I've only been in a few times, because it's hard to disassociate that location with Vons. I never cared for Vons- the Vons produce was generally horrid and the Vons check-out lanes were always backed up and slow. Well, I went back to Haggen yesterday, and the produce stocker proactively asked if he could help me find something - I was never asked that when it was a Vons. And, the Haggen brands of cheese and ice cream have been pretty good. The selection of craft beer is better, and so is the selection and overall quality of produce. And, the checkout lanes have been faster every time I've been in there.
I'm not sure if Haggen has clearly defined its place in the market; it's supposed to be better quality and service than Vons/Smiths/Albertsons, and thus higher prices on some items. But, they're not striving to be a Whole Foods.
Will I buy everything here? Probably not, but I never have given all my grocery business to one store. There are some good deals to find here, and for the over-priced items, I don't mind driving 5-10 minutes to shop for them. And, I realize that you can't transform an entire philosophy in 2 days, or 2 weeks or 2 months. The transition is a process. There are already a few areas where I see Haggen as an upgrade over Vons, and I anticipate continued improvement over time.