Safeway Supermarkets - Life in America 

I wish we could go back to the days of grocery workers dressing and grooming like professionals.

Oh wow I work for Safeway since 2014 great company thanks for showing a full history it’s it’s origins

Lucerne and Cragmont!

Loved this video. As a former Safeway employee it was the best grocery chain I’ve worked for. As a female they gave me plenty of opportunities to move up. Bagger, Deli, checker and manager. Because of Safeway I decided to make my career in the grocery business. I retired after 30 years all because I was treated with the upmost respect. Thank you Safeway. You changed my life. ❤️

becoming a huge fan of your episodes, ive binged them all, love all the old photos you have of the places you cover, thank you for sharing

Oh yes, i remember Safeway. As a kid of the 70's, i remember the jingle in the commercial---EVERYTHING YOU WANT IN A STORE AND A LITTLE BIT MO-O-O-R-E🎶

Me and my buddy used to ride our bikes to Safeway in the early 60’s and buy a pack of Fizzies and pop one in our mouths. That’s how a 12 year old kid got a buzz back then.

Miss the Googie architecture. Everything so bland now; everything looks the same. Went yesterday to the oldest surviving McDonalds in Downey, CA

I remember stopping at the Safeway in Truckee, CA on our way to Sand Harbor beach in the 70's. We'd get Cragmont soda and some ice and put it in our styrofoam ice chest. My sister had to have cream soda and I was happy with orange or grape. I miss those days......life was so much simpler (I am sure my parents would beg to differ!). PS---we still have Safeway in CA---but they are expensive!

Thank you for this. The supermarkets of the early-mid 70s were lost in my memory until I saw this. I feel so fortunate to have been a young child in that decade.

I was just at Safeway yesterday. Picked up a ham on sale always clean and friendly store to shop at. Thanks so much for doing a video on Safeway. Chehalis Washington

There's one here in San Francisco on 30th Street and Mission that still has the stonework and mosaic "S" signs intact where many of the other ones here have remodeled over the years!

My grandfather back in the 60s had his home right behind a Safeway in Saint Joseph, Mo. He did not have to buy food, in those days Safeway would throw away dented can goods or meat scraps from the butcher market or meat department. He would get the meat, cook it on the stove, cut the good parts off, and feed the fat to his dogs. He also got the ripe fruit and vegetables, He ate well out of their dumpsters. :) Plus his friends who would come and visit with him ate good, grandpa, fed a lot of homeless drunks at that time with that food, yes, there was homelessness in the 60s, In the winter you could go to his house and find 2 or 3 drunks staying with him, especially in the winter. Thank you for your video

Wish we could go back to the old ways of small simple stores not thousands of items it's rediculous an I'm younger not from that time but in my opinion it would be better

Back when the U.S. was about quality, hard work and determination. The garbage politicians have run this country into the ground. Pathetic what its become.

I grew up with Safeway, my father worked for them from 1959 to 1983, managing 7 different stores in Wyoming and Montana.

Safeways in Oregon used to sponsor a character named Zezo the Clown. He would come to the grade schools and teach the kids to say please and thank you. Afterwards, he would lead the kids and teachers on a field trip to the store where you would get to see the produce section, the big freezer, the butcher, and lastly, the bakery where you would get a freshly baked cookie then say, "May I please have a cookie?" followed by a "Thank you." after it was handed to you by the baker. That was over 50 years ago and it seems like yesterday.

Skaggs family built hospital in Branson Mo

Safeway was the place to go and do all your shopping. Loved the way they looked and how well-stocked they were.

I miss those old domed stores from the 60s

I remember Safeway growing up, but the grocer I remember going to the most was Alpha Beta.

It was so pleasant. I was there in that time and I’m very grateful. When normal things were fun and safe to do.

I am a current employee of Safeway. Thank you for sharing vintage Safeway locations and interiors up both small and large stores. Some Safeways even have escalators and elevators in them to get from the store to the parking lot that's located underneath while apartments are above the store owned by another corporation

We had a Skaggs Alpha Beta in Oklahoma City a while back, then it was Albertson's, and now some local no-name discount.

Any time I’ve been out west, I always manage to stop by a Safeway! My last visit was the Safeway in Williams, Arizona.

I love USA.God bless USA.

Used love their Edwards Coffee...the only brand I would buy.

It's sad that most the "local" grocery stores were beat out by Walmart!!

I worked at Safeway for 46 years. This video made me chuckle!!

I remember those old mechanical cash registers. Each item had to be punched in manually. Must have been murder on the fingers.

I used to work as an Activity and Social director for an Alzheimer’s community. Your videos would have done wonders for my group. We reminisced about so much of everyday life and finding old videos and photos, back when I was working, was expensive.

$5 Fridays: Gargantuan foot long sub, 8 piece fried or roasted chicken, baby-back ribs, meat loaf, Sushi....Lot of bang for the buck

Safeway is still an essential brand today, though it is now owned by Albertsons. The signature curve still exists on some stores. I always think "quality" with that name. Grew up with it, and will always appreciate the brand.

Imagine in the middle of a depression being handed $1.5 million in cash.

My Late Dad was a Truck driver For Safeway for a Long Time Before he Retired

Sadly, Safeway management structure is terrible.

I found Safeway when we moved to KC. They had UNSURPASSED quality house brands. We bought their hamburger sight unseen in chub paks ! I also remember Lucerne, Scorch Buy and Cragmont products.

Is this "Skaggs" the guy who owned Skaggs Drugs? Safeway hasn't gone anywhere. They're still all over the west. They're a little pricier than some supermarkets, but their product tends to be a lot fresher than, say, Kroger for example. And their store brands are better than most store brands. Certainly better than Walmart. Safeway recently merged with Albertson's. As with Sears and Kmart, I don't quite understand the reasoning behind merging two failing businesses. Of course, it did seem to work with Chrysler and Fiat.

And Lest We Forget ; the mark on the landscape Safeway left with their ''Marina Style'' buildings. Those Huge Rounded Bow Topped buildings you see every once in a while and think, hmm they don't build buildings like that anymore. They used Ultra Modern building techniques in establishing the brand, but moved on to more conventional options.

The photos tell a story of opportunities and the risks people took. The liberties to succeed in a then free and unwoke!!! Society!! What a terrible lie has been told and taken grasp over... Sad Sad... State of the our country!!!

My Daddy worked for Safeway in Sacramento, Ca for many years. I remember when they were on Strike, he had the night shift on the picket lines, my mother was a nurse who also worked nights so me and my sister went with dad on his picket nights and slept in the camper on the back of his truck. I remember having hot chocolate around a barrel bonefire with him and his fellow workers/picketers!

Can you do Thrifty drug and discount stores...Sprouse-Reitz variety stores...Mode'Oday dress shops...Cornet stores.

Skaggs? !! before we go any farther, the major shopping area where I grew up in Albuquerque was at Eubank and Candelaria, there, there was a Skagg's Drug Store, A Safeway and A Duckwall's as the main anchors. so seeing the name Skagg's associated with Safeway now made sense.

Growing up in Northern California in the 1980's, I remember going to Pak 'N Save, a store chain owned by Safeway. Pak 'N Save was a warehouse store without needing a membership. They sold food in bulk, and many Safeway brands. You had to bag your own groceries at the checkout. Those stores were so HUGE to a little kid.

Memories...52 years ago...my high school job was at Safeway!

always shop safeway in the D.C. area when visiting my son, Hows about one on winn-dixie !

I remember these grocery stores and I also remember Piggly Wiggly.. boy those were the good old days

Safeway looked really looked cool with the glass arched facade.

I never saw a Safeway until i moved West. Now we shop there all the time. Stiffest competition seems to be Kroger but they hold their own just fine.

My dad worked there when I was born and for the next 15 years. There are still quite a few in Northern California. Yes, they are a little pricey, but they have good shit.

Great video, i enjoy all you have done. I appreciate your time making them for all of us to enjoy!!!

Just got back from Safeway in Kihei, Maui. We have 4 locations on the island. I love Safeway but it’s no Wegmans🤙

I worked at Safeway from 1990 - 2000. Our store was a remodeled mega store that was previously the 'Marina" design. In the early 90s Safeway was firing on all cylinders with a company wide, and well implemented, focus on customer experience.

Had a Safeway down the street as a kid in Bell, Calif. Thrifty on the other side of the plaza. I later worked at Ralph’s for a few years in college. Grocery stores are cool.

Phoenix had Skaggs stores in 970s.......didn't last long and was next to Yellowfronts. Safeway doing ok in Phoenix btw

I miss actual grocery stores, walmart put alot of them out of business . I thought the safeway buildings with the arch looked cool , played pacman for the first time in one in the 80s

As a kid in the 1970s Miami Florida we had a Kwik Chek and a Grand Union grocery store.

And I still wonder, whenever I see a building with that arched facade but something else inside, what happened to that Safeway.

I remember when they were in Southern California. They only have them in Northern California now.

The thing I liked at Safeway was they had a video arcade game room with eight games. Asteroids, Defender, Phoenix, Pacman, Star Castle, Radarscope, I don't remember the other two.

There once were Safeway stores in Houston (Texas) but then they separated from Safeway and adopted the name AppleTree. Ironically the Randalls chain bought some of the old AppleTree stores but then Randalls was bought by Safeway, who wanted to return to Houston but not under their own name.

My dad was a meat-cutter/ meat manager In Phoenix for Safeway from 1959 to 1990. I remember going in on the weekends to help with his inventory when i was a kid in the 60s. My mom was also a cashier off and on. Fun times.

In the late 60’s Safeway opened a new store In Ruston Louisiana, home of Louisiana Tech ,university, my dad at age 32 decided to quit his job at a well known bread company as a bread truck driver, he had 3 young children and a wife, started school full time and worked at A&P grocery till Safeway opened, he worked hard every day and went to school full time ,taking a full load, finished his 4 years in 2.5 Ok one night my mom took us to dads work at the new Safeway, he came down from the office and spoke to us ,I was in the fourth grade and my dad lean down to me and said, I want to introduce you to a guy that’s going to be somebody one day, he walked me over and said, Terry this is my son, and he shook my hand, his last name was Bradshaw. .......he’s still a character, my dad passed 1/1/20 , but I still think of things that happened at that store often, in 2018, my dad,twin sister and I took a trip back across the country and visited every,home, school and place my dad worked at, the building was still standing where the Safeway once was, something else now, and the building was rough, but I remembered the grand opening 🤗

3:27 On top of the register, the S&H Green Stamp dispenser. The Green Stamp story is also described by Recollection Road.

The Safeway that I remember growing up in the Pacific Northwest. Sadly they were expensive so we rarely shopped there.

5:28 That look from grandma when she sees the cashier turn away from an open cash drawer and looks around if anyone can see her...

I really hate to sound like a John Cougar Mellencamp song, but my home town was everything that symbolized post War America. It was a small town in the middle of the Southern California desert with a population of 3,000. My childhood in early 1970s was all about Chevrolet and apple pie. There was a Safeway store in town. Surprisingly, a town that small supported the grocery store for many years. But, everyone in town had good paying union jobs at one of the big plants or the railroad. Anytime Mom went shopping she spent more time gossiping with one of the clerks than she did shopping. But, times change. By the 1990s, California successfully drove away all but one of the plants that employed so many people. The jobs and homeowners went with them. Safeway closed as did several other established businesses. I left in 1996 to find work. Today, all those homes are now section 8 housing rented by folks out of Los Angeles that brought their thug gang life with them. But, that is what is happening to much of California But, I still have fond memories of my childhood; walking to Safeway with my sister to buy a can of Cragmont Black cherry soda for 15 cents

I remember Safeway growing up it was always too exspensive..we always went to Sack n save..or piggly wiggly..in Tx..but the few times mom won at bingo..or actually got a fair paycheck..i remember her and dad sometimes..surprising us with lots of bags from the safeway..the irony is Albertson's is cheaper than safeway..when it used to be higher than Safeway..lol but yeah they had some deals safeway..but i was too little to know the bigdeal..aslong as i got to eat i was happy..

From the 60s Safeway had stores in Australia too 🇦🇺, in all the east coast states but especially Victoria. Their 126 stores were bought by Australian Woolworths (no relation to the US company) in the 80s. They kept the brand in Victoria until fairly recently, the last Safeway was rebranded as Woolworths in 2017.

Edwards Coffee by Safeway that brought back memories from 55-60 years ago and my folks in the morning having their Edward's Coffee perculating and a nice smelling Coffee Smell throughout the house.

can you highlight Raley's, Corti Brothers and Alpha Beta, please? Love these. I look forward to them as it is an escape from all the crap going on in the world right now.

At one time Safeway had the largest private fleet of trucks in the world.

I started working at Safeway in 1976 It was fun working there As time went on it became a menial job The employers became greedy and our contracts were terrible I’m glad I got out of there and now they can’t get decent help

Worked at Safeway in the 60,s after school and first year college.very nice experience .Had Many good worker friends and met and dated many young ladies that were customers.Six of them were named Linda and others i don't remember .pay wasn't bad either

~ Don't forget the GOLD BOND STAMPS !!!

I shop at Safeway here in Phoenix all the time....had no idea it was so historic!!!

In middle school my first crush was for one of the checkers at our Safeway. He was always very nice to me. Hate those automated checkouts, just put more and more of the labour on the consumer. In lock down that cashier may be the only non-family member I even say hello too.

The 3 best things they have are the huge subs. I buy one and eat for a week for only $10.99. The second are the Maple, Bacon doughnuts. Third, the pick 3 Chinese food for $7.50. It is better then most of the Chinese delivery places.

1950s best decade ever.

The Safeway clip showing "Landmark removed" was a Safeway right in my neighborhood here in Houston. We used to go there in the 70's & 80's. Funny seeing that in this video.

Today we have several Albertson's in Northeast Tarrant County, Texas. And a couple of Tom Thumbs. Both carry Safeway branded store brands, since they're one big happy family. The territories are far enough apart so the sister chains don't overlap.

Sandy Eggo in da house! I spent many a Sunday night in Safeway buying Banquet frozen dinners in my younger days :)

Always loved Safeway. Thanks brings back memories

Totally missed the fact that they expanded into the UK and Australia in the early 60’s and were quite big in both markets and successful. For example they had 187 full size stores in Australia. They sold the chain in Australia in the late 1980’s to the Australian Woolworths supermarkets (no relation to the USA Woolworths) and the UK chain (480 stores) in the 1980’s as well.

Safeway - Everything you want from a store and a little bit more!

There is still one of the arched/domed roof Safeways operating in my area. I understand from other comments that it was named Marina Style. It was opened in the mid 1960's. The store is very busy and there isn't room to expand it or build a larger store. The store literally sits in the middle of a triangle of 3 different roads.

They returned to the UK not too long ago, Morrison's owns the rights to the name and are using it as a budget supermarket to rival Aldi and Lidl. Also had the slogan "everything you want from a store, and a little bit more..."

In Austin we lost our Safeway stores inn the 2000's. Though Randals still sells some Safeway brand items.

​My local safeway has a sign at front that says Serving Woodbridge since 1973

I remember Safeway also being called Super S back in the 60's. They had a good soda brand verity also black cherry was my favorite. We only got sodas on special occasions. Coke and Pepsi were much more expensive. There was a Sprouts Ritz store conected to the Safeway in our town you didn't have to go out side to get from one store to the other. This was nice when the weather was bad.

It's interesting to note that there are NO Safeway stores in Southwestern Idaho (centered around Boise, ID where Albertson's was founded and still headquartered). Albertson's ran Safeway out of competition here in the late 70's. However, Buttrey Foods (teamed up with Osco- another Skaggs' family brand) also helped run Safeway out of Idaho back then, too. As a Boise resident, Albertson's stores here are VERY expensive, mostly because of the cost of paying generations of Executive Stock Options and retirement Benefits. I shop at WINCO.

Love the beautiful mid century stores.

Recollection road - my old time Safeway had its Cigerettes cartons locked up in a Vending machine, & had to buy Tickets from Customer Service , my mom would give me $20 to buy a carton of Safeway brand Cigerettes . in the 1980's they had Arcade Video Games in Front Entrance, Battlezone, Bizerker, Space Invaders, Missile Command , and Zaxxon. the BEST thing about old time Safeway stores was the store brand - CRAGMONT soda.

Wish they never left!

Had 40 wonderful years working for Safeway. 1975-2015. In the stores for 15 years, NorCal division and Corporate Fuel for 25. Truly like a family. Had the best bosses. Left after the Albertsons buy out.

I remember going with my Mom to Safeway in Columbia, Missouri in the '60's as a little boy. I would ride in the cart and she would get me some candy.

Are you going to do Krogers?

There was a Safeway in Durant Oklahoma but, it's been gone for decades now. Miss it!

Does anybody remember a fruit drink called a spook? It came in a ghost shape transition plastic bottle.it sold near the otter pop’s from the 60’s

And Longs drug stores too...