California is adding another longtime location to the grocery store closures reshaping 2026. The Safeway at 6150 Bollinger Road in San Jose is expected to close permanently on or around November 13 after 57 years.
The supermarket opened in September 1969 and sits near Lynbrook High School, Miller Middle School and Hyde Middle School. Its longevity and location have made it more than a weekly grocery stop for the surrounding neighborhood.
A full-service store is disappearing
Safeway’s current store page lists grocery pickup and delivery along with a bakery, deli, fresh meat, seafood and produce departments. The location also has an in-store Starbucks and accepts SNAP EBT for eligible purchases.
The loss is especially notable because so many services are bundled in one place. Shoppers will need alternatives not just for groceries, but also for prepared foods, bakery orders, fresh departments and coffee.
Safeway confirmed the planned November closure but has not publicly explained why the store is shutting down. No employee count, transfer plan or confirmed layoff total has been announced.
There is also no confirmed replacement grocer or redevelopment proposal for the Bollinger Road property. Safeway has pursued mixed-use housing projects at other Bay Area locations, but those separate plans should not be treated as the future of this site.
Students and school programs will feel the change
The store’s location near three schools gives this closure an unusual community impact. Students regularly walk there for food after school, while teachers use it to buy classroom supplies and ingredients.
The supermarket also supports a local post-secondary program for students pursuing certificates of completion or alternate diplomas. Participants visit the store to practice reading shopping lists, finding products, handling money and completing purchases independently.
Once the store closes, one teacher told Lynbrook High School’s student newspaper that the program may take students by bus to another Safeway near Lawrence Expressway and Stevens Creek Boulevard. That changes a practical walking exercise into a trip requiring transportation.
Other grocery options remain nearby
Safeway’s directory lists another store at 5146 Stevens Creek Boulevard, about 1.3 miles from the Bollinger Road location. A second nearby Safeway operates at 20620 West Homestead Road in Cupertino.
Those alternatives preserve access to the chain, but they do not replace the convenience of a store that students and neighbors could reach on foot. The closing also follows other recent Bay Area Safeway shutdowns in Pinole, Hayward, Vallejo and San Francisco.
For this San Jose neighborhood, November will bring the end of a supermarket that has served generations of shoppers since 1969. The store is still operating for now, but its expected final day is only weeks away.
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