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

Sat Jun 27 21:35:37 PDT 2009

Glen, is that a generic drug price at Cosco? What 
about Bi-Mart? I normally get my meds through an 
online pharmacy. But occasionally I need something 
once and/or right away so I go to Bi-Mart. I found 
there are more than one generic versions of 
certain drugs and had to ask/insist on the less 
expensive one. I have insurance so it was only 
$5.00. If I had accepted the other generic it 
would have been $45.00 even with the insurance!
Ed
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Glenn Berkheimer
  To: grovenet at rdrop.com
  Sent: Saturday, June 27, 2009 8:36 PM
  Subject: Re: [Grovenet] Safeway probably isn't . 
. . .

  I am generally one of the last people to say 
anything about customer service and using our own 
Forest Grove stores because I really believe we 
should go local if we can, anyway the other day I 
decided to get my meds filled at BI MART instead 
of going out to COSTCO.  I thought I would be 
supporting local jobs this way.  I don't use any 
health insurance since the RX is generic and has 
been around for years and years.  I had just seen 
my M.D. for my yearly exam and I took it to the 
pharmacy.  When I went to pay for it I was told it 
was going to be $47.10.  I thought their was a 
mistake so I told them what I pay for it at COSTCO 
so the girl said she would have the pharmacy check 
and they would match their price if they could. 
Not 1 minute later she re appeared to tell me that 
COSTO's price was $35.90 so they could fill it for 
that price.  I asked for my RX back and went 
straight to COSTCO.  I am sitting here looking at 
my reciept from COSTCO and the price was $8.10.
  I was not only about to be over charged but I 
was lied to as well.

  Just because you have insurance, it is this type 
of practice that is hurting health care and 
driving people to go to out of town.  My prices 
are in line with all other coffee shops I think 
but I also see so many people going to the giants 
when I see other drive through local coffee shops 
(downtown) that sell as good as others for the 
same price.  Why do we, as Forest Grove Citizens, 
do this.  In my case I was trying to support local 
jobs but I see so many of us hurting our own 
families businesses and supporting giants instead.
  Glenn

  Date: Sat, 13 Jun 2009 12:41:07 -0700
  From: rab at jurislex.com
  To: homeshopping at safeway.com
  CC: grovenet at rdrop.com; 
letters at news.oregonian.com; director at fgchamber.org
  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

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