Safeway FTL!!! (Avoid safeway gift cards!)

[Thaco]

Ugh, another reason i hate Safeway stores and will continue to do so... i send an email to the company regarding my experience with my gift card... here it is (no point in me re-typing it.)


Basically moral of the story is, dont buy or give Safeway gift cards as a gift. (they told me the no buying liquor was a ALCB law or something, but even so, they should fix the wording on their cards, very misleading)

I wanted to express my extreme displeasure with your store, and lack of advertising policies when it pertains to gift cards. I went to one of your stores a few days ago because i had some change that i wanted to use your coin counter service, which i think is a GREAT service, however, when i put in my change, was greeted with a nice slip saying i was entitled to a gift card valued at $98.70, so i went to the customer service and got my gift card and gladly left the store.

Which brings me to today, I started by reading the terms on the back of the gift card "card is redeemable at any Safeway companies stores in us and Canada" great, i thought, and proceeded to a store with a liquor store attached to it, grabbed my merchandise, rang it through, only to be told my card was no good there... "WHAT!?!" i thought? "ANY SAFEWAY COMPANIES" how is this NOT a Safeway companies store? at which time i was told by the cashier, it's not good at the liquor store, as well he rambled off various other places, tobacco, gas bar, etc....

REALLY? how is this gift card "as good as cash" and redeemable at "any Safeway companies stores" even useful? so then i was angry, but i thought OK, I'll just go in to the store, and buy a liquor store gift card with this one, only to have the cashier tell me i can not buy a gift card with a gift card??!?!?? i have done this many times at other retailers... to me this policy is just baffling... gift cards as GOOD AS CASH? apparently not!


I do not shop at Safeway on a regular basis, and this experience just reaffirms my displeasure and dislike of this chain of stores.

You either need to fix your policies, or at least make people aware of what they're getting themselves into before dealing with your stores.

[wardpr68]

Are you a retard? Its pretty common policy that gift cards are no good for liquor store, tobacco purchases, or gas bar.....

wow... I remember my first gift card.

[wardpr68]

I apologize, that was a bit much.

But seriously... you didn't know that you can't use giftcards at liquor stores?!?!?

[Kloubek]

So what? Do you never buy food?

[Thaco]

Originally posted by wardpr68
I apologize, that was a bit much.

But seriously... you didn't know that you can't use giftcards at liquor stores?!?!?

I didn't know that, and i wouldn't have a problem with it, however there is no documentation or information printed on the card to suggest that. I have used gift cards at superstore liquor store before, albeit that was a long time ago.


I'm not complaining about the policy, i am complaining about the lack of policy, the only way to find out is to waste your money on a gift card, it's not documented anywhere.

[Thaco]

Originally posted by Kloubek
So what? Do you never buy food?

not from 20% more expensive Safeway.


I'd have been better off to take the 15% hit on the coin counter, grab the cash, and go down the street to Sobeys.

[ClearBluewater]

who the fuck gifts safeway gift cards

[slinkie]

joke topic

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by Thaco
not from 20% more expensive Safeway.


I'd have been better off to take the 15% hit on the coin counter, grab the cash, and go down the street to Sobeys.

Safeway is cheaper than co-op and sobeys, and I refuse to use superstore because its a shit show in the parking lots.

Also its a pretty standard policy that gift cards from grocery stores can't be used at the liquor stores - same goes with sobeys, co-op, superstore, etc. so I don't know why your ginch is so tight man...

[[Yu]]

Originally posted by 403Gemini


Safeway is cheaper than co-op and sobeys, and I refuse to use superstore because its a shit show in the parking lots.

Also its a pretty standard policy that gift cards from grocery stores can't be used at the liquor stores - same goes with sobeys, co-op, superstore, etc. so I don't know why your ginch is so tight man...

As previously mentioned... superstore accepted giftcards, so its fair to assume safeway would...

[403Gemini]

Originally posted by [Yu]


As previously mentioned... superstore accepted giftcards, so its fair to assume safeway would...

As previously mentioned, that was "a long time ago" , since then, they do not (least not as of about a month ago).

[nrt_vw]

yeah, liquor stores don't accept gift cards for safeway, sobeys, co-op. pretty basic. You can get a superstore liquor store gift card but it is one you actually buy at the liquor store specifically for the liquor store.

[JimmyJones]

Originally posted by wardpr68
Are you a retard? Its pretty common policy that gift cards are no good for liquor store, tobacco purchases, or gas bar.....

wow... I remember my first gift card.

cool it champ, lets de-escalate this situation before you get all oiled up and do something you might regret.

[dandia89]

it may be common knowledge to most of you, but it still doesn't make sense why they didn't mention how the gift cards cant work at liquor stores.

[CUG]

Maybe try it with the hookers on the corner near the one downtown?

[BlackArcher101]

Do you normally e-mail formal complaints to a company in the same style you use in a forum post?

Your complaint probably won't get very far, if anywhere, with the way you worded it.

[PulsePro]

why stop there? demand you want an exchange of the gift card for cash or a liquor store gift card? explain that it doesn't state anywhere on the card that it wasn't permitted at a liquor store. say you are a lawyer and that they have a lawsuit on their asses lol idk just a suggestion

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by PulsePro
why stop there? demand you want an exchange of the gift card for cash or a liquor store gift card? explain that it doesn't state anywhere on the card that it wasn't permitted at a liquor store. say you are a lawyer and that they have a lawsuit on their asses lol idk just a suggestion

I would agree that I would have wanted a refund or perhaps an exchange of some sort but I definitely wouldn't pretend to say I'm a lawyer or what not.

Had a stupid bitch come in to my store one day and try to scam the crap out of me thinking I'm an idiot. Then when I told her to get the fuck out (because I knew she was a scamming whore), she called back later saying she is going to sue me because she "is a lawyer" and thought I was extremely rude to her. I just said, "Go ahead", and never heard from her again.

So yeah, saying that kind of stuff just makes that person look extremely retarded, even if the person is right or not.

[PulsePro]

Originally posted by Disoblige


I would agree that I would have wanted a refund or perhaps an exchange of some sort but I definitely wouldn't pretend to say I'm a lawyer or what not.

Had a stupid bitch come in to my store one day and try to scam the crap out of me thinking I'm an idiot. Then when I told her to get the fuck out (because I knew she was a scamming whore), she called back later saying she is going to sue me because she "is a lawyer" and thought I was extremely rude to her. I just said, "Go ahead", and never heard from her again.

So yeah, saying that kind of stuff just makes that person look extremely retarded, even if the person is right or not.

I wasn't serious. Hence the lol idk part. Sorry I think it was my fault for your misunderstanding. 99% of people know that it's bs. Why would a lawyer sue a company for $100 worth?

[ianmcc]

It's not Safeway (or the other stores) prohibiting gift cards in liquor stores, it's Alberta Gaming and Liquor control regulations.