The Pearl's New Gourmet Grocery Store: Safeway???

No, that wasn't a mistake. Safeway has entered the Pearl. But it is unlike any Safeway I've ever seen before: it's Safeway shi-shied to the nth degree.
The Pearl District is quite possibly Portland's fanciest urban neighborhood, and for years the only grocery store in situ was Whole Foods. Fancy store, fancy prices. But hey, you have to have a pretty fancy wallet to live in this neighborhood, so it all made sense.
But now Safeway has entered the picture. And although it still has all the regular Safeway stuff, such as sales, double coupons, etc, it also has special features to compete with Whole Foods:

• A self-serve hot food bar, just like Whole Foods (different contents, though), for the lunch-time crowd.
• A special fancy wall of mushrooms, at least 10 different kinds.
• Beautiful, glistening doughnuts, plump with custard housed in a vaguely Italianate bakery.
• Most astonishing of all, a gelato bar!

Yes, you did not misread that. Apparently three gelaterias just weren't enough for the neighborhood, so Safeway got in the game too.
I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with the aesthetics of the place.

I bought a box of Satsumas: only $2.99 with my Safeway club card!
Some things never change.