This is my closest grocery store, so I tend to go there out of convenience. They do have an excellent variety of items, and fresh produce, which I love. I'm also always happy to see new and interesting things I may have not seen before.
I spent a great deal of time avoiding Safeway because of the high prices, but I have to say, as long as you know what price range the item you're looking for is in, you'll be fine; in fact, a lot of the prices are on par with other retailers. They also frequently have items on sale, and have items you can't necessarily get anywhere else (I'm looking at you, enchilada sauce).
The staff is genuinely friendly, fun, and courteous, and I enjoy speaking with them. The store is also quite clean. The friendliness of the staff is such a huge bonus when it comes to needing to interact with people too.
So why the 4 instead of 5 stars? The meat. I don't know what it is with the meat, but the chicken especially, goes rancid so quickly. I do check best before dates on meat (and hilariously sniff before taking) due to past bad experiences with other places, but regardless of the precautions, it seems like it will go rotten within 5 days or less. And I don't mean, "I need to cook this tonight or it will go bad", I mean, "GONDOR CALLS FOR AID, THE STENCH SHALL NEVER LEAVE AND OUR TASTEBUDS BLEED WITH TERROR!"
Other than that, great place!