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Business Profile

Discount Stores

Smart & Final

Headquarters

This business is NOT BBB Accredited.

Find BBB Accredited Businesses in Discount Stores.

Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Smart & Final's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see

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Smart & Final has 11 locations, listed below.

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    Customer Complaints Summary

    • 34 total complaints in the last 3 years.
    • 16 complaints closed in the last 12 months.

    If you've experienced an issue

    Submit a Complaint

    The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

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    Complaint status

    Complaint type

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/06/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Extremely disappointed, was directed to unload my vehicle for returns, employee started returning everything, then manager stepped in and said they won't take returns on name brand items. We are within the guidelines of the return policy, nothing was opened or touched.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/11/2024

      As we strive to resolve this matter for the customer, we have requested additional information, such as the store location, a copy of the receipt, and the specific reason for the refund request. Once we receive this information, we will be able to assist the customer promptly and ensure that we address all their concerns in accordance with our return policy guidelines.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:10/21/2024

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I am sadden how a person like me can wake up before sun rise and be prepared for the day On 7/1/2024 I was at the park right when the sun came up to look and talk to the ducks like I have been doing for the past week So I am in troubled time in my life and in desperate need of hope So around 5:30 A.M I received a surprise order from Shipt for Smart and Finale. So desperate for the need to do something constructive I took this as a sign from God to take on and give society another chance. So reading the attachment can give the story aof when I went into the store I feel the way the manager (if that was the manager, he said e said I was insulting his employees and the other person with him said nothing) came up to me was bullying and unreasonable for not even hearing my side for one second. I can get in trouble if those groceries did not get to the customer, or this problem does not get resolved. Also, by the manger threatening me to get out of the store before he calls the police and not reason was given reason I feel my Civil Rights of my United States Citizenship was violated

      Business Response

      Date: 11/13/2024

      Our customer relations team has contacted the customer to gather additional information and provide assistance with their concern regarding one of our stores. 

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:09/26/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      **** to store based on their advertised sale on soda. I purchased said soda and there were no signs stating a limit on the amount. went I checked out I was charged more than advertised price. At that time they said there was a limit. Long story short, mgr would not honor sales price, so I stated a wanted refund. She played a game with the refund, first refunding then charging again, etc, finally said refund entire order. She would not refund me full **** Then told me difference is sales tax (items were all food, plus, if a refund, tax is refunded too). She kept playing games and trying to confuse situation in refunding different amts, Finally had to tell her, take org total, deduct the 2 refunds already gave me, and the difference is what she owes me. She as a mgr and could not do basic math. I felt she was trying to make it complicated to confuse me, and when her till did not balance at night, she would take the difference for herself. I have written the store 3 times trying to get a response and an apology and they have not respond except with we rec'd your compliant and someone will get back to you. I feel this mgr was trying to rip me off and the store did not honor their advertised price, and in fact told me they don't have to. I have all my receipts and photos.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/13/2024

      Our Customer Relations team has proactively reached out to the customer to provide a clear explanation of our policy on these advertised items. Additionally, we have involved the appropriate department to coordinate with the store, ensuring they are informed about the situation and can assist as needed.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:08/28/2024

      Type:Service or Repair Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Just wanted to final has a special of orange juice bananas on special orange juice $.99 with the additional coupon bananas $.39 a pound digital coupon. The problem is is that the website is not working so you cant register on the website several people here in the apartment building try to They let the website locked but you cant get the specials that theyre advertising that ends on the 18th because you need a coupon and they saying that the website is a new website so it could be going down and what have you and this is a big floss so you go in the store without the coupon you can get the specials to come into the store we live in ****** orange juice is $.99 with additional coupon and you can download cause you cant maneuver on the website and the bananas $.39 ***** is the complaint ***************

      Business Response

      Date: 08/28/2024

      Dear ***************,

      Thank you for reaching out to us regarding the difficulties you've encountered while attempting to register for a Smart & Final online account. We understand how frustrating technical issues can be and are here to ensure a smooth resolution.

      Please contact our online support team at ****************************************** to diagnose the problem efficiently. We are committed to making this right for you! Alternatively, you can call us directly at ************ option 1 for immediate assistance. Our support team is available from 8 AM to 5 PM PST, Monday through Friday, and we are committed to resolving your issue as quickly as possible.

      We appreciate your patience and look forward to assisting you.

      Warm regards,

      The Smart & Final Customer Support Team

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/16/2024

      Type:Customer Service Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      On 3/14/24 at 1:28 pm I had went to this store (store# ***) to be profiled and treated with disrespect and totally discriminated against. I had asked to place my bag behind the register so that I may get my car. I live down the street and had not planned on purchasing as much as I had. I returned in 5 min. To my bag being gone rude service and the workers accusing me about being on camera before. I have no idea what they were talking about. I live down the street Im a social worker who has never done nothing to this store or workers. All this was done in front of customers. When I started to contact legal advice they rang up my bag. However this is discrimination and way out of line.

      Business Response

      Date: 05/08/2024

      We are sorry to hear about the customer's experience at the store. We have reached out to the store to better understand the situation. The management staff informed us that this customer has a previous record of shoplifting wine and during the recent visit, one of the workers witnessed the customer putting wine in their bag and attempting to leave the store.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/16/2024

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      Item priced at $3.99 but rang up @ $6.49. Had photo of price. Store would not honor price that is clearly visible and every item is stocked at that sticker!

      Business Response

      Date: 05/08/2024

      I'm sorry to hear that the customer had issues with the pricing of their hamburger buns. We have contacted both the store and the cashier regarding this matter, but they did not recall the customer bringing the price discrepancy to their attention. However, we would like to assure the customer that if they had raised their concern, it would have been addressed immediately at the store. To make up for the inconvenience caused, we have offered the customer a $25 gift card and are currently waiting for their response. Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:04/16/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I purchased a gift card in the amount of $50 for Nordstroms for my nieces birthday. When she tried to use the card, ********** told her no money was ever loaded on the card and it was worthless. I then contacted manager ******* at subject referenced S&F store in *****************, and he told me once the gift card leaves the store it is no longer their responsibility .I had to send my niece another $50 via Apple Cash because her gift card I paid for was worthless.I am asking to be reimbursed for $50.00

      Business Response

      Date: 05/08/2024

      Thank you for bringing the gift card issue to our attention. We understand the frustration that our customers face when their gift card doesn't work. To resolve the issue, our banking team has contacted the third-party vendor responsible for managing our store gift cards. We are now waiting for a response from the customer to provide us with more information so that we can move forward with resolving the issue.

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:02/06/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      First, on Saturday, 3 February ****, I shopped in at Smart & Final Store #*** located at ***********************************************************************. As I checked out with my order and as I have always been required to do, I gave the cashier my personal check with my ********** Drivers License, plus my home address as printed on my check, matches the data on my drivers license and both reflect that my home address is in *******.The cashier stepped away from the register and returned with *****, a person I have previously interacted with about placing a special order for merchandise that was not available in store. Second, ***** refused to accept my personal check and stated that the store does not accept out of area checks. I pushed back asking ***** what she meant by out of area, I live in ******* and the store is in *******, how is that out of the area. Furthermore, I inquired as to when did this policy go into effect because I most recently shopped within the past few months and as I always do, I wrote a check for my purchase.Furthermore, I explained to ***** that I have been shopping at this store location for more than ten (10) years and I have only ever written personal checks for my purchases in at this store location.Third, *****'s behavior could ultimately be construed as discriminatory on far too many levels to count. In the future I would hope that ***** will proceed with caution, to the extent that if she is randomly selecting customers to whom she prefers to deny services for any reason or no reason at all, I believe the behavior could be problematic for Smart & Final.*****, ***** lied to my face during this interaction because there is no such policy and, in that moment, I knew well better than what she was telling me. However, what is a customer to do when someone stops you in the front of a line of customers at checkout and makes a spectacle of a simple business transaction.This incident was a major inconvenience.

      Business Response

      Date: 02/14/2024

      Good morning.  Our District Manager that oversees this location has been in contact with this customer and has addressed the situation.  We at Smart & Final take customer service seriously and our ******************* team is always willing to help.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 02/23/2024

       
      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      V. *******************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:01/22/2024

      Type:Product Issues
      Status:
      Resolved
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      I used my *** (Calfresh ) card to make a purchase at Smart & Final, Store 332, ************************************************* at 7:00 am on the morning of Dec 15, 2023. My *** information was skimmed and used to make illegal purchases at five stores on that same day. My loss of *** funds totaled $762.51.I approach the ************************************************ store manager on Dec 20 when I realized my account had been compromised. Store manager immediately denied any culpability, asked how did I know the *** info was stolen from that store, and suggested I go to each of the stores where fraudulent purchases were made and ask for my money to be refunded. Manager said their card machines were checked every evening for fraudulent activity and that their machines were secure.

      Business Response

      Date: 01/23/2024

      Good afternoon.

      We regret that this happened to you and wish we could help further. 

      We take our pin pad security seriously and each store is to check their pin pads daily.  We have also created and use security seals that will let our team know if a pin pad was tampered with. 

      The store in question has not had any issues with their pin pads nor have their pin pads been tampered with.

      Again, we regret that this happened to you.

      Customer Answer

      Date: 02/07/2024

       
      Better Business Bureau:

      I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

      Sincerely,

      ***************************

    • Initial Complaint

      Date:11/17/2023

      Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
      Status:
      Answered
      Resolved:
      The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.
      Unresolved:
      The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
      Answered:
      The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.
      Unanswered:
      The business failed to respond to the dispute.
      Unpursuable:
      BBB is unable to locate the business.
      They charged me ***** for a package but the price on a package was ****. I noticed it at home. They always make mistakes like this in their favor.

      Business Response

      Date: 11/20/2023

      We apologize.  It does look like we charge the incorrect price.  Please bring the picture you have provided back to the location for a refund.

    Smart & Final is NOT a BBB Accredited Business.

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