I Got $500 for Sharing My Massachusetts to Virginia Move with Safeway
Fact Checked by: 
Boston, MA → Richmond, VA
$6,529
Full pack, 831 cubic feet
$7,774
$1,245 over, plus $600 in tips
548 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I got exactly one quote for my Massachusetts to Virginia move, which is the single thing I’d change about the whole process.
- I paid $7,774 against a $6,529 quote, because I kept adding items right through packing day and my volume grew from 831 to 970 cubic feet.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
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This account is based on a conversation with Shannon M., who moved from Boston, Massachusetts, to Richmond, Virginia, in spring 2023 using Safeway Moving. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Massachusetts to Virginia
I got a promotion at work and it came with a relocation, out of a cramped two-bedroom, one-bathroom condo in Boston and into a four-bedroom house in Richmond with more than three times the space. That’s 548 miles, over 30 boxes, and an estimated 5,817 pounds.
I gave myself 60 days, which was plenty of time to gather quotes and work out the details. My worries were hiccups, delays, and hidden costs, because nobody enjoys surprises. What I wanted was clear, consistent communication and a company that would do what it said it would do. As a busy professional, I also decided it made sense to pay someone else to handle the packing.
I leaned heavily on moveBuddha’s moving guides and company reviews to pick an interstate mover. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My Safeway Moving experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with Safeway Moving, good and bad.
- Communication: Genuinely impressive when Safeway initiated it, and hard work when I did. Reaching a person for a straight answer was a struggle, especially while my things were in storage.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: I was quoted $6,529 and paid $7,774, plus $600 in tips. The increase was mostly my doing, because I kept adding items, and more items meant more labor and more packing materials.
- Professionalism: The drivers and packers were professional and took real care with my things.
- Timeliness: The packing team arrived exactly on schedule. Safeway held my belongings in storage until I gave them a move-in date and then delivered promptly. I rated this a 5.
- Loss and damage: Two broken mugs across the entire shipment. That’s it, and I wasn’t bothered by it.
- Would I use Safeway Moving again? Probably not. I’d go back to JK Moving, who I’d used before and had a great experience with.
over my original Safeway quote
Find out what a move from Massachusetts → Virginia actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose Safeway Moving
I’d moved with JK Moving before and it went well, and this time I wanted to try something else. Safeway’s moveBuddha review said they had the best customer service, and their estimate was noticeably affordable. I’d moved across state lines before and knew what it costs, so a cheap number got my attention.
Their proactive communication is what really sold me. They contacted me three times before I picked them, which felt like a company that wanted the job. For the quote I did an on-camera Zoom call with a representative, walking them through the furniture and belongings that needed to go, and they built an inventory from that. The number came back at $6,528.58 for 5,698 pounds, or 831 cubic feet. That was right in line with what I expected, and I was relieved to have help with the packing as well as the moving.
A few days before the move they called to verify my inventory. I added eight items to the existing list of 84, which added 40 cubic feet and brought the estimate to $6,876.65. That was the first revision, and it wasn’t the last.
rating
- GPS tracking en route
- Veteran-owned
- Dedicated move coordinator
- Flat-rate pricing
- Donates a portion of moves to charity
My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my Massachusetts to Virginia move.
| Moved from | Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Moved to | Richmond, Virginia |
| Distance | 548 miles |
| Pickup date | April 25, 2023 |
| Move size | 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom condo (820 square feet, over 30 boxes) |
| Moving company | Safeway Moving |
| Moving quote | $6,528.58 |
| Actual cost | $7,773.61, plus $600 in tips |
We found that when you use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, you can save 30% on moving costs compared to customers who go with the first quote they receive.
Quotes I compared
Here’s the honest answer: I didn’t compare any. I was so eager to get moving that I requested a quote from Safeway, liked the number, and booked.
| Company | Estimated volume and weight | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Safeway Moving (full pack) | 831 cubic feet / 5,698 pounds | $6,528.58 |
With hindsight I’d have collected at least three. I picked what looked like the affordable option and, once the added items and materials were counted, it wasn’t affordable any more. A second and third quote would have told me whether $6,529 was actually a good price for a full-pack move of that size, and I had 60 days in which to get them.
Pickup day
The run-up was the best part of working with Safeway. They sent a detailed list of how to prepare, an overview of the timeline, the moving process, and the payment terms, and they followed up by email and text with reminders and moving checklists. I paid a 50% deposit, worked through their lists, and cleared out the perishable food. I got a confirmation call three days before pickup and another two days before, and they emailed a written record of every single call.
The movers arrived on April 25 at 8:20 a.m., right on schedule. They texted 30 minutes out and called when they reached the condo.
The crew communicated well and packed my things thoroughly. While they worked I ran pre-move errands, coming back every hour or so to check in, offer food and drinks, and answer questions. Mostly I tried to stay out of their way.
Two things I’d change about that day. They didn’t label the boxes as they packed, which made the far end much harder than it needed to be. And I’d paid extra to protect a piece of art that turned out not to be wrapped as well as I’d have liked, which I only discovered later. Both of those are things I’d have caught if I’d been standing there instead of running errands.
During packing I added another 100 cubic feet, and the crew needed more boxes than budgeted for clothes, kitchen items, and small household goods. That brought the final figure to $7,773.61 for 970 cubic feet of full-pack service. All in, packing and loading took just over 11 hours.
Delivery day
I wasn’t ready to receive my things when Safeway picked them up, so they stored everything in a warehouse in New Jersey. Most companies charge for storing goods and moving them out of a warehouse, and Safeway includes up to 30 days of storage in transit at no cost. Once I gave them my first available delivery date, they scheduled it.
Communication during that stretch was thin. I reached out several times and spoke to three different people about my estimated delivery date. If Safeway didn’t start the conversation, getting hold of someone to verify or confirm anything was hard, and I felt like I was hounding them. To be fair to them, I was moving into the start of peak moving season, and Safeway runs well over 200 moves a week.
Delivery day itself was the low point, and it came down to payment. Safeway wanted the balance in full before they’d unload. They’d told me I could pay by Zelle, and I hadn’t realized some banks block Zelle transactions over fraud concerns. Mine did. Safeway doesn’t take credit cards or checks, so I ended up buying money orders from several different banks while the truck sat there waiting. On top of that they produced a new quote at the door that pushed the total above what I’d already paid, which was a frustrating thing to be handed mid-scramble.
Once the payment cleared, the crew carried everything in. Because nothing was labeled, they couldn’t tell where anything belonged and left the boxes downstairs. Most of them should have been upstairs, so my family and I shuffled them around after the movers left. It all ended up in the right place eventually.
Final thoughts
Here’s how I rated Safeway on a scale of 1 to 5: communication 3, timeliness 5, quote accuracy 3, and overall experience 3.
Start to finish the move took 20 days, and apart from two broken mugs everything arrived safely. Safeway took great care of my things and packed them well. What made me wary about using them again was the payment situation at delivery, the missing labels, and the $1,245 gap between what I booked at and what I paid.
I’ll be fair about that last one. Estimates are estimates, and it’s normal for a final bill to land within about 10% either side. Mine was further out than that, and the reason is that I kept adding items, which meant more labor and more materials than anyone had budgeted for. That’s on me more than on Safeway.
The payment problem is the one I’d warn people about hardest. Movers usually won’t take checks, cash, or cards because of fraud, which is why it’s Zelle or money orders. Check with your bank before delivery day, and if your bank won’t do it, sort out an alternative with your mover in advance instead of hunting for money orders with a loaded truck outside.
Two things I’d genuinely do differently. I’d get at least three quotes rather than jumping at the first company that gave me a number. And I’d be far more involved in the packing and loading. Don’t be embarrassed about micromanaging. It’s your stuff. Take charge, make requests, and push back on anything that doesn’t work for you.
If I move again I’ll go back to JK Moving. I chose Safeway to save money and I’m not sure I did.
Getting ready to hire a full-service mover? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to see what a move like yours should cost before you accept anyone’s first number.
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Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Shannon M.’s experience:
- Confirm the payment method with your bank before delivery day: Shannon M.’s bank blocked Zelle and Safeway wouldn’t unload without full payment, so she bought money orders from several banks while the truck waited. Ask how the balance is collected when you book, then test it.
- Get three quotes even when the first one looks good: Shannon M. took the only quote she received. With 60 days of runway, two more would have told her whether $6,529 was a fair price for a full-pack move of that size.
- Stay home while the packers pack: Shannon M. ran errands and came back to unlabeled boxes and a piece of art she’d paid extra to protect that wasn’t wrapped the way she wanted. Being in the room is the only real quality control you get.
- Ask them to label boxes by room as they go: Nothing on Shannon M.’s shipment was labeled, so the crew left everything downstairs and she and her family carried it up afterward. Make it an explicit request before the first box is taped.
- Lock your inventory early: Shannon M. added items twice, once before pickup and again during packing, which took her volume from 831 to 970 cubic feet. Every addition costs labor and materials on top of space.
- Ask what free storage in transit covers: Safeway held Shannon M.’s shipment in a New Jersey warehouse at no charge for up to 30 days, which most companies bill for. If your dates don’t line up, this is worth asking about before you book.
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