Self Serve Back at Grocery Stores

[Alpha8472]

Safeway is advertising the return of self serve donuts, bagels, wing bars, soups, etc. I do remember the time when homeless people would drink from the self serve soup ladles. Oh, the nostalgia... Also, those uncovered bagels with flies crawling all over them. Or the donuts with flies in the cases.

[Bluelightspecial]

It's only been a couple days since California "reopened", and I've only been to a few Safeway's since then...but I haven't seen the salad bar or self serve hot bar operations open yet.

[storewanderer]

All self serve bars are reopened at NorCal Safeway locations. This includes loose unwrapped donut, bagel, buffet style hot food, fountain drinks, bulk foods, etc. This was effective as of Wednesday.

Raleys has also started to reopen self serve bars but maybe not in every store just yet.

Save Mart doesn't seem to have reopened anything self serve even here in Nevada where it has been allowed since last year.

I think these self serve bars are going to be a real adventure of shrink going forward; just my opinion. We will see what happens with them.

[Bagels]

When I stopped in Southern Utah shortly after Christmas, it was business as usual at Albertsons, Smiths, Chuck-A-Rama Buffet, etc. I’ve heard that the same thing was true in Florida.

So in many areas, self service didn’t go away.

[storewanderer]

Yeah, in Elko/Winnemucca, NV they still had self serve stuff open over a year ago at multiple grocery stores (Albertsons and some independent stores) like nothing had ever changed. In Reno, about 2 months ago, the self serve started to re-open at Safeway and Smiths. Raleys, Save Mart, and Wal Mart (who briefly reopened the self serve bakery at some point) are still prepacking everything.

I used to purchase regularly from these self serve bins of unwrapped products.

The worst fixture is the Safeway fixture with unwrapped open air bagels and rolls or the Whole Foods fixture with open air breads. There is no door or anything, just a sneeze guard. I am really surprised these companies think it is okay to bring these fixtures back. I won't be purchasing any of this anymore (I used to). I suspect other customers won't either based on how full these fixtures are when I go into the stores at night. Eventually the stores will get tired of the shrink and do something about this.

[Alpha8472]

When the stores had these self serve items in plastic bags, I preferred it. At least, the flies would not be crawling over them and there would be protection if the items were to be dropped on the floor.

Those bulk bins of candies and dried fruit are notorious for people reaching in and eating them. All those dirty hands touching the food is a turn off.

[storewanderer]

When the stores had these self serve items in plastic bags, I preferred it. At least, the flies would not be crawling over them and there would be protection if the items were to be dropped on the floor.

Those bulk bins of candies and dried fruit are notorious for people reaching in and eating them. All those dirty hands touching the food is a turn off.

Well, I didn't think the plastic bag worked for donuts. But it worked for bagels, rolls, and some of the hispanic pastries (conchas for one). I felt very comfortable buying those items in the plastic bags. I will not purchase them loose.

[Super S]

Those bulk bins of candies and dried fruit are notorious for people reaching in and eating them. All those dirty hands touching the food is a turn off.

This is why I avoid buying those products at WinCo.