I enjoy going to Costco Santee because every time I go there, parking is much easier to find than La Mesa Costco which is closer to my house. It is worth the drive for me to shop at Santee instead . The parking lot seems bigger to me and there is always spots. Today, was a breeze for me which I was so happy about. I was able to get parking right next to the cart area so after I was done shopping, it was so easy to put the cart away as I was parked directly next to it. I went by my shopping list and got into a line with only a few people even though it was busy at Santee. As I was waiting in line, I realized I forgot chicken stock. There was a worker, who I do believe he was a supervisor who helped me big time. Rather than getting out of line, I asked him would you be so kind as to get me some organic chicken stock? He did not hesitate and said yes! How many employees so that these days? Not too many, but Fabian is a "Super Star!" He went out of his way to help me so I would not have to get out of line and go try to find it and have to wait in line again. I was so happy what he did because he saved me valuable time. Costco Santee, I hope more people compliment who your store does right than wrong. Fabian deserves to be recognized and applauded for going above the call of duty! I really appreciate you Fabian as I am sure Costco does as well and your customers! I will be returning to Santee all the time because they make my shopping experience smoother and very pleasant in all ways! read more

Costco Wholesale - Wholesale Stores Near Me - Santee, California

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New review-August 3, 2026. Do not buy pineapple at Santee Costco right now. Just had to throw an entire one out. When I started to try to cut, it was solid like a rock. No idea what's wrong with it, but it is NOT edible. I like this store, but it is horrible right now because they closed over half the parking (the entire area by the tire store and where you can get propane). Will remain closed while they do work to move the gas station across the property. So be forewarned, there is not enough parking and the only spots are usually by the current gas station, where there are lots of rude, crabby drivers speeding thru to wait in line for gas. Almost got hwalking to my car last week. The gas station is moved and much much better now. They are still working on the food area outside, but parking was a breeze, even on July 3. read more

Normally I'm always happy to fill up at Costco, but $5.15/gal for regular gas?! Oh my heavens Gas prices are really hitting hard right now. You can definitely feel the impact of everything going on in the world. That said, I still appreciate Costco for doing their best to keep prices as reasonable as possible. It honestly reminds me why having a membership is still so worth it! Plenty of pumps at the stations and lines go pretty fast. Thank me later read more

Haven't been in one of these stores in a minute. Was lucky enough to get a shared membership. Being in East County, if it's a warm day, this is the place to be. Ice cool with the AC and walk in refrigerators. Was able to also order Costco food court items. Two hot dogs, a chicken bake, two drinks, and a pizza slice all for under $10?! In this economy that's a steal. Only down side is this place can be packed especially on weekends. read more

It's Costco. I buy a membership each year because I gas up my cars at Costco(s) (which consistently offer the best prices in San Diego), and sometimes, I need an entire standing rib roast, or a recliner for the living room, or several cases of tuna; you know... supplies. This Costco is like every other one I've ever visited, but for one wonderful difference: it's less than a mile from Santee's "Magic Corner" - Carlton Hills Blvd at Gorge Ave - where one can buy the County's best ice cream (Handel's), donuts (Mary's) and fried chicken (The Chicken Shop) in one magnificient pass. read more

I frequent this Costco very often. Parking lot is always crazy busy no matter the time or day. This Costco always has what I need and the workers are always helpful and friendly. They seem to really enjoy working there. This is one of my top 3 Costco locations. read more

We had just purchased our membership through Groupon and needed to complete the process at the store. We went through the returns door (it's the only way I knew how to get in) and we were pleasantly greeted by Serena. She kindly directed us to the membership desk and told to look for the yellow line. After we were in line, Serena came back and told us that one of her co-workers would help. She acknowledged she was in training and didn't want to mess up our account in some way. We appreciated her honesty - that's great customer service. Before we knew it, Itzia (sp?) became available. Despite how busy they were, Itzia patiently walked Serena through each step of the process - the classiest example of on-the-job training I've ever seen. These two need awards! read more

They are trying this new pay ahead thing. Accept all pay ahead before anyone in regular line, no matter how long you wait. If 20 get in after you, 20 go before you. Also, pay ahead is ahead it takes longer than if you didn't... figure it out Costco. Also AMFAM from Costco sucks too. They seem to not be able to figure out payment to my body shop so I have to fit the whole bill and they will pay me back at a date yet to be determined? Use another carrier and pharmacy if you don't want the headache. read more

Parking lot is always crowded but I somehow find a space. Nice size warehouse. I was amazed that it was easy on a Saturday around 4 to get around but check out registers were full. Easily made it through self checkout. Great that they had someone on hand to help with making it move smoothly. Amazing how well stocked and clean is is. Overall good experience. read more

This is an additional experience I had at the Santee location of Costco Wholesale about a year after my previous review. This evening after work I stopped by to pick up a few groceries. For reference, my purchase was very small, about nine items including fruits, cucumbers, nuts, avocados, and salt. Everything in the store was perfectly fine until I reached the self checkout area. The self checkout setup has two clearly marked waiting lines running in parallel. Customers normally proceed to the checkout station directly in front of their line as it becomes available. I entered from the aisle near the over the counter medicine section and waited at the end of the right side line with my cart. There were two employees positioned in the middle of the self checkout area guiding customers. One of them was a female employee with the name tag Jackie. At approximately 7:18 pm, as soon as one customer finished paying and a checkout station opened directly in front of my line, I began walking toward it. At that moment Jackie waved to a customer who was still walking down the aisle behind the lines and directed him to the station that had just opened effectively taking the place that should have been next for the line I was already waiting in. This confused me because the lines are clearly marked and customers normally move forward in order. I said calmly, "I thought each lane goes to the checkout directly in front of it." Her response was dismissive. With a hand gesture she said, "You can go wherever you want, honey." At that point I simply moved to another self checkout station and paid for my groceries. The interaction itself, however, felt unnecessary and disrespectful. While paying, I also noticed that two other customers waiting nearby both people of color were still standing and waiting while the customer who had been called ahead of the line was white. I sincerely hope this was simply poor judgment or inattentiveness rather than something more concerning. Because of the situation, I asked to speak with a manager. The manager came over, listened to my explanation, and apologized respectfully for the experience. I appreciated the professionalism and the willingness to listen, even though the issue itself was not caused by her. My intention here is not to attack the store. I enjoy shopping at Costco and that is why I continue to come back. However, interactions like this create an uncomfortable experience that should not happen in a place where customers simply expect to be treated fairly and respectfully. If the employee genuinely did not notice a customer already waiting directly in line with a cart, that suggests a lack of attention in a role specifically meant to guide customers. If it was intentional, then it raises a more serious concern. Costco has built a reputation for professionalism and fairness. I hope store management takes a moment to review situations like this so that every customer is treated with the same level of respect and attention. It is also worth noting that this experience occurred almost exactly one year after my previous review describing another uncomfortable interaction at this same location in Santee. I continue to shop here because I genuinely like the store and the value Costco provides, which is precisely why I believe situations like this deserve attention and improvement. read more

In February we signed up with AT&T cell phone service at the Santee Costco warehouse. We traded-in our old phones and was told to wait at least 3-months for our refund. On May 2, while shopping at Costco we decided to stop by the AT&T booth to follow-up. We had the pleasure to be assisted by ANTHONY. What a pleasant, efficient young man. There was an issue with our refund, but he said he would do his best to resolve this issue quickly. Anthony made a phone call while we were waiting and opened a claim ticket for us. WHAT GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE! He then promised he would call us with a follow-up. And, yes he did, the very next day. He told us our claim had been approved and that we would be receiving our refund shortly. We thanked him for his kindness. Thank you for hiring such an efficient, friendly and very professional, team member. read more

Terrible customer service at their food court !!!! Fall in line for 30 mins ! I didn't even get the food !

Well, Eric had us come back and he wound up giving us the other $100+ tax to match the sign. They just need to be more careful and ensure they cover all bases with the signage so customers aren't confused in the future. Something like, "LAST ONE ONLY AT THIS PRICE" or "DISPLAY ONLY AT THIS PRICE". Had the sign said that, I'd never have asked for any money back as I would've understood the CLEAR signage. Anyway, I gave them a 4 this time as I shouldn't had to come back to get it because to me it was basic customer service as the sign wasn't right. I would've given it to the customer and added the verbiage right then and there to avoid having any other issues. read more

Costco Wholesale - This is the sign. We paid $799.00. - Wholesale Stores Near Me - Santee, California

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Definitely a fan of this Costco location! Compared to others around the county, I feel like the parking lot layout is less chaotic. The warehouse is spacious inside and has an excellent selection of all goods - even during great sales, I've never had an issue locating anything on my shopping list. Checkout -- assisted or self -- is smooth too. read more

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What is happening at the Santee Costco Food Court? The most disorganized and slow experience. Not very Costco Cluster everything in one small area -Pay -Line -Soda -Toppings Then the staff have to walk and get each and every order No efficiency Soda FLAT NO Ice Available Bun Stale read more

This isn't the closest Costco to me, but it's always a pleasure to visit. The people here -- both customers and employees -- are incredibly friendly and upbeat. Maybe it's because Santee has that relaxed, down-to-earth vibe that's different from the rest of San Diego! The deli is quick and efficient, and the store is consistently clean and well-organized. The only minor downside is that one of the entrances isn't the most convenient for parking. Other than that, it's a great location with plenty of nearby stores to help you get all your errands done in one trip. read more

I like Costco, but Costco frustrates the living shit our of me. They are constantly rearranging products and moving shit around. Seasonal items, I get that, but the everyday stuff? Leave it alone. I like to make a surgical strike when I enter Costco. I grab my items and get the hell out. Just when I know where everything is, they move it. Surgical strike thwarted. That is the Costco plan. They want their customers to have to traverse the store hoping that they'll find other things to buy. I hate it. I want to get in and get the hell out. I don't care to circumnavigate your store, nor do I want a free sample of some morsel of food - that's an entirely different rant... Customer service is 99% great. If you've got no booze in your cart, self-checkout is awesome. Stop moving the peanuts! read more

I'm definitely not the one to complain, especially about Costco. You're there more than once a week I'm sure but yesterday Sunday was one of my worst experiences there, which was disappointing to say the least. The lady at the cashier stand was very rude and short in almost scolded me for having certain things on the belt, certain things in the cart. Next and this is the reason why I'm leaving this review is that a pack of chicken that was was purchasing did not have a price tag on it and she was acting like it was my fault. She proceeded to have somebody go get a new pack of chicken and cashed me out , without my chicken and said a supervisor will be with you in a minute.. more than a couple minutes go by as I'm standing there waiting as multiple guests are being checked out next to me. Finally, the gentleman who went to get my chicken handed to me and said here you go and motion towards a supervisor who said I'm busy I'll be with you in a minute. Again, a couple more minutes go by and I am escorted it towards the exit where a separate check register stand is they proceed to check me out for the chicken , I asked that supposed supervisor why do I feel like I'm being punished for the chicken not having a label on it her response was a giggle. I am in customer service and I expect more from Costco. This was not acceptable. read more

Costco you can do better. This bathroom was filthy dirty! The dirtiest Costco bathroom yet. read more

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Very unprofessional. I made an appointment for 10:00 a.m. to get a tire pressure sensor replaced on my vehicle. I arrive at 9:30 a.m. wait patiently in line while the person in front of me struggles to explain they have an appointment for 9:15 and the person at the counter can't seem to find it. When I get to the counter and I tell them I have a 10:00 a.m. appointment he struggles with his computer and then tells me it's going to be a two hour wait. I asked why should I wait 2 hours when I have a 10:00 a.m. appointment and it's 9:45 right now. He gave me some song and dance and I told him this is very unprofessional and I left. As I'm walking out he's asking me you sure you don't want to wait. Why would I wait 2 hours when I had an appointment now. That's just sad read more

I started my Costco experience at the Price Club on Morena Blvd. I've seen alot of changes, from the customer service to the Food Court at the Santee store where you need to use a credit card to buy a hot dog. Today I shopped at the Santee store where got a tongue lashing for leaving a few small items in the cart. We had two carts and my wife left for the restroom. I couldn't keep up with the conveyor belt. We are senior citizens in our 70s. When I asked to see the manager, an employee arrived with her name tag reversed. I could tell right away that she was pretending to be the store manager. She wasn't fooling anyone, kinda funny. read more

Costco has new items at the food court. Rotisserie chicken chef salad looks delicious. read more

Costco Wholesale - New items at Costco 9/29/25 - Wholesale Stores Near Me - Santee, California

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I bought a battery at Costco (interstate battery group 58 standard 550 3yr warranty) for my jeep wrangler 5/7/24 and it went bad on 4/20/25. It didn't even last 1 year. I bought another Costco battery (interstate battery group 65 standard 850 3yr warranty) for my Ford F150 11/11/24 and it went bad on 3/25/25. It didn't last 5 months. While Costco was very good on exchanging for a new one and prorated it it's still a pain to go out to your vehicle and the batteries are dead in a very short period of time. I'm not happy with the interstate batteries they sell and will probably find another place to buy batteries. read more

Pretty normal Costco, parking lot is a bit odd , but a sizable gas stations helps. Food court could use some more space especially since they blocked off the whole road in the front of the doors. Seems like they have some wasted space, which is a high value commodity for costcos read more

The meat service staff are friendly and helpful. The lines though. They seem to have cut staff so the lines are long. That is causing massive backups and making it hard to find parking spots available when the store is full of people who can't leave because the lines take longer. People are giving up and going elsewhere because they dont have time for what used to be a 1hr trip to Costco on an off hour time turning now into 2 hours. read more

Always are out of stock and there return process is ridiculous it took 37 mins to return 2 items and that's already being at the register not including the time spent in line. Employees are not that friendly either read more

Wow! Lots of entrance options to get into this Costco in Santee. Tons of parking near and far, a couple rows of handicap parking stalls nearby entrance area and push carts galore that are neatly stored in its own parking stall, on food court side. I only made it to this location due to nearby doctor's appointment this morning. It was time to redeem the rewards check! While waiting in the customer service line, on the other side of walkway (towards exit), were vendors trying to get your attention to check out their product. I get it, it's sales. It's what they have to do but I also find it a nuisance, being stopped or flagged down as you're exiting the store. Seriously though and personally, I want to get out of the store already and go home. Just got done buying groceries hundreds of dollars later, the last thing I want to do is hear some sales pitch song and dance. Can they go somewhere else inside the store like the other vendors??? By the way, this location has extra "verbal" salesmen compared to that of Chula Vista locations (quiet as a mouse). I don't even remember anyone trying to flag me down as I'm leaving the store. I didn't get the chance to really shop inside this Costco location but I'm pretty sure I will find this one favorable. read more

Seems like there's no proper customer service training here, especially Miss Darlene who gives out the samples. How are you going to give attitude about someone wanting to try a product you're giving out? Doesn't make sense to me, especially when she made a slick comment. I would never speak that way to a customer. Very disappointing. read more

Exceptionally crowded every time I go, but a great store with lots of stocked shelves.

Treated horribly by the bouncer at the door"Shady" said the name tag, came at 9:45 was told can't go in til 10 since not an Executive member, fine, so I said can I go to pharmacy, they said yes but come back out and re wait in line, which I did. When entering he made a big point of going over and I guess reading the screen with my info, yelling out 40 year member? Questioning me I guess, my parents added me to my account years ago, I'm 60. He made me feel like I was doing something wrong, I'll spend my money elsewhere where they appreciate a customer. read more

AT&T At Costco is Horrible. Traps you into turning in your phones promises to give you so much for your old phones then gives you a minimum credit each month towards old phones. Never tells you if you make any little change in your account it voids your rebate automatically. In the mean time they blow up you're emails ect trying to get you to make a mistake and change something like auto pay ect to reduce 10.00 per month. Bam they got you. No More Refund. You're Screwed. Oh yeah they'll tell you but we emailed you to tell you you have thirty days to change your mind. Yeah right! With all the hundreds of junk email they also send you. What a scam. I lost over 1,200 because they said well we give you 30 days to revert back with an email that blends in with the hundreds of promo emails in my junk mail. So when I noticed the hike on my bill a month later and no Dribbles of rebate I called Management and they said sorry you out of luck your 30 days are up and there's nothing we can do now. Hence why I switched back over to tmobile. Id rather have a few dropped calls than be treated like this. Horrible Customer Relations. read more

Review of Optometry Clinic and Optical Wear area. We had our yearly eye exam with Dr Arrelano. He's a friendly and professional Dr that had taken care of us for over 10 years. As soon as we received our prescriptions off we went to choose our eye wear. Randy took care of us and he was very honest and thorough with our chosen frames. We appreciate that very much. There are so many options to choose from and decent prices as well. In addition I purchased sunglasses too. The staff at the optical dept has always been welcoming and helpful! read more

Starting with the Santee Price Club in 1981, we have been members and at least monthly shoppers at Costco. We have learned that if we want to try something before buying it, someone will be handing out samples soon enough. read more

Great location in Santee, employees are friendly and will help give locating products, they are willing to help load heavy load of products in their car. Thank you read more

Kudos to Ethan at the Costco Wholesale in Santee. On multiple occasions, (without being asked) Ethan had assisted patrons with loading heavy items into their vehicles. This is very helpful and makes the big box shopping experience much easier. Ethan's kindness and concern for the Costco customers, make him a great ambassador for the Costco brand. read more

What can I say about Costco? Is it's a great place to shop. They have great prices the people there are very nice and friendly and helpful and the prices are low.!! I heard that they were going to go to Coca-Cola and get rid of the Pepsi. I really hope they don't do that. I think they really should reconsider the Coca-Cola thing and just Pepsi because everybody likes Pepsi.!! read more

I'm wary of giving this location three stars, but I feel like two might be harsh. I'm not holding the parking lot shitshow against them, but what it is with Costco employees lately? I feel like aside from the Poway store it's really disappointing how out right rude some of them are. I'm not asking for smiley faces, but they also don't have to be hostile about everything either.. The layout here is okay, I don't honestly think anything will help with the amount of clueless people who just block the aisles or stop suddenly in front you, turn in front you, or push their goddamn carts into your child, because I'm not afraid to call your ass out. I mostly just have a membership for the gas station, so I don't care that much about seasonal stuff. I come inside the store like twice a year or so for paper towels and stuff like that. The membership is worth it to me just for gas and paper towels. My kid loves Costco for the cheap food court, nobody beats their pizza and hot dogs in his eyes :-) read more

We go to the Coralville, IA store. Love the wine guy when he is there - always very helpful and informative. I only use Costco for my glasses - great selection and great prices. Since retiring, most of my wardrobe comes from Costco. We also go through Costco for our AT&T cellphone contracts. We usually go during the week to avoid the "crowds" - crowds in Iowa are NOTHING like those in California stores. read more

Pros: * Great Selection * Sample vendors are always really nice * Always well stocked * Always clean Cons: *N/A Extra: * Use self checkout by pharmacy for easy checkout * Self checkout employees will scan your heavy items, so no worries about lifting it read more

Everything is fine but whoever thought about this new line policy in the food court, needs to get fired. Doubled the waiting time for your food right before summer.... Way to go bro. read more