The Company and Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 14, 2014
The Company and Significant Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	Basis of Presentation The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements of Safeway Inc. and subsidiaries (“Safeway” or the “Company”) for the 12 weeks and 24 weeks ended June 14, 2014 and June 15, 2013 are unaudited and, in the opinion of management, contain all adjustments that are of a normal and recurring nature necessary to present fairly the financial position and results of operations for such periods. These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared on an accrual basis in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”) have been condensed or omitted, pursuant to SEC regulations. The condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related notes contained in the Company’s 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended. The results of operations for the 12 and 24 weeks ended June 14, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full year or other future periods.
Restricted Cash	Restricted Cash In accordance with the Merger Agreement, the Company contributed $40.0 million cash to PDC in the second quarter of 2014. This cash is held in a reserve account until the earlier to occur of (i) payment in full of the mortgage indebtedness currently encumbering a shopping center in Lahaina, Hawaii and (ii) the release of the Company from any guaranty obligations in connection with such indebtedness. Safeway has classified the $40.0 million as restricted cash and recorded it as Other Assets in the condensed consolidated balance sheet.
Inventory	Inventory Net income reflects the LIFO method of valuing certain domestic inventories based upon estimated annual inflation. The LIFO method of inventory valuation is determined annually when actual LIFO inflation indices for the year are calculated during the fourth quarter based upon a statistical sampling of inventories; therefore, LIFO inventory costs for interim financial statements are estimated.
Corporate-Owned Life Insurance (COLI)	Corporate-Owned Life Insurance ("COLI") Safeway has COLI policies that have a cash surrender value. During 2013, Safeway borrowed against these policies. The Company has no current intention of repaying the loans prior to maturity or cancellation of the policies. Therefore, the Company offsets the cash surrender value by the related loans.
New Accounting Pronouncements	New Accounting Pronouncements In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, “Revenue from Contracts with Customers,” which provides guidance for revenue recognition. The standard’s core principle is that a company will recognize revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The new guidance is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within that reporting period. Early application is not permitted. The Company is currently assessing the potential impact of ASU No. 2014-09 on its financial statements. On April 10, 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-08 “Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity.” ASU No. 2014-08 changes the criteria for reporting discontinued operations and modifies related disclosure requirements. The new guidance is effective on a prospective basis for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2014, and interim periods within annual periods beginning on or after December 15, 2015. The Company is currently assessing the future impact of ASU No. 2014-08 on its financial statements.

Entity's cash and cash equivalents accounting policy with respect to restricted balances. Restrictions may include legally restricted deposits held as compensating balances against short-term borrowing arrangements, contracts entered into with others, or company statements of intention with regard to particular deposits; however, time deposits and short-term certificates of deposit are not generally included in legally restricted deposits.

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- Definition

Disclosure of accounting policy for major classes of inventories, bases of stating inventories (for example, lower of cost or market), methods by which amounts are added and removed from inventory classes (for example, FIFO, LIFO, or average cost), loss recognition on impairment of inventories, and situations in which inventories are stated above cost. If inventory is carried at cost, this disclosure includes the nature of the cost elements included in inventory.

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