I'm sure there are worse places to work. - Barista Safeway Employee Review

3.0
5 Oct 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The general work environment was well-structured. You knew what was expected and you did it. They give proper training. Not that it's a hard job, but you didnt have to figure it out on your own. Accessible management. There was always someone in management around to help in a pinch.

Cons

Ridiculous rules. My store had a rule where you had to say "hello, can I help you?" or something like that to every customer you make eye contact with. So, of course, every employee on the floor would purposefully walk quickly and ignore every customer. And that was just one of the rules they had that negatively impacted how you'd interact with customers. Working as a barista at Starbucks, they wouldnt let us accept tips. At least 3 times a day I got in a tiff with a customer just to get them to keep their money. Union dues were expensive. Working 15 hours a week, I had to pay 45 dollars per month for a bunch of benifits that hardly applied to my city. Little room to be promoted. Most people worked for years and years before seeing a pay raise, and even then only once they got promoted to something different. They posted the schedule only two days before it came into effect. It was hard to plan anything without having to ask for it off several weeks in advance.

Explore other reviews about Safeway

5.0
29 Jan 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Got to get your steps in

Cons

Less than capable coworkers and lots of work

4.0
29 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Friendly and helpful colleagues, weekly pay and flexible schedule

Cons

When it is busy, it is very busy. Lunch/Break may get pushed back or even denied in extreme cases because there is no one to cover for you.

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