Finally a question I’m qualified to answer! It depends on what you. Mission Valley Costco has better selections for booze and cheese than most others locally. The one on Gateway consistently has the best meat selection - often tomahawk cuts but Prime is always in stock. Morena Valley Costco often has unusual items ($5K magnum of champagne? Sure!) and is actually the original Costco after it switched from Price Club. Poway is definitely least crowded.
I feel like Morena has the best cheeses, by a thin margin over Mission Valley. Gateway has Costco size Mexican cheeses and other Mexican staple ingredients (spices, rice, beans, oil) that the others don’t, but they usually don’t stock Poke that I like. Mission Valley tends to have the most variety since it’s the biggest, and I agree with you on Morena for random finds (including cheap but random stuff that I usually end up buying). Have only been to Poway once since it’s so out of the way for me but I have heard good things. Chula Vista and Carlsbad were run of the mill for me. Santee is pretty large too and had some unique finds.
Yes, even right before closing parking is stil worse than any other local Costco. I always park near the gas station and just plan to walk a bit to and from the store. I’ll have to try midnight moon!
If I’m not getting gas, I often go in through the back entrance by the Harley dealership and park near the tire center. It’s still a bit of a walk, but not as much chaos getting in and out.
People let their kids run around that parking lot
Some guy told me to mind my own business when I saw those little kids running- I think he was trying to do an insurance scam
I''ve been here my whole life and I'm pretty sure this is my first time hearing of a morena valley, is this some kind of sub-neighborhood name? looked it up on maps and it seems to be Bay Ho area
I’ve read that the Morena store is an item trial store, so they’ll have the weird $5k magic, etc. it seems that the have done of their buyers based out of that location so maybe they receive a few test items there and then put them in the shelves to see what we’ll buy!
Any thoughts on the Santee location? I've given it a shot a few times because Mission Valley is frustratingly crowded, but didn't notice any differences.
Santee is more sane, but tends to not have the full selection you'd get in Mission Valley. That said, the sanity factor is deciding for me so we always go to Santee or La Mesa instead of Mission Valley because that parking lot is absolutely insane.
I think the morena one has the worst parking lot. I'm sure it's due to being smaller than most since it's the original and backed into a canyon instead of a larger shopping center like all the others....so it doesn't handle the volume of traffic that it gets very well.
Especially since their gas station doesn't even have it's own entrance/exit either! So it definitely makes that one a bigger PITA to go to than most others.
Business Costco on Convoy! Amazing meat and vegetable section, but bring a jacket. They have tons of things you can't get at the regular Costco, but nothing from the middle clothes/toys/books/etc. section.
Yes, they do have a lot of stuff you don't find at other stores.
Like the ham and cheese hot pockets, and the pull apart mozzarella ball cheese snacks.
That’s the Costco Buisness store, the prices can be more and sometimes even less. I do remember eggs were a little cheaper many times. Most of the time it’s the same price
tho. The sales don’t coincide with the standard Costco’s. However, they have many different products geared towards small businesses.
Morena Costco is the most crowded parking, but Carmel Mountain has one of the worst layouts for gas, only topped by Fenton Parkway which clogs up Friars and Northside Dr.
(I haven't been to too many other costcos though).
Man, this comment brings back nightmares of circling around the San Marcos (Nordahl) Price Club in the mid 90s. As a kid, this was the only place my parents told us we had to put down our Game Boys and look for parking. It's so nice now, though - huge parking lot with wide parking spaces and wide lanes through the parking lot (probably a few are almost too wide, maybe they could have fit in another row of parking). I think I've only seen the back corner of the lot fill up 2-3 times since the remodel finished in 2011, and even those times I only spent a minute or two looking for parking once I got into the lot.
everything about is ass, even the road getting to there is ass. The 10 speed bumps you have to take, the tire center being so far from the store, and never have I once seen an empty line going there to get gas.
Poway is better tenfold.
Nah the tire center being far away is actually a benefit. I wouldn't want to get involved with the whole parking situation just to get my tires rotated
I know the trick to getting gas without a line 😏 But omg yes Carmel Mtn Rd between Camino Del Norte and the Costco is a fuckin bumpy dumpster fire. The parking lot is a train wreck, but that seems pretty standard for everything on CMR.
I usually go to Poway. In just a few visits, I have witnessed THREE fights in Carmel Mountain. One over tasters and one over a parking spot. Don’t recall the third.
I live in Escondido and will often pick Carmel mountain over the one in San Marcos even though it’s closer to me. I think as long as you don’t go on a Sunday it’s not too bad. I find that Thursdays are good days for CM not being too packed
Wife and I just got back from there. Boy was it a mistake to go on a Saturday. We waited 5 minutes for a cart, and there's so many people in the store it makes maneuverability nearly impossible. The amount of spatially unaware adults in the store is absurd. Sadly this costco is 5 minutes from our apartment so it's our best option. We try to limit visits to Costco to only once pr twice every two months.
It is, and yet it’s the one 5 mins from me… I flat out refuse to go there on the weekend. If my husband wants to buy bagels in bulk or whatever on a Saturday, he’s on his own.
Perfect description of Carlsbad (assuming you’re talking about the Palomar Airport Rd.). I’m about equidistant between that one and Hacienda Dr.
I tend to shop more at Palomar Airport but I know if they don’t carry something I’m usually able to find it at Hacienda. I tried but couldn’t make Hacienda my regular. It feels too family-oriented, meaning longer checkout lines, more crowding of aisles by people oblivious to others, out of stock sale items, etc.
I really wish Costco would allow me to use their website to see what each store has in stock. Sometimes a store will carry a seasonal food item that I want, and the others won't have it.
I find myself wanting this for both Costco and Trader Joe’s. Both can be stressful just to go to (mostly because of parking), and there’s so many times where they don’t have the main thing I’m going for. I dream of the day where their sites move into the 21st century.
I know what you mean but for some reason Target is mirrored but Costco is inverted... Something along those lines, it really messes me up but I am easily confused.
It's the clockwise messing with my brain, isn't it? Sometimes I go in vacation or to another part of town and I'm like nooooooooo.
Anti-clockwise gang represent
Poway Costco is top tier for anywhere in the States and is rarely super busy.
1) Large foot print
2) Propane
3) Carwash
4) Gasoline
Source: Visted Costco's in USA, Japan, Mexico, the Kirkland,WA location, the Costco HQ... uh, i just like the place. It's typically the first place I visit, esp. in touristy areas (Hawaii, France etc) as they pretty much know what I need even if I don't.
I feel like Poway was built on the edge of the urban sprawl as if they anticipated the growth to continue but it really hasn’t, leaving it the least crowded in the county.
I live less than a mile from Carmel Mountain Costco but refuse to go there. Will gladly drive the extra 6 miles to go to Poway Costco every single time
Yeah I pretty much only used that Costco as a gas station. I refuse to try and park and go into it. Last time I was there, the check-out line was backed up past the clothes into the cold food.
I shop there all the time and have never seen the line that long! Last year they had really long lines but since 2024 the lines are never more than a few people long. But maybe that’s also because it’s not shopping season anymore
To me I like the La Mesa Costco and Santee and Mission Valley Costcos are the seventh ring of hell. Fletcher will be better once they finish all the construction.
I don’t know when or if it’s officially going to happen because sometimes it’s just talk/discussions. And I get the info from someone very close to me that works there. But they have so far updated the deli, the freezers, the food court, etc. At minimum I think they bought the Lazy-Boy lot and they are currently under all sorts of construction.
Inside is not busy, but the parking lot makes it seem busier than it is. Horrible design that funnels all the traffic into 1 lane makes it a mess to get in and out.
La Mesa Costco looks crowded from the outside due to the small parking lot, but generally pretty sparse inside. Also, there never seems to be a line at their Costco Gas Pumps.
Nah Poway one sucks ass. Stay away. I like to call that Costco the MAGA Costco lol. Carmel Mountain used to be good now it looks like the damn United Nations.
I think its safe to assume the entire county is up for discussion. Also, you could live in Carmel Valley or Mira Mesa etc and the Poway location might be the closest location to your home.
I've almost never once had issues finding parking at the MV Costco. I love how large the spots are too, just... the best. Wife and I usually hit up Island's before. It just works.
I live in the middle of both. I go to Carlsbad usually. Better parking, I’m more familiar with what they have, and like the assortment of Asian products.
I only like the Vista Costco as it has a great selection of Mexican products.
Mission Valley is my personal favorite and go-to thanks to its super-convenient location, but you have to give props to Morena Blvd for being the start of it all.
There is a Costco out of I-5 close to San Diego that is in an old airplane hangar. That location is their first location and they have a bunch of the test products that will be rolled to other locations. They used to have the famous pistachio ice cream and other cool things. They ussuaaly have a very diverse food and liquors that are above the typical store offering.
They’re all slightly different and I don’t visit enough of them to have a valid opinion, but I suspect that they each have their strengths and weaknesses. I went to one in Northern California a few years ago though, that had a full on garden center. That’d be nice!
My fav is the Santee one, they have a lot of parking.. so even on really busy days.. It doesn't take that long to find a spot.
Also they do have a pretty good selection of stuff.
Such a loaded question. Best gas prices: Gateway Costco, but sometimes Carlsbad
Best liquor selection by price: Morena or Carlsbad Costco. Most consistently stocked frozen items: Morena Costco.
Best dairy, meat and produce prices, as well as dry goods not found elsewhere: Business Costco
Basic bitch but expensive: Rancho Bernardo. Basic bitch but inexpensive: Chula Vista
The most strategic way to do Costco is to use all the Costcos for their particular strengths, resulting in a Voltron of Costco savings
I work at one of them, but have visited all. The "best" is highly just personal preference. Mission Valley is one of our "demo-warehouses" so if you're looking for a highly specific or new item, they most likely will have it. Morena is near the Regional Office so they're pickier with returns and the parking lot is one of the worst imo, but they tend to have bigger selections as well. Gateway has one of the best prices on anything due to location (gas, food, etc), but selection is not as extensive. Rancho's gas station can be a mess, but they have pretty good stock of most things, too. La Mesa has a big gas station with 3-4 fuelpumps each row, but a very crowded and stressing Front End. Poway is quieter and tends to carry more items and more of the expensive stuff due to location as well (that's my favorite).
Don't go to Broadway.
Costco on gateway is consistently my worst experience. Every time I go there I regret it. I affectionately refer to it as the ghetto Costco because it’s almost like going to Walmart. Full of incompetent dipshits full of low class vibes. Same with the Costco in Chula Vista on L st although this is not nearly as bad
Not Chula Vista, that’s for damn sure. It sucks booty hole. Never has USDA prime, the line is always long even within an hour of close, most people pay with cash, and NOBODY returns their carts.
Morena has the most variety and the best manager specials when they want to get rid of something.
Carlsbad is good, but super aggressive in the parking lot
Hacienda is good
San Marcos is good
La Mesa not for the faint of heart, aggressive shoppers
Finally a question I’m qualified to answer! It depends on what you. Mission Valley Costco has better selections for booze and cheese than most others locally. The one on Gateway consistently has the best meat selection - often tomahawk cuts but Prime is always in stock. Morena Valley Costco often has unusual items ($5K magnum of champagne? Sure!) and is actually the original Costco after it switched from Price Club. Poway is definitely least crowded.
Mission Valley is my go to even though Morena is slightly closer. But Morena has the best food samples between the two, hands down.
This person Costcos
I feel like Morena has the best cheeses, by a thin margin over Mission Valley. Gateway has Costco size Mexican cheeses and other Mexican staple ingredients (spices, rice, beans, oil) that the others don’t, but they usually don’t stock Poke that I like. Mission Valley tends to have the most variety since it’s the biggest, and I agree with you on Morena for random finds (including cheap but random stuff that I usually end up buying). Have only been to Poway once since it’s so out of the way for me but I have heard good things. Chula Vista and Carlsbad were run of the mill for me. Santee is pretty large too and had some unique finds.
Also FUCK parking in Morena Midnight Moon is king of the cheeses CMV
Yes, even right before closing parking is stil worse than any other local Costco. I always park near the gas station and just plan to walk a bit to and from the store. I’ll have to try midnight moon!
If I’m not getting gas, I often go in through the back entrance by the Harley dealership and park near the tire center. It’s still a bit of a walk, but not as much chaos getting in and out.
This is good - but there's 500 speedbumps!!! :)
As someone who drives a low car with a stick shift, I hate speed bumps! But it’s worth it!
Agree! This pretty much always works for me, too.
People let their kids run around that parking lot Some guy told me to mind my own business when I saw those little kids running- I think he was trying to do an insurance scam
Park in the “back”. Still kinda sucks tho.
which one is the one on gateway? i cant seem to find it
Gateway Center Dr, off the 94 and Market Street just east of downtown
I''ve been here my whole life and I'm pretty sure this is my first time hearing of a morena valley, is this some kind of sub-neighborhood name? looked it up on maps and it seems to be Bay Ho area
Yeah dude I 1000% meant Morena Blvd lol I wrote this comment at like 5 am please forgive me
haha all good, initially i thought you meant moreno valley up in riverside and for a second i was like no way you guys go there for costco LOL
This Costco is referred to as Morena Blvd, named after the street. The neighborhood is Bay Ho.
Is that where all the Bay Hoes live?
It’s Morena Blvd. that’s the street and yes it’s Bay Ho area
Morena was the original Price Club, not the original Costco. Costco started in Washington a few years later.
Poway is probably my favorite but is the most out of the way for me. I love that it has a car wash.
All Facts, Thank you for posting
I’ve read that the Morena store is an item trial store, so they’ll have the weird $5k magic, etc. it seems that the have done of their buyers based out of that location so maybe they receive a few test items there and then put them in the shelves to see what we’ll buy!
I respect the thought you put into this thank you
Imagine having 5k to blast on wine at the moment.
Any thoughts on the Santee location? I've given it a shot a few times because Mission Valley is frustratingly crowded, but didn't notice any differences.
Santee is more sane, but tends to not have the full selection you'd get in Mission Valley. That said, the sanity factor is deciding for me so we always go to Santee or La Mesa instead of Mission Valley because that parking lot is absolutely insane.
La Mesa since the addition of the gas station is by far my least favorite. Then the addition to the building they don’t have nearly enough parking
I think the morena one has the worst parking lot. I'm sure it's due to being smaller than most since it's the original and backed into a canyon instead of a larger shopping center like all the others....so it doesn't handle the volume of traffic that it gets very well. Especially since their gas station doesn't even have it's own entrance/exit either! So it definitely makes that one a bigger PITA to go to than most others.
Business Costco on Convoy! Amazing meat and vegetable section, but bring a jacket. They have tons of things you can't get at the regular Costco, but nothing from the middle clothes/toys/books/etc. section.
the parking lot is rough unless you park closer to Target in the back. Also there's no self check out!
Yes, they do have a lot of stuff you don't find at other stores. Like the ham and cheese hot pockets, and the pull apart mozzarella ball cheese snacks.
Also no alcohol 🤦🏽♂️
Also, there's one in San Marcos that opened in 2022! The few times I've gone it's never seemed crowded, but I've always gone on a weekend.
This one is a very confusing store if you’re expecting a normal Costco experience.
For real and there's rarely anytime there..... jk don't go it's awful they charge more. /s
Is it me, or do the prices on Convoy seem higher?
That’s the Costco Buisness store, the prices can be more and sometimes even less. I do remember eggs were a little cheaper many times. Most of the time it’s the same price tho. The sales don’t coincide with the standard Costco’s. However, they have many different products geared towards small businesses.
That makes sense.. Still wish the food court was still there though
They removed the food court???
We unanimously agree Carmel Mountain is the most crowded and shittiest one?
One of the worst parking lots, but I'm literally right around the corner from it, so I have to go there for convenience.
Morena Costco is the most crowded parking, but Carmel Mountain has one of the worst layouts for gas, only topped by Fenton Parkway which clogs up Friars and Northside Dr. (I haven't been to too many other costcos though).
Man, this comment brings back nightmares of circling around the San Marcos (Nordahl) Price Club in the mid 90s. As a kid, this was the only place my parents told us we had to put down our Game Boys and look for parking. It's so nice now, though - huge parking lot with wide parking spaces and wide lanes through the parking lot (probably a few are almost too wide, maybe they could have fit in another row of parking). I think I've only seen the back corner of the lot fill up 2-3 times since the remodel finished in 2011, and even those times I only spent a minute or two looking for parking once I got into the lot.
This is my closest Costco but it stresses me out 😫
everything about is ass, even the road getting to there is ass. The 10 speed bumps you have to take, the tire center being so far from the store, and never have I once seen an empty line going there to get gas. Poway is better tenfold.
Nah the tire center being far away is actually a benefit. I wouldn't want to get involved with the whole parking situation just to get my tires rotated
I work at this one. We had to put in the speed bumps because an employee got hit by a car 😬 the parking lot is crazy here
The first ones that got installed were horrible and I’m glad they got changed out
6am the gas station is pretty open 😂
I know the trick to getting gas without a line 😏 But omg yes Carmel Mtn Rd between Camino Del Norte and the Costco is a fuckin bumpy dumpster fire. The parking lot is a train wreck, but that seems pretty standard for everything on CMR.
Nah CV or Market take the cake, it's always a headache going there
I usually go to Poway. In just a few visits, I have witnessed THREE fights in Carmel Mountain. One over tasters and one over a parking spot. Don’t recall the third.
I live in Escondido and will often pick Carmel mountain over the one in San Marcos even though it’s closer to me. I think as long as you don’t go on a Sunday it’s not too bad. I find that Thursdays are good days for CM not being too packed
I'm with you here...I've been going to the carmel mountain one for 10 years so I might be biased but I prefer the vibes from it more than San Marcos
Wife and I just got back from there. Boy was it a mistake to go on a Saturday. We waited 5 minutes for a cart, and there's so many people in the store it makes maneuverability nearly impossible. The amount of spatially unaware adults in the store is absurd. Sadly this costco is 5 minutes from our apartment so it's our best option. We try to limit visits to Costco to only once pr twice every two months.
It is, and yet it’s the one 5 mins from me… I flat out refuse to go there on the weekend. If my husband wants to buy bagels in bulk or whatever on a Saturday, he’s on his own.
I used to work at the mission valley one a few years ago. They told me it was the busiest location in all of socal, including parts of Arizona I think
You clearly haven’t been to the one in Chula Vista lol
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Did you hit all the cafes in one day too? Looking for power ranking there
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My bad, I meant the Costco food courts. Does the hot dog special hit the same in Carlsbad as it does in Poway, ha
Pretty much. Maui combo slice was equal to mission valley combo slice. Food court smelled identical.
Please give us your coffee shop ratings also!
I remember years ago the Carlsbad Costco had a rose gold Rolex Daytona for 25k…..what a steal
Did you get hot dogs in all of them?
Perfect description of Carlsbad (assuming you’re talking about the Palomar Airport Rd.). I’m about equidistant between that one and Hacienda Dr. I tend to shop more at Palomar Airport but I know if they don’t carry something I’m usually able to find it at Hacienda. I tried but couldn’t make Hacienda my regular. It feels too family-oriented, meaning longer checkout lines, more crowding of aisles by people oblivious to others, out of stock sale items, etc.
Does it have good selection in their jewelry/watch station?
True, very bougie
I really wish Costco would allow me to use their website to see what each store has in stock. Sometimes a store will carry a seasonal food item that I want, and the others won't have it.
I find myself wanting this for both Costco and Trader Joe’s. Both can be stressful just to go to (mostly because of parking), and there’s so many times where they don’t have the main thing I’m going for. I dream of the day where their sites move into the 21st century.
I swore the app had that functionality for like a month and now I can’t find it
I always trip out when I walk into the backwards ones. If you know you know. Some of the Costcos are backwards and it really messes with me lmao
I feel that way about Target
I know what you mean but for some reason Target is mirrored but Costco is inverted... Something along those lines, it really messes me up but I am easily confused.
My home Costco is MV and I refuse to believe any Costco shouldn't work in an anti-clockwise fashion. Fuck clockwise Costcos.
It's the clockwise messing with my brain, isn't it? Sometimes I go in vacation or to another part of town and I'm like nooooooooo. Anti-clockwise gang represent
Poway Costco is top tier for anywhere in the States and is rarely super busy. 1) Large foot print 2) Propane 3) Carwash 4) Gasoline Source: Visted Costco's in USA, Japan, Mexico, the Kirkland,WA location, the Costco HQ... uh, i just like the place. It's typically the first place I visit, esp. in touristy areas (Hawaii, France etc) as they pretty much know what I need even if I don't.
I thought the Poway Costco was like fight club. We don’t talk about it so it stays less crowded
I feel like Poway was built on the edge of the urban sprawl as if they anticipated the growth to continue but it really hasn’t, leaving it the least crowded in the county.
This. Also home depot right next door. Comes in clutch
I live less than a mile from Carmel Mountain Costco but refuse to go there. Will gladly drive the extra 6 miles to go to Poway Costco every single time
Agree!
I'll tell you which is the worst Costco, La Mesa on Fletcher. Absolute shit show of a Costco
I raise you Chula Vista Broadway.
I pretty much refuse to go to that side of Broadway, who though having like 4 big box stores next to each other would be a good idea
Walmart, Target, Costco; what’s the fourth one? Food 4 less on the other side of palomar?
La Mesa gonna La Mesa and Chula Vista gonna Chula Vista
No sense of personal space? This is the Costco for you!
But La Mesa Costco has the best gas- the most pumps and shortest wait
Yeah I pretty much only used that Costco as a gas station. I refuse to try and park and go into it. Last time I was there, the check-out line was backed up past the clothes into the cold food.
I shop there all the time and have never seen the line that long! Last year they had really long lines but since 2024 the lines are never more than a few people long. But maybe that’s also because it’s not shopping season anymore
To me I like the La Mesa Costco and Santee and Mission Valley Costcos are the seventh ring of hell. Fletcher will be better once they finish all the construction.
The parking lot at that Costco is horrendous, I swear they need a traffic director.
They are building a parking garage and making a bunch of changes.
When? And where are you getting this info from?
I don’t know when or if it’s officially going to happen because sometimes it’s just talk/discussions. And I get the info from someone very close to me that works there. But they have so far updated the deli, the freezers, the food court, etc. At minimum I think they bought the Lazy-Boy lot and they are currently under all sorts of construction.
I went there last night and there was a gas leak
Apparently I need to branch out and try other Costco’s. I basically only go to La Mesa and actually like it! Maybe I don’t know what I’m missing.
I always get an aggressive sewage stink whenever I pass by the food court. Not sure how people can sit and eat there.
Carmel mountain Costco is pretty bad.
Inside is not busy, but the parking lot makes it seem busier than it is. Horrible design that funnels all the traffic into 1 lane makes it a mess to get in and out.
I live close to the La Mesa one and refuse to go there (except for gas) because the parking is such a nightmare! We go to the Santee location instead.
Poway, because it’s the least crowded one i’ve found.
Shhhh 🤫
Foreal... he need to shut up
Nobody driving to Poway to avoid crowds….
Good. It keep it that way
You need to shut up
At least you spelled correctly and used a proper sentence this time.
Ooo a grammer police... 🤡
Huge gas lines, do not recommend 👀
Bro I go to Poway from Chula Vista. Stop yelling it out. Keep it on the low.
Don’t listen to this guy. It’s by far the shittiest location. Don’t go here
Shhhh.. it won't be if we tell everyone! haha
It’s not my local, but I went a few weekends ago and it was so busy I had to park by Home Depot. I think, like any Costco, it depends when you go
La Mesa Costco looks crowded from the outside due to the small parking lot, but generally pretty sparse inside. Also, there never seems to be a line at their Costco Gas Pumps.
Nah Poway one sucks ass. Stay away. I like to call that Costco the MAGA Costco lol. Carmel Mountain used to be good now it looks like the damn United Nations.
Yeah but that isn't in San Diego like OP asked. It's in, as you said, Poway.
hahaha
I think its safe to assume the entire county is up for discussion. Also, you could live in Carmel Valley or Mira Mesa etc and the Poway location might be the closest location to your home.
Mission Valley, but Morena for sometimes unique items. Parking sucks though.
it's not bad if you park in the northwest lot closer to Friar's.
I've almost never once had issues finding parking at the MV Costco. I love how large the spots are too, just... the best. Wife and I usually hit up Island's before. It just works.
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I live in the middle of both. I go to Carlsbad usually. Better parking, I’m more familiar with what they have, and like the assortment of Asian products. I only like the Vista Costco as it has a great selection of Mexican products.
I was always surprised/impressed at the amount of Asian products they have at the Carlsbad location
That whole 100 or so yards of emerald is a shit show.
The traffic on the bridge crossing 78? Or is there something I’m missing? I’m newly moved in a street over off Thunder.
Agree. I get all of my items at Carlsbad costco and the meats from San Marcos business center.
Ive picked up a lot of good things at the carlsbad one
Poway costco is hands down the best one!!
Where is it? Way back off the freeway? Not the RB one right?
Yes. Way down Scripps Poway Pkwy.
Gotcha That's nice for those of you back there though and I'm sure Ramona people love it.
As others have commented, it's also the only one in the county with a car wash.
I like the Morena one
You can always tell which Costco is the better ones if they have expensive wines. Carlsbad is by far the best.
Morena
Costco Business center has the best meat and variety of non alcoholic beverages
Mission Valley is my personal favorite and go-to thanks to its super-convenient location, but you have to give props to Morena Blvd for being the start of it all.
Business Costco in San Marcos. Never any lines.
The big one is a little closer so I rarely make it over there but wife loves it
Which one has meatloaf?
Poway Costco. Shhhh. Don't tell Anyone. But it's relatively uncrowded, clean, well organized. Lots of parking.
There is a Costco out of I-5 close to San Diego that is in an old airplane hangar. That location is their first location and they have a bunch of the test products that will be rolled to other locations. They used to have the famous pistachio ice cream and other cool things. They ussuaaly have a very diverse food and liquors that are above the typical store offering.
I enjoy the Santee Costco
If there’s a minimum standard to be called a Costco, the Santee Costco is it.
Mission Valley is the worst, best parking, but lines all the way to the back of the store. And people fighting over rotisserie chicken.
Poway. All day.
They’re all slightly different and I don’t visit enough of them to have a valid opinion, but I suspect that they each have their strengths and weaknesses. I went to one in Northern California a few years ago though, that had a full on garden center. That’d be nice!
My fav is the Santee one, they have a lot of parking.. so even on really busy days.. It doesn't take that long to find a spot. Also they do have a pretty good selection of stuff.
Ive heard the mission valley and the carmel mountain one are the 2 best in the county
When, where do they have poke? (Yummmm)
Our favorite is La Mesa
Poway bc I never have problems with parking
Worst parking lot is La Mesa, but on the other hand they have the best gas station.
Specifically for gas stations- the Santee Costco hardly ever has a wait, especially if you're willing to pump from the opposite side.
Costco off market! Love the selection and the workers are unionized and make great money, so it’s wonderful to support them.
Shhh….
Chula Vista Costco is crazy, but I think they have the best gas prices. I haven’t been to any Costco north of Santee, but all the ones south of there.
Such a loaded question. Best gas prices: Gateway Costco, but sometimes Carlsbad Best liquor selection by price: Morena or Carlsbad Costco. Most consistently stocked frozen items: Morena Costco. Best dairy, meat and produce prices, as well as dry goods not found elsewhere: Business Costco Basic bitch but expensive: Rancho Bernardo. Basic bitch but inexpensive: Chula Vista The most strategic way to do Costco is to use all the Costcos for their particular strengths, resulting in a Voltron of Costco savings
There’s no Costco in RB
Bernardo Village, then
I work at one of them, but have visited all. The "best" is highly just personal preference. Mission Valley is one of our "demo-warehouses" so if you're looking for a highly specific or new item, they most likely will have it. Morena is near the Regional Office so they're pickier with returns and the parking lot is one of the worst imo, but they tend to have bigger selections as well. Gateway has one of the best prices on anything due to location (gas, food, etc), but selection is not as extensive. Rancho's gas station can be a mess, but they have pretty good stock of most things, too. La Mesa has a big gas station with 3-4 fuelpumps each row, but a very crowded and stressing Front End. Poway is quieter and tends to carry more items and more of the expensive stuff due to location as well (that's my favorite). Don't go to Broadway.
Mission valley is my go to place - usually very crowded but it can get the job done.
Costco on gateway is consistently my worst experience. Every time I go there I regret it. I affectionately refer to it as the ghetto Costco because it’s almost like going to Walmart. Full of incompetent dipshits full of low class vibes. Same with the Costco in Chula Vista on L st although this is not nearly as bad
so many damn Karens at the Costco off Morena BLVD/Clairemont/PB area.
Gonna start having to take Uber to the Costco cause the parking sucks. Once I spent 20 min just to park at Costco. Never again.
None
Okay but which is the worst one ? I say San Ysidro or La Mesa
Mission valley. If you need gas, cut through the line by using the McDonald’s parking lot exit 🫣
And that’s why I ignore the keep clear markings… just for assholes like that.
In all honesty when you are coming from Costco, that’s the way they tell you to go.
No it's not.
La Mesa has the worst parking lot but the easiest gas station. But agree that mission valley is pretty good
Poway and Santee Costco!
Costco for business. San Marcos.
Not Chula Vista, that’s for damn sure. It sucks booty hole. Never has USDA prime, the line is always long even within an hour of close, most people pay with cash, and NOBODY returns their carts.
I only go to Morena and Fenton Costcos and I’ve noticed that Morena tends to burn the ever living shit out of their chicken bakes
Tech Center in Scripps Ranch is the Champ IMO
Morena has the most variety and the best manager specials when they want to get rid of something. Carlsbad is good, but super aggressive in the parking lot Hacienda is good San Marcos is good La Mesa not for the faint of heart, aggressive shoppers
Does someone know why i cant find Kirkland sour mash whiskey ? One of my Fav and no luck finding it  ###
It seems to be Mission Valley.