see above



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2009 01:38PM by JDouble09.

Shoppers; makes Wal Mart seem upscale.

Magruders; I don't know how they stay in business, the place is filthy and dingy.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton Lavey

IMO...any Safeway. With Shopper's you sort of know what to expect going in there - low prices and, well that's just about it. Wegman's it is not, but the prices are right even if the store is not that well organized and the employees are...there. Given that I would only buy things like cereal and soup there it is not worth the time or hassle of trying to park at Fair City Mall.

Safeway is chronically understaffed, the checkout lines are long and the prices are nothing special. The store in Burke Centre is my personal hell and I only go there when I need an item or two simply because it is around the corner from where I live. The Fairfax City and Ravensworth stores are just dismal and God help you if you are in the least bit of a hurry because most of the customers are older than dirt and the cashiers have two speeds - slow and really slow. Giant is not much better, but at least the self-checkouts make things more bearable. What I don't understand is that both have the same union (UFCW), but the work rules at Safeway must make it impossible to fire anyone for actions shy of criminal behavior.

I'd vote for the Pan Am safeway. The checkout lines are horrific.

The Safeway in the Pan Am shopping center is nice; good selection too. Also, the one in Kingstowne is also very good.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton Lavey

Its a living hell. Like I said, the lines are horrific. You can also tell what items are on sale because the shelves have been emptied in that very spot.

Furfur Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Shoppers; makes Wal Mart seem upscale.
>
> Magruders; I don't know how they stay in business,
> the place is filthy and dingy.


Shoppers Is an suck place to shop and I also work there.Safeway @ LRS is also the worst because there saying investigating people who use the "green" bags



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2009 02:42PM by JDouble09.

H Mart or El Supermarcado...

Food Lion used to be the worst, but since they changed to Bloom it's actually a bit more improved. You don't feel so white trashy. Magruder's in Vienna or over at 395/Seminary are awful, fucking outdated, dark, slow. But for the big chain stores, I have to go with Safeway. Every one of them seem 2nd class to Giant, Wegman's or Harris Teeter.

I'd rate Shopper's low, but you know what you're getting there and their donuts kicks total ass.

JDouble09 Wrote:

>Safeway @ LRS is also the worst because
> there saying investigating people who use the
> "green" bags


You lost me there.

I have found the older Giants to be a bit annoying because they have crammed the aisles so tightly together. I always feel like I'm walking into a cave when I go in those.

And they sometimes have the freaky aisles like the K-Mart in Chantilly, they are about two feet wide, there are twenty of them, and only one is ever staffed at any given time.

General supermarket peeve: Friday 6p-8p when everyone is doing their beer runs, there is only one non-self-checkout line open, and it is staffed by a cashier not old enough to process an alcohol transaction.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/23/2009 02:48PM by pgens.

I think Safeway is quickly being deemed surplus. The only safeway that seems "nice" is the on in Reston. other safeways are small, old or crowded. The safeways in Mclean, Great Falls, Potomac MD are all old and dingy.

I know there are newer ones, but many seem to be stuck in the 70s and early 80s. The Vienna one was awful, and characteristic.

Warhawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JDouble09 Wrote:
>
> >Safeway @ LRS is also the worst because
> > there saying investigating people who use the
> > "green" bags
>
>
> You lost me there.
If u in the store u pick your basics and then the manger and co-manger at the store blame u for shoplifting which u never did and his response was to call the cops

BTW, whatever happened to 24 hour safeways? Alexandria, Reston and otehr places had them. Seems like the only store open 24 hours now is Wegmans or Harris Teeter.

Warhawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JDouble09 Wrote:
>
> >Safeway @ LRS is also the worst because
> > there saying investigating people who use the
> > "green" bags
>
>
> You lost me there.


I don't know about "green" bags, but the reusable bags found at grocery stores are a shoplifter's dream. Especially when the store is busy, none of the employees notice people walking out with groceries, especially since you can't tell with the reusable bags.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton Lavey

JDouble09 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> If u in the store u pick your basics and then the
> manger and co-manger at the store blame u for
> shoplifting which u never did and his response was
> to call the cops


"Pick your basics"??

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton Lavey

Furfur Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JDouble09 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > If u in the store u pick your basics and then
> the
> > manger and co-manger at the store blame u for
> > shoplifting which u never did and his response
> was
> > to call the cops
>
>
> "Pick your basics"??

Basics-Food

Check out the new Safeway at McLean Commons, it just opened 3 months ago. It will change your opinion. It's one of the nicest grocery stores I've been in.

Fancy wine section, dry cleaner, Starbucks, awesome produce section, sushi bar with seating, etc.- they will provide you with all the retail accoutrements you will need to become a high-powered grocery shopper.


ITRADE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think Safeway is quickly being deemed surplus.
> The only safeway that seems "nice" is the on in
> Reston. other safeways are small, old or crowded.
> The safeways in Mclean, Great Falls, Potomac MD
> are all old and dingy.
>
> I know there are newer ones, but many seem to be
> stuck in the 70s and early 80s. The Vienna one
> was awful, and characteristic.

Giant and Safeway are peas in a pod. Both have a few outdated outlets but are trying to modernize.

Bloom, Wegmans, and Harris Teeter are too cool for me.

Why is it Wal-Mart can open a brand new store and within two weeks it is dirty and gross like it has been there for 25 years?

I prefer those independent grocery stores that you know that even before you walk in it is going to be dank and dark and it is going to smell like rotting meat. There will be water on the floor from the air conditioner unit in the window. And behind the counter will be some old broad or coot who will give you shit loads of attitude about being in his or her store...like they don't want you there buying their old, overpriced shit....



I love places like that.

Because Wal-Mart is a fucking zoo.
WashingTone Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why is it Wal-Mart can open a brand new store and
> within two weeks it is dirty and gross like it has
> been there for 25 years?

WashingTone Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Why is it Wal-Mart can open a brand new store and
> within two weeks it is dirty and gross like it has
> been there for 25 years?

Most of their employees look like they live in a halfway house.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton Lavey

I'm probably gonna get a lot of hater remarks for this, but I really dislike going to Wegmans. Yes, the produce is probably fresher than most, but it's just not worth it to get out there. That place is outrageously crowded, and when I first went there, the aisles were wayyy too narrow. I have never had to say excuse me so many times in a supermarket before.

I wasn't there too long, but $4 for a mini bottle of Kikkoman soy sauce is fucking stupid. You can get a bottle twice that size for $1.20.

Giant, convenient for me, but most expensive of the supermarkets I've been to.

Shoppers, overall the lowest prices on food.

Safeway, I'm surprised to see that when shit goes on sale here, it's cheaper than any other place. Sure the lines are long, but you can get out decently quick.

More cashiers, more pay, more motivated employees = higher prices overall. That's why Wegmans can look so much nicer. It's upper class shopping for an upper income area. If you're lookin for no frills supermarket, do not go to wegmans.

I'll tell you one big chain store thats the worst, is K-Mart. That place is disorganized, expensive, and they sell pure crap. A lot of the stuff isn't tagged or signed, and half the shit is open or broken. $20 for a cheap table cloth? The Philips brand is their name brand electronic in that store.

On another note, I realize I have experience being a cashier, so it's easier for me than most, but how fucking hard is it to use the self checkout? It says place the item in the bag and fucking sign. I swear some of these ppl are fucking stupid. And don't go to the self checkout with a rack of shit if you don't know how to use it you fucktards.

non_troll Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> On another note, I realize I have experience being
> a cashier, so it's easier for me than most, but
> how fucking hard is it to use the self checkout?
> It says place the item in the bag and fucking
> sign. I swear some of these ppl are fucking
> stupid. And don't go to the self checkout with a
> rack of shit if you don't know how to use it you
> fucktards.


I couldn't agree more. I think people should have to take a test at the DMV to get certified to use the self-checkout.

x



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2015 07:17AM by WingNut.

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2015 10:31PM by WingNut.

That Bottom Dollar shit that shut down a year ago was by far the worst (off rt 50). Bloom/shoppers are mediocre at best. Giant is decent, but very overpriced. Safeway is okay, nothing special. Wegmans is far and away the best chain. They shit on everyone else. Costco is legit, too.

ITRADE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> BTW, whatever happened to 24 hour safeways?
> Alexandria, Reston and otehr places had them.
> Seems like the only store open 24 hours now is
> Wegmans or Harris Teeter.


Wegman's ain't 24 hours either.......6am-midnight.

Grocery stores fall into one of 3 categories...Every Day Low Price (EDLP), Hi/Lo or hybrid which is a combination of the first two. Bloom and Shopper's are EDLP while Safeway and Giant are Hi/Lo which means that they run a lot of promotions to keep their prices competitive. Wegman's is a hybrid with low prices on some items and a lot of promotions, but merchandise that you don't find at your typical grocery.

While your basket at SFW or Bloom will be the lowest, Wegman's is pretty darn close to both Safeway and Giant as long as you are not stocking up on things like expensive cheese, fancy mushrooms or the prepared food department. The price for common purchases like fruit, vegetables, meat, deli, dairy, bakery, snacks and cereal are within a few pennies. I drive from Burke Centre to Wegman's at least twice a week and pass by 2 Giant's and a Safeway in order to get there because I know that the overall experience is going to be relatively pleasant and stress free.

I work for a company that processes the scanner data from these stores and can easily do my own comparisons and it is surprising to see that Wegman's is often cheaper - you just need to watch what you are buying since it is tempting to go overboard. Considering the thin margins in grocery retail they must be doing something right to be able to have their stores so well staffed. I think that the Fairfax location has over 800 employees while I doubt that the typical Safeway has more than 75.

Pleasant experience is not what I normally think of at Wegmans. Demolition derby.

Part of their marketing is to bring in customers using deep discounts on fundamental staples. Very low prices on bananas, milk and eggs.

I don't know about NOVA locations, but the Super Targets I have been in are always clean and decent with a really good food selection...I don't know why Wal Marts can't be more like Targets.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton Lavey



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/24/2009 12:16AM by Furfur.

Vienna Whole Foods

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/05/2015 10:30PM by WingNut.

ITRADE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Pleasant experience is not what I normally think
> of at Wegmans. Demolition derby.

The key to happiness at Wegman's is shopping early or late. I am typically there by 8am on Sunday morning or after 8pm during the week and the employees outnumber customers by at least 2:1. You are just asking for trouble if you go there at 2pm on a Saturday. Timing is especially important around the holidays. If my shopping for Thanksgiving is not done by Tuesday at noon I simply shrug my shoulders and stay home - the day before Thanksgiving makes it appear that there will be no more food EVER and the parking lot is a nightmare.

Speaking of parking, only a masochist would use the garage. The lanes are narrow and the traffic only flows in one direction, so once you commit you are stuck.

> Part of their marketing is to bring in customers
> using deep discounts on fundamental staples. Very
> low prices on bananas, milk and eggs.

This is the hybrid pricing model I mentioned upthread. If you watch these and take advantage of their private label items on things like pasta sauce, cereal, peanut butter and cheese you can manage your basket spend pretty easily.

I like getting chicken from this place in Annandale....
Attachments:

496 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I like getting chicken from this place in
> Annandale....


What about that Korean place at Lee Highway and Gallows Road? That has to suck.

Oh, that place...it's not an H Mart - it has Korean writing all over it. Have you ever been in a place like that? I have and it's not pretty. The smells in those ethic markets is overpowering and as for health standards, let's just say they are very, very low.

Warhawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Oh, that place...it's not an H Mart - it has
> Korean writing all over it. Have you ever been in
> a place like that? I have and it's not pretty.
> The smells in those ethic markets is overpowering
> and as for health standards, let's just say they
> are very, very low.


I haven't been in that particular one, but you are right. You can get dried goat testicles and shit like that. And it all smells rotten and/or fishy. No wonder some Japs survived at Ground Zero in Hiroshima. If they can survive the shit they eat, they can survive anything.

496 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I like getting chicken from this place in
> Annandale....


hey.....those aren't chickens

Butt4 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 496 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I like getting chicken from this place in
> > Annandale....
>
>
> hey.....those aren't chickens


It may just be my imagination, but I would swear that I see the ORLY Owl lodged in between the second and third chickens from the bottom. Is that why he has not appeared lately?

why me Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Butt4 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > 496 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > I like getting chicken from this place in
> > > Annandale....
> >
> >
> > hey.....those aren't chickens
>
>
> It may just be my imagination, but I would swear
> that I see the ORLY Owl lodged in between the
> second and third chickens from the bottom. Is
> that why he has not appeared lately?


I saw it too - since you mentioned it - you get the prize for finding Orly Owl

Without a doubt, I would vote Shoppers in Chantilly-Sully plaza as being the worst, it may seem an odd reason but if you have ever had to use their restroom you would understand why. It is disgusting!!!...it is filthy, smells of smoke and is just downright disgusting.
I feel really sorry for the employee's that really need to use it as a restroom as opposed to a smoke room.
I will NEVER go there again.

SAFEWAY.

I used to shop there, but a couple months ago I went in looking for a particular packaged meat. I couldn't find it in the deli case where I expected it to be. But a little ways nearby I found it sitting in a bin. According to the labeling on the package (and my recollection) it was supposed to be refrigerated, not sitting in some random aisle. I brought the manager over to see it, showed her how it said KEEP REFRIGERATED on it, and expressed my concern.

Her reaction was to laugh at me.

So I tore up my Safeway loyalty card and handed the pieces to her and left.

Don't get me started about their delivery service, where they charge you for items not delivered at all, and never issue a refund (even when they say they will).

And don't ask me WTF was going on when I opened up the men's restroom door there one day and was greeted by an extremely fat naked man, lathered (soap? shaving cream?) all over most of his body, with some other dude...doing...I don't know. It was so incomprehensibly weird that I shut the door and left the store. Still can't quite get the image out of my head.

This is all at the Bailey's Crossroads Safeway on Route 7 in the last few months.

Now I just stick to Giant and Harris Teeter (and Wegmans if I am out that way).



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2009 10:27PM by Spacy.

WashingTone Locian Wrote:
> What about that Korean place at Lee Highway and
> Gallows Road? That has to suck.

There is a huge pan Asian (mostly Chinese) grocery store on Gallows Road & 50, near the weird thrift store. GREAT WALL MARKET It's great! They have everything! And pretty clean.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Gallows+Road+and+Route+50&sll=38.869514,-77.227766&sspn=0.002201,0.004715&ie=UTF8&t=h&radius=0.13&jsv=164e&vps=8&latlng=38870450,-77227259,464623222287234751&ei=6DJESvevJYzoM5_KncAJ&cd=3

http://www.gw-supermarket.com/



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2009 10:34PM by Spacy.

Great Wall market has some -strange- stuff in it. And I live in Asia for a couple years. It smells like a market in Osaka or Shanghai.

if you don't want to touch that close of an asian market, the Super H mart across from Paul VI in Fairfax City is tame enough.

WingNut Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WashingTone Locian Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I prefer those independent grocery stores that
> you
> > know that even before you walk in it is going
> to
> > be dank and dark and it is going to smell like
> > rotting meat. There will be water on the floor
> > from the air conditioner unit in the window.
> And
> > behind the counter will be some old broad or
> coot
> > who will give you shit loads of attitude about
> > being in his or her store...like they don't
> want
> > you there buying their old, overpriced shit....
> >
> >
> >
> > I love places like that.
>
>
> That place is still open in Baileys Crossroads.
> Haven't been inside in years but still open for
> business.
>
> View Larger Map


Damn...Lacys store is still there. I use to go there to buy cigerettes when they were around $1 a pack. It was dank and dark in there from what I can remember, wood floor (like plywood) no rotting meat smell though...just stale.

Thanks for the memories!

3.85 for newports! from what time is that satellite image from

Regarding self-checkout, the only place it seems to be a real problem is Wal-Mart. The fucking tards who shop there can't seem to get the Goddamn concept!

WashingTone Locian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Regarding self-checkout, the only place it seems
> to be a real problem is Wal-Mart. The fucking
> tards who shop there can't seem to get the Goddamn
> concept!


I think that this is true with most Safeway's, too, but I do not generally see a problem at Giant. My biggest complaint with self-checkout comes from using my own grocery bags. The systems at Walmart and Safeway weigh your items and the bags have enough mass to cause the system to think that you bagged the wrong item.

It would be great if stores enforced a 5-10 item limit at self-checkout since this is what tends to create the biggest problems - the bagging area is not designed for a large basket of items. The good news is that the self-checkout concept is going to change in some very positive ways over the next few years. The handheld scanners at some Giant's (e.g., Kingstowne) are an example of one of these. Shrink is a big issue at self-checkout and grocery retailers are looking for ways to combat this.

And here I thought Wal-Mart shoppers were all just a bunch of fucking morons.

Fairfax22032 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> WashingTone Locian Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Regarding self-checkout, the only place it
> seems
> > to be a real problem is Wal-Mart. The fucking
> > tards who shop there can't seem to get the
> Goddamn
> > concept!
>
>
> I think that this is true with most Safeway's,
> too, but I do not generally see a problem at
> Giant. My biggest complaint with self-checkout
> comes from using my own grocery bags. The systems
> at Walmart and Safeway weigh your items and the
> bags have enough mass to cause the system to think
> that you bagged the wrong item.
>
> It would be great if stores enforced a 5-10 item
> limit at self-checkout since this is what tends to
> create the biggest problems - the bagging area is
> not designed for a large basket of items. The
> good news is that the self-checkout concept is
> going to change in some very positive ways over
> the next few years. The handheld scanners at some
> Giant's (e.g., Kingstowne) are an example of one
> of these. Shrink is a big issue at self-checkout
> and grocery retailers are looking for ways to
> combat this.


Sure it is, especially these days. Many groceries staff self-check aisles minimally and that leads to theft. Lots of other tactics being employed too.

Fish heads, fish heads, I don't care which store Super H Mart or the other on gallows - they both smell in my opinion - and the one on Gallows Road you can smell from the street -

as for self-checkout - no it generally doesn't work when you have stupid people doing their own shopping - they need a whole support group

just shop very early and avoid all of the lame-ass tards

Duh, the H-Mart has a seafood section, and a busy one; get over your bad self. Yes, you WILL smell fish, when its 15 feet away from you in the middle of the store. And yes, the huge bin of octopi(?) on ice is kinda gross. Deal with it. Like a non-pussy.

The H-MART at Gallows/Lee is fine--huge daily turnover of produce, etc. and all the quirky groceries one would expect of an Asian supermarket. Most (not all) of the produce is way fresher than what you'll find at the squeeky-clean all-American Pan Am Safeway down the street, and half the price. 3-4 bunches of scallions for $1, vs .89 per bunch at Safeway--you do the math.

That weird new Asian store at Gallows/50 (where the old Giant used to be) is kinda nassy, though. Can't really figure out WHAT those smells are......

Some whack-knuckles on here thought WEGMANs or the Vienna Whole Foods was the worst? LOL. Don't EVER travel out of the country.

______________________________________________
I have had to change the addresses to my retaliatory blogs over half a dozen times.

NOVA has consistently subpar grocery stores compared with other stores in upscale suburbs across the country. We've lived all over the US and the stores around here are dismal. I dread grocery shopping around here whereas I enjoyed it when living in other areas of the country. Between the traffic in the parking lots, the density of shoppers at any given time, and the lack of employees staffed at any given time, shopping around here is dreadful. It makes the quality of life around here suffer.

I hear people bash Shoppers all the time. Have they TRIED their donuts? The lemon filled powdered donuts are phenomenal.

fairfaxdude Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> That weird new Asian store at Gallows/50 (where
> the old Giant used to be) is kinda nassy, though.
> Can't really figure out WHAT those smells
> are......


Yeah, but some of the viet and korean girls shopping there are HOT!

ITRADE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'd vote for the Pan Am safeway. The checkout
> lines are horrific.

+1

Although I must say that I have switched almost exclusively from Giant to Safeway. Giant has gone upscale (in their opinion), and has decided to sell nearly everything at list price and have few items on sale.

Giant found they were losing market to both Whole Foods and Shoppers. To combat this trend, the powers that be decided to go the whole Foods pricing route. That is when they lost my business.

And FYI as I have said before - do NOT get a bonus card at Giant or Safeway etc.
Ask to put in your phone number and enter 202-456-1414 (the White House). It works at both places. Even at Petco!

It is not their business to sell your purchase information to third parties. Why do they want to know how much Preparation H and Budwiser you buy?

Safeway is above ALL the shittiest store. Prices and checkout are horrendous.

any combination of numbers appears to work


Radiophile Wrote:

> And FYI as I have said before - do NOT get a bonus
> card at Giant or Safeway etc.
> Ask to put in your phone number and enter
> 202-456-1414 (the White House). It works at both
> places. Even at Petco!
>
> It is not their business to sell your purchase
> information to third parties. Why do they want to
> know how much Preparation H and Budwiser you buy?

While I generally love Harris Teeter, I cannot stand the new one in Crystal City at the intersection of Rt. 1 & Glebe. They essentially walled off part of the parking garage of a building and put in the HT. I find the layout of the store confusing, and in parts of the store the ceiling is very low, giving it a cramped feeling. I understand that in an urban environment such as Crystal City the price of land necessitates setups such as this, but I just don't like it.

Radiophile Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ITRADE Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'd vote for the Pan Am safeway. The checkout
> > lines are horrific.
>
> +1
>
> Although I must say that I have switched almost
> exclusively from Giant to Safeway. Giant has gone
> upscale (in their opinion), and has decided to
> sell nearly everything at list price and have few
> items on sale.
>
> Giant found they were losing market to both Whole
> Foods and Shoppers. To combat this trend, the
> powers that be decided to go the whole Foods
> pricing route. That is when they lost my business.
>
>
> And FYI as I have said before - do NOT get a bonus
> card at Giant or Safeway etc.
> Ask to put in your phone number and enter
> 202-456-1414 (the White House). It works at both
> places. Even at Petco!
>
> It is not their business to sell your purchase
> information to third parties. Why do they want to
> know how much Preparation H and Budwiser you buy?


Well, luckily Harris Teeter and Wegmans have forced Giant and Safeway to actually make their stores look better. Until the early 2000 timeframe, stores like Safeway and Giant were basically big boxes with tons of food and sundries piled onto shelves. You went to the store, you bought stuff, and you left.

Since I was an aggressive food shopper back then, and exclusively shopped sales, I saw a lot of grocery stores - mostly in Alexandria and Arlington. My girlfriend at the time lived in Great Falls so I got to see the stores in Reston, McLean, and Great Falls. They all looked the same.

Once you had Harris Yeeter show up in about 2000, the two entrenched High-low grocers (Safeway and Giant) decided that they could no longer count on patronage from their customers and began revamping their interiors. It took a LOT of time for some stores, not much time for others.

Radiophile Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> And FYI as I have said before - do NOT get a bonus
> card at Giant or Safeway etc.
> Ask to put in your phone number and enter
> 202-456-1414 (the White House). It works at both
> places. Even at Petco!
>
> It is not their business to sell your purchase
> information to third parties. Why do they want to
> know how much Preparation H and Budwiser you buy?

My preferred number is (703) 691-2131 (FXCO non-emergency). For what it's worth, the frequent shopper program (FSP) data is aggregated and not individually identifiable. I used to work for one of the two data aggregators (AC Nielsen and IRI own this market) and used to feel the same way. I could bore you with hours on what is collected and how it is used, but there are generally two types - point of sale (POS) and shopper. The POS data tells manufacturers like Campbell's Soup how much Prego was sold along with the price and whether there was a promotion in progress. This is typically reported at a regional census or metro level such as Baltimore-Washington, Cincinnati or Atlanta. Store-level sales are avaiable, but it is cost-prohibitive unless you are doing a special study (i.e., new product introduction in a group of markets).

The shopper data is also rolled up to create profiles based on demographics. Nielsen and IRI have shopper panels with about 100K participants which represent the US population broken down along racial, ethnic, age, family size & type (i.e., single, married no kids, married with kids, etc.). These panelists record their purchases and this information is fed into modeling programs to create regional and national projections. The local shopper samples are also overlayed against the demographics of a specific area so that marketing programs and promotions can be targeted.

Ahold (owners of Giant Food here and Stop & Shop in New England) use their FSP data in a similar way. The same with the CVS Extra Value card which is probably the best run program in the country. In the end, tracking individual shopper behavior is way too costly and does not yield the benefits you would think. The shopper panels, however, are fairly representative and when you look at things like basket contents you get an interesting view of behavior and can create successful targeted programs.

The best time to go to Wegmans at Dulles is at 10pm.

Its fucking empty, and check out is fast.

the new asian store in Chantilly, on Metrotech is decent.

That store basicly saved that part of the plaza from slowly dying.

ITRADE Wrote:
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> Well, luckily Harris Teeter and Wegmans have
> forced Giant and Safeway to actually make their
> stores look better. Until the early 2000
> timeframe, stores like Safeway and Giant were
> basically big boxes with tons of food and sundries
> piled onto shelves. You went to the store, you
> bought stuff, and you left.

It is not just the Pan Am Safeway, the one in Burke Centre sucks, too, and I think that that is a model that Safeway uses across the board. My guess is that their union contract has forced them into having the minimum possible staffing and they seem to attract the least competent cashiers.

While Harris Teeter and Wegman's have forced Giant and Safeway into major remodeling efforts and store resets, they miss the mark when it comes to customer service. I am a very loyal Wegman's shopper and will pay a bit extra for things like a high quality seafood department, produce section that is stocked with a good variety of fresh products that turn over frequently and plenty of cashiers. I was told that the typical Wegman's has over 500 employees and it shows. I doubt that the Giant in Burke Centre has half that number, but Wegman's still makes more money. Being a non-union shop may help, but customer service starts at the top and it is clear that Safeway and Giant really do not give this more than lip service.

I actually find HT customer service to be better than Wegmans.

But Wegmans has more checkout lines, and far better selection of just about everything.

The best time to go to Wegmans is on Saturdays when it's full of MILFs.

I find they often let spoiled meats stay on the shelves at Costco and Magruder's.

Lydia250 Wrote:
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> While Harris Teeter and Wegman's have forced Giant
> and Safeway into major remodeling efforts and
> store resets, they miss the mark when it comes to
> customer service. I am a very loyal Wegman's
> shopper and will pay a bit extra for things like a
> high quality seafood department, produce section
> that is stocked with a good variety of fresh
> products that turn over frequently and plenty of
> cashiers. I was told that the typical Wegman's
> has over 500 employees and it shows. I doubt that
> the Giant in Burke Centre has half that number,
> but Wegman's still makes more money. Being a
> non-union shop may help, but customer service
> starts at the top and it is clear that Safeway and
> Giant really do not give this more than lip
> service.


Well, I think half the battle was the physical condition of the stores. My wife would NOT/will NOT shop at the old Vienna Safeway or Vienna Wegmans as she perceives them to be old, dank, and unpleasant. The physical condition translates, in her mind (and in the minds of a lot of folks like her), into substandard product. That means lost customers who refuse to enter the doors. I would go there to price shop....

Les Wrote:
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> I find they often let spoiled meats stay on the
> shelves at Costco and Magruder's.


On multiple occasions I have purchased meat from Costco in Sterling, just to find out that its been spoiled.

Fucking annoying.

Don't buy apples at the Korean marts either. They have nearly the same texture of plastic fruit.

The new chink market in Centreville is by far the worst.

I miss Furfur. That guy was alright.

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13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

It could be worse you could be in Haiti. They would love to have some expired food right now.
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I used to work for Safeway. I was in their employ for more than 20 years and was a manager for them. The comments on their stores are slightly unfair when one understands the reality of life at Safeway today, but understandable when viewed through the lens of the customer.

In truth, the bulk of people working in their stores actually care about the work they do and providing the best service and products to the customer. What has happened is, as with many companies, Safeway is cutting labor hours and has been doing so for years. As in any workplace, when there are less workers, the work gets piled upon those who remain. As new initiatives are added, so does the workload.

I left on principal. I used to be able to staff a store and have it sterling and pressed daily for customers. As this last decade has passed, that became more difficult to accomplish.

Case in point. 20 years ago a store could staff all departments and it was even considered a pseudo-elite matter to work at Safeway. You really had to know someone to get in. 10 years ago, that was still fairly true, but staffing changed to a degree as times changed and competition increased.

6 years ago, Safeway saw fit to start the cutbacks on staffing. Every period of the year less hours were given to complete the given tasks and expectations were to use less than the allotted hours. That trend continue to where we are now. I quit rather than be fired when I refused to under-staff my store so I could provide a better experience to the customer. Principal.

Just try and have a little compassion for those who try to provide a decent experience. They don't set policy or set hours. No one at store level can break from the demands of Safeway Corporate. Its a simple matter of comply, quit or be fired.

I still shop at Safeway and sometimes see folks I have worked with and they greet me warmly. The new yellow tag program really is reduced pricing. They finally got that right.

By the way, hours are generally figured on this method. Sq ft/$ + tonnage

If a store is the size of a 7-11 but generates 400k a week, they will be the most overstaffed store around as each sq ft makes a lot more than say the old Centreville store. That was one that had low low low sales for such a huge store and thus was a low SQ ft/$ store. Its just a formula used and it removes the human element. It is set by the folks in Pleasanton, California.

Grand mart off gallows road. Half of the "Aquarium" is floating upside down dead. The place smells like shit and all of the meat is brown. Its a good place to visit if you like the zoo because they have just about every species of fish in tanks althoght half of them are dead. After I went into there I went home and showered because I felt dirty.

Magruder's in Vienna is gross. I've used nicer gas station bathrooms. There's *one* bathroom stall available for customers and employees and it is behind the deli. Health violations abound.

That is good insight to Safeway. I have to say the customers share part of the blame. I sometimes shop at Safeway and have seen customers open cookies and other snacks, eat some and then throw the box on the floor. I have heard them yell at the cashiers and throw things.

I once saw a woman with a dog start yelling at the store manager that her dog was a "helper dog" and thus could be in the store. Whether the dog was a helper dog or not it was bitting at the food items on the lower shelves.

Theft happens all the time as well. I feel sorry for the managers and workers who have a thankless job. Glad to hear you are out of that line of work. I would bet it was starting to effect your health.

Millicent Wrote:
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> Magruder's in Vienna is gross. I've used nicer
> gas station bathrooms. There's *one* bathroom
> stall available for customers and employees and it
> is behind the deli. Health violations abound.


FYI - It's been like that for decades.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

The Bottom Dollar on Rt 1 is the worst. It used to be bad as a Food Lion, but those were the good old days compared to what it is now. You can't even get fresh cut lunch meat there anymore, and they charge you for bags.

Up the street a ways is Safeway, which is fine. I don't know what people hate about it. It's got a good selection and the staff works the registers fast. If I do have to wait in line, it's usually the cutomers' fault since the concept of getting ready to pay ahead of time doesn't dawn on them, nor does it seem like they know how to count to 15.

tomahawk Wrote:
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> The Bottom Dollar on Rt 1 is the worst. It used to
> be bad as a Food Lion, but those were the good old
> days compared to what it is now.


I would agree with you, but I've seen Magruders in Vienna. You can't expect much from a grocery store on Route 1, but you would think an area like Vienna would have grocery stores like the Dean and Deluca in Georgetown.


I remember the Winn Dixies and Hannafords that used to be in southern Virginia. Now those were trashy.

The Giant over by George Mason University is nasty. I think it is the store that Giant forgot about. Its like Magruders, you smell rotting food when you go in the door.

I worked for Safeway Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In truth, the bulk of people working in their
> stores actually care about the work they do and
> providing the best service and products to the
> customer. What has happened is, as with many
> companies, Safeway is cutting labor hours and has
> been doing so for years. As in any workplace,
> when there are less workers, the work gets piled
> upon those who remain. As new initiatives are
> added, so does the workload.

I think that Safeway and Giant/Ahold are in roughly the same boat, but Giant is much more tolerable than any of the Safeway stores that are local to me which includes the dumpy one in Fairfax City and along with the remodeled stores in Burke Centre, Pan Am Plaza and Old Keene Mill in Burke. The deli is rarely staffed with more than 1 person and the only thing that makes checking out tolerable is the presence of self-checkout - thankfully I rarely buy more than 5-6 items at Safeway even if it is the closest store.

Retail grocery is a tough, competitive business with thin margins yet Wegman's does not seem to have a problem finding quality help and keeping customers satisfied with a diverse product mix and plenty of staffing in the deli along with meat and seafood. Adding 5-10 people per shift at my local Safeway is not going to change a thing IMO.

I remember the Winn Dixies and Hannafords that used to be in southern Virginia. Now those were trsashy


This past summer while visiting family down in rural Georgia I got to make my first trip to a Piggly Wiggly located in Hoboken Georgia. It was small, dirty and rather unpleasant to look at.An that was jsut the customers. Back in one corner of the store they had a bunch of pic-nic tables set up where customers could eat their lunch that they had ordered from the delli. It was a rough looking crowd. SO I grabbed a six-pack of Cheerwine and some moom pies,plus some tee shirts on the way out. A few days later we stopped in Charleston S.C. and I noticed they had a nice new store. While the building impressed me, it was really the sign out fromt that caught my attention.
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i wouldnt call it "super" by any stretch of the imagination, but Lee's Market is pretty damn shitty. On the plus side, some times you can by bowls or scales there if you partake in some recreational drug use

The fox mill giant in herndon is awful , once a week I have to return rotten food. Last week they were selling ribs that expired on 1/22 . They were on sale when I took them home they reeked . They love to sell rotten food

fme Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The fox mill giant in herndon is awful , once a
> week I have to return rotten food. Last week they
> were selling ribs that expired on 1/22 . They were
> on sale when I took them home they reeked . They
> love to sell rotten food


do you keep your food on top of your heater? how far in advance do you expect meat to keep - a week and a half isn't good enough?

Wegmans is the only place to shop. The produce at Giant, Safeway, Shoppers, even Harris Teeter is NASTY.

Shoppers is pretty bad. The one in sterling always has some shady ass mexicans roaming.

Actually the worst is Grand Mart, across the street. Holy Shit. I almost vomited walking in that place. The stench of rotting fish and mothballs.

Im shocked the health department has not shut down Grand Mart. Most of the "live fish" are dead in the tanks.The place is just filthy and makes shoppers look like Balduci's. If you have not been there I suggest you go to the gallows road store just to see what a nasty place it is.

Wegmans would be all right if it didn't suck up half the day just to get in, through and out of the place.

Furfur Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The Safeway in the Pan Am shopping center is nice;
> good selection too. Also, the one in Kingstowne is
> also very good.



Eesh, Harry lives in New Mexico. How does furfur know about these grocery stores.

Michael Basl is a fucking freak.

dirtmart Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Im shocked the health department has not shut down
> Grand Mart. Most of the "live fish" are dead in
> the tanks.The place is just filthy and makes
> shoppers look like Balduci's. If you have not been
> there I suggest you go to the gallows road store
> just to see what a nasty place it is.


Have you been to the one in the old Hechinger building off of Backlick in Springfield? Those fish tanks are downright scary.

ITRADE Wrote:
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> BTW, whatever happened to 24 hour safeways?
> Alexandria, Reston and otehr places had them.
> Seems like the only store open 24 hours now is
> Wegmans or Harris Teeter.


Not really NOVA, but the Safeway in Georgetown is 24/7. A short drive from NOVA at those hours of the morning.

asdfaddgsdfgcbsdhsh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ITRADE Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > BTW, whatever happened to 24 hour safeways?
> > Alexandria, Reston and otehr places had them.
> > Seems like the only store open 24 hours now is
> > Wegmans or Harris Teeter.
>
>
> Not really NOVA, but the Safeway in Georgetown is
> 24/7. A short drive from NOVA at those hours of
> the morning.

The last time I went to that safeway, the front end manager was on the PA the entire time talking about their prostate cancer fundraiser and would make a whole bunch of noise and cheer every time a cashier got a donation. It never stopped.

The worst supermarket in nova is any with union labor. The stores where the employees performance is tied to their well-being are the best to shop in. Do you think the people at safeway give a rat fuck what you think about anything in there?

Annandale Safeway is completely horrible nowadays. Extremely long checkout lines coupled with dirty floors, aisles, etc., and of course an abundance of day laborers in the parking lot area.

Avoid, avoid, avoid.

TALKING ABOVE ABOUT SAFEWAY STORES, TRY THE HUNTER WOODS COMMUNITY PLAZA JUST OFF COLTSNECK RD. (RESTON PARKWAY/SUNRISE VALLEY RD. ) IN RESTON!
THIS PLACE IS A LIVING NIGHTMARE!
SOME AFRICAN ( STRAIGHT UP AFRICAN FROM AFRICA, NOT AFRICAN AMERICAN) WHACKO THEY HAVE EMPLOYED THERE WITH AN OBVIOUS LY SERIOUS LACK OF CIMMUNICATION SKILLS IS LITERALLY TERRORIZING CUSTOMERS THERE! EVERY TIME YOU TURN AROUND THE POLICE ARE BEING CALLED BECAUSE OF THIS NUTCASE DOES NOT HAVE THE SLIGHTEST INCLINATION OF WHAT RESPECT FOR PEOPLE IS! AND HE IS JUST FOR STARTERS, THERE! HE YELLS AT PEOPLE MAKING SERIOUSLY DISRESPECTFULL, PROVOKING STUFF TRYING TO TRIGGER A RESPONSE FROM YOU THAT WILL GIVE HIM AN UNJUSTIFIED EXCUSE TO CALL THE POLICE ON YOU. AND WHEN THE COPS SHOW UP, IF THE , HIS VICTIM OF ABUSIVE DISRESPECT IS STILL THERE, HE TOTALLY BALD FACED LIES TO THE POLICE DENIEING HE SAID OR DID ANYTHING WRONG! INSANITY! AND THIS NUTCASE IS JUST A CHIP OFF THE ICEBURG OF REALLY TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT THERE! AVOID EVER GOING TO THIS SAFEWAY! BESIDES, EVERYONE KNOWS PRICES ON EVERYTHING PRETTY MUCH ACCROSS THE BOARD IS WAY MORE EXPENSIVE AT ALL SAFEWAYS, SO WHY BOTHER GOING TO ANY OF THEM! SAFEWAY STORES ARE OWNED BY AN ISRAELI APOSTATE JEWISH FAMILY, AND THIS IS REFLECTED IN THEIR HIGH PRICING EVERYTHING IN THE STORE, PRETTY MUCH!

Fair Lakes Walmart. Sucks! Management at this store is just plain ignorant with no respect for a customers time. Regularly moving products are not put on order enough to keep them on the shelves readily, you beg them over and over to do so, and they say stupid shit like " come back tommorow" like you can afford spending days going back and forth before you finally get what you went there a week ago to get. Yeah. Right, like I supposed to take a couple of days off of work even, just to get a particular product! Duh. Uh. Have you heard about shopping online on the internet/world wide web and get all this for half the price walmart is charging, DUMBASS!?

1. shhhh....

2. blaming the jews? how overdone.

3. Safeway is a publicly owned company so it is not owned by a jewish family.

4. Safeway's CEO is a mormon YOU RACIST PIECE OF SHIT.


"SO WHY BOTHER GOING TO ANY OF THEM! SAFEWAY STORES ARE OWNED BY AN ISRAELI APOSTATE JEWISH FAMILY, AND THIS IS REFLECTED IN THEIR HIGH PRICING EVERYTHING IN THE STORE, PRETTY MUCH!"





TOO MANY TALKING! Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> TALKING ABOVE ABOUT SAFEWAY STORES, TRY THE
> HUNTER WOODS COMMUNITY PLAZA JUST OFF COLTSNECK
> RD. (RESTON PARKWAY/SUNRISE VALLEY RD. ) IN
> RESTON!
> THIS PLACE IS A LIVING NIGHTMARE!
> SOME AFRICAN ( STRAIGHT UP AFRICAN FROM AFRICA,
> NOT AFRICAN AMERICAN) WHACKO THEY HAVE EMPLOYED
> THERE WITH AN OBVIOUS LY SERIOUS LACK OF
> CIMMUNICATION SKILLS IS LITERALLY TERRORIZING
> CUSTOMERS THERE! EVERY TIME YOU TURN AROUND THE
> POLICE ARE BEING CALLED BECAUSE OF THIS NUTCASE
> DOES NOT HAVE THE SLIGHTEST INCLINATION OF WHAT
> RESPECT FOR PEOPLE IS! AND HE IS JUST FOR
> STARTERS, THERE! HE YELLS AT PEOPLE MAKING
> SERIOUSLY DISRESPECTFULL, PROVOKING STUFF TRYING
> TO TRIGGER A RESPONSE FROM YOU THAT WILL GIVE HIM
> AN UNJUSTIFIED EXCUSE TO CALL THE POLICE ON YOU.
> AND WHEN THE COPS SHOW UP, IF THE , HIS VICTIM OF
> ABUSIVE DISRESPECT IS STILL THERE, HE TOTALLY BALD
> FACED LIES TO THE POLICE DENIEING HE SAID OR DID
> ANYTHING WRONG! INSANITY! AND THIS NUTCASE IS
> JUST A CHIP OFF THE ICEBURG OF REALLY TERRIBLE
> MANAGEMENT THERE! AVOID EVER GOING TO THIS
> SAFEWAY! BESIDES, EVERYONE KNOWS PRICES ON
> EVERYTHING PRETTY MUCH ACCROSS THE BOARD IS WAY
> MORE EXPENSIVE AT ALL SAFEWAYS, SO WHY BOTHER
> GOING TO ANY OF THEM! SAFEWAY STORES ARE OWNED BY
> AN ISRAELI APOSTATE JEWISH FAMILY, AND THIS IS
> REFLECTED IN THEIR HIGH PRICING EVERYTHING IN THE
> STORE, PRETTY MUCH!