Lucky and Safeway dominate the area's supermarket scene. Unfortunately, our recent price shopping reveals neither is a standout for price, and our customer surveys show neither particularly wows its customers when it comes to quality and service. Fortunately, however, there are a few bright spots for Bay Area supermarket shoppers.

Read our article and findings (available exclusively to CHECKBOOK subscribers)

Back to Bay Area Consumers' CHECKBOOK Table of Contents.

Sample Subscriber Comments/Reviews About Supermarkets

CHECKBOOK provides subscriber comments on their experiences with the firms they use. Please remember that individual subscriber comments are informal. Subscriber comments may give you insight into the types of features and problems that exist in a service field, but are not the best basis for selecting or rejecting a specific firm. To assess the quality of a firm's performance, we recommend that you give more weight to the percentages of favorable ratings. Those percentages are generally based on much larger numbers of consumers' ratings (the number of consumer ratings is noted above).

As You Can See Below, Some Supermarkets Get High Praise from Their Customers. Some Others Don't. So Choose Carefully.
Here Are a Few Samples of the Thousands of Comments CHECKBOOK Has Collected on Hundreds of Different Supermarkets.

• Subscriber from SAN FRANCISCO, CA wrote Another Store: Trader Joes has slowly taken over providing most of our food. Their quality and prices..........
• Subscriber from SAN JOSE, CA wrote Another Store: Lunardi's has excellent meats and produce but they are expensive. I usually only go there..........
• Subscriber from MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA wrote Another Store: staff helpfulness varies a lot. From just plain rude to clueless to ready and willing........
• Subscriber from BERKELEY, CA wrote Another Store: I frequent the cafeteria for lunch. It's BUSY and confusing at first, but the prices..........
• Subscriber from WALNUT CREEK, CA wrote Another Store: Good prices and good products, but selection is mediocre. When I shop here, I often..........
• Subscriber from OAKLAND, CA wrote Another Store: Great prices, but stock changes can occur suddenly and the product you loved when you..........
• Subscriber from SANTA CRUZ, CA wrote Another Store: It's been great to have our new store in Santa Cruz. It is often super..........
• Subscriber from OAKLAND, CA wrote Another Store: If you live off convenience foods and don't have time to cook, Trader Joe's is..........
• Subscriber from CAMPBELL, CA wrote Another Store: I prefer to shop at Whole Foods over Safeway, Albertsons and other popular supermarket chains........
• Subscriber from CONCORD, CA wrote Another Store: Good for some stuff........
• Subscriber from SAN FRANCISCO, CA wrote Another Store: This is a relatively expensive store, but I like it for meats and bakery items..........
• Subscriber from REDWOOD CITY, CA wrote Another Store: Generally an excellent store - quality and stock however vary by location; on the penninsula,..........
• Subscriber from PALO ALTO, CA wrote Another Store: It's great but it's expensive. I found it's even more expensive than Robert's in Woodside!.......
• Subscriber from SAN BRUNO, CA wrote Another Store: The staff at Lunardi's in San Bruno is especially helpful and pleasant to older customers........
• Subscriber from SAN FRANCISCO, CA wrote Another Store: Sire Management has NO control over recognizing local needs & providing for them. Off site..........
• Subscriber from LOS ALTOS, CA wrote Another Store: Los Altos store.......
• Subscriber from SAN FRANCISCO, CA wrote Another Store: Good for towels, tissue, toilet paper, detergent, cleaning supplies, canned foods, potato chips, ie the..........
• Subscriber from REDWOOD CITY, CA wrote Another Store: Made an inadvertent overcharge and were very helpful in making good on it, even several..........
• Subscriber from SAN JOSE, CA wrote Another Store: Trader Joe's is a fun grocery, but the layout of the stores (angled aisles and..........
• Subscriber from WOODSIDE, CA wrote Another Store: These comments are for the Half Moon Bay store. Other branches have not been as..........
• Subscriber from SAN JOSE, CA wrote Another Store: The produce is far superior to Lucky's. Whole Foods has cheaper prices overall, but it..........
• Subscriber from SAN FRANCISCO, CA wrote Another Store: The Molly Stone I usually go to near my home replaced a different small supermarket,..........
• Subscriber from CAMPBELL, CA wrote Another Store: About on par with Lucky's but not as good as places like Lunardi's, Andronico's or..........
• Subscriber from MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA wrote Another Store: They'll be moving to a new, larger building next month. They promise that the prices..........
• Subscriber from MILL VALLEY, CA wrote Another Store: Very uninspiring shopping. Fills the need but products and service are never above average........
• Subscriber from EL CERRITO, CA wrote Another Store: good stuff, but higher price than Safeway.......
• Subscriber from MENLO PARK, CA wrote Another Store: The new Menlo Park store is very nice, even nice to eat in there........
• Subscriber from MARTINEZ, CA wrote Another Store: Quality of food, and variety of organic items trumps all other aspects - but expensive........
• Subscriber from LOS ALTOS, CA wrote Another Store: Excellent wine department, nice selection of organic produce. We like walking to the grocery store,..........
• Subscriber from MENLO PARK, CA wrote Another Store: Best for meat, veggies and huge selection of oils, vinegars, condiments - anything in a..........
• Subscriber from OAKLAND, CA wrote Another Store: The only place that carriers UNsmoked pork hocks!.......
• Subscriber from SAN LEANDRO, CA wrote Another Store: Checkers are too busy talking with co-workers while ringing up the customer. Baggers are next..........
• Subscriber from BERKELEY, CA wrote Another Store: Not my first choice, but pricing far more competitive and service/quality adequate so has stolen..........
• Subscriber from ALEXANDRIA, VA wrote Another Store: Quality products but expensive........
• Subscriber from PALO ALTO, CA wrote Another Store: This is our "shelf items & spices" store, and other items that may be priced..........
• Subscriber from EMERYVILLE, CA wrote Another Store: If you don't go right when they open, you can wait in line for a..........
• Subscriber from CASTRO VALLEY, CA wrote Another Store: Tend to buy only dairy products,eggs and wine here........
• Subscriber from RICHMOND, CA wrote Another Store: Prices are nice and low........
• Subscriber from WALNUT CREEK, CA wrote Another Store: Lafayette.......
• Subscriber from SAN FRANCISCO, CA wrote Another Store: The produce is too expensive for what you get -- ok stuff, but nothing as..........
• Subscriber from SAN FRANCISCO, CA wrote Another Store: I love this store........
• Subscriber from OAKLAND, CA wrote Another Store: Love it. Glad they're opening anew store, so that the "rush hour" crush is relieved..........
• Subscriber from BERKELEY, CA wrote Another Store: Great seasonal produce at amazing prices! Everything else is overpriced, though........
• Subscriber from SAN FRANCISCO, CA wrote Another Store: House brands very good. Not a full-line supermarket........
• Subscriber from RICHMOND, CA wrote Another Store: Definitely superior to Albertson's and a really good all-around market. Love their pastries!.......
• Subscriber from FREMONT, CA wrote Another Store: Best selection of any local grocery. If you can't find it anywhere else, Raley's will..........
• Subscriber from PALO ALTO, AR wrote Another Store: 51st and Broadway in Oakland. A solid store. Not great, not bad, just good.......
• Subscriber from SAN FRANCISCO, CA wrote Another Store: Extraordinary produce, in spectacular variety, at great prices. Bulk goods, health foods, gourmet items, sashimi-quality..........
• Subscriber from MONTARA, CA wrote Another Store: Prices are high, but the food and service are awfully good........
• Subscriber from SUNNYVALE, CA wrote Another Store: Good prices, good selection including organic, but high staff turnover rate and mediocre seafood departments..........