Vons

Been going to this VONS for 20+ years. Yeah, that’s right, TWENTY years. Normally a nice clean place, normally friendly employees (everyone has a «one off» now and then), but about 2 months ago new credit card processing boxes appeared to accommodate the new «chip» cards, where you slide the card into a special slot at the bottom. Well, they didn’t work just right, and the cashier would tell you to slide your card like the old boxes. No problem. But on a subsequent visit, got my groceries, put my card into the special slot below and waited. Finally the cashier said «oh, they still don’t work, you have to slide it». So I suggested that since we customers DO NOT KNOW THAT, perhaps it would be a good idea to block the lower slot, and maybe a small sign saying to please slide your cc like in the past. I’d get a smile and that’s it. Next visit, same deal. Put my card in, everyone waited and finally the cashier says «oh, no, you have to slide your card»…well instead of me standing here like an idiot waiting, why don’t you guys do what I suggested last time, block the slot and put a small sign to that effect. I really suggest you tell your manager this. Another smile. Two more visits, SAME THING. I mean, c’mon, you REALLY don’t listen to your customers, do you? What’s worse, I think this is more of a case of you really DON’T CARE, do you??? 20+ years, and I’m a piece of crap with my suggestions (by the way I’m in the customer service field, I know a wee bit about how to treat a customer and actually value them)… This is not a «one off», several different cashiers now have done this. No one cares :(

I have to say that I’m very impressed by the way the Vons pharmacy team (especially Tressa) handled my situation tonight. When I arrived, the phones were ringing off the hook there was a line 3 or four people deep and once it was my turn I had to request to transfer my prescription to Vons from CVS.
The interesting part is under all the stress of the phones ringing off the hook and several customers in line, Tressa & Richard took very good care of me. I’m very happy that I transferred my prescription to this Vons pharmacy and that I was lucky enough to get Tressa/​Richard to assist me.
I can assure you that I’ll be a loyal customer to this Vons for many years.

When we bought the house across the street, the phrase, «Can we talk about how close we are to the fucking VONS?» came out of my mouth. I was super excited to essentially have a huge pantry and booze store right across the street. While it is super nice to have the ability to walk 5 minutes and buy whatever the wife and I need to make our next meal, this store isn’t so great.
The wife and I drink bubble water non-​stop. I really like the lime flavor a lot. It’s a good taste and works well with some vodka or gin. When the checker has asked me, «Did you find everything ok?» I’ve taken the opportunity to ask for the lime bubble water. After asking 2 different checkers and not seeing the lime flavor show up, I was lucky enough to be checked out by the store manager. THIS time, I would get my lime deliciousness. He even wrote it down in his phone. This was about 2 months ago and alas, still, no lime bubble water. Sadness. The wife has asked for broccolini (whatever that is) a couple of times without that product appearing either.
Some of the people that work in this VONS are a little, how do you say, odd. One guy behind the deli talks to me about motorcycles and motorcross each time I go in there. I appreciate that you’re trying to be friendly and talk to me about stuff, but I know nothing about the subject and only respond with courteous, «Oh, really?» type of replies.
The pharmacy, however, is totally different. They’re on it. Super friendly and quick service. Noe (hope I spelled that correctly!) is a super friendly guy that’s a pleasure to deal with.

Don’t try calling this store if their internet is down as you’ll get a fast busy signal. I decided to drive to the store anyways on Christmas Day hoping they were open. Once I let them know their phone signal was busy and they might want to check their phones, they truly couldn’t care less about it. The checker, Bianca, said she had only been at the store a year and didn’t know anything about it (What???). The supervisor up front told it me was probably because their internet is down, and it sounds like a regular occurrence.

Vons Pharmacy Staff definitely deserve some recognition! I have used many pharmacies that I have turned around & walked out of. This pharmacy staff, specifically Noe, Tressa,& Sharon make me feel like family! I use their services at least 1−2x a week& they always greet me with a warm smile, willingness to meet my sometimes challenging needs,& professionalism They all seem to respect one another which is so nice to see! I wouldn’t go to any other pharmacy (unless I absolutely had to) because I trust my pharmacy

NEVER buying meat here again.
Used bandaid in the the NY steak. I’m so beyond grossed out. Management needs to send some employees to food health and safety training.

This is for the Pharmacy team at Von’s. Can’t say enough about them. They are able to be both professional and friendly at the same time. They take the time to look at the total situation, not just the last prescription refill, and provide helpful advice and recommendations. When issues arise, they really go out of their way to help. If you have someone who really needs prescriptions, this is very important. They are the best, most helpful part of our medical team and I can’t thank them enough!
The grocery store is so-​so and the deli at Von’s should be avoided, but the Pharmacy is as good as it gets. Stunningly great actually.

How can you rate a store zero stars? This store is terrible. The employees have no customer focus whatsoever. It’s a beautiful store. But, they definitely need a new leader or manager. You can tell that the employees are very tired.

I don’t go here very often. In fact, it’s probably been a least a year since I was here. But I want to keep an open mind and revisit.
In short, yesterday’s visit was a disaster. And I truly mean that. I went in response to an advertised special for 3 starbucks coffee packs on sale and you get free milk valued up to $ 5.99. Expected the trip to take about 10 minutes because these were the only items I was purchasing. Had my 3 girls with me– they were energetic, but behaving. Got my 3 starbucks packages, a gallon of organic milk ($ 6.49– so I expect to pay the $.50 difference)
Went to a checkout lane staffed by a seasoned checker «Sheryl» whose nametag displayed she’d been with the company since 1976. There was a LONG delay with the customer in front of me (an item rang up twice what the shelf tag read) so we waited and waited for someone else to come resolve this. People in line behind me moved to another lane. (I should have!)
Finally, it’s my turn and I have my items with credit card in hand, ready to get out of there ASAP. But no, «Sheryl» tells me that «the system won’t let me» get the gallon of organic milk because it’s more than $ 5.99 and that I’ll have to buy a certain brand and that brand doesn’t offer organic milk. I know this is not the case and I hand her the ad which clearly states that’s not the case– no such restrictions. She forces the issue and sells me the regular, generic milk. At this point, I know I’m getting nowhere because she is simply clueless. Sweet, professional, courteous, but had no clue as how to process this promotion for organic milk! So I have to flag a supervisor who calmly returns the wrong milk and fixes the problem. (thank you!) This all took 30 minutes AFTER I had the items in hand!!!
Am I upset at getting the wrong kind of milk? If only it were that simple. During this entire painstaking process, my 3 girls are running up and down the front of the store, pushing the race car cart, and attempting to climb up the stack of water bottles to grab the huge blow up Nemo fish. Perhaps if I didn’t have 3 kids in tow, I would not have had such a negative experience. But I do expect the stores I visit to deliver prompt, efficient service and it obviously has a huge impact on the total experience. Can I EVER return here with my kids and have expectations that we can get in and out within a reasonable time? Highly doubtful.

I have the option of a couple grocery stores and I choose this one every time. Never crowded. Deli is always awesome. Decent parking. I can’t say it’s the cheapest ALL the time but regardless I choose it over the alternatives because I’m in and out of here in 10 minutes every time. Redbox ALWAYS works! Huge plus. =) I was just looking through some older reviews about long lines… they obviously fixed this! I’ve never had that problem and I go there regularly after work.

This is my local Von’s, and although it’s in a nice location on El Camino Real in La Costa, it’s overall just average.
The prices at all Von’s seem to be considerably higher than other grocery stores. The employees here are always scarce if you need one, and only a select few of the cashiers are friendly. More times than not I have come to this location and they have been out of the products or brands that I have needed.
Parking can be a little hard, and the lines are always REALLY crowded, even the express lanes. Not a fast in-​and-​out store if that’s what you need.

This is a new store that someone told me was one of the biggest Vons store in Southern California. It is definitely a big store. I have found the staff to be especially friendly and the selection quite broad. They have a large prepared foods area for take out lunches, a large selection of organic foods, and a large selection of inexpensive baked goods. Their prices are reasonable with a Vons card. This store has become my «go to» store for organic produce and baked cookies.

Overpriced slow service and limited selection. My wife had a subpar experience last night but the Unilocal review already set a low expectation for this location. And once again then stars proved to be right.

I have never liked this store much. Prescriptions take a long time to get filled, and sometimes they just «lose» your prescription, and you have to wait all over again to get it filled. This has happened twice to me. Since then I gave up and now I get them filled at Rite Aid. Also, management and training leave lots to be desired. In my last trip to this VONS a few days ago, when the person at the checkstand scanned the fresh baguette I wanted to buy, while sliding it over to the bagger to put in my grocery bag, the bread came out of the [paper bag, and onto the counter. The checker (Trey — Supervisor) proceeded to put the baguette back into the bag and hand it over to the bagger for her to put into my cart. The Bagger kept looking at him in disbelief, and so did I! The counter is so dirty! So I said to him that It had come out of the bag. He looked at me and asked «Oh so do you want a different one?» Well, isn’t it obvious??? This just makes me think that they are not very concerned or care about cleanliness or keeping the food safe from getting contaminated. Forget this place and go to Albertsons or Ralphs.

I’ve been shopping here for 4 years now and it seems to have gone down hill a bit. My biggest concern is I’ve found expired food several times in the last few months. I’ve brought it to management’s attention but nothing has been done. I even found expired baby food scary and the manager wasn’t apologetic at all (told me it’s the vendors responsibility to check the dates). On the plus side, most of the other staff are friendly, especially Angelina! This Vons is losing a lot of customers to other local grocery stores, I hope they can turn things around soon, especially regarding the expired food.

This Shopping Center is the worst. Businesses there keep vanishing one by one. This Store is the most outdated Von’s I’ve been to. Constantly waiting in line every time I go.

Not the best, not the worst. Have been shopping here on and off for 2 years.
PROS:
–Some of the clerks are nice
–During off hours it’s never crowded
CONS:
–Large homeless population frequents this store and hangs out in front
–Their quality control is very bad. On several occasions I’ve purchased food that once I got home found out it was spoiled or wasn’t sealed.
–A few of their checkers are very rude. One checker spent the entire time she was scanning my order talking to another person and her kids. She didn’t acknowledge me. I told her 3 times there was water under my cart. She wasn’t listening because she was talking to the other person. When she finished ringing me up and didn’t include the water, I told her again. She then yelled at her bagger at said it was his fault. I corrected her and defended the checker. Her defense was «I was talking to them because they’re regular customers.» Granted, I don’t shop there multiple times a week, but I’m there several times a month. On this trip I spent over $ 300. Yet I was being ignored because I wasn’t «regular.» She was a total jerk!

This is a great Vons. They pretty much always have everything in stock and they have one of the best organic selections of any Vons/​Safeway that I have been too… Yes, they are a bit more expensive then other grocery stores, but when you sign up for the Vons club card, the savings make up for the added costs. Another tip is to
Download the Vons iPhone app, it is awesome and basically gives you coupons based on your shopping habits. This is my go to Grocery store in the south Carlsbad area.
Pros:
Organic selection
Starbucks inside
Great customer service
Vons club
Sales
$ 5 Friday’s
Great produce selection
Alcohol selection
Cons
Expensive when not on sale
Can get crowded which may result in long lines
Redbox selection
Fresh breads sell out quickly

Unfortunately the Store Manager George is extremely rude and disrespectful and it makes for a poor service experience in this store if you happen to have him as your clerk. Fortunately the rest of the staff is very courteous and helpful. The store is in a good shopping center with good places to eat.

Had to go out late last night for some groceries and sack lunch supplies for my daughters field trip the next day. Went online to see what stores were still open nearby. This Vons was the only thing in the close vicinity. They’re open until 1 AM for the midnight shoppers. How convenient.
The only downside to shopping here at this time was that the store employees were re-​stocking all the shelves for the following day. When I say all the shelves, I mean ALL the shelves. Every aisle had pallets of supplies waiting to be placed on the shelves, in the refrigerator or freezer. It was a maze of groceries and pallats wrapped or unwrapped in plastic.
A plus for this location is that they have a Starbucks and a Panda Express inside as well as a Wells Fargo. I don’t frequent those other places inside, but I’m sure it’s handy for many.
Keep on Unilocal’n