Category: British Columbia

The day has finally come…it’s Grocery Heroes Day!

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Each and every day, our amazing Safeway teammates go above and beyond for our customers and communities. But today, we’re saying “thanks!” a little bit louder.

We’re proud to have such hardworking and dedicated teammates and we want to show you how much we appreciate you for all you do!

Make sure to check out the poster in your common teammate areas and scan the Virtual Thank You Card QR code on the poster to read messages from Leaders and backstage teammate from all over the country. We want you to know how proud we all are to be your teammates.

We’re also inviting all customers to get in on the “thanks” too! Every Safeway store will have a poster where customers can write their own messages of appreciation.

And there may be even more surprises, so keep a look out!

Snap photos of today’s celebration! We saw great photos from last year’s Grocery Heroes Day celebration and we’re hoping to get the same level of enthusiasm this year. Snap a few great photos throughout the day and post them on the closed Safeway Facebook page.

Happy Grocery Heroes Day and THANK YOU to our very own Safeway frontline heroes! 

Announcing new rewards with Scene+

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

In June, we announced that we are a co-owner of the Scene+ loyalty program, along with two other iconic Canadian brands, Scotiabank and Cineplex.

Scene+ will replace the current AIR MILES program in stores and online, beginning in Atlantic Canada in August 2022, and then continuing across the rest of Canada culminating in early 2023.

What is Scene+?

Scene+ is one of Canada’s leading loyalty programs. It offers members opportunities to earn and redeem points when and how they want to be rewarded. Scene+ includes a broad array of rewards partners, including Scotiabank, Cineplex, Expedia, more than 700 restaurants nationwide, and online retailers including Apple and Best Buy.

How will customers earn Scene+ points at Safeway Stores?

When the program is launched, customers will have several ways to earn Scene+ points in Safeway stores including:

  • Everyday Rewards: Earn points through weekly flyer events and everyday product offers in-store and online with Voilà
  • Personalized Offers: Receive weekly offers customized just for you, delivered to your email or grocery store App
  • Banking Products: Earn even more points by shopping with a Scotiabank debit or credit card.

Will customers be able to redeem Scene+ points toward groceries?

Yes. Once the program is launched, customers will be able redeem 1,000 Scene+ points towards $10 off their purchase of eligible products at Safeway.

Where else can customers earn and redeem Scene+ points?

  • Travel: With your next escape powered by Expedia
  • Dining: With dine-in, take-out and delivery at over 700 restaurants (like Harvey’s, Swiss Chalet and Kelseys)
  • Shopping: Earn for shopping online and redeem points at over 60 retailers including Apple and Best Buy
  • Movies: At Cineplex Theatres
  • Entertainment: At Playdium and The Rec Room
  • Banking: Earn even more points by shopping with a Scotiabank debit or credit card and redeem Scene+ points for an account credit on participating Scotiabank debit and credit cards

How will I continue to receive my employee discount?

At launch, you’ll continue to enjoy your employee discount by scanning a Scene+ membership number. More details on how to register your Scene+ number for the discount will be provided in the weeks leading up to your launch.

In the meantime, please continue to scan your AIR MILES card to get your employee discount.

Stay tuned for more information as we get ready to launch Scene+.

Introducing Togetherall — a new support resource available to Safeway teammates!

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

We’re incredibly proud to share that a new support resource is available for all Safeway teammates. Togetherall offers teammates a confidential, online mental health peer support community that is available 24/7. This new resource is available to all Safeway teammates at no cost, regardless of employment status.

On Togetherall you’ll find courses specific to your concerns and learn techniques to help manage your mental health. There are numerous tools, self-assessments and articles to help you understand how you’re feeling in addition to tracking your progress. The community is where you can get (or give) the mental health support needed and is monitored by clinical professionals.

Mental health is more than the absence of disease, it includes wellbeing, self-care and managing the daily struggles we all face to keep ourselves mentally well. Mental health concerns can affect anyone. Click here to join Togetherall today!

 

 

 

Honouring our Canadian Heroes

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Today, on November 11, we pay respect to the many Canadian Heroes who have fallen in service to this country, and acknowledge those who continue to serve. We will wear our poppies with pride today to honour them for their bravery and courage.

As Canadians, it’s important that we take a moment today to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice made by our Heroes who have stepped up, and continue to step up, to defend our values and the freedoms that we enjoy today.

The following poem will be read over the PA system in our Safeway stores at 11:00 am this morning to observe a moment of silence:

“They shall grow not old,

as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them,

nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun

and in the morning

We will remember them.”

Teammate CFL Contest has been extended!

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

We’re loving the photos you’ve been sharing that we thought…we want to see more! We’re extending the contest submission deadline until November 12!

If you haven’t yet, now is the time to get involved! You have until November 12 to enter the Teammate CFL Contest. All you have to do is snap a photo of you and your friends and/or family going BIG at Home to show off your CFL spirit. Then, you’ll share the photo on Safeway’s closed teammate Facebook group using #myCFLfamily. You’ll want to remember to include your store number!

15 teammates will be randomly selected to win 1 of 15 CFL prize packs, valued at $500. From the 15 randomly selected winners, one teammate will be chosen to win a Grey Cup Trophy visit to their store, ahead of the ’23 CFL season kick-off.

For more information, speak with your Store Manager.

Keep those photos coming!

Have you entered the CFL Contest yet? Just 10 days left!

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

There’s 10 days left to enter the Teammate CFL Contest. If you haven’t yet entered, do so today!

Until November 5, snap a photo of yourself and your friends or family going BIG at Home to show off your CFL pride. Then, post the photo in Safeway’s closed teammate Facebook group using #myCFLfamily. Make sure to include your store number, too!

What’s up for grabs? 15 teammates will be randomly selected to win 1 of 15 CFL prize packs, valued at $500. From the 15 randomly selected winners, ONE teammate will be chosen to win a Grey Cup Trophy visit to their store, ahead of the ’23 CFL season kick-off.

For more information, speak with your Store Manager.

We hope you’ll continue to join us as we go BIG to celebrate our CFL partnership. We’re loving the photos, keep them coming!

Thanks for helping us raise more than $181,000 for the A Family of Support: Child and Youth Mental Health annual checkstand campaign!

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

At Safeway, we’re driven by our purpose of being a family nurturing families and we were excited to bring the annual checkstand campaign to life in our stores.

From September 16 – 30, Canadians generously donated to the A Family of Support: Child & Youth Mental Health second annual checkstand campaign at all of our Sobeys Inc. banner stores. Our goal with the fundraising campaign was to come together with our teammates, partners and customers to continue advocating for children’s hospitals.

We’re proud to share that our B.C. Safeway teammates and customers came together to raise more than $181,000. What an incredible accomplishment!

In total, $2,285,454 was raised across all of Sobeys Inc. banners from coast-to-coast. Sobeys Inc. also matched all customer donations on September 25-26 to a maximum of $150,000. When added together, that equals $2.4 million! 100% of the funds raised will be donated to 13 children’s hospitals in Canada and will go towards the A Family of Support initiative. These donations will play an important role in helping each hospital implement specialized mental health programs for children and youth.

A huge thank you to our B.C. Safeway store teams who are essential to bringing this important cause to life in our stores. You are making a real difference in the lives of Canadian families and our friends at the children’s hospital foundations are grateful for the support and efforts to make this initiative a reality.

Be sure to watch this thank you video from our foundation partners and Sobeys teams!

Safeway Lynn Valley (North Vancouver, B.C.) teammates proud to support this wonderful initiative.

Want a shot at winning a CFL prize pack, and seeing the Grey Cup Trophy up, close and personal?

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

The CFL playoffs are back, and our Safeway teammates and customers alike are eager to make up for the season they missed.

This CFL season, customers will have the chance to win 1 of 2 ultimate homegating packages or daily prizes of CFL Team Merchandise. But we can’t encourage our customers to “Go BIG, at Home” without helping our Safeway store teammates get in on the action, too!

With many Safeway teammates supporting their favourite teams this year, we’re building on the excitement with a one-of-a-kind store teammate contest that launches today — and participating is easy!

Between October 18 – November 5, snap a photo of yourself and your friends or family going BIG at Home to show off your CFL pride. Then, post the photo in Safeway’s closed employee Facebook group using #myCFLfamily. Make sure to include your store number, too!

What’s up for grabs? 15 teammates will be randomly selected to win 1 of 15 CFL prize packs, valued at $500. From the 15 randomly selected winners, ONE teammate will be chosen to win a Grey Cup Trophy visit to their store, ahead of the ’23 CFL season kick-off. How exciting?!

For more information, speak with your Store Manager.

We hope you’ll join us as we go BIG to celebrate our CFL partnership. We can’t wait to see your photos!

We’re the Official Grocer of the Canadian Paralympic Committee!

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

Just off the heels of our first-ever games as the Official Grocer of Team Canada, supporting the Canadian Olympic Committee, we’re excited to keep the Olympic momentum going. Our Safeway store teammates played a critical role in our Tokyo campaign, and we heard your feedback that our support should extend to Paralympians too. We were really inspired by your strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, and we couldn’t agree more!

In honour of Disability Employment Awareness Month, we are proud to announce our continued commitment to Canadian athletes through a first-ever partnership with the Canadian Paralympic Committee. Safeway, Sobeys, IGA, Les Marchés Tradition, Marché Bonichoix, Rachelle Béry, Foodland, Thrifty Foods and Voilà will be recognized as the Official Grocer of the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

As part of this partnership, we’ll provide grocery cards to qualified Paralympic athletes to redeem for nutritious food at our banners, including Sobeys, IGA, Safeway, Foodland and Thrifty Foods helping to fuel their rigorous training and preparation leading up to the Beijing Games.

We’ve also selected a diverse group of Paralympic athletes, representative of the communities we serve coast-to-coast, to act as brand ambassadors as part of Team Empire. These athletes include:

  • Mark Arendz, Para-Nordic Skiing – Hartsville, PEI
  • Mollie Jepsen, Para-Alpine Skiing – Vancouver, BC
  • Frédérique Turgeon, Para-Alpine Skiing – Montreal, QC

Beginning in 2022, Canadians and teammates alike can join in and support Canadian Paralympic athletes through our robust, multi-channel marketing campaign ahead of the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. This means that both Olympic and Paralympic athletes will be part of our Feed The Dream campaign, celebrating our partnerships with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Committees.

There’s only four months until the Beijing Winter Games, and we couldn’t be any more excited to officially expand Team Empire!

B.C. Safeway teammates step up to donate more than $100,000 in support of B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society & Heart and Stroke Foundation

Posted on by Daniela Travierso

For Safeway teammates, giving back to the causes close to home has always been second nature. In fact, its been more than a decade that teammates have proudly participated in the Safeway payroll donation program.

A few dollars from each paycheque truly go a long way in supporting the organizations that make a tangible difference in the lives of B.C. families. This is especially true for those who receive care at B.C. Children’s Hospital.

In 2020, our B.C. teammates donated more than $43,000 to the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation through the payroll donation program. This gift will go towards further enhancements of the Belly Breath App.

Deep, purposeful breathing (belly breathing) has been shown to be an effective distraction and coping strategy that can help to reduce distress in children. The Belly Breath App teaches kids how to belly breathe through the use of a personalized cartoon avatar in a hot air balloon that inhales and exhales bubbles to teach and encourage deep breathing.

B.C. teammates also donated more than $42,000 through the payroll donation program in support of the Canadian Cancer Society. This contribution will help provide better access to the resources cancer patients need, both online and in-person. This also means that the Canadian Cancer Society will have the funds needed to purchase critical safety equipment and cleaning protocols at their lodges. Equipping staff with the proper safety gear, face shields and other protective measures will keep patients safe while they undergo cancer treatment.

But you didn’t just stop there. By working together, our B.C. Safeway teammates collectively donated more than $20,000 to the Heart and Stroke Foundation to support a strong future for HeartSmart Kids — a program designed in collaboration with Indigenous communities. HeartSmart Kids is a unique classroom and family resource that takes a wholistic approach to improving health using a comprehensive set of tools, tactics and resources. This no-charge education program is offered to Indigenous children from kindergarten to grade six and includes grade-appropriate resources to make an impact on students and families with the tools they need for long, healthy lives.

Thank you, B.C. Safeway teammates, for your passion to serve your communities and help those most vulnerable when they need it most. Your efforts don’t go unnoticed! By working together, we can truly make a difference for families across our province.