Safeway review: East Ave., Chico, CA - Hygiene - Covid precautions

After speaking with friends in Redwood City, San Jose and San Francisco, the failure of Safeway's bakery department is not a store issue, it is a corporate issue.

Up until Covid precautions, Safeway ALWAYS lacked hygiene precautions in your bakery department. The donuts, rolls, etc., were accessible to people's germs and handling. Safeway consistently allowed the French bread to have an open packaging end. During Covid, these issues were remedied and appropriate health and hygiene practices were put in place to protect customers and employees.

Now, Safeway bakeries have returned to their filthy protocols and customers and touch, cough, and carry any kind of infectious bacteria and viruses on its bakery goods. At least produce can be thoroughly washed, but bakery goods cannot be. SAFEWAY SHOULD DO AND KNOW BETTER, ESPECIALLY IN CALIFORNIA with the number of drug addicts and street people who frequent your stores. A few days ago, I saw a homeless man remove a loaf of bread out of the open package to smell it. He, as well as his hands, were filthy. At that point, I left my basket and exited the store.

Raley's, Costco and Trader Joe's have hygienic protocols in place wrapping their bakery goods to protect their customers. Since my last experience at Safeway, I have followed my friends' advice and no longer shop at Safeway even though the location is very convenient, and the store employees are always so helpful and courteous, it is not worth the risk of shopping there.

I hope your executive management and health and safety department take this matter seriously. Clearly I am not the only person concerned about Safeway's unhygienic business practices.