I have been a customer at this Hallmark store for years and I have always been provided with the best customer service, especially by Stacy and Nancy. They greet me a friendly hello and consistently provide the best customer service of any of the places I routinely shop! The store provides me with a large selection of cards and gifts to choose from and I love their Christmas ornament selection! I feel I'm getting a good value for the quality of the Hallmark products. I would have given 5 stars however it only allowed me to rate 4 stars. :( read more

Date of visit: December 22, 2022 I'd ordered a gift for my lady and had it shipped to this location; whod've seen that I would end up buying $20 of merchandise (and signing up for the Crown Rewards program) for myself while here? I remember when Mira Mesa had an Elam's Hallmark way back in the day - I don't know if this is the same store from my youth, or a different franchise. Be that as it may, there are plenty of gifts, ornaments, and cards to choose from here, with a friendly staff ready to assist you. I don't like how the register is smack dab in the middle, making for some crowded environs inside. And yes, some of the merchandise inside is pricy, but you do get what you pay for. Lucky for my wallet that Elam's Hallmark is a little drive away from me, as my Star Wars, Marvel, and Peanuts-loving self wouldn't be able to resist making a purchase every time I come here! read more

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The staff are always welcoming and eager to help you find what you want. They offer an excellent selection of gifts and cards. Don't forget to pick up some soft caramels at the register; they're about three for $1. You'll thank me later and probably eat them before you get home! read more

Fairly recently relocated to the Rite Aid side of the Ralph's strip mall, Elam's Hallmark offers quality cards, wrapping paper, gift bags, and gifts such as jigsaw puzzles, jewelry, handbags, knick knacks, San Diego souvenirs, mugs, etc. The staff are always pleasant and ready to help. What I dislike is they now charge 4% (It went up from the reported 3% by other Yelpers) on EVERY transaction, cash or card for 'the cost of living'. Their products are already expensive -- it's difficult to find a card you really like for under $5, so to add another 4%, come on! Due to the prices I prefer only to shop there if I have a very good coupon or to get the monthly complimentary Crown Rewards 'Just Because' card or if it's a very special occasion and other card shops have failed me. I more often rely on the dollar $tores for cards, some of which offer basic Hallmark cards. Less than half the store consists of cards -- I would prefer less gifts, more cards, but maybe they make more money on the gifts. I personally find Hallmark cards generally a little too 'soppy' and some of them are religious, so it's tough to find just the right one. I also wish Hallmark had an app instead of relying on having to pull up the website every time I need to show them a coupon barcode. I also dislike for privacy reasons that I have to say my phone number out loud for the Crown Rewards. I've resorted to showing them my Crown Rewards card instead. Could they not figure out a way for us to type it in the credit card machine? I would like to suggest they offer paper bags instead of plastic ones and ask customers if they NEED a bag -- that might be a way to cut down on costs so as to lessen the above mentioned 4% surcharge. I'm sure most of those small card-size plastic bags go straight in the trash instead of being reused. Ample free parking available. There are lots of card shopping options around, Trader Joes, Rite Aid, Ralph's, Party City, Dollar Tree, CVS, even Total Wine and TJMaxx have some cards. They don't add on an extra 4%, so unless you're addicted to having that little gold seal on the back of your envelope, think about where you shop for your next card, you have choices. read more

Elam's Hallmark Shop - Cards & Stationery Near Me - San Diego, California

I love my lighthouse ornaments and have been coming here for over 10 years (so far, we have 12). The customer service is fantastic, and during this last visit, Michelle went above and beyond the call to ensure we got everything we needed to keep our traditions going. I love coming here for that special card or ornament. It's part of our Christmas tradition now. read more

Elam's Hallmark Shop - Cards & Stationery Near Me - San Diego, California

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Boo, stop sending me emails, texts or mail. When you decided several years ago to charge me a service fee on top of taxes and your high prices, I said no more Elam's Hallmark. You lost a good customer. Every time I had a birthday gift I needed to find for a friend or family member, I would look in your store first. Many times I found something and purchased it even though I would pay much more for the items than if I would get online and buy them, I did it to support local business and for convenience too. When you started charging a service charge, I could not believe it. Wow! You lost me, I will never step into your store again. read more

Beautiful shop! Great music and selection of merchandise is truly incredible. Someone very politely greeted me with "just wanted to welcome you" kind of words. It felt good as I did come to browse and didn't have anything particular in mind. I took decent time walking through majority of the store & truly enjoying cozy atmosphere. I heard people come in and out asking sales staff for help different things they were looking for. I picked out few things that I liked (a lot!!) and found quick help at checkout counter. I declined invite for golden crown rewards and to my surprise checkout person kept insisting and insisting on it. I found that unnecessarily pushy and forceful. I felt so irritated! Maybe more skilled natural sales approach would be better. These days sales are done with value-adding , definitely not force. However, I will (try) that distract me from returning to the store as I do like to stop by more often in the future. I am hoping this review gets management attention and helps avoid unnecessary irritation at the checkout. After all, other staff, merchandise and overall atmosphere of this gift shop is very lovely, cozy and warm. And I really appreciate it! read more

Elam's Hallmark Shop - Cards & Stationery Near Me - San Diego, California

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They charge a 3% surcharge on purchases!! I know minimum wage went up but that is a downright deceptive business practice. Totally unscrupulous. Beware of this hidden fee and buy your cards and other things elsewhere that practice honest business. If the cost of doing business goes up then your prices should encompass that...not advertising lower prices and then sticking it to the customer. I'll NEVER shop at a hallmark again and I recommend everyone avoid at all costs. They can make their political statements some other way. read more

Love their inventory but I find the women who work there super rude. Won't be back to that location.

Great selection. Nice staff. They moved further down by Ralph's making parking easier.

11/18/22 at 6:40pm I walked into the store and the two older women chatting behind the register looked at my and then back at own another to continue chatting away. No welcome or hello. I picked up a birthday card and a beanie and walked up to the cash register and said "hello" to the same two ladies chatting behind the registers, then did not acknowledge me but continued to carry on their conversation right in-front me. Finally a theirs employee, names Suew walked over and assisted me. Suew was extremely nice and it was clear the other two employees couldn't care less about doing their job. Hopefully management talks to the employees who were working this date/time about what occurred. Other than that incident the store was items were lovely. read more

Another scam to visit and spend $75 as a VIP customer and you receive a shopping bag selection of trash that they couldn't sell to anyone if they wanted to. That's the benefit of buying some Hallmark items in a brick and mortar. With the new surcharge, and the lack of inventory.....AMAZON is now my choice to shop for ornaments. CVS for cards... NO SURCHARGES THERE! read more

Nice store and some beautiful things.. Had the stuffed animal I was looking for but....a small sign by the register saying they are adding 3% to all items made me change my mind. When prices go up, they go up, but adding an up charge with a small sign to me is an unethical business practice. I won't be back. read more

An excellent place to pick up a card or gift for any occasion. Hallmarks are disappearing slowly due to dollar stores opening up everywhere. I'm glad to help mom and pop shops that provide jobs to the community. Found what I needed and will definitely be back. The associates are always helpful and knowledgeable. Drop by here if you need a special gift, quickly and at a reasonable price. read more

Excellent Hallmark shop! I went there just to get some greeting cards, and was impressed with the size of the store. I have been shopping for a decade at the Traders Joe next door and never paid attention to this Hallmark, but yesterday I thought I wanted a more upscale gift card, and better to go to a specialized store. I was surprised to see that is huge, and has lot of different gift items, such as the best candles and super cute jewelry (not grandma style like you could expect in this type of place). Also, sandals, hats and scarves and even Sanrio stuff. The lady behind the counter is very kind and welcoming. read more

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DAWN IS AWESOME!! And here's why. I'm a guy, so right away I'm out of place here. I went in looking for a very specific item and happened on Dawn toward the back of the store. She sensed that I would not be just shopping for "something", and me not having a clue what that might be. Her query was friendly, revealing that she was ready to listen and present a solution. AND SHE DID-3 solutions, in fact. I chose one and she completed my choice-and at an incredibly reasonable price. At the same time I must mention the other 3 ladies working this day. When 2 or more people lined up at one register, another lady magically appeared and opened a register. As I was waiting, more people lined up and a third lady starting helping customers. 3 ladies-3 registers, and everyone was happy. I witnessed something today that I've not seen for years. The 3 ladies mentioned were all older, likely retired or close to retirement. And sweet, smiling, pleasant-even able AND willing to listen to what someone wants and ask a reasonable question or two, in a non-confrontational way, to zero in on helping people find what they're really looking for. No disrespect to the younger generation but they haven't developed this skill-at least I haven't seen it. Here's an example of both. Lady in THIS store to another customer: "Let me show you this and that. No? OK, let's look at this other aisle." One of the younger generation(NOT in this store): "Look on aisle 5." Get the picture? Maybe this Hallmark has what you're looking for, or maybe they've got that unique piece you thought was extinct. Give them a try. And remember with the holiday season upon us, take a patience pill before visiting. My rare and coveted 5 star ***** rating has been given to a small store due to the attitudes of all the workers here. read more

For years Dianes Hallmark was a go to store at the holidays. This year I made my annual trip the day after Christmas only to find the holiday items were no longer 50% off as it has been since I can remember but 40% off. There is 0% discount on any holiday wrap. There was a group of elderly women who had come specifically for wrap. I felt bad for them. Then comes the personel. The women who helped me was unfriendly the moment we walked up. She then told me "you know this isnt Christmas right?" I proceeded to tell her it was and showed her where. She reluctantly agreed then rang up the item. It rang up regular at less then their sticker so she quickly removed it and hand input the higher price. She said the higher was the correct price. I didn't feel like arguing so I paid the higher price but this wouldn't have happened at Diane's. I guess we've lost one of our last good Hallmark shop in South O.C. and I will no longer be shopping at this one. read more

A beautiful selection of cards, toys, candles, and other gifts/seasonal items. I love this hallmark and they do a great job of displaying their merchandise. That being said, the customer service is seriously lacking. As a customer service professional I made note of the lack of greeting and goodbye, and didn't like the looks they shot my way. I would have liked to ask about their DaVinci bracelets but decided to walk out because the associates seemed so unapproachable. read more

This isn't the biggest Hallmark store but it has a great selection. Besides cards, they have really cute gift ideas. They also have the nicest thank you cards, which is usually what I end up getting. The people that work here are all friendly and helpful but without being overbearing. read more

I grew up frequenting this Hallmark, not so much for the cards, but for the cool Sanrio stuff and troll dolls. (Remember troll dolls?) I went in the other day to buy a few cards and it hasn't really changed since I was a kid. This Hallmark store is pretty big and there is a decent selection of cards and other knick knacks that you would find in a card store. The card selection at this Hallmark was better than the Hallmark in UTC (which is now closed). They also still had a decent amount of Sanrio items (perfect to accompany my cousin's birthday gift). I got everything I needed and the staff here was very friendly. When asking for gold seals, I got more than I needed. Some Hallmarks are very stingy with the seals, not here! read more

I enjoy shopping here! The employees are always welcoming and super helpful. I like browsing through the cards and appreciate the convenience of having plenty of things around for an easy gift. read more

What a difference from the Poway store!!! People with actual customer service skills, what a novel plan. Great location, next to Trader Joe's. No reason to go to the Poway store any more. Thank you, Ms. Manager for managing your store well. read more

I located this store literally the day after we moved here, the lady I spoke to in there was surprized as many people seem to find it difficult to locate. For those who dont know its right in the corner next to Trader Joe's. Of course the fact that it is located right next door to Trader Joe's does mean that parking can be quite difficult. However, this has never been an issue for me as it is a place which I can easily walk to. The store is pretty big, never busy and has a big selection of stock (though some of the stuff in there is quite questionable- seriously, who wants a fake flower which opens and plays music?). Prices can be a bit steep on some items but generally a good place to shop. I love that they sell Yankee candles and Sanrio items. Staff dont always seem very knowledgeable. I went up to the counter with some postcards and the lady behind the counter didnt even realise they sold them! read more

I expected that this Hallmark shop would be jam packed on Mother's Day with all the last minute card shoppers (me included). However I was very wrong. The place was not packed and had plenty of decent cards left to choose from. Bravo! The only downside to this Hallmark is that it shares the parking lot with a lot of popular shops such as PinkBerry, Z Pizza & Trader Joes. The sales associate was also very nice and was happy that I asked if she was a mother so that I could wish her a HMD as well. :) Thank you! read more

This store has a good card selection, that's why I patronize it often, however, when I walk in a wonder if anyone is even there. No one greets you and when I check out they're always somber. They don't even smile unless I smile first I hate going in there I don't know why I keep returning because I always leave with a bad feeling. This is the atmosphere of the store. I have been there many many times throughout the years and it's always the same no matter who is working there. read more

This hallmark is such a nice find. I enjoyed looking through the isles and the Christmas ornaments that they have. My happiness from this store is that a lady helped me as best as she can to find an item I wanted. When we couldn't find it, she gave me suggestions to other nearby stores that might possibly have it, that has hallmark too like walmart. Selected ones only. read more

I always wind up going here and regretting it. But the location is ideal because I'm always shopping at trader joes (next door). The selection is good (except if you are looking for Jewish holiday cards) but I feel the prices are high and the customer service is awful. Today's issue was a line of 5 people deep and 2 registers open. Not an issue until someone wants a figurine out of the case and the other cashier is looking something up forever! But wait, there's a 3rd cashier. She's doing some sort of project or inventory or something. She seems oblivious to the line of people. Finally, after about 5-6 minutes of the line not moving she looks up and calls me over. She has her counter littered with her supplies and tells me "I'm not supposed to be helping". Ummm ok. You are a clerk in a store but you are not supposed to be helping but you pity us people standing in line and allow me to spend $74 on 4 Mother's Day cards and 5 note pads. Thank you Marguerite for helping me give money to the store. Here's a quick customer service tip- do your projects and inventory when the story isn't busy. Customer service should come first. Without a snarky attitude. I have to remember to stop coming to this store. I've given them too much money over the years and they annoy me with their million questions- are you a member? Do you want envelope seals? How about an ornament? No! Just no! read more