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A Safeway clerk who says he punched a man in self-defense has been suspended by the supermarket chain. Surveillance video obtained by KIRO 7 shows Anthony Johnson in a fight with a man he says pulled a knife on him. “I did what anybody else would do, I defended myself,” Johnson said. But Johnson says even though police agree he was acting in self-defense, Safeway has suspended him for the fight while they investigate the incident. “You know my manager was literally there,” Johnson said. “He was the one who told me there was a knife being drawn. Why should...

Only some checkout lanes in Safeway stores were affected, Krebs said. This isn't necessarily surprising: When Home Depot was the victim of a data breach last year, compromised self-checkout lanes were thought to be the culprit. Card skimming often pops up at gas stations, ATMs and other places where the payment terminals aren't always under the supervision of a cashier. Skimming devices are getting smaller and sneakier, so it's a good idea to pay attention when you swipe, since even small discrepancies in the PIN pad, card

Grocery store chain Albertsons Cos. is buying back 33 stores the government required it to sell when it acquired rival Safeway Inc. earlier this year, a highly unusual development approved by a judge on Tuesday that highlights a misfire by U.S. antitrust enforcers. Little has gone according to plan since the Federal Trade Commission allowed the Albertsons-Safeway tie-up in January on the condition that the companies sell 168 stores to preserve competition in several Western states. Without the divestitures, Albertsons would be too dominant in 130 local markets, the FTC said when it agreed to a settlement with the merging...

An employee at a Southwest D.C. Safeway has been fired after a Saturday incident in which a cashier used a homosexual slur, a Safeway spokesman said Thursday. The cashier, who worked at the Safeway at 1100 4th Street SW, used a slur when referring to a gay couple in the store, Safeway spokesman Craig Muckle said Thursday. The couple has filed a complaint with the D.C. Office of Human Rights, reported Metro Weekly. On Thursday, Muckle said Safeway’s human resources department had conducted an investigation, which resulted in the cashier’s termination. “We are truly sorry this happened in our store...

Safeway has enough on its plate - market share under siege, tough union negotiations, rumors of a takeover - without a senior executive putting his foot halfway down his throat, at its annual shareholders' meeting no less. Vice President and General Counsel Robert Gordon thought he was cracking wise with a lame joke involving the Secret Service, President Obama and two Arkansas razorback hogs deemed an "excellent trade" for Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco. Among the less-than-laugh-out-loud-responses was a letter from members of the Bay Area congressional delegation, led by Rep....

What’s good for Jay Leno, Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert is apparently not good for corporate lawyers.A group of Bay Area congressmembers sent a stern letter to Pleasanton-based Safeway CEO Steve Burd admonishing the grocery giant for a joke its top lawyer reportedly made at the expense of Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi during a May 15 stockholder meeting.General Counsel Robert Gordon reportedly told a joke involving the Secretary of State and the House Minority Speaker from San Francisco, pigs and the Secret Service. Gosh, it already sounds funny. (Read the full narrative below.)Lighten up, people.If members of Congress start...

There are Labradoodles in the produce aisle. There's a little Australian terrier sniffing the potato chips. Yes, there are dogs in the supermarket, particularly in San Francisco. And God help us, one of these days there may be a miniature pony in the checkout line. Seriously. And it's all perfectly legal. Or imperfectly legal, depending on whom you ask. Technically, these are service animals. But the technicality is starting to drive customers, supermarket owners and animal control officials around the bend. "This service animal thing is getting a little out of control," said Vicky Guldbech, captain of San Francisco's Department...

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A grocery store security guard was fired after he told the father of a 4-year-old girl that she would face criminal charges for eating from a dried fruit package, a TV station reported. The child's mother, Alissa Jones, said the father wasn't looking when the girl grabbed the package, ate a few pieces of fruit then returned it to a shelf at a Safeway store in Everett, Wash., KOMO reported Wednesday. Safeway previously faced widespread criticism when a Honolulu couple were arrested over stolen sandwiches and had their 2-year-old daughter taken from them briefly by state...

<p>A Hawaii couple’s 3-year-old daughter was taken away from them for 18 hours after they were arrested for forgetting to a pay for two $5 sandwiches.</p> <p>The outing-turned-nightmare happened Wednesday while the family was shopping at a local Safeway.</p> <p>"We walked a long way to the grocery store and I was feeling faint, dizzy, like I needed to eat something so we decided to pick up some sandwiches and eat them while we were shopping," Leszczynski told the news station.</p>

There’s a supermarket anomaly near my home. Two supermarkets, a block apart: King Soopers (a Kroger store) and Safeway. In my town, everybody shops at King Soopers. Safeway is deserted. There are literally more employees than customers. Consequently, I get tremendous prices at Safeway, including a large percentage of my groceries at 50% off. What’s up with that? For some reason, Safeway has made the corporate decision to keep the store open as a loss leader. Curious. They stock all the normal foods, but then they have to get the food out of the store quickly at 50% off while...

How Safeway Is Cutting Health-Care Costs Market-based solutions can reduce the national health-care bill by 40%Effective health-care reform must meet two objectives: 1) It must secure coverage for all Americans, and 2) it must dramatically lower the cost of health care. Health-care spending has outpaced the rise in all other consumer spending by nearly a factor of three since 1980, increasing to 18% of GDP in 2009 from 9% of GDP. This disturbing trend will not change regardless of who pays these costs -- government or the private sector -- unless we can find a way to improve the...

California grocer labor talks ongoing, deadline passes Sunday September 18, 2011 10:49pm PDT (Reuters) - Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons remained in talks with the union representing 62,000 Southern California supermarket workers as the deadline for canceling their labor contract passed on Sunday evening. The United Food and Commercial Workers union on Thursday issued a required 72-hour notice of its plan to cancel its extended contract, a move that opened the door for workers to strike if an acceptable deal could not be reached. "Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons are still at the table with the union. Progress is being made,...

The union representing Southland grocery workers issued a 72-hour notice Thursday night canceling the grocery contract extension, paving the way for a strike. "We returned to the bargaining table ready to compromise and make a deal that keeps our employers profitable but protects the jobs of our members," said a statement from the United Food and Commercial Workers, which represents workers at Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons. "Instead, we got more of the same stonewalling from management. They are unwilling to compromise and are more concerned about hoarding their billions in profits than reaching a fair deal for their employees. We...

Charging that management is “stonewalling,” union grocery workers in Southern California have issued a 72-hour notice cancelling their contract extension, paving the way for a strike. Eight months of negotiations between seven United Food and Commercial Workers locals representing 62,000 workers and management of supermarket chains owned by Kroger, Safeway and Supervalu have been hampered by disagreements over health care contributions. The union has charged that management’s proposal would “bankrupt health plans and eliminate entirely health care access” for employees. ... “We returned to the bargaining table ready to compromise and make a deal that keeps our employers profitable but...

Market-based solutions can reduce the national health-care bill by 40%. Effective health-care reform must meet two objectives: 1) It must secure coverage for all Americans, and 2) it must dramatically lower the cost of health care. Health-care spending has outpaced the rise in all other consumer spending by nearly a factor of three since 1980, increasing to 18% of GDP in 2009 from 9% of GDP. This disturbing trend will not change regardless of who pays these costs -- government or the private sector -- unless we can find a way to improve the health of our citizens. Failure to...

I was coming through the grocery line today when I encountered a female, middle-aged African American cashier sporting three (3) Obama political buttons on her smock. I paid for my items and promptly called Safeway's Pleasanton, CA headquarters and asked for the Public Relations office where I spoke to the Director. I asked her if Safeway, Inc. was officially endorsing Barack Obama as one of their cashiers clearly was showing political partisanship in the workplace. She said, "No, we have a strict dress code of no athletic, political or religious insignia". She asked for the store address and assured me...

Yesterday I stopped by my local Safeway Grocery Store in the Washington Square shopping center in Petaluma, California. Right next to each entrance were Obama booths selling t-shirts, button, bumperstickers, etc. When I got home, we called Safeway and asked the "Store Manager of the Day" (his words) why they are allowing these partisan booths in front of the store. His response was (paraphrased) that they didn't do it, and that their landlord has the right to rent spots on their sidewalk. So, we called the Fulcrum Group, out of the Sacramento Area, and asked them if they rented this...

Jury Awards Cal. Man $18M for Harassment LOS ANGELES (AP) - A jury has ordered The Vons Companies Inc. to pay more than $18 million in damages to a former employee who claimed the supermarket chain fired him after he filed a report accusing a female supervisor of sexual harassment. The Simi Valley jury awarded more than $16 million in punitive damages to James Stevens on Friday, two days after ordering Vons to pay the one-time inventory clerk $1.7 million for economic loss and emotional distress, said attorney Gloria Allred, who represented Stevens. Stevens, a Ventura County resident who worked...

Tucson Police evacuated the Safeway store on Prince road and Campbell avenue for much of Saturday afternoon and into evening after an employee spotted a suspicious package. According to police, an employee called police at about 2:14 p.m. Saturday afternoon after spotting a package below the customer service counter. Sgt. Decio Hopffer said that when the bomb squad arrived and evacuated the store, "The bomb technician saw things in it that led them to believe that this was a live device and they had to take the necessary precautions to make sure no one was going to get hurt." Hopffer...

Bomb Scare At Tucson Grocery Store Jenny Rose KGUN9 News An explosive situation tied up the intersection of Prince and Campbell for hours after someone found a bomb at a grocery story. Jenny Rose has the latest. http://www.kgun9.com/NewsArticle/tabid/111...38/Default.aspx