Safeway ‘actively’ making improvements at D.C. stores

Safeway’s Eastern Division on Friday said it was at work on improving the experience of a Washington, D.C., store singled out by a critical city official.

District 7 Councilman Vincent Gray, a former mayor of the city, on Thursday said he was “disappointed” in the in-stock conditions, service and quality of items at Safeway’s East River Park store. Gray said he had met with Safeway officials in April to discuss those issues and returned on behalf of constituents Thursday.

Gray, according to reports, said Safeway’s two stores in his district have been kept in poorer condition than stores in some surrounding neighborhoods.

Beth Goldberg, a spokeswoman for Safeway, in a statement provided to SN said:

“For more than 30 years, Safeway has been part of Washington, DC’s Ward 7 community. Our customers are of the utmost importance to us and we have actively worked to improve their experience at our Ward 7 stores. This includes increasing check-out-lane staff; expanding our product and service offerings to include delivery, more fresh options and easy-to-find favorites throughout the store; refreshing the layout and organization inside the store; and continuing to support the Ward 7 community as we always have. These changes are in the process of being implemented or are already part of our store operations.”