Zion Market — Attraction in San Diego

I look forward to seeing Zion Market get its feet back under it in the new location but until then, what was once a particularly enjoyable shopping experience has become synonymous with mediocrity. A few things of note, and areas of improvement:

Fewer SKUs: As other reviewers have mentioned, the selection of groceries has greatly suffered with the move. About half of my weekly Zion Market purchases were no longer stocked.

Reduced parking: The parking lot is no longer the sprawling asphalt parcel it once was, although parking was adequate on a monday morning.

In-store layout and shopping experience: Shorter and narrower aisles, and more cart congestion (I'm afraid this will remain unimproveable). The reach-in freezers perpendicular to the aisles leave no room to park at an end cap while you dip into the aisle to grab items - the cart has to stay with the shopper. The genius who drafted this layout needs to spend 30 minutes pushing a cart through the store on a saturday afternoon, and then check their blood pressure.

It is no longer merchandised intuitively, so the time spent in-store has increased. It desperately needs aisle signage - the lack thereof is reason enough to find a new grocer.

Poor merchandising + lack of signage = more time spent searching for items = longer shopping trips = more humans congesting the aisles = longer cashier wait times = less parking turnover = general frustration.

Right now, the new location borders dangeriously close to being too inconvenient to frequent. I'm rooting for its improvement and wish the brand and its team growth...

This store used to be our go to for Korean groceries. During our last visit, we asked the produce worker for a box of sesame leaves. He gave us one in a green onion box. When we checked out, the cashier decided to take it upon himself and charge us for two boxes. When we showed him his error, he accused us of trying to steal extra. We explained that that was the amount the produce man placed in there. My 65 year old mother was offended that he would accuse us of stealing and became upset. He then turned to her and said, "Chill, I will give you a refund, okay?!" We spent almost $300 on groceries and $100 more on skincare and pastries. And, drove an hour each way to shop there. To be accused of trying to steal a couple dollars of sesame leaves was extremely offensive. The manager asked us to drop it and that the cashier was new. He also said they were short staffed and had to take what they could get, in terms of employees. No apologies. Very disappointing. CHECK YOUR RECEIPTS, or go to Hmart like we will be doing...

was shocked to see a sign in this store written in English and Chinese, using demeaning language like “Were you raised by an animal?” to discourage sampling. This store is Korean, yet the sign was not in Korean—only in English and Chinese—which creates a strong implication that Chinese-speaking customers are being specifically targeted.

This could be interpreted as discriminatory under California’s civil rights laws, which protect consumers from unfair treatment based on language or national origin (California Civil Code §51 – the Unruh Civil Rights Act).

It is deeply inappropriate for any business to use public signage that insults, humiliates, or implicitly singles out a specific ethnic or language group. I urge the store to remove the sign immediately, issue a public apology, and adopt proper staff training to ensure respectful communication with all customers.

If no action is taken, I will consider filing a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department and relevant consumer...