[Grovenet] Safeway probably isn't . . . .

[Geri]

Yikes, Bob, unsealed deli salad -- scary.

I find it truly a pain in the ... that Safeway has no competition *in* F.G.!! I don't use them exclusively either, but mainly because the different area stores (Safeway, Grande Foods, Freddy's, Costco -- the farthest I go for groceries) each seem to have some item or another which we use that only one or two of them carry any more.

What will it be like going farther than Safeway once Wal-Mart is at our end of Cornelius?


Geri

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Bob Browning 
To: homeshopping at safeway.com 
Cc: Grovenet ; letters at news.oregonian.com ; Chamber Director 
Sent: Saturday, June 13, 2009 12:41 PM
Subject: [Grovenet] Safeway probably isn't . . . .


Every time I go into Safeway here in Forest Grove I am reminded why my wife Pat and I now do virtually all of our grocery, pharmacy, and household goods shopping at Fred Meyer and Costco. Yesterday Pat got the craving for some macaroni salad and, rather than have to go out of town, she popped into Safeway for a couple of things. As usual, she paid with her airmiles American Express card.

When we got ready for dinner last night, she realized that there was no shrink-wrap sealer around the lip of the lid.  But, not thinking much of it, it got worse when she opened the snap top to find that the plastic cover over the salad was not sealed on the front and two sides. While it did not appear that anyone had taken any salad out of the container, in an abundance of caution we opted to fore go any of her hoped for macaroni salad .

This morning a few minutes after 9:00 am I popped into Safeway to return the salad. Finding the customer service counter not only unattended, but the lights above the counter still turned off, I found an employee to whom I explained our situation and made inquiry as to where to go to return the salad. I was directed to the other end of the checker row where, after once again explaining my situation, and the second person to whom I spoke making inquiry with several of her co-workers, I was sent back to the customer service counter (the overhead lights of which were still off) to see a manager. For the third time I explained my need, showed this person the product, explained why we choose not to eat it, and, not desiring to tell her about a foot problem and to have to walk the entire length of the store to the deli area , noted that I wanted to get a refund. Upon her request, I then showed her my wife's receipt from the previous day's purchase.

That's when things got sticky. She immediately asked for the credit card with which it had been purchased; I assume she was intending to put the refund back onto the card so that Safeway would save the $0.18 in servicer fee (on the $3.99 purchase price) they paid American Express. Noting that I did not have the card with me since it was my wife who made the purchase, she abruptly explained to me that she could not do the refund. However, after some fairly insistent prompting on my part, she did note on the receipt that the product had been returned and that a refund was yet due to my wife.

Now, I realize that 18 cents is not a huge sum of money. However, that cuts two ways. As someone who used to spend over $600 per month at Safeway, one would think that they might desire to have me back as a customer. But, no, I was treated as just another cipher, someone else to be inconvenienced so they could return to what ever they may have been doing before I came in. Which, unlike Fred Meyer, often consists of long lines, several checkers with surly attitudes (though I really do miss seeing some others), crowded aisles, and dirty floors. Oh, yes, despite a number of requests, they still play their outside speaker so loud we can hear it in my office across the parking lot!!

So, I guess I will continue to  drive to Cornelius or to Hillsboro for my grocery shopping needs -  just one more person going out of town rather than supporting our local stores. But, it must not matter since, if Safeway really needed my business, I guess they would work a little harder to keep me as a customer. Maybe at least 18 cents harder!!

bob browning
forest grove


_______________________________________________
GroveNet mailing list
GroveNet at rdrop.com 
http://www.rdrop.com/mailman/listinfo/grovenet