Safeway FAIL
My email to the Customer Service dept:Today was not a good day at store #4002 in Burke, VA. At 2:15pm, there were 2 regular check out lines open, 1 express/15 items or less line open, and the self-checkouts. When I was ready to check out at 2:25pm, the Assistant Manager, who had been checking out customers in one of the regular lines, decided she was done and took no more customers. This left one regular line and the one express line. I was the last customer the checker at the remaining regular line would take, however, because he apparently was off at 2:30pm. A woman tried to be assisted after me, but the bagger came around and stretched the "closed line" cord behind me (stretched literally across my back without saying so much as an "excuse me") and told the woman she needed to find another line because this one was closed and the checker was going home. She asked where she should go and was pointed in the direction of the express line. She looked confused, but obeyed with no other good choice other than leaving her cart and the store. Mind you, she had well over the 15 item limit. She ended up in the express line, and I was able to witness the confusion on that checker's face when he saw the customer with a full cart enter his line. He looked around and realized he was now *the only line open*. While I was quietly aging while waiting for my checker to finish my order in no great hurry, I observed several other customers going up and down the check out area in search of a lane that was open other than the express line, only to find none. The Assistant Manager had conveniently disappeared, as had apparently anyone else who could check out customers. I don't know if this is how this store has decided to do things now, or what was going on, but this was absolutely unacceptable. Previously I have not had such an issue with checking out, but after today's experience, I plan to drive the extra several miles to Giant in hopes of getting better service.