My Secret Identity: REVEALED (Safeway)

Member Name: happybunny75

Product:	Safeway
Date:	18/11/01 (925 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent weekly deals, Good ambience

Disadvantages: Prices slightly higher per item than elsewhere, Offers run out very quickly

I have a confession to make.

All of these months I have been posing as a Dooyoo-er, for the last two of them I have been working for…er…god, this is difficult you know…I will say it….

I WORK FOR SAFEWAY.

I’m glad I’ve got that off my chest now.

I am an employee of Safeway (ok, that’s the therapy group self-assertiveness out of the way), and I am no longer embarrassed to say that as a smiling, helpful representative of the company, Safeway is rapidly gaining distance with it’s rivals of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda.

Think of supermarket shopping, and one of the aforementioned trio are what springs to mind. Think of Safeway and you think of Somerfield and the now defunct Gateway.

Safeway has indeed taken a revamp in recent years and further stores are being introduced in areas that have never seen the likes of this David, to its Goliath’s, but people all over the UK are beginning the conversion to the Safeway religion: praising it’s weekly offers and atmospheric surroundings; marvelling at the product freshness and quality (ok, ok maybe the Safeway employee ethos is somewhat annoying!).

What Safeway have done is nothing special or different to any other supermarket. Except, it has finally listened to its customers and watched the success of its rivals with curiosity. Let me take you on a Safeway shopping experience.


THE STORES

Now with nearly 500 stores within the UK, the interiors themselves create a pleasant shopping experience.

There’s nothing majorly different to other major supermarket retailers. Aisles are wide, and items are placed in a ‘supermarket’ format (ever realised that you always head for the same place for something, even if you are shopping at a different retailer?).

Most of the larger stores have in-store bakeries, rotisseries, delicatessens, fresh meat and
fish counters. And that added bonus of a cafeteria to have a relaxing cuppa in after your mountainous shop or before in preparation. Customer service desks are in the main prominently placed at the entrance to the store (handy if you have any returns and if you need to ask any questions whilst shopping, you’d have noticed that you’d passed it on your way in! Wouldn’t you?).

‘Shop ‘n’ Go’ is proving to be a popular and convenient way of shopping. This is the method of shopping whereby you pick up a hand-held scanner on your way into the store and as you add items to your basket or trolley you scan them. When paying you go to a designated till point especially for ‘Shop ‘n’ Go’ customers and pay for items that you have previously scanned, thus you save time by not having to have them scanned at the till. On occasions, staff will randomly scan trolleys, but by waiting in a queue for ‘Shop ‘n’ Go’ even if there are a dozen people in front of you, you will find that the queue will go down a lot quicker than the usual tills.

The ambience of a supermarket is becoming increasingly important to customers as competition between supermarkets becomes even fiercer with pricing wars. Low prices seem to have become less of a concern in recent years, but the overall presentation and atmosphere whilst shopping is becoming increasingly important, as customers are choosing their chosen chain of supermarket by ever increasing criteria.

Supermarket music! The bain of my life a couple of years ago, as I struggled around the aisles, knocking down children and barging past the blue-rinse brigade, whilst Casio keyboard man, played an easy-listening ensemble. Now as I perform my professional duties I find myself humming, and god-forbid, even singing along to tracks by original artists from the 60’s through to the present day. And even customers find themselves humming a
long. Surely, this is making shopping a lot more pleasant?

And talking about employees. Oh dear. The dreaded race of supermarket employees. What can I say? Well, due to the delightful taste in music that the Safeway hierarchy have (or should I say the psychologists who obviously advised the Safeway hierarchy that this music must somehow sub-consciously get people to buy from a Safeway supermarket) employees are starting to break their faces into half-hearted smiles. No this isn’t a criticism of my colleagues, and myself but it’s the nature of the job we find ourselves in and the reputation we have for moody unhelpfulness. And now with a new improved uniform of casual and practical qualities (and not a grey-green dress as worn previously) we grin broadly and are pleased to meet, greet and help all customers in distress more than ever. Isn’t psychology great?!


PRODUCTS AND DEALS

Obviously the size of the store will determine the range of products on offer at each Safeway store. But, on the whole a wide range that includes a ‘Savers’ brand (similar to other supermarkets’ cheaper basics ranges), and a variety of both brand names and Safeway’s own goods.

There are a variety of organic products both within the produce (fruit and veg) section and within the main store. Unlike, Sainsbury’s who seem to be leading in the ‘organics’ battle, products are mixed in within the sections (and not grouped together as organic products). A bit of a difficulty if you are a dedicated organic shopper.

“Are we doing a deal, or are we doing a deal?” No, sorry that’s Iceland, infuriatingly enough according to the adverts anyway. Safeway have their own weekly deals. And I mean deals. Instead of a multitude of BOGOF deals, and after doing away with the ABC loyalty card, Safeways have come up with a winning formula to attract new customers.

Their weekly deals
normally include about 6 very good deals and many other smaller ones, with money off offers or the occasional BOGOF promotion. The 6 BIG deals have become renowned as Safeway’s strategic marketing ploy that coaxes the unsuspecting shopper to pop in, buy in bulk and then buy other groceries as well.

The new ‘deal week’ starts on a Wednesday, and leaflets are posted to every house in the area to inform customers of new deals. Regular deals normally include; 7 multipack Hula Hoops for 49p; 1.5 litre Pepsi for 39p; 7x 2-finger pack of Kit Kats for 39p. Recently, they have had 200g Kenco Rappor coffee for £1.49 – great coffee at a great price, and 4 x 1litre cartons of Safeway pure orange juice for 99p. Offers change weekly, but the usual crisps, coke and chocolate bar offers are repeated quite frequently. This is a great way of shopping for the consumer, whereby when an offer catches the eye it is best to buy in bulk (although there is normally a restriction of 3 offer items per customer, but how would they recognise you by paying at different tills?). But unfortunately, the deals don't last long. The most popular ones run out fairly quickly, and I've had more than one irate customer who have complained about this: Overstocking is not one of Safeway's good points I'm afraid.


Generally, Safeway’s prices are deemed to be slightly higher than other supermarkets. On comparing individual items to other chains, there might be a few pence difference, but if you do buy the weekly deals on a regular basis I’m sure that a monthly shopping trolley wouldn’t be any different in Safeway’s as it is in Sainsbury’s or Tescos.


CONCLUSION

Wow! Who’d have thought there’d be so much to write about Safeways?

This is now a supermarket that’s a serious contender to the ‘big three’: A store, which has taken into consideration both the produc
t needs and the shopping experience of the customer. Stores are spacious with easily locatable facilities; products are fresh and varied; prices are reasonable and deals are consumer friendly.

I think it’s about time they re-invented their catchphrase though. “Lightening the Load”? Do I look like I’m pregnant? Do I? Well…

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