Both Vons and Safeway are amongst some of the largest supermarket chains in the United States. They each sell similar items and tend to a similar demographic. Not to mention they each sell to millions of customers per year. But when comparing the two, which one is better? Which one is right for you?
In this article, I compared Vons and Safeway on 3 different factors. These 3 factors are:
- Price
- Quality
- Variety
By the end of this article, you should have a very good idea as to which store is better for you.
Which is Better: Safeway or Vons? Vons is cheaper than Safeway across multiple shopping categories. More specifically, Vons is anywhere from 9% to 26% cheaper than Safeway. Vons also offers higher quality products. However, Safeway offers more product variety than Vons.
Is Safeway Cheaper Than Vons?
The price of products at a grocery store is arguably the biggest decision making factor when deciding on which store to shop at. Most customers choose the store that offers the best price for the best bang for buck value.
So, to see which store has cheaper prices I took a look at the most common store brand items.
| Category | Safeway Brand | Vons Brand |
| Beverages | ✓ | |
| Baking Goods | ✓ | ✓ |
| Canned Goods | ✓ | ✓ |
| Dairy | ✓ | |
| Dry Goods | ✓ | |
| Frozen Foods | ✓ | |
| Personal Care | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cleaners | ✓ | |
Although both stores are very close in price, Vons is a bit cheaper than Safeway. Vons is the cheaper option for dry goods, frozen foods and cleaners. More specifically, Vons is anywhere from 9% to 26% cheaper than Safeway for these categories.
On the other hand, Safeway is the cheaper option for beverages and dairy. They are anywhere from 10% to 16% cheaper than Vons in these categories. Each store has the same lowest price in the baking goods, canned goods, and personal care categories.
With everything considered, Vons is a bit cheaper than Safeway, but they both are priced very competitively compared to one another. So, if you are a shopper that prioritizes price over everything else, then Vons is a slightly better choice for you.
Product Quality: Safeway vs Vons
The quality of products at a grocery store is also a big decision making factor. Customers tend to shop at the store that’s going to offer them the best quality products.
To get an idea of which store has better, I looked at the FDA’s product recall database. This database shows which store has had more product recalls in recent times. So, the store that has more product recalls is likely the store with lower quality products.
| Category | Safeway Recalls | Vons Recalls |
| Animal & Veterinary | 0 | 0 |
| Biologics | 0 | 0 |
| Cosmetics | 0 | 0 |
| Dietary Supplements | 0 | 0 |
| Drugs | 0 | 0 |
| Food and Beverages | 11 | 6 |
| Medical Devices | 0 | 0 |
| Radiation Emitting Products | 0 | 0 |
| Tobacco | 0 | 0 |
After looking at the FDA database, it is clear that Vons has less product recalls compared to Safeway. This means that Vons is likely to have higher quality products as they do not have as many recalled items in recent times.
Safeway: 11 product recalls
Vons: 6 product recalls
Something to note is that while Safeway does have more recalls than Vons, it is still a relatively low number of recalls in comparison to other grocery stores in the industry. So regardless of which one you shop at, you are still getting quality items. So, if you are looking for the best quality between these two, you are likely to find it at Vons.
Product Variety: Safeway vs Vons
The variety of products in the store isn’t as big of a decision making factor, but it still plays an intricate role in where people decide to go shopping.
The amount of options that a customer has at hand is definitely something to consider. So between Safeway and Vons which one has more product of righty and more products to pick from?
| Total Safeway Products | Total Vons Products |
| 33,000+ products | 11,000 products |
After checking each store’s estimated product count, it is clear that Safeway carries significantly more items on their shelves compared to Vons. In fact, Safeway carries 3 times the amount of products than Vons. This means you will get more options to shop from if you go to Safeway than if you go to Vons.
For reference, the average grocery store carries around 31,000 products in their stores. Vons has significantly less than the industry average. While they do carry a large amount of items, you may not be able to find everything you are looking for at a Vons than if you were to shop at Safeway.
So, if you are a shopper that likes product variety and enjoys having options to pick from, then Safeway is your clear winner here.
Which One Should You Shop At: Safeway vs Vons?
When to shop at Safeway: Despite not having the cheapest prices nor the best quality, Safeway does offer an incredible amount of products. So if you enjoy having a lot of options to pick from, then Safeway is your option.
When to shop at Vons: Vons offers the best prices and product quality. They are a clear choice for anyone who enjoys savings or quality products. So if you are someone who enjoys these two aspects of shopping, Vons is your place to go.
Does Safeway Own Vons?
According to Wikipedia, Safeway used to own Vons before they were both acquired by Albertsons. This means that Safeway no longer owns Vons, but they used to at one point in time. In short, Safeway used to own Vons but now they are both owned by Albertsons.
Final Thought: Safeway vs Vons
Something to note is that while Vons may have cheaper prices, Safeway still does have cheap prices. In comparison to most grocery stores, Safeway has a very affordable prices. It just so happens that Vons is a little bit cheaper. Not to mention, that both of them have very good quality products.
So if Safeway is your only option, and you were still in very good hands. You will still get good prices, good quality, and amazing options to choose from.