Well, that sucks. I much preferred it to the King Soooooopers (Kroger) that's in the other direction (partly because the name "King Soopers" still bugs me after twenty years in Colorado). I found their meat better, and Safeway store brands tend to be pretty good.
Ironically (or maybe not), I got a phone survey a week ago, asking me to compare the two chains.
On one level this is a surprise, as the local Safeway always seemed fairly busy. But that shopping center has been struggling for a while, and last year the Safeway had to spend a lot of money on roof repair due to major leaks.
There's another Safeway a few miles further away, but not in a direction we usually go. The King Soooooopers is, if nothing else, conveniently close.
Sigh. Things change, I guess. In this case not for the better.
(Yes, #firstworldproblems)
(h/t +Stan Pedzick)
Safeway to close nine grocery stores in Denver area
Safeway is closing nine stores in the Denver area.
They did that by me in the Chicagoland area back in 2013 with Dominick's which was part of Safeway.
First time I went to Safeway here I got bit by the membership pricing nonsense and never really went back. The few times I did, I found the prices were generally higher and checkout always seemed to take forever.
+Doug Dunfee Membership pricing is silly, but not that much of a bother. Never had problems with lines.
Also, our local one had a frequent-shopper deal with their associated gas station that led to some very nice fuel discounts. Irksome to see that go.
When I moved to Boulder, I went to the Safeway across the street. It was huge with a great organics section, artisan cheeses, and other great things (including self check out stations).
When we moved to Westminster, we had a King Soopers and Safeway both close, so I went to Safeway first. It was an aging, dark, dying market, with poor produce and no self check out stations. It closed about 6 months ago, which we thought should’ve been sooner. Our local King Soopers, on the other hand, was a clean, bright, modern market with many good qualities. It wasn’t the Safeway in Boulder, but I later learned that not many others are.
In addition, we have a Sprouts and a Whole Foods (as of 6 months ago) that are as close if not closer than King Soopers. Choice is what it’s about for me.
I know your Safeway wasn’t anywhere near our Safeway in its quality. Too bad it wasn’t making money.
About 99% of our grocery shopping is at the Super Target down the street. I think I can count the number of times I've been in either of the local grocery chains in the last two years on one hand.
While we'll hit Super Target (one or another of them) for groceries if we're at one for Targetty kind of stuff, I find their overall selection relatively limited compared to a full grocery store.
Nearly every time I’ve shopped at a Safeway (any of 4-5) in the last few years I’ve been disappointed. Deli: bleah. The Mocha Chip Haagen Dazs available only there: had melted and separated at some point. Etc.
I shop there sometimes, but their prices got silly high in the Albertson merger and I can’t justify paying $1.00 there for the same thing at $.68 an King Soopers. I always check expiration dates there as they are often selling expired yogurt and salads. That whole shopping center is pretty sad any more with a lot of empty space. Closing Safeway may be the kiss of death.