Shop Fresh, Easy, and Close to Home

"About 3/4 of our grocery shopping happens here. That's not loyalty by default. That's earned. TBH, it's also Hood loyalty, because we can walk there. Though I only have once. When we were snowed in the day after NYD. Epic! For some historical context, this Safeway sits on the site of Washington/East School, one of Salem's earliest school buildings from the 1880s, demolished to make way for the store. Salem's Oldest White Oak still stands near it to this day (May 29, 2026). You can see a lengthy write up about this tree in Google Maps, by yours truly. So three-quarters, huh? Right. We only venture to the "other side of the tracks" (aka Fred Meyer) for real butcher counter items (no meat-fish counter here), or those oddly specific things Safeway somehow still doesn't carry. Looking at you, risotto. Who doesn't carry risotto in 2026? Incredible. Don't make me go to FM for risotto! How we tackle this store: I run the perimeter; meats, vegetables, eggs, and dairy alternatives (I'm DF) while my wife handles the aisle shopping. A true division of labor that works. Don't worry if you fly Han Solo, the store is easy to navigate. It's small, like R2, so how could it not be? Managers. There's one who I call "Ryan" because he looks exactly like Ryan Howard from The Office. Now, because I've locked that nickname into my head, I cannot for the life of me remember his actual name (sorry, Ryan). Crucially, "Ryan", or whatever his real name is, has gone out of his way to make sure dairy free eggnog was stocked when I asked. That's above and beyond. Now, Emma. Not sure if she's a manager, but she will be one day. She's one of the youngest and prettiest folks here who I've seen LITERALLY RUN to help customers, or even stop a shoplifter. She's consistently fantastic, so I've tasked Emma with my Mini Diet Ginger Ale (MDGA) situation. Until recently this store was THE ONLY place in Salem that carried it. Gone now. They brought in Mini Diet Root Beer (MDRB) as a consolation prize, which softened the emotional collapse (somewhat). Hear me Emma....I want my MDGA back and see Lotto note below! Checkout Peeps. Ben is a sports fan like me which makes the line feel less like waiting and more like a quick recap of the week in sports. Bye bye Sportscenter, don't need ya! But...BOO Red Wings and GO BRUINS, SOX, CELTICS, and LIONS. You read that right, not a typo. Screw Kraft, except his Mac & Cheese, and Brady too. He IS the GOAT, but I prefer my goat as Birria. Which, btw, you can get at Roths West along with other exotic meats. So, with ALL THAT now outta the way... all checkers... consistently solid. Except that one. You know who you are! Pharmacy staff. Excellent across the board! Kathleen and Sharon get special mention for recently helping me navigate the right price on a very expensive prescription. That kind of advocacy matters. There's one pharmacy staff who promised me that the risotto is there. I'm still waiting. Of course, the Safeway rewards program gets you money off gas. But, I drive a hybrid and only need gas once every geological era, so I mostly forget to use it. I also buy lottery tickets here. Same strategic numbers (1 number per "Zone". IYKYK.) So, WHEN we hit, staff will be remembered. But ONLY if the MDGA comes back, Emma."

"Philip in fresh cut was walking past me….looked busy but took the time to ask me how I was and if I needed anything. He’s very helpful and in my already busy day took the time to get a product sliced and served to me. Also Cory a cashier is always friendly and takes the time to get to know the customer! Definitely a 10 on customer service and satisfaction! Every one here is very friendly and I can’t wait to come back! Thank you everyone!"

"Had a fabulous experience shopping here. This is my neighborhood from when I was attending Garfield and it brought back wonderful memories. The associate's were kind, courteous and truly interested in helping in any way. This is going to be my go to store as the bus stop is close and the prices were excellent."

"I shop here mainly because it’s convenient and close to home. Unfortunately, this location has so many everyday items locked up…detergent, eye drops, etc. I understand securing high-theft items like nicotine products, but locking up so many basic necessities makes the experience inconvenient. The store also has unusually narrow aisles compared to other Safeway locations, which makes it feel cramped. I also don’t enjoy getting prescriptions filled here, as the pharmacy experience has been consistently disappointing. My most recent delivery was the final straw. The bags arrived ripped open and left sitting in the dirt. It was so poorly handled that I actually laughed when I saw it. Overall, this location needs significant improvement in both customer service and order handling. Not doing delivery again."

"Just getting into the parking lot was like navigating through the war-torn streets of that movie where Matt Damon gets those cyborg implants to save the world. Not "The Martian", the other one. Anyways. I parked and immediately saw a bunch of people milling about, like it was "The Sanctuary" from "The Walking Dead". Granted, Safeway does have signs posts stating what is not allowed on their property, but guess what? All of those were happening, including: Young men with I-pads "signing people up for donations to their basketball team" at the doors. A homeless couple with a tent RIGHT NEXT TO THE ENTRANCE. A guy yelling "Yo, lemme get that EBT card, player". Someone in a Mercedes who was obviously in the wrong neighborhood driving over a curb. Moving inside the store: Nope. Cover with Nope sauce and bake at Nope degrees for Nope minutes. Even just walking by the Deli, I noticed the Clerk had the customer service skills of a corpse. Shoppers were pushing carts throughout the filthy and smelly store like it was the Compton Swap Meet. Whatever you do, don't make eye contact. I made it out with my purchase and dignity intact. Oh, that movie with Matt Damon is called "Elysium" btw. Check it out, it's a great flick."