Smart & Final

Cashier was much more interested in her conversation with the other cashier then with processing my checkout. She did manage to nonchalantly scan one item twice, charging me an extra ten dollars. I actually watch as things go through, and when I pointed it out she knew which item to void without looking at the screen, so she seemed to know that one item was double charged. Another bonus is that the receipt is barely legible, and as this is a store catering to business, most customers will need to keep receipts for accounting purposes. Fortunately I rarely shop here, and today did nothing to change that.

I LOVE Smart and Final but this store is so poorly managed that it makes each visit a teeth grinding experience!

You Guys are Number one I Buy mine Snacks and Sodas Pops for mine Snack Machine there

Used to shop here a lot, but have cut way way back after the remodel. Why? Lots of reasons. Here’s my top 10 pet peeves:
1. Prices have gone up, and are continuing to inch up as another reviewer has said.
2. The dairy case is so untidy I have to ask a tall person to reach for something way in the back.
3. Ditto on a lot of favorite items in the grocery aisles. Basically the translation is the employees have too much to do and this isn’t a priority or they could care less. (I suspect it’s the former.)
4. The entrance area is a NIGHTMARE. The right door’s outside motion-​activated sensor is broken, so you can only go thru the left door. Then when you get in, you have to maneuver through the carts and people that are at the check stands. It’s an accident waiting to happen.
5. The $ 5.99 chicken sounds like a good thing, but the meat is mushy and doesn’t taste right.
6. The popular staple items sell out really quick. You’d think they’d have that figured out, but nope.
7. The dairy/​frozen foods aisle (the widest aisle in the store) is being used in the middle as makeshift aisle. Yesterday it was stacked high with Crystal Springs gallon water jugs, with no support except for cardboard. Another accident waiting to happen, and maybe even against code.
8. Bulk foods. Anytime I’ve bought peanuts in shell they’ve been stale.
9. The checkout area. I’ve been there when there was only 1 open and the line snaked all the way to the end of the produce department.
10. Scariest thing of all — the aisles are too narrow and stacked way too high. I’d hate to be there when an earthquake hit.
Before the «remodel» the store had great deals, was spacious, items were easy to retrieve, and it was a pleasant place to shop. Usually, progress is supposed to improve things, but in this case it took a decent store and made it a mess.

The one star is for what the store has become since the remodel. It is HORRIBLE! The aisles are so narrow and stuffed with product you can’t get through. No one can figure out what checkout lines are open so people and carts are everywhere. And getting in the store is ridiculous since they pushed the registers so close to the doors it is a logjam even getting in and out. I used to love this store and would come at least once a week. There are two items I always buy here since I can’t find them anyplace else. I just bought these in bulk and will freeze them so I only have to come here once a year.

As others have said, they recently remodeled. Much cleaner, more modern appearance and LOTS more selection. However, I have noticed prices inching up over the past year. No longer the bargain it used to be; you have to really pay attention. My biggest complaint is that they have squeezed way too much into their footprint. The aisles are extremely narrow, The shelves are very high, with «extra» product stored on top. I would not want to be there during an earthquake. The check out lanes are jammed packed together and so close to the front doors than it can be challenging just to negotiate a cart INTO the store. If you enter and turn to the left, there is often also a pallet of stuff sitting in the only path and you must back up and go the other direction. Last time, I encountered not only this, but when going the other direction (towards produce) there were so many (unattended) pallets blocking the aisles, it was a total struggle to get into the main store. So bad in one area that I could not get to the items I wanted. NO WORKER NEARBY. This store has had this issue since the remodel. I don’t want to have to chase someone down to make room for me to get to the items they are supposedly trying to sell. Nearly left that day; as it was, I left w/​half of what I wanted. (Many stores are ignorant this way, tho not as seriously as Smart/​Final has become. WHY BLOCK CUSTOMERS FROM YOUR PRODUCTS??? I used to come here on a regular basis, but will probably only come rarely now, and if I do, will watch those prices, as most are now what the other markets charge. Disappointing.

They have gone through a major remodel and added the word ‘extra’ to their name. I can only presume they saw the impending competition from the new Sprouts in San Rafael and the soon-​to-​be Nugget Markets now that Paradise Markets has been sold, and realized they’d better do something if they wanted any customers wandering their aisles.
The remodel is well done. The store has been cleaned up, the signage is easy to interpret and they figured out how to jam a lot more product into the space without having that ‘Costco’ feeling. There is now a much larger produce section with organic choices. Ditto for dairy, way more organic choices. You have the ability to choose what you want, it isn’t all pre-​packaged. There continues to be a large assortment of bulk items as well.
Now, with all of that said, their prices keep inching up. A half-​gallon of Berkeley Farms Manufacturing cream used to routinely be a tad over $ 5. Now, it’s over $ 7. You have to shop very carefully for sale items here to truly get a deal.
It’s still worth keeping in the shopping rotation, but it isn’t the bargain shopping experience it used to be.

This store recently got a remodel and it looks way better than it used to. It’s now an extra so they offer a lot more items. The staff are very helpful. I had a problem with an item and the assistant manager Chuck helped me right away. The sales are pretty good. The only downfall is the parking lot, it way too small for the amount of traffic this place gets.

When NOT to come: 1^st of the month. Everyone gets their checks and makes their way down to the cheapest grocery store in the area.
When TO come: any other time. Boom! Cheap groceries. Amazing weekly deals. I come here to load up groceries for my grandmother, and we get all the deals on Jiffy cornbread, Cornflakes, Activia yogurts, all kinds of deals on meats and eggs. We always get our avocados here. They usually need a couple days to ripen, but then you have a whole bag of avos for that good, low price. Can’t beat it.
I especially love when they have the huge fruit platters that expire that day, so they offer half off to get it off the shelves. I but those and make myself fruit smoothies at home with them. Cheap way to eat clean.

I have been shopping here for my small business/​restaurant needs for 2 years now. The staff have always been very helpful and accommodating. If there is something I need not on the shelf, they check to see if there is more in the back. They help me with bagging the goods into my reusable bags I bought here for 99 cents. Sometime they even help me to my car when needed. They all know my name and the other regular customers that come in. I have seen many of the same customers there too when I shop. Love this place

This store is a great place to shop I have been going here for years. The staff is friendly and some have been their for year. It’s like Costco but has almost everything they have and more. I shop here then go to Costco. Great selection they have so many things I can’t find anywhere else. I am only rating them a 4 because one of my favorite things to buy their the selection was cut in less the half. I miss the great selection of the Torani syrups that can’t be found anywhere else. It bugs me that the selection is so tiny now and not much of a selection for sugar free options.

Only for an especially attractive advertised item will I shop here. I have not seen any organic products, for one thing. Count on at least one rotten apple/​strawberry/​orange in the pack. Example: I arrived the day after the advertised price was to begin, only to discover there was only one package of the advertised item. Showed the rotted fruit in that package to the clerk, who chose to place it back into the bin, ready for a less observant customer.

I stopped shopping at this store. The prices at SMF used to be competitive but are no longer. In general — most items are less expensive at Safeway if you shop wisely. Recently they raised the price on their Haribo gummy bears, which is one reason why I shopped there by over $ 2 per bag from $ 7.29 to just under $ 10. The manager could not explain why this huge percent price increase. I emailed corporate and received No Response back. I no longer shop here-​whereby I used to buy most of my groceries at SMF. I can buy my gummy bears and all my groceries for less elsewhere. The check out experience is also very frustrating at this store. Employees wait until a huge line mob cues up before calling for more checkers. It usually took at least 14 minutes to wait in line and check out or sometimes longer if the checker was having a problem with the register tape or purchaser’s payment. This place isn’t what it used to be when I first started shopping there.

Fast service, easy to get to from 101 and they don’t charge you for bags like they do in SF. I also tend to stop here if the 101 is slow going south, it’s a good respite from rush hour.

Wow, I feel like sometimes I am always the last to catch on. Who knew this place beats bev mo for prices??? Not much of a selection, but my needs are usually simple. Quirky service but I like them!

Just like their other 234 food & restaurant supply stores across six states and northern Mexico.. .. .this store has really great prices.
Clean and well stocked store. Friendly service.
You can’t always find what you are looking for here, but if you do, it is usually at a much better price than anywhere else.
My recommendation: Start by looking at Smart & Final before you try any of the other warehouse or grocery stores.
With the $$ you save you can buy me lunch!

If what you need is food, consumables and kitchen accessories, then come here, not Costco. The parking is less congested and the lines are shorter.