Stater Bros. Markets — Local services in San Diego

I’ve been shopping at Stater Bros for more than two decades, starting back in my high school days, and now in my mid-thirties this store has been a steady part of my life. Over the years, I’ve built a kind of familiarity with the people here by exchanging small jokes, chatting briefly about shows or history, and even having them ask me about my family. That’s the kind of personal connection this store prides itself on. They don’t even have self-checkout lanes, because the idea is: the cashiers know their customers.

That’s why today’s experience felt so disappointing. A cashier I’d never seen before asked for my ID when I was buying a beer. Fair enough, I thought—I’ll just go to the cashier I know. But to my surprise, they asked me for my ID as well. After more than two decades of shopping here, being known by name and history, this felt jarring.

It wasn’t the ID request itself that frustrated me, it was the inconsistency and the contradiction. If Stater Bros wants to stand apart by being “personal,” then moments like this cut directly against that identity. If the store can’t offer a truly personal experience, then why not just install self-checkout lanes like Ralphs or Albertsons? At least then the trade-off would be clear: less personal, but more convenient.

Right now, it feels like the worst of both worlds. When a store promises connection but delivers bureaucracy, all that’s left is...

Bought two packs of the Randall Farm chicken breast this past Sat. Opened one for dinner the next day. The 3 breast in the pack were big chicken breast...I was thinking its too big to be natural. One was sliced to 7 pcs for cutlets....the texture doesn't look like normal chicken. I proceeded to marinated as usual with garlic power, black pepper and some cooking wine to give a go. It added to our suspicious thinking after the first bite at dinner...Its rubbery texture with no chicken flavor. We stop eating it after few bites. After dinner, our stomah didn't feel right.....gas up and growling crazy. Not sure what's in those chicken breast...wish there is easy access to a food lab to find out. Return them to store for refund. Will never buy chicken from...

I've given them multiple tries... I always see rotten food in produce & out-dated meat. I have no idea how they haven't been written up by the health department. Even when I stop by for something small like ice tea (since they are the closest grocery to me), I end up running into food that shouldn't be there and should be in a dumpster. And the prices are not competitive unless the item is on sale. Everyone has been very friendly. I'm giving it 2 stars because he has a coin star inside to exchange coins for Amazon gift cards.

I'm sure I'll be back for a last minute item and if they manage to clean up their processes for removing bad food I'll...