Bottom line: Safeway Moving is one of the nation’s top long-distance moving companies because of its price matching, positive customer reviews, and 30 days free storage. However, it doesn’t really do local moves, and it's hard to find consistent reviews about Safeway online.

Safeway Moving is a credentialed, established professional moving company that provides full-service moving options like packing and long- and short-term storage. The veteran-owned company services long-distance moves across the U.S. and in Canada and Europe.

Safeway’s customer experience earned it a place on our list of the top interstate moving companies we recommend based on factors like pricing rates and transparency, proper credentials, and customer reviews. While the company does have many positive reviews, it’s worth mentioning that there are some inconsistencies with its reviews that may confuse some people.

Keep reading to learn all about Safeway Moving.

Safeway scores in the middle road with Move.org compared to other long-distance moving companies. Its deposit amount is comparable to others and it offers discounts like others. Other companies like IVL also offer optional packing services.

From our experience, Safeway is generally up front about its prices and will give you a ballpark estimate over the phone based on your origin-to-destination distance, home size, size of shipment, time of year, and specific service needs.

Safeway quoted us $11,000 for a move in August from a fully-furnished three-bedroom home in Bensenville, Illinois, to Chattanooga, Tennessee, (620 miles). Summer is a very popular time to move, so prices might be higher. If we decided to move in October, for example, it would be roughly $1,500 cheaper.

We asked for full-service packing, which is a set rate of $2,400. If you’re doing a “partial pack,” we learned, Safeway charges per box.

This price from Safeway Moving included the following services:

• Loading and unloading
• Full-service packing
• Furniture disassembly and reassembly
• Protective blanket-wrapping for furniture
• All transportation, taxes, tolls, and fuel
• Basic liability coverage

It didn’t take us very long to get the above estimate, but you shouldn’t just take our word for how much Safeway can cost. You’ll only know for sure how much the company will charge for your move if you get a quote of your own. Taking an inventory of everything you own will help get you specific prices.

Want to know how much your move with Safeway would cost?

Safeway offers discounts for specific routes and groups of people like veterans, seniors, students, teachers, and first responders. It also offers discounts for early reservations if you book with them 30, 45, or 60 days before your move.

Safeway can meet or beat the price of its competitors, but only if it’s qualified competition. Qualified competition means it has to be a licensed and credentialed carrier that’s been around for at least two years. In other words, companies like International Van Lines, Allied Van Lines, Atlas Van Lines, and Mayflower.

This is why it’s always a smart idea to shop around for quotes. Companies often one-up each other to handle your move. All you need is a written quote and proof that the competing company can match volume and inventory, and Safeway can meet or beat it by up to 10%. This is a rough estimate we got from one representative, so it’s best to see how much Safeway can help you save.

To get a moving quote from Safeway you’ll need:

1. Zip codes: Origin and destination locations
2. Home size: Provide Safeway with the number of rooms in your home and how well your home is furnished. Mention the garage and patio if you have belongings there too. For a more detailed quote, it’s best to provide an inventory of all your items.
3. Move date: Give a time frame of your move. For example, if you want to move in the spring, mention the specific month you’re thinking about.
4. Services: If you need add-on services like packing, storage, or piano transport, Safeway will factor this into your quote.

Safeway is listed on the FMCSA site as a broker—meaning, it partners with smaller moving companies (carriers) across the U.S.

However, we learned that Safeway also identifies as a carrier. Depending on the move’s size and route, it will perform the move in house. Safeway does most East Coast moves, for example, in house. For more remote locations in states like Utah, Nevada, Washington state, and Arizona, however, Safeway will oftentimes partner with smaller companies located in the area to service the move.

Safeway’s carrier and broker hybrid status allows it to offer customers an in-house experience and partner with trusted smaller companies to reach customers in farther locations at the same in-house price.

If you have a local move, Safeway can do it depending on the route and what you need for the move (you have a lot of stuff and require full-service packing, for example). One rep told us that $2,300 is the minimum they will do for a move, but it’s best to confirm if your move qualifies.

If you’re moving locally, it may actually be more cost-effective for you to consider options like using a moving container and hiring hourly movers to help you pack it.

Safeway offers short- and long-term storage. Each move automatically comes with up to 30 days of free storage. It’s common especially during the homebuying process to have a gap between moving, so that free storage would come in handy for those in housing limbo.

One rep we talked to mentioned they typically charge 50 cents per cubic foot of storage space in a warehouse that is sure to protect belongings from weather or theft, as it’s climate controlled and under 24-hour surveillance.

If you want to save on your move by packing all your belongings yourself, you absolutely can. But if you do decide on full-service packing, Safeway will wrap and pack most items that can fit in a box. An expert moving crew will blanket furniture and also disassemble and assemble it.

Safeway charges bulky item fees for things like grandfather clocks and pianos. And they ask for you to box your TV, wrap and box glass, and put a mattress cover on your mattress, but they can do it for extra fees.

Safeway offers binding quotes. This means that the quote you get is the price you’ll pay as long as nothing about your move changes at the last minute.

If you do decide you want to change your inventory, luckily Safeway performs a quality assurance check three to five days before your move, so you can inform them of the change then. You must accept and sign the documentation before the crew can begin.

Safeway is veteran-owned and focused on “military precision.” The company has a lot of experience helping military personnel and families with their moves, and staff is used to handling moves with high levels of clearance. This level of service influences what they provide non-military members since moving and coordination teams are used to performing exceptionally within a set budget, timeframe, and specific guidelines.

Safeway gets some of the best reviews of any long-distance mover we’ve seen. Across multiple review sites, the consensus is that the company treats its customers well and delivers on its promises. Here are things customers often praise about Safeway:

• Professionalism and speed
• Fair prices
• Attention to detail
• Flexibility

This positive consensus speaks to a company that does what it can to ensure every customer’s move goes according to plan—or better.

Safeway has some branding issues that make it hard to understand its customer review scores. For example, the company’s old profile on BBB (which is not accredited) shows that Safeway Moving Systems went out of business, and it lists that Safeway moved its headquarters from Illinois to Indiana, yet it lists its headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on its website. This is a statement we also confirmed with Safeway.

Safeway does have a substantial number of positive customer reviews, but one review site with a majority of positive reviews in particular causes us to raise an eyebrow. The site indicates that reviews came from a single source, which can be misleading to customers.

There’s also another company called Safeway Moving Inc. that is based in Oneida, Colorado, and we wonder if that has any impact on customer reviews for the Safeway Moving in this review and creates confusion between the two companies.

A lot of Safeway’s offerings (like long-distance moves, storage, and auto transportation) are pretty typical for a moving company like Safeway. One thing that’s a little more unique is that it donates a portion of every move to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.

Safeway Moving offers all major moving services:

• Long-distance moving
• Optional packing services
• Optional storage services
• Office moves
• Government and military relocation services
• International moving

Safeway is one of the best long-distance movers in the country and offers customers high levels of personalized service, fair and transparent pricing, and robust optional services. However, we do think that the company needs to clarify its online presence for those who are searching for more information and customer reviews they can trust.

Shopping for quotes and want to see if Safeway can meet or beat prices?

Joe Roberts contributed to this review.

We conducted intensive research to identify the best moving companies for long-distance moves and local moves, in addition to container moves, truck rentals, and hourly moving labor:

• Compare pricing transparency. We gather quotes, check for binding estimates, and read customer reviews about pricing to ensure each moving company’s prices are trustworthy.

• Review accreditation. We check every company’s records in the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s database to confirm companies are properly authorized to transport household goods.

• Mystery shopping. We review every company’s website, pose as customers in calls to companies, and read customer reviews to analyze every company’s moving services, transit protection, and customer service. We also interview actual customers to learn how their moves went from start to finish.

• Site visits. We invite moving companies to our headquarters in Salt Lake City, UT, to share data and expertise. We verify the information they provide by comparing it to data gathered through independent research and interviews with other movers.

• Regular review. We routinely repeat this process to update our recommendations to reflect current data and trends. We also revise each review annually and make updates throughout the year.

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