Safeway has some lame policies, but by far the most annoying to me is the practice of attempting to read your name off your receipt when you check out and trying to thank you, by name as you are heading out the door. Very insincere. Very stupid. They need to stop this at once.

Why? Well, for starters, check out clerks aren't the most literate people in the world so unless your name is smith or jones, they are going to mispronounce it. And since the name that appears by using a store "club card" is often wrong, they call people by the wrong name frequently.

I know because i have both problems. i have the wrong name on my club card and it is apparently difficult for safeway employees to pronounce although i don't see the problem, really (it's Voightlander). For the past five years, employees in the Santa Rosa, CA Safeway (4th Street) where I shop have been calling me that name. I tell them it's not me but they still do it. And they absolutely butcher it every time. I've gotten to the point where I just answer to it and usually help them with the pronunciation. Sometimes I'll offer an explanation like, "Oh, it's Dutch.'" They just nod, blankly.

It just amazes me that some corporate genius thought this was a good idea.

Today, 2/28/09, Safeway store in Vallejo, CA on Admiral Callaghan Lane overcharged me for grocery items that were advertised as reduced prices. I was charged for two extra items I did not have which totaled $13.17 and $15 for other items that should have been reduced by coupon reduction. I went back in the store to claim my refund which totaled $28.17. The Cashier who addressed me rudely, was already helping a senior woman figure the amount of her refund for overcharged items. This is not the first time I have had to do so.

This is a regular theme with Safeway. For starters some twenty years ago we got pregnant and my woman she worked full time and went to school regularly and commutes upwards of an hour at a time. I worked in town so I did the food shopping. I was continually harassed about anything that came to mind by the employees and security. Car, clothes, just anything. Taunted with school children words that I would expect from a sixth grader. for instance 'you the woman in the house, is he a she... huh huh huh...'

One time I worked late and didn't have time to wash and change from an all day shift cleaning up other people messes {I was a property managers assistant handyman guy on a gov. supported welfare housing complexes section 8 housing) apparently the offspring of Safeway employee's)} and was arrested for being 'drunk' but the thing was I was not intoxicated. And I had to be back to work in about 9 hours.

They will do things such as spend ten minutes talking to some ancient woman about her hair in line in front of me. and then she takes her sweet time writing the check and checks the balance also. But when I show up its as soon as the drug addict checker is done tallying up my bill its as if I can't get the cash out of my pocket fast enough and they make a bunch of offending hostile noises. One time this female redneck checker insinuated I was selling drugs because I did not have my check book or credit card.

Today was the same as always I live within walking distance of a Safeway and needed a quarter to do my laundry because it takes 8 quarters to run the washing machine and I only had 7 quarters and a bunch of dimes and nickles so i walked down to the Safeway and I was telling myself don't do it but I went anyways I am apparently an optimist and wouldn't you know it I think because I was not dressed in a sport coat wing tips and slathered with all manner of makeup they immediately called up security I heard on the intercom and then I walked over to the customer service counter and they refused to serve me.there was maybe twenty five people in the store and not one of them would move their papered ass and change two dimes and a nickel for a quarter so I could do my laundry. Maybe I should have went and bought a $6 hallmark card for the Mentally handicapped checker with the attitude So that it could 'FEEL' like moving in a manner that makes one appear as though there is a brain inside it's head. I have come to the conclusion that Safeway hires these people who behave as if they are on stage because there is nothing inside their heads to cause the management of the operations any kind of trauma from actually having him or herself having to think.

I remember back in the late 80's there was a fire in the Oakland warehouse I can still smell the fire retardant in the ice cream they sold me I can actually taste it sometimes. And this store I was just in I can smell the refrigerant all over me and its been at least two hours since I was there. I have ate food there that has given me worse diarrhea than what i got on a campout with my drinking buddies.

I gave up on them a bunch of years back and just started using them to purchase canned, sealed goods from name brand manufactures. only when its on sale. beer in cans, cheap wine, soda pop, candy thats about it maybe a little hamburger if I know who the butcher is who made it but thats about it.