Safeway Dress Code (Shorts, Leggings, Hair Dye, Tattoos + More)

Unlike many grocery and retail stores, Safeway doesn’t have a uniform for their grocery store staff and pharmacy. Due to this, they require a dress code for their staff to look professional.

If you’re considering applying for a job at Safeway, perhaps you’re wondering what their dress code is. If so, continue reading this article to see what I learned!

Safeway Dress Code

Safeway’s dress code requires that all employees wear muted colors, dress pants and tops, simple accessories, and conservatively colored hair. Additionally, Safeway staff are prohibited from wearing facial piercings, and tattoos must not be visible. Facial hair is also not permitted besides mustaches.

If you would like to learn more about the dress code for Safeways pharmacy staff, their policies on multi-colored hair dye, and more, continue reading!

What Are the Safeway Dress Code Standards for Every Department?

While every department in Safeway adheres to a slightly different dress code, every department must dress according to the General Grooming Standards in Safeway’s handbook.

Safeway’s dress code requires specific grooming standards for both men and women, and they have divided their grooming standards list accordingly:

For Male Employees:

  1. Hair: all male employees must work with clean and neatly combed hair. Their hair must also be conservatively colored in order to prevent visual distraction, hinder work performance or cause a safety hazard (ex. temporary hair dye can leak off of hair and into food).
  2. Hands and Nails: Hands and nails must be kept clean and washed at all times.
  3. Facial Hair: Faces must be clean-shaven at all times. Employees are not permitted to wear beards, goatees or handlebar mustaches. Regular mustaches, however, are permitted.
  4. Personal Cleanliness: Safeway requires all male employees to retain a decent level of hygiene. In order to prevent unpleasant breath and body odor, employees are asked to refrain from biting nails, coughing and sneezing into their hands, and other unclean habits.
  5. Jewelry: All jewelry should be plain and professional looking. Neck chains should be worn inside the collar of a shirt in order to prevent a safety hazard. Facial piercings are not permitted.
  6. Clothing: All clothing should be pressed, fit properly, and in good condition.

For Female Employees:

  1. Hair: All female employees must have hair that is conservatively colored. For women with long hair, it must be worn off of the face in order to prevent any vision obstruction or contact with food.
  2. Hands and Nails: If nails are painted, they must either have clear or soft color polish (beige, nude, light pink etc). Fingernail length must not interfere with job functionality.
  3. Personal Cleanliness: Safeway requires all female employees to retain a decent level of hygiene. In order to prevent unpleasant breath and body odor, employees are asked to refrain from biting nails, coughing and sneezing into their hands, and other unclean habits.
  4. Jewelry: All facial piercings are prohibited in order to maintain a businesslike appearance. Earrings should be small sized in order to prevent a safety hazard, and long necklaces must be worn inside the collar of a shirt.

Potential Safeway employees should note that since Safeway has not updated its dress code since 2008, some store locations may be more flexible with items worn for personal expression.

However, employees should not show up to Safeway out of the dress code unless they have discussed certain styles with their store manager (ex., piercings, multi-colored hair, etc).

Does Safeway Allow Employees to Wear Leggings?

Does Safeway Allow Employees to Wear Leggings?

Safeway employees must wear slacks or dress pants in the dark, muted colors.

Skirts are also allowed as long as they are made from professional fabric (ex. no denim or cotton skirts).

However, according to the Standard Dress Code, denim, corduroy, cotton casual, stretch pants, and leggings are not permitted. This standard of dress applies to all departments.

Does Safeway Allow Employees to Wear Shorts?

According to the Standard Dress Code, pant length must reach the top of permitted work shoes.

Therefore, shorts are currently not allowed to be worn by Safeway employees.

What is Safeway’s Policy for Hair Dye?

Safeway staff is not generally permitted to wear any hair dye that is not considered conservative. This would apply to unnatural colors such as blue, pink, orange, etc.

However, because the Safeway dress code has not been updated since 2008, some Safeway store managers may be more flexible toward non-conservative coloring.

If a potential Safeway employee wears unnatural hair color as a form of self-expression, they can consult their store manager and discuss the possibility of being able to keep their dyed hair.

What is Safeway’s Tattoo Policy?

Safeway employees cannot have any tattoos showing.

This means that facial tattoos are prohibited, and any other tattoos must be covered by long-sleeved shirts or other appropriate clothing.

Bear in mind that some Safeway store managers may be more lenient than others in regards to facial and neck tattoos. Potential staff can approach the subject with their store manager.

What Is Safeway’s Dress Code for the Pharmacy Staff?

The dress code for Safeway pharmacy staff is the same for both male and female employees. They must wear clothing beneath pharmacy clothing pieces that adhere to standard dress.

Safeway brand pharmacy jackets must be worn and kept clean at all times, and sweaters for pharmacy staff must be worn beneath jackets and kept neat and tidy throughout the day.

To learn more about shopping at Safeway, you can see our related posts on if Safeway has a student discount, senior discount, if Safeway drug tests, and if you should tip a Safeway delivery man.

Conclusion

Safeway adheres to a strict business-like dress code. They require staff to wear dark muted colors, dress pants and skirts, dress shirts and sweaters, and maintain a good level of hygiene.

Hair must be a conservative color, and facial hair is not permitted.

Facial piercings and face tattoos are also not permitted, in order to maintain a businesslike appearance.

However, since Safeway’s dress code has not been updated since 2008, some store managers may be more flexible towards self-expressive styles.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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