Safeway

Today I was a customer at store 3011 at 15:05 REF [protected], however my complaint is based not only on today but on recent past experiences at this store. Today's shopping experience was typical:

I was attempting to get a shopping cart out of the outdoor concrete walled storage area. The entrance was blocked by two employees of Safeway who were carrying on a conversation and blocking the entrance. I was standing right next to one of the employees, being ignored, invisible. I finally just found a way to get a cart and edge around them.

I walked 3/4 of the way down an aisle and needed to go to the next aisle. An employee had the entire aisle blocked, half with a cart and half with his body. When I stopped to get past, the employee gave me a withering look and he crawled across the floor on his knees groaning loudly and dramatically. It was quite startling to witness.

At checkout, without realizing it, I startled putting my groceries on an express line belt for 15 items and I had about 20 items. Why the only indicators of express lines are at a height of several feet above eye level, and no indicators of "15 items or less" are at the level of the belt, I cannot understand. It makes too much sense, I suppose.

Anyway, the cashier admonished me, and I offered to take the items off the belt and move. I had about 20 items, and no one was behind me, so she said I didn't have to remove my items this time, using a disapproving tone. She rung up my items. I started to load my items into my bags and she just looked at me and she proceeded to watch me pack up my own bags until I asked for help. It has been my experience that I usually need to pack my own bags at this store because there are few if any baggers, but to expedite matters offering to help the customer seems logical and expedient.

In summary, this store has poorly trained employees reluctantly doing their jobs and treating the customer like an intruder in their store. Seems like a poor business model to me. That's why I prefer to go to Trader Joe's for any item I need that they sell, and I only go to Safeway for the items not sold at Trader Joe's. Going to Trader Joe's is a pleasant experience for the customer. The employees there are kind, helpful bag the groceries, and know their products - and they don't treat customers like unwelcomed intruders in their store.