This store is one of the
very few full-size Safeways to have never had an in-store coffee kiosk, which seems like a sign (in addition to the obvious lack of a Lifestyle remodel) that it was a very low-performing store. It appears that they first tried to fill that gap with the very basic "Victoria Cafe", which
appears to have consisted of a hotel-style setup of self-serve coffee pots and a cappuccino dispenser, before switching to this "Rubi Micro Cafe" vending machine at some point (and it was out of service and seemingly forgotten about by the time of this visit). The table in the middle, with (even more) single-serving refrigerated drinks on it, was originally home to the fountain soda machine, once a staple of Safeways with in-store seating areas that's largely disappeared in recent years, perhaps because of COVID or perhaps because they seemingly saw very little use.
Wow, I'm surprised those coffee vending machines still exist...especially in the Seattle area! Rubi seems fancier than the coffee vending machines I remember, like the one at my university's library, which spit out nasty coffee in a nasty way. Hopefully the coffee is better, but this does look a bit cheap for a major grocer like Safeway.
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly low-rent, and I'm surprised Safeway even bothered since I doubt there's enough of a captive market for it here, but at least it's a little less low-rent than the gas station-like setup that was here previously!
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