I love this cute shop! Great holiday decorations, ornaments, cards and gift wrap. The staff are courteous and helpful.

The fact that this place is still in business is remarkable. The older woman standing behind the counter was the most unpleasant human I have ever encountered in my life. I walked in with my daughter this morning passing the front counter and noticed woman standing behind the counter staring, I looked at her and said good morning and walked pass. As my daughter and I were looking around another woman walks in and grabbed a few cards and went to pay. I heard the employee say loudly "a woman who knows what they want to buy" at this point my daughter picked out what she wanted and we headed to the counter. We waited for the other customer to finish and we walked up and there she was just staring. I asked my daughter to put the boxes down so she can scan them. I paid and the employee held the receipt in her hand, I grabbed it from her and told her to have a great day. She responded and I told her she should have better customer service and she replied I should be a better customer , I turned around and said perhaps if you learn to great customers as they walk in, she snaps back "don't tell me what to do". She's obviously not well nor all there. It's too bad she is the first thing people see, if that's the owner then it is what it is, but if she's an employee management needs to put her in the back where she has 0 customer contact. Disgusting behavior from a person who clearly should know better read more

Rudest employee ever. Her energy was palpable. Was with my 6 year old daughter. We had to leave immediately. Awful awful

Very short and rude person at store. Ask for simple help with Christmas and Happy Holiday Cards. Short with me, just pointing at location and not even a smile. Very unpleasant experience. Short but unpleasant. read more

Cute. Clean and friendly staff. Will return if I'm ever back in the area. They had cute ornament blind boxes for $5.99. Make great stocking stuffers, we picked up 3 read more

I grew up going to Hallmark stores so they have a really special place in my heart, my dad always took me to our local one after school for fun little trinkets, to find cute or funny greeting cards, and of course it being the 90s, beanie babies. THAT was wild, but good times! Decades later, I can still come to Hallmark and lose track of time browsing the entire store looking at unique trinkets and gifts that I would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere, hilarious greeting cards that make me laugh out loud in the aisles like a weirdo (but those who receive them do as well), and yes even as a grown woman - today's beanie babies/TY products!! Be sure to check out the entire store and don't miss the back area where they have really nice occasion-based gifts for loved ones. I think I was in here 20x before I wandered over there and it was like stepping into Narnia. read more

Yikes. Rudest employee ever up front. I asked where their card boxes were and she just says, "First aisle". If you've stepped foot in there, it's not like a grocery store with clearly marked/designated aisles. When I went to check out, she asked if I found everything alright. I said that she should actually show customers to the item and she put her hands up and said, "Okay.....sorry!" in a very sarcastic manner. Go elsewhere. read more

I too experienced one of the rudest employees at this store in all the years I've been coming here. I was looking to by a pair of readers and couldn't find them. I asked the youngish person stareing into space where they had moved them, She pointed them out as if i was bothering her. There was no one else i. the store. i looked and found a pair of glasses and tried to get them out of the packaging. which i wasn't able to do. I then told her that i was having trouble getting them out to try on to see if they were the correct strength. She stood there looking at me and did not answer me. I said i would I need to try them on. She then said "fine@but you have to put them back in the packaging. as of she didn't here me at all I outright asked her to help me get them out, which she did begrudgingly. I tried them on with her watching still not make moving from behind the counter and she said "don't forget to put them back in the case, but she had the case behind the counter since she removed then herself. At any rate, I said I didn't need to put them back since I was buying them After the transaction i asked if the store manager was there. She totally ignored me again with a sarcastic look on her face. Never stepping foot in this store again Would have rather paid more money at Tiernans Optical where you actually get great service with a smile read more

I shop here all the time the staff are friendly and they are not crowded. When I need cards for my nieces I stop by to buy them here because they have a good selection. Support this card and gift shop read more

Dona's Hallmark Shop - Cards & Stationery Near Me - San Carlos, California

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We used to like coming here. The employees used to be very nice & you felt welcome. Well not today, not a friendly employee behind the counter. Asked a question, didn't even bother to help find just said there was none available but really we found it by ourselves. She was nice to others at the register but I guess we stick out being minority. No hello, thank you or anything. If I didn't thank her, she would have said nothing. Ridiculous. read more

Great place to shop! Friendly service representatives. Know what they are doing. They keep the customer informed of new products and suggest according to their interest. read more

Very courteous, friendly staff. Always ready to help you find what you are looking for.

Store closed on Sundays by 4 p.m. Unfortunately both the Hallmark website and the hours on Google say 5 p.m. I try to support local businesses when possible, but I made a special trip to Dona's and was disappointed. You have to get the word out about your correct hours, especially to your regular customers. I went to Barnes & Noble instead. read more

For all those people who are looking for a replacement Hallmark to go to fir their greeting card needs, Dona's in San Carlos is definitely the place to go. Denise the Store Associate on duty today was so friendly and pro-active in helping me out with my purchases. At most of the other stores, they usually just hang out or greet you in a creepy way. But Denise is definitely genuine and warm in her demeanor and she makes the shopping experience here a pleasurable event. It's a treat to come here and the parking behind the store street is A+ and very easy to access. read more

Beware this is a ripe off place . Bought a pocket calendar. A sticker price was on it . Went to lunch and pull off the sticker . The sticker price was double what the retail price was. When back to the store and said what going on . She said the owner Mark set up double so I gave it back a real rip off place beware pull the sticker off to see the real price beware read more

As we were being checked out yesterday the clerk did not greet, smile or make eye contact. She did not offer a bag or seals. The other clerk was having a rather loud phone conversation regarding staffing and scheduling within close proximity of the counter. Perhaps this conversation should have taken place in the office rather than on the sales floor. I am a Gold Crown member and love shopping at Hallmark stores. However, I will not be returning to this store in the future. read more

Donna's Hallmark is a great place to shop for cards, ornaments and all types of gifts. The ladies working there, Denise and Liz, are always very accommodating and very friendly. We shop there often and always receive a warm welcome. read more

People here have bipolar disorder. Rude customer service, I don't even need a compelling story, just read the other reviewer's remarks. read more

MEH - Customer service leaves much to be desired. I went in on a Thursday afternoon and was completely IGNORED by 3 employees. Mind you I was the ONLY customer in the store. Not a single "Hello" or greeting, not even so much a smile. THESE PEOPLE NEED A LESSON IN CUSTOMER SERVICE 101. 1) Make Eye Contact, 2) Greet, 3) Ask if there is anything the customer needs help with. It seemed like it would kill these people to friggin' smile. I picked up 3 high-end Signature cards and when I went to pay, the woman behind the counter was on the phone. NO EYE CONTACT, no gesturing that she would be done soon, and she definitely took her sweet time to finish the call. When she was done I asked if there was a restroom and she responded with a flat-out "No". Would it have been so hard to advise a customer that there is no public restroom but point out the closest one? UGH. Selection: I only looked at the signature/high end cards, there was limited selection but I found what I needed (2 baby shower cards and a Thank You card). There would have been more to choose from but I wanted to pick up nicer , specialty cards. I noticed 1 or 2 aisles in the store were empty/void of cards. I'm giving this 2 stars b/c it is a super convenient location and I like supporting local businesses... I can deal w/ a limited inventory but they really need to work on their customer service. PS - My husband went here today to pick up a card for a colleague and he was greeted by a younger staff member who was nice and asked him if he needed help. Either the women working the day I went have zero customer skills or they didn't want to help someone who didn't fit a certain profile (if you know what I mean). Let's hope it was the former. read more

Went into the store to buy a specialty card for the Indian holiday Diwali. Hallmark's website had several choices. I simply cannot believe how rude, uninformed and unhelpful both of the sales reps were. Wouldn't lift a finger to help whatsoever. I will never pass through their doors again and will definitely pass on my negative experience to friends and family. read more

This is one of my favorite stores in San Carlos. I've lived here for over 40 years and have great memories from way back. Recently I stopped in to see what's new and was pleasantly surprised that all the best of what I remember is still there, and so much more. There are so many great unique gifts and as usual the cards are wonderful. I also enjoy the people in this store. Some very lovely employees work here. A few ones that have been here a while, and a few new ones who are very fun and kind. I will be back many times! I very much enjoy every visit to this store. read more

I don't write many reviews--only ones that are exceptional in some way, good or bad. Dona's Hallmark Store on Laurel Street in San Carlos is one of the exceptionally good places around. Not only is their merchandise fresh and appealing, but I've found the service extremely helpful and friendly. If you're looking for something specific, they'll go out of their way to help you find it, and offer suggestions when appropriate. AND--they are offering free "Cards for the Cure" to support the Susan G. Komen organization to help find a cure for breast cancer. What a class act. read more

I can't even believe I am Yelping about a Hallmark store...but yeah. I am. Wandering around SC today...we saw this Hallmark shop that's one or two shops down from the Speederia pizza place where we grubbed on lunch. Now I'm a confessed Christmas dork and so while I don't actually like to be any of the hordes shopping the sales after Xmas...if I just happen to be wandering down a street with pizza grease on my lips and see an open Hallmark shop with big 50% off Christmas signs everywhere, can you really blame a gal for parking her hubby on a bench nearby and heading in??? Nahh didn't think so. I scored some sweet deals on wrapping paper and the like, I *love* not having to pay full price for Xmas wrapping paper!! Service was friendly and fast...some gal even broke some type of strange Christmas porcelain item in her Christmas-sale-lust and they didn't even make her pay for it. Drinks all around!! read more

Unlike the other friendly stores on Laurel the woman at the store is rude and told me she's singles out kids for stealing. My 10 year old daughter was asked to leave her shopping bag at the front despite no other customers in the store being asked the same. My daughter was trying to buy a birthday present for her sister and went across the street instead where they were very nice. read more

I always stops here for cards when I am in the area. They have a very good selection for any occasion, and the ladies there are very polite. Will definitely return when I need to pick something up for a special occasion! read more

When I asked about the store hours, the old lady literally rolled her eyes and groaned. Wow, sorry for ruining your day. Get your shit together, lady. Not going in there again. read more

My husband and I used to attend Collector Club Meetings until about two months ago at Dona's Hallmark in San Carlos, CA. On the morning of one of the meetings in March, I called to ask if we could attend since I had not RSVP'd the week before. Beth, who manages the club for the store, said that she did not have enough food and we could not come. I told her that we could eat at home and come later since they were going to discuss the upcoming summer Hallmark event. She repeated a vehement "NO." After a couple of days went by, I discussed her rude attitude with my husband. I then called the store and told Maya, another employee, that we no longer wanted to be part of Beth's group since she had a very discourteous attitude about what happened. My husband waited a couple of weeks and wrote the owner, Michael, a letter about her attitude. The letter also discussed other customer service issues that we had noticed on occasion with her. When she's in a good mood, she's really nice; when she's not in a good mood, it is readily apparent. We thought that what we had encountered was singular to us until we read other reviews about her on this site. So, we thought that we would share our experience. What we have surmised is that to be part of the "in crowd" at that store, we need to spend a lot more money. We used to be huge shoppers of ornaments and have obviously slowed down over the years simply because we're running out of space. Everything is all about the money these days, and one would think that no matter what a customer spends in a store, he/she is still considered a valuable customer. It is interesting because my husband received no answer from Michael, the owner of this store. So, that says to us that he agrees with her behavior and decision in the way that she treated us. And that's not okay. We went another step further and asked Hallmark to remove us from advertising that is tied to Dona's Hallmark in San Carlos. Evidently, by consistently shopping in the future at the Bridgepoint Hallmark Store in San Mateo, the advertising will switch to that store since we have discontinued shopping at Dona's even though it is more convenient. We are also sharing our very discourteous experience with our friends so that they can take their business to the store in San Mateo. The critical point is that neither Beth nor Michael considered that an apology was in order. As they say, what goes around, comes around. All customers need to be treated respectfuly no matter how much they spend. read more

my preferred place to shop when i'm in need of a greeting card. this is one of the few hallmark stores that i know of in the peninsula, so when i'm in san carlos, i usually drop by to see what they have on their shelves. aside from a diverse selection of birthday, anniversary, wedding, and other occasion cards, they carry a large stock of gift items, soft toys, candies, and seasonal products. the ladies who work here are super friendly and helpful. i definitely recommend coming here for the selection of merchandise as well as good customer service. read more

I checked on their website to see what time the store opened. It indicated 11:00am on Sunday. However, when I drove all the way over there, I discovered they don't open until 1:00pm. Disappointed to have made a wasted trip. read more

Nice spacious store where you can browse at your leisure. I went to look for some items that were recently released and I found some of the items I was looking for. When I asked whether or not they expected a future order for the other items, I didn't get much help other than it'll probably be ordered. Oh well, at least I was able to get some of the items. read more

Your website, Google, and Yelp sites all say open until 5p on Sundays. Just drove 15 minutes to find "Sundays closed at 4p" in the window.

Nothing short of horrible. My previous review was deleted/removed/whatever for reasons unknown. So I will keep this very short: I have never been treated with this much disrespect by any store owner since I was, say, four years old. Some bad stuff went down there. I'll leave it at that. You can ask if you want. read more

Just left the store. I am or was a regular customer at this location. I buy all of my ornaments full price before Christmas but was picking up a few for my sister. When asked about a price of an item, I decided not to buy as the price was cheaper at another store. As I walked away the clerk told another worker that they can usually match the price. Why didn't she offer that? She asked what location it was purchased at. I realize she may think it is only a $10 sale but hey she lost a customer who spends hundreds a year. read more

Small mama and papa shop. I love this place mostly because of the post office. There is another post office down the street but that place is packed. The line was so long I hated it. This place, the guy was friendly, nice and best of all...there were no lines. Should I be telling you all this? read more

They close at 5:30 on the Saturday before Mother's Day. Enough said. The owner said we are closed while I was shopping but let me pick out another card pay and leave. Toy shop across the way will get all the business they miss out on and rightfully so. read more

I like this Hallmark store for some of their great prices on box cards. They have a variety of items great for little gifs and such. The store is located in the heart of the street of downtown San Carlos which makes it super convenient to visit. read more

Sales lady caught in big fat lie. I was at the Hallmark store today at 10:00am for the after xmas sales. I was looking at the ornaments when I heard the sales lady answer a phone call. She said, with a sarcastic attitude, that she couldn't go looking for an ornament because it was too busy. There were only 4 people in the store!! AND there are 3 sales clerks. This lady has always been a grumpy service clerk. read more

I never knew there was a full fledged Hallmark store in San Carlos until I needed to find some cards. The staff were pretty helpful whenever you had questions. I was desperately looking for a silken white ribbon as part of a gag gift, to wrap a gift a la Tiffany's. The gentleman working there went to the back and pulled out all the recent shipment of ribbons to find if one was delivered. That was great service and I've been coming back ever since! read more

I usually don't have the time to be browsing online and writing reviews, but I have to acknowledge the service I received earlier today at Dona's Hallmark. I went in there for a baby shower card for my cousin and an anniversary card, and a nice, cheery lady named Beth pointed me in the right direction. She also showed me these adorable outfits that they have for baby gifts that I couldn't resist buying for my cousin's shower. This Hallmark store is by far the best Hallmark I have ever been into. They have so many adorable gifts and have a card for everything! The store was decorated for the upcoming holidays and everything was clean and tidy on display. I felt like a guest in the store, not just a random customer. I will definitely be coming back here whenever I need a card or a special, unique gift for someone. read more

This is the only Hallmark store I will shop at. They ladies are friendly and always attentive, they have a nice selection of stationary for any occasion especially for the size of the store. I will always come here to support Michael and his employees. read more