Safeway Reviews

Pros

The managers are really understanding about you needing time off for exams and school. Also, the people you work with are very friendly and nice. Customers are on the whole respectful and friendly also. You can hold multiple positions in a short amount of time. I was promoted to Bookkeeper for Friday nights after about 2-3 months of being a courtesy clerk. You learn things like bookkeeping, balancing tills, floral arrangements, flower care, etc.

Cons

Even though I was "promoted", because I was a courtesy clerk, my pay didn't raise--still made a courtesy clerk's salary while doing other tasks. As a courtesy clerk, doing carts were terrible because you had to do it for an hour at a time. Also, the store manager then seemed very detached and uninvolved. Lastly, the hours were pretty bad for a college student...I would have a lot of 6-midnight shifts and holidays required a lot of running around and overtime.

Advice to Senior Management

Offer better pay with promotions--stop trying to skimp on salary because you can. Also, more hands on and team building training would help with a sense of cooperation.

Pros

Others employess are nice. Management is fair in decisions they make, and the pay is decent

Cons

You won't learn much or gain any really useful knowledge needed for most jobs

Advice to Senior Management

management was fine

Pros

It is a big company with a lot of clout with their vendors. Your annual doctor visits for routine preventative care is 100% paid for. You can get a new pair of glasses every year. Challenging work.

Cons

There seems to be a pattern of annual downsizing every January for the past five years. Safeway doesn't have a policy to try to hire from within. As a result when outsiders enter the company they tend to bring with them the people they know and use to work with. There is also a wage freeze every couple of years. There is no 401K matching, in order to get reduced health care premiums you must subject yourself to testing and pass: weight/BMI, nicotine, blood glucos, cholesteral, blood pressure. All good tests, but I don't like my employer having this information.

Advice to Senior Management

Start a policy to hire people from within the company so that there is a better path for career advancement. The organizational culture is always changing at Safeway because of the influence of outside people entering the company.

Pros

Good to get in at a ground level, plenty of opportunities to move up for those who have the motivation.

Cons

Low pay to start out, not very good employee benefits (ie discounts), aren't always treated fairly by customers. Some simply treat you as if you are "below them."

Advice to Senior Management

Be more proactive in listening to your employees and what they have to say, even those at the bottom of the ladder. Also make more of an effort to make promotion opportunities known.

Pros

Lots of room for advancement.

Cons

Vast amount of competition. Everyone looking for the spot you have your eye on.

Advice to Senior Management

Less moving parts. Way to much money is being wasted.

Pros

Diverse work environment, good pay, multiple locations to work at, company always looking at ways to do things better, great customer service

Cons

Not enough help to complete assignments, upper management has unrealistic expectations for getting the job done, union employees can grow complaisant in jobs

Advice to Senior Management

Take a look at how many hours are being used in the store and issue more hours into the front end to get lines moving faster.

Pros

You never have to stop on your way home at the store you can get your dinner there

Cons

The management is horrible and do not follow through with anything

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your employees when they ask for help don't assume they are just being lazy!

Pros

Great fellow employees. I decent benefit package thanks to the Union. Paid vacation weeks and sick leave pay and a few paid holidays.

Cons

Safeway treats its store employees as as a liability and not as the asset to the company that they are.

Advice to Senior Management

Listen to your store employees. They are the ones listening to your customers.

Pros

The pay is pretty decent.

Cons

Senior management has no clue what the customers really want.

Advice to Senior Management

Take advise from people who actually work at store level and try to change into a better company.

Pros

Decent pay and good benefits due to the union. Get a discount on store brands. Supportive co-workers, because we're all in the same boat.

Cons

having to read and sign new corporate policy on an almost weekly basis. Secret shoppers (if we all get great scores, they wouldn't have a job!). Lack of good management.

Advice to Senior Management

Understand the stress you put on your employees. From GM's on down your policies do not flow.
the "do more with less people does not make for happy, productive people". Secret shopper results are not an accurate evaluating tool, because getting results weeks later you cannot expect us to remember what might have happened. Or if it happened at all!