Possible Safeway buy-out. (Oakland, Berkeley, Claremont: to live, prices, shops)

[jade408]

Originally Posted by Obamadon1

Well for one reason, we have rather active NIMBYish neighborhood associations that have a lot to say about Safeway remodels so that slows down the process. College/Claremont Safeway is finally under construction; I assume the Broadway/51st will be up next once that one reopens.

I think they are breaking ground this summer for the Broadway/51st. The two will be reno-ed in parallel. The 51st Safeway will remain open since the new one is going where CVS is.

There was also drama with the North Berkeley store remodel. I think the Grand remodel was fairly drama free.

[silverkris]

Originally Posted by 2sleepy

I'm really disappointed by this, the buyer that most articles have mentioned: "Cerebrus" doesn't have a great reputation for what they did when they bought Albertson's, if I remember correctly they closed over 100 stores within weeks of buying the chain.

Nor when they bought Chrysler from Daimler and ran it into the ground, prior to Fiat rescuing it.

[silverkris]

Well, over in the South Bay, a number of Safeway stores have been either remodeled or rebuilt. Mountain View recently opened up a Superstore of sorts (corner of El Camino Real and San Antonio Road). The Los Altos shop that looked old and tired has been closed and is being renovated. This is also less than 1/4 mile away from a Whole Foods. And there's a Trader Joe's in the same complex too.

So it seems there's enough biz to go around - for now.

[Tallysmom]

Originally Posted by jade408

New Safeways look ok but they have been slacking off on remodeling the inner east bay stores. Ours suck.



I agree. Many moons ago I shopped at Safeway regularly. Always got the store brand pasta. One day I was trying to figure out why I kept running out of pasta so quickly. They changed the package size to 12oz so it worked out to be more expensive than Barilla. I stopped going there pretty much completely after that. The meat sucked, produce sucked and it was basically the same price as whole foods.




You guys should check out farmer joes. It is on MacArthur and Fruitvale and the other one is down by Coolidge on MacArthur but that one is more produce stand. It doesn't have as much produce as Berkeley bowl, but it is well stocked, has excellent meats (and prices on them, Rosie's chicken and the like), awesome olive oil selection. And is open normal,hours unlike Berkeley bowl and not as crowded (besides the parking lot occasionally). That's my go to when I am below the lake. It is excellent. Right at 580 in the Dimond.

Farmer Joe's Marketplace - Dimond District - Oakland, CA | Yelp


I like the PG. They are friendly and seem to treat there workers well. Lots of 10+ year veterans.

That was something I forgot -- it looks like they are going the TJ route and making everything Safeway product.

I HATE that -- I want CHOICE. And my other gripe -- if the store "makes" it, they stop selling the I make it version. Safeway used to make a very good angel food cake mix. It was an "A"-"B" version, unlike Duncan Hines which is a dump and add water version -- tastes overly citrusy -- it's nasty. Don't think lemony -- think the sour taste of a sour patch kid. The "A"-"B" was powdered sweetened egg whites you reconstitute and whip up and then add the cake flour. And cheaper than buying a dozen eggs to toss away the yolks.

They stopped selling the cake mix (only cake mix I used) when they started offering fresh baked angel food cakes. I loved having those mixes on hand.

They cut way back on the coffee aisle when a Starbucks went in the store.

Last time I bought ketchup -- Safeway or Heinz. My preference is Del Monte.

I do get a sense though that the store is in flux -- and not in a good way.

I will have to try Farmer Joe's...

[jade408]

Safeway is purchased:
Albertsons parent Cerberus to buy Safeway - SFGate

Maybe all stores will be rebranded Lucky's?

[zitsky]

I don't understand the hate for Safeway. I really don't understand why someone would suggest going to Whole Foods instead, unless you want to spend 2x for your food. I'm coming back to the area in a year. I used to shop at Safeway all the time. I liked getting a sandwich and hot soup from the deli. It will be interesting to see what happens to them. I think the quality is good compared to Albertson's/Lucky. I think it's going to get worse for Safeway before it gets better.

[calicoastal]

I love the Safeway near me, which is clean and perfectly mid-level. I hope it stays that way. I also hope they don't turn it into Lucky, I have a bad taste in my mouth from the filthy Lucky that used to be in Rockridge years ago.

[NewbiePoster]

Originally Posted by zitsky

I don't understand the hate for Safeway. I really don't understand why someone would suggest going to Whole Foods instead, unless you want to spend 2x for your food. I'm coming back to the area in a year. I used to shop at Safeway all the time. I liked getting a sandwich and hot soup from the deli. It will be interesting to see what happens to them. I think the quality is good compared to Albertson's/Lucky. I think it's going to get worse for Safeway before it gets better.

Part of the hate for Safeway comes from the fact that their stores are crappy in low-rent areas. People don't like being disrespected. The reason Whole Foods costs more is that most of their produce and all of their packaged and canned food is organic. I've checked Albertson's prices on organic stuff, and they're comparable to WF. If you're ok with non-organic, then you can shop cheaper. I'd like to see more farmer's markets, myself. Alternatives to the corporate scene.

[zitsky]

Originally Posted by NewbiePoster

Part of the hate for Safeway comes from the fact that their stores are crappy in low-rent areas. People don't like being disrespected. The reason Whole Foods costs more is that most of their produce and all of their packaged and canned food is organic. I've checked Albertson's prices on organic stuff, and they're comparable to WF. If you're ok with non-organic, then you can shop cheaper. I'd like to see more farmer's markets, myself. Alternatives to the corporate scene.

There are a LOT of people in SV who can't afford to buy Organic, or people like my well educated partner who is convinced it's a big scam. Where I am now, I shop at my local version of Safeway (Lowes Foods) maybe once a week, Costco every 2 weeks and Whole Foods maybe every 4-6 weeks. I used to go to Safeway twice a week because it was convenient.

[jade408]

Originally Posted by zitsky

I don't understand the hate for Safeway. I really don't understand why someone would suggest going to Whole Foods instead, unless you want to spend 2x for your food. I'm coming back to the area in a year. I used to shop at Safeway all the time. I liked getting a sandwich and hot soup from the deli. It will be interesting to see what happens to them. I think the quality is good compared to Albertson's/Lucky. I think it's going to get worse for Safeway before it gets better.

I stopped shopping at Safeway a while ago. Mostly because I found it wasn't cheaper. The Whole Foods store brand for canned goods etc is the same price (or cheaper) as Safeway and tastier.

I started finding Safeway cheated with their packaging in order to increase their profit margins. When every brand had alb bags of sugar, Safeway sold a 4lb bag with huge stickers calling it cheaper. But sure enough, the price per pound was more than the national brand. The produce is low quality and not well priced (whole foods produce is over priced, but you can shop selectively at farmers markets or at local stores with better quality produce at a better price.).

The meat used to be decent, but then wasn't very high quality or inexpensive. If I am getting factory meat, I am just going over to Mi Tierra. Better prices.

So essentially, when I did the math, I found I was getting ripped off for low quality stuff in a crappy atmosphere. Now I only go there if I happen to need national brand potato chips for a potluck a couple times a year...or I need to go to the bathroom...or I am desperate for a quick snack. Definitely not for groceries.

Originally Posted by calicoastal

I love the Safeway near me, which is clean and perfectly mid-level. I hope it stays that way. I also hope they don't turn it into Lucky, I have a bad taste in my mouth from the filthy Lucky that used to be in Rockridge years ago.

Lucky's were generally decent, until they fell into decline. That particular store was neglected, and is now replaced by a Trader Joes/Pharmaca.

Originally Posted by NewbiePoster

Part of the hate for Safeway comes from the fact that their stores are crappy in low-rent areas. People don't like being disrespected. The reason Whole Foods costs more is that most of their produce and all of their packaged and canned food is organic. I've checked Albertson's prices on organic stuff, and they're comparable to WF. If you're ok with non-organic, then you can shop cheaper. I'd like to see more farmer's markets, myself. Alternatives to the corporate scene.

Some high rent district stores suck too! :P If you live in an older area. If your Safeway was built in the past 10-15 years, the customer experience is decent. But if you live in a store that hasn't been reno-ed recently, it sucks. And it is expensive. Organic is generally tastier, but the best thing is to find produce that hasn't travelled from far away. I prefer local organic, then local, then organic.