember the chain’s name, but it’s in Beltsville. Not the Giant there, which frequently gets robbed I heard.
I would drive miles to avoid either of those Safeways. The only thing I go to the Four Corners store for now is to drop stuff off in the Goodwill box. The downtown store is, by far, the worse of the two. Each time I bought frozen food there, it appeared to have been thawed and refrozen (big ice crystals in the product, slumping of the product, etc). I’ve also seen the problem with expiration dates. Some of that stuff is would require carbon dating.
We will have to call the downtown Safeway…the Pyongyang Safeway. The Four Corners Safeway is the Havana Safeway.
I have serious issues with the Giant at The Blairs location though. I might visit Snyders more often. I kinda like the Super Fresh way up on Cherry Hill Road.
I do most of my grocery shopping at:
- Trader Joe’s (Colesville at Burnt Mills)
- Han au Rhem (Now H-Mart) for produce and fun stuff
- Super Fresh for the few basics that Trader Joe’s doesn’t sell
- Whole Foods for fancy stuff and treats
- Giant when I need to pick up something at the last minute
I’ve had couple of bad experiences at that store and avoid it at all costs. I once saw the manager(probably the same Austin Espeut)repeatedly tell an upset customer to “shut your mouth.” About 20 customers were watching the loud exchange.
I don’t think I’d every seen a store manager behave that way. I was actually afraid violence might break out.
For years, I considered having to shop at that Safeway as a price to pay for city living in the urban, downtown SS. Compared to what my mom has out in Germantown - we really are getting a raw deal BOTH in quality and in price of products - not even factoring in the poor customer service. But now that I have visited another urban Safeway - the one at Georgia Ave & Piney-Branch about a mile and a half from this one across the DC border - I see there is a choice!!! Have you visited there lately! The Thayer Safeway needs to be gutted andre-dine as this one has or we all need to boycott.
It was only when I moved to this area, after living in New England all of my life, that I find myself having to go to at least four different grocery stores in order to get the food it takes to feed one person.
That Safeway IS the worst, I agree. But, sometimes its also the easiest to get to.
The Giant, closer to my house, is only a little better. And the parking lot is always a mess.
The Trader Joes in Silver Spring? Awesome, but you have to go to the one in DC or head to VA if you want Beer or wine too..
I love Snyder’s actually, but the selection is directly correlated to the size of the store…
It’s sad when we have to drive to four different grocery stores for the necessity of food. I might just frequent Sniders more, at least I’ll be supporting a local staple.
The grocery stores in DC/VA/MD are absolutely pathetic, with the exception of Whole Foods (a.k.a. Whole Paycheck),Trader Joe’s and Wegman’s. Of course terrible customer service is endemic to this region.
I lived in Atlanta for ten years and got spoiled rotten on Publix, Harris Teeter and sales/service people who for the most part genuinely wanted to help you.
Let’s all pray that the proposed Harris Teeter in the Falkland Chase development is able to attract and retain decent help.
The Giant @ White Oak Plaza is not bad. More importantly, it sells wine & beer.
I personally hate shopping at the Giant at the Blairscustomer service is generally aweful and the cashiers are the slowest ever. Often times the lines go well down the aisles. Its sad to hear Safeway is no better. TJ’s and Whole Foods are ok, but selection and prices can sometimes leave alot to be desired. I recently started goign to Synders, its not bad and prices are decent, but its too small to have a big selection. I sometimes drive out to Aspen Hill just to avoid SS grocery shopping. its sad sice I used to walk to Giant until I got fed up.
Silver Spring needs to upgrade and attract Harris Teeters, Food Lion, Publix, and/or PathMart.
Yes, Food Lion, with it’s contaminated meat.
The Safeway site would make an excellent mixed use site. Tear it down and put something like office ontop of it with a new Safeway at the ground floor. Note: Remember to remove current employees.
For those who love Snider’s (like me) and hate Safeway (like me), you can thank Safeway for one more thing. That Staples in Seminary Place (by Ga. and Dale) used to be Safeway. When Safeway abdandoned that site to move to Thayer (a lot of good that did them) they introduced some stipulation that another grocery store (ie, Sniders) could not move into the old store. Sniders with twice the square footage sure would be nice. Thanks again Safeway!
I’m pretty neutral on unions - good in some cases (service workers) and bad in others (auto industry)- but in grocery stores is there a correlation with unions and bad service? –
Good service:
Whole Foods
Trader Joes
Sniders
(all non-union)
Bad Service:
Giant
Safeway
(unionized)
I would have to say that Unions do equal bad service in grocery stores Phot. Costco and Walmart are great examples. Both stores in VA (non-union) are wonderful, clean, great environment, good customer service and etc. But the stores inMD (union) are horrible, bad customer service, stores are not kept up, and etc. I will have to start going to non-union store from now on. Unions seem to explain the bad service.
I walk to Safeway, and honestly, the Safeway at Thayer isn’t that bad. I haven’t encountered rude employees but that is because I always shop at off peak times such as weekday evenings or very early weekend mornings, so they aren’t that stressed. As a result, checkout lines are never that long…I’ve been to the Blair Giant and it seems the lines are crazy all day long even if all the checkout areas are open…I just don’t understand it. With out of date items, there were items that were about to expire but just be careful and look at the date…it’s not a big deal to me. Sure it could use some updating with new flourescent lights and better prepared foods/takeout section and also better fruit/veggies dept, but I go to Whole Foods for that.
Demand excellence you will get excellence. Make excuse for mediocracy and that is all you shall receive…..
Wow…union haters on the Silver Spring Scene blog. Gee…shocking.
First of all, unions have done great things for workers. That includes higher wages, health care benefits, and regulated hours. Workers have safer conditions because of unions.
I have experienced the complete opposite of Freddy. Customer service in places WalMart, Target, and other notable non-union shops is absolutely horrible. The training is inadequate and the employee morale sucks because these gigantic corporations offer scant health care coverage, VERY LOW wages, and management can abuse employees with demanding overtime under short-term notice, sexual harrassment of female workers, and there is extremely high-turnover rates with employees.
btw…I know a friend who sued a manager at Whole Foods for sexual harrassment. She had no union to back her up; instead, she had to file civil damages against the Whole Foods store. The jerk manager still works at the same place of employment; she got fired. This episode did not the Silver Spring Whole Foods store by the way.
i moved here from california about six months ago and, almost for consistency’s sake, started going to the safeway on thayer (wasn’t all that taken with the blairs’ giant and didn’t know about the trader joe’s near burnt mills). it instantly reminded me of what a lot of safeways around my previous home used to look and feel like - that is, until safeway (realizing that they had crappy facilities in prime locations) pumped a bunch of money in to renovation. lately i haven’t been going as much; the last straw, you could say, was the birds flying around over the produce section a while back and the clerk at the seafood counter just saying, almost rhetorically, “well, it’s not like we can do anything about it. they’re birds.” bird-catching logistics and my own personal ornithophobia aside, um, that’s gross.
and yet, stories like this from last week (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070222/bs_nm/safeway_results_dc) about safeway’s rising profits and focus on “lifestyle formats” (they might want to rethink the name of this campaign, though, because that just sounds like they’re going to wrap everything in giant condoms) - is their hope for the stores in silver spring?
thank you, silver springer, for posting about this.
I saw one of the Safeway “lifestyle concepts” down in Dupont Circle. The appearance of the store and the selection was an enormous improvement over the regular type Safeways. It reminded me a lot of Harris Teeter and Publix. I truly hope they bring this concept to Silver Spring so all us yuppies will have more choices where to spend our excessive compensation packages.
When stores that cater to middle-class people aren’t good enough for yuppies…Harris Teeter comes to the rescue!
Although I am VERY MUCH in favor of unions, I have never met a Wal-Mart employee who wasn’t happy with his: a) work conditions, b) benefits, and c) salary.
That being said, I prefer Target and would love to see a Greatland Target or Super Wal-Mart with a 24-hour supermarket open somewhere closer to DTSS. Hell, I just want any brand of 24-hour supermarket…
The stores that cater to middle class people are just fine IF AND WHEN they offer good service and decent selection. Safeway sucks. Giant sucks. Their prices certainly shouldn’t appeal to the middle class. The only moderately priced store here that does that is Sniders and I patronize them extensively. SFW is fine, too but the closest one is in College Park. Don’t make it seem like a class issue.
And if Safeway changes their Silver Spring store, then I guess they are sellouts, too, eh?
Safeway in Cloverly, out New Hampshire ave. is awesome in both freshness, selection and servic–got 250.00 free groceries when power went out for a few minutes. (didn’t even say anthing) Snider’s is also well worth the frustration of the parking lot. As for Giant, Kemp Mill is the best, near Northwood HS. Quiet, clean, decent selection. Trader Joe’s is completely overrated, I get stuck w/ nasty produce, bakery stuff–tastless— every time. Like tonights asparagus stunk like the stems of flowers left to rot in a vase for weeks…all wrapped up in plastic…no wonder. And how about getting a head of lettuce there? Couldn’t find one, the prepackaged Romaine was all nasty, too…that’s my last time there. (Their flowers also die each time after a couple days)
I can not believe no one has mentioned the Safeway on Georgia Avenue in Wheaton —- Yuck !!!!
The Cloverly store is the worst. If for no other reason, the manager is a big moron.