Safeway reviews

3.1

41% would recommend to a friend

(10,553 total reviews)
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Susan Morris

26% approve of CEO

32% positive business outlook

Safeway has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 10,553 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Safeway employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

11K reviews
2.0
May 17, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Everyone has to eat, so it's a stable business to be in.. paycheck every week. In the non-unionized divisions.. it is easy to advance if you are a high-energy person who strives for results. The company has structure, somewhat micromanaging.. but the attention to detail makes it fun to win sales events, donations, merchandising contests etc.

Cons

Let's be honest .. it is a top down organization, that is way too top heavy. This leaves the stores with no staff, too few hours. Important controllables are left off the grid... Things like the upkeep of employee files, checking product dates, focusing on icreasing sales, and community involvement are allocated no hour value... if a manager cares.. it must be done on his / her personal time. While the company has employment coordinators and human resource advisors, backstage does a poor job of recruiting qualifed applicants for entry level management positions. This is not a 5 day a week--10 hours a day job, if you want to feel satisfied that you are making a difference.

3.0
May 9, 2009

It's a Job.

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

There are substantial opportunities for growth, as long as you are comfortable with the things Safeway expects of you; In my time with Safeway I advanced very quickly (less than two years) to being one of the most powerful people in the store. When I became management I was given good training both at the store and through a seminar course. The benefits are the only reason I stay at Safeway; Similar/superior benefits are available elsewhere, but Safeway is the best job in my community. Pay increases are based on the number of hours you have worked.

Cons

My job at Safeway is a union job. This has its benefits, but Safeway is a large enough company that the union does not provide much that you would not get otherwise. I have worked for Safeway for four years with three of those as management, and my compensation is not equal to my responsibilities. As a PIC I am left in charge of the store in the absence of the store manager and assistant manager, and my wage does not seem fair to me, since I sometimes run the entire store. Some men that I work with work very hard and earn their pay, but some men who have worked at the store for less time with equal/lesser job responsibilities make journeyman wage, which is $2.15 per hour more than I do. Some cashiers who were hired at the same time I was make the minimum possible because any pay raises they would have received were nullified by the minimum wage being increased by more than their pay-scale increase. Cost-of-living increases are only given when minimum wage goes up, and only to those making minimum wage. The pay scale is based on hours worked and not performance. This is beneficial to people who do their jobs, but it is a disadvantage to people who work above-and-beyond. Union contracts vary between districts, so the step progressions in different districts are not always the same.

4.0
May 4, 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Nice and easy job for high school or summer. Easy system for getting started and learning all the codes and procedures. Working in the checkout aisle feels like a relaxing, yet moving job throughout the day. Community is really nice with encouraging management and a nice group of other high school and college employees.

Cons

Really lame customers occasionally. Having to ask customers for charity donations all the time is really tedious sometimes and can draw some negative reactions from customers. Pay is relatively low, and unfortunately there are limited store benefits for newer employees.

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Glassdoor has 10,860 Safeway reviews submitted anonymously by Safeway employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Safeway is right for you.