I'm honestly not sure why this location has so many bad reviews, this is my favorite Sephora in ALL of San Diego ! My go-to is the Sephora near my house, but lately they've been out of my shades or don't carry all of the brands I'm looking for so I've been venturing off to Santee which is the next closest to me and I'm so happy I did . I love how attentive this location is . I don't care if I'm in there for an hour and if you ask me 10 times if I needed help because I might have a question later and don't want to go looking for you lol . Christina I've only talked to on the phone when asking for inventory . She was very informative and looked up the items I asked about . She's great . Xander is awesome --shade matched me and gave me a free sample to try to make sure it was a right fit before opening the package . The manager (I never got her name) is also super sweet, she's helped me multiple times because I'm always there haha Overall, this Sephora is super welcoming, very clean, and a solid location ! Will always be my favorite location to shop at in San Diego ! read more

A bunch of snotty bit** This Sephora location is trash when it comes to customer service. I was walking around the store for at least five minutes looking for a specific brand and was completely ignored. Not a single employee acknowledged me, spoke to me, or offered help. Then a small, done-up white girl walked in after me and was immediately greeted and helped. The difference in treatment was obvious and gross. These girls act like rude bitc*** if you don't look a certain way. If you're not their preferred type of customer, don't expect help or even basic respect. No customer service, no professionalism, just rude behavior. Avoid this location. read more

Needed foundation to cover tattoos and bruises on arms. They were super helpful to color match. It's super important that any/all cosmetics are vegan & not tested on animals. The associate was able to check (they have a binder with all the info!) and confirm for me that the product was indeed fully vegan. Thanks(: read more

SEPHORA - Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Near Me - Santee, California

This Sephora is very hit or miss when it comes to customer service--unfortunately, more miss than hit. It's a shame because there are a few employees who are genuinely kind and helpful. However, the majority seem disengaged and provide only the bare minimum, as if they're just there for a paycheck. It's disappointing that some staff fail to recognize that customers are the reason the store--and their jobs--exist. Sephora as a company really needs to invest in better customer service training and accountability. Customers deserve to be treated with respect and appreciation. read more

This is my favorite Sephora and I've been to many locations . The customer service is top notch . They are very friendly and helpful . I always have a very pleasant experience. read more

I had a pretty underwhelming experience at Sephora Santee. I asked one of the staff members for samples while I was partying for my purchase, he told me they were out--without even offering to make one for me. As I was leaving, I decided to ask another employee near the door, and thankfully she was more accommodating. She made a sample for me, but it was just a tiny dab in a small plastic container. Not even enough to really try the product properly. Honestly, I should've just ordered online. At least then you get proper samples and better service. Not impressed with the in-store experience here. read more

Gema is amazing! She's helped me several times and always is professional, helpful, and super knowledgeable. I always leave feeling confident with my choices! read more

I've always enjoyed shopping at this location without any issues, but my experience last weekend was quite different. During my visit, five employees asked if I needed help a total of eight times. While I appreciate assistance, two of the employees asked me 3-4 times each, which felt excessive. I was there buying gifts for a baby shower and a birthday, and I did make purchases, but the constant attention made me feel uncomfortable, as if I was being watched. It left me feeling unwelcome. I'm not sure if it had anything to do with my appearance that day, but I couldn't shake the feeling that the employees were concerned I might steal. Needless to say, please do better :) thanks read more

Really dislike this location, they are filled with pretentious people who refuse to help you if you don't share the same knowledge of makeup as they do. Been here two times and somehow they made me feel worse about myself the second time. They made feel uncomfortable as I kept shopping around, so I just left the store and finished shopping at a different location. Not surprised that they have a 3 star rating for this location. read more

This store has SO many bad reviews because the employees in the store are rude, opposite of helpful and try to avoid eye contact to avoid doing any work. I've been in this one several times as they have my mascara I like, but today was the last time. Those girls are straight up beeotches. The weird thing is these employees never seem to make the connection--unhappy customers=empty story=no jobs. And their makeup looked TERRIBLE. read more

I went in to purchase some cologne and was completely ignored. Tried to flag down several employees, but with no luck. Unfortunately, I had to walk out without my intended purchase. I've never felt so humiliated and dismissed and will never return. I did however visit the Sephora located in Khol's in Santee and the rep there was extremely helpful and went above and beyond. This location needs to do better. read more

Nia went above and beyond with helping to pick out the perfect Christmas presents. She walked me around the entire store, pointed out various products and best sellers, and took the time to explain each product to me. Nia was attentive and answered all of my questions. Great customer service is exceedingly rare - but Nia is a rockstar and helped to make sure I got the perfect gifts for my loved ones. read more

Pretty disappointed in the return policy here. I came in to try to return some makeup and the girl at the counter told me I was "a few days" past the return window. I asked how many days I was over and she said like 2 or 3, so I asked if there was anyway I could get store credit since they were both unopened. She called the manager over and basically reiterated the same thing. I politely asked again if there was anyway I could get store credit because the cut off time was so close to when I came in. She declined and said I had enough time to come in to get store credit. When I left and looked at my receipt I was super annoyed since it was 1 day over the return window. 1 day. I know there's policies set in place but seriously... won't be returning at this location. read more

Obviously great selection of cosmetics and fragrance. Not as big of a fragrance selection as fashion Valley, but definitely good for a quick stop in and grab near my house. Service is always pleasant read more

Sebastian was so helpful on my recent trip in. I am not super make up literate and it can be hard for me to articulate what I'm looking for and I feel like I often get overlooked in makeup stores because I don't wear much. He got me exactly the products I needed and I didn't have to try a bunch of colors on. 10 out of 10 for Sebastian! read more

I don't recommend shopping/visiting this location. Asking for help from them to show something is like you're pulling their teeth out. Second awful visit. I wanted to exchange something and the testers were so out and disgusting and the girl didn't even wanna get a new one. And the best part was when I talked to Christina, the so-called "manager" she was so ignorant and seemed like looking at me like it is what it is. Very disappointed with Sephora. read more

Was told to stand outside while the teammate outside gave me instructions on how to shop. She had to announce to the teammates outside I was coming in (weird..) They said there were no testing allowed - which was obvious because there are no application tools, but all of the 'testers' are still on display. I was chatting with a very friendly employee and another girl interrupted us while I had a tester in my hand and called me Mam (ugh) and told me I was not allowed to TOUCH the testers. She was very rude and could have definitely told me in a nicer way. I told the cashier they should NOT have testers out if you do not want people to even 'touch' them. I told her I was glad I looked or else I would have purchased the wrong product. I asked 'how are you supposed to know if its the right color if you can't look at the color' and she said "the employees can match you just by looking at you" *eyeroll* -So you can touch every single makeup product in store but the actual testers are off limits?? Doesn't make sense. They should just sanitize all of their testers/displays (which they should be doing anyway) instead of scolding customers. Anyway- this was my first experience shopping here since February and I was very excited/happy to return and had such an awful experience that I will not be returning. Everyone has rules, no need to be rude to customers. read more

I only give this place 3 stars because of one of the employees that work there. She did go above and beyond to help my friend match her foundation, and explained about how the products worked. However, when I shifted away to ask another about a different product he was cleaning and sorting, Instead of taking the time to color match me he literally looked at me and said "UM, medium, just get medium" and went about his way. I also wanted to inquire about another item with that same brand but he didn't really bother. I felt like I was an inconvenience so I just walked away and got help from the young sweet worker who was helping us from the start. I get it, sometimes we want to finish a task, or simply don't feel like being at work, but if your job is to provide customer service, you have to suck it up. It's not our fault you're not in a mood, Geeze! read more

This is my least favorite Sephora, mainly because they lack customer service. Every time I come here I leave feeling like something is off. Today was no different. I went in to return some hair stuff I bought in December, online, with my JCP card. December 15th to be exact. At the beginning of February I went to a Sephora inside JCP to return it- I thought this made sense since I purchased it with a JCP card. But, no, it was kindly explained that I had to go to a regular Sephora and they would issue a gift card, and there was no way for them to return it to my original form of payment. I didn't really agree, but fine. So today I drive from South Bay to Santee to finally exchange it. Way out of my way. I get there to find out it's beyond the 60 days. They had zero care in the world. I explained that January was a quiet month due to everyone being sick- a hair product return was the last thing I was trying to do. Then, that I tried to return it timely but was told I couldn't. Now this mess. My biggest pet peeve of it all was when the woman called the Manager over to ask, the Manager reviewed my account , and talked with the woman in front of me about how it was absolutely not possible to return it. First of all, I'm right here. Tell me. I don't need to play telephone when I can hear you talking. Second of all, nothing is impossible and I think there was a serious lack of consideration. Anyways, I'm sure they don't care at all, but I won't be returning to this location and will likely start to phase out Sephora. For the amount of money I've spent there, I feel that this was worth giving me that dang $20. read more

super easy location & parking is awesome! Come here instead -day bye bye to going to any San Diego Westfield mall inside Jc penny.

I've been coming to this Sephora for quiet a while now. This by far, is the best. It's very big and spacious and I don't feel crowded with people. This is one of the only Sephora's I know that isn't inside a mall so I believe that's why there isn't so many people that come here. Which is well for me since I don't like crowds . For the most part almost every single worker is very friendly. Although, not everyone of them are as knowledgeable. For those that do know a thing or two, they will ask about your skin, if it's oily or combination. Or ask about your specific needs and what works for you and what doesn't. Then there are a few of your typical Sephora workers who guess what may work or force their opinions on what may work for you. The ones that say it works for them so it will work for everyone, not knowing that different perfumes smells mix well with different peoples musks. That not all foundations have all tones of colors. And lastly there are the Sephora guessers who really don't know where to point you to. But if I had to grade this place on the friendliness of their workers compared to other Sephora's, they get an A+. When it comes to returns, it's pretty simple. No one gives you crap or drills you on why you're bringing back an item. You just say you're returning something, give them the item and the receipt, and they pay you back the way you paid for the item. One and done. No stress, which I like. Parking is shared with other big businesses such as Bed Bath and Beyond, Barnes and Noble and Old Navy, among others. But regardless of the many other stores in this shopping center, there is always an abundance of parking available. read more

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Dirty displays. Low stock. Fake smiles & voices. I've tried this location too many times. I'll never go back.

This location has really incompetent employees, especially Christina and the short cashier who has some kind of permanent stye in her eye (they refused to give me her name when I called the store later). The employee with the stye in her eye insisted on arguing with me upon checkout, INSISTING that I combine my pre-paid, online pick-up order with my in-store purchase, despite the fact that I had already requested a new transaction in order to use my credit card rewards. She could have saved us both time and energy, and on my part irritation, if she had simply done what I had requested initially, rather than demanding that I do things HER way because of her laziness and complete lack of listening skills. She had an overall negative attitude toward me, and I honestly should have just requested a refund so that I would not have to support this sh**ty location. Moreover, Christina is a dumb dumb and does not know that if a customer declines a bag upon online order pickup, the bag fee that was charged to them would be refunded. (This policy is stated on the app/website; see screenshot) Shouldn't she know this, since she is in charge of distributing online orders? Why does a customer know more than an associate?? So she basically made me waste more money on this regretful purchase. Christina was also the one who answered the phone when I called asking for the stye girl's name, playing dumb and pretending not to know which associate it could have been (even though her stye makes her distinctly identifiable). Never going back to this location again! read more

SEPHORA - Online order bag fee policy screenshot - Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Near Me - Santee, California

I got to try a sample of one of Sephora's mascaras and I fell in love and as soon as my sample was completed, I knew I needed to be a new tube. I had tried to come here a few times but the hours here are shorter than I expected and I had a hard time getting here. I finally was able to come on a Sunday afternoon. The store is in a large plaza and parking is easy. The store itself is pretty small. One of the smaller Sephora's I have ever been in. Thankfully it wasn't busy so it didn't get crowded but I can hardly imagine how crowded it is during a busy time. I looked around the store a little bit to see if there was anything else I liked and found a lipstick to try (and hated haha) but I couldn't find the mascara I really wanted. I found a staff member and asked them for help and they brought me to where the mascara should be but there wasn't any in stock. They then took the time to check their upcoming shipment to see if any would be delivered that week and let me know that wasn't the case but when I cashed out for my lipstick I could tell the staff member I wanted to order the mascara and I would be able to order at the register. I cashed out and the staff member there was also super helpful. I had to do 2 separate purchases and paid for my lipstick and then we had to switch devises so I could purchase the mascara. It was very easy to get through the process and I was on my way. My mascara was delivered on Thursday after being ordered on Sunday so that was pretty quick, which made me happy. Overall, this is a pretty good location. It is smaller meaning they won't have a huge variety and has the possibility of being crowded but it is near where I do my shopping, so it is convenient for me to come here if needed but I also won't be shy about ordering online since they have a larger variety and fast shipping. read more

Well, wife just came out of Sephora very upset! She was ready to buy a gift card for a Birthday and also buy some make up for herself. I know we're in a pandemic, but how are you supposed to sit and try to have someone put make up on you and keep a mask on!? Very rude about it, too. I suggest you stay out of these stores. They are over the top. You can sit at a restaurant and remove your mask, why do you have to wear a mask while putting in makeup? Just close the doors to new customers if you don't want the business. read more

The worst eyebrow service EVER! I don't recommend this location if you want to get your eyebrow done. Anna did mine, and she didn't even know how to hold the stick and tweezers, she did a terrible job. I was unhappy and spoke to the manager, who just didn't give a shit, she couldn't give my money back or do anything for me. Not only the aesthetic service is terrible but as the costume service. I absolutely do not recommend it. Go to Benefit cosmetics or european wax. Doing your eyebrows at sephora is throwing money in the trash!!!! read more

I don't recommend shopping at this location. The staff have a bad attitude and make you feel like you're wasting their time with any product or return questions. Out loud sighs and eye rolls. Worst Sephora experience I've ever had. read more

I never leave reviews but I had such a great experience yesterday at this Sephora, shout out to Emily, I needed help finding concealer and some other products, and she helped me find the perfect shade and applied it for me, she was so nice and I had so many questions and she helped me out and I just wanted to say thank you and to whoever runs this Sephora, Emily deserves a promotion or a bonus!! read more

It's such a great store they have everything. It's brand new to Santee and it just opened up. I really like coming here because they have such a great selection and such good sales people. read more

SEPHORA - Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Near Me - Santee, California

Sebastian literally is the best! He helped me and my friend pick the most amazing makeup. He took his time to color match and really gave us the best customer service. read more

My friend and I went to this sephora today, and my friend was made to be an outcast purely based on her race. The workers were already not welcoming and totally incompetent, but to add on they were racist. I don't get how bored a person can be to be assuming things about another human based on race. It's so ironic they made the black guy kick her out of the store, as a person of color I would think he would do it with more manners but he was incredibly rude and tried to PUBLICLY HUMILIATE her. And just to be petty, those dumb workers couldn't even clean the testers or put new ones out. Do better, it's 2024 why are we still rude, still racist and still stupid. Shame to all of yall especially the black worker who kicked my friend out. read more

I came in today and had the most wonderful experience with Mallory! When I first walked in there was a door attendant to inform me of the shopping safety procedures. Mallory was knowledgeable and gave great recommendations to a beginner like me. She was super attentive and always made sure I was doing okay. I loved that she gave honest opinions and affordable options. I came in for 1 thing, walked out with 5 items. The cashier was also super friendly so it's safe to say all Sephora employees at this location are nice and approachable! read more

Sephora's return policy is the worst during the holidays. I bought something in November for a Xmas gift. Person didn't want it and I went to return it WITH the receipt. She said it was over the 30 day policy. This is the only place that does not do the extended timeframe for gift giving. This is the 2nd Xmas this has happened. Guess I won't try buying gifts in advance from this store. read more

Lily was super helpful with color matching me for a rare beauty shade of foundation. She also recommended other great products that would pair well. Excellent customer service read more

All 5 of these stars are for the girl at the register (I think her name is Jade; if not, I came in around 5:30PM on Wednesday July 8). She was so helpful, answered all my questions with so much patience, made my day! I haven't really ever interacted with makeup shop employees because I feel real dumb around them usually because my makeup skills are super basic. So typically I do allllll my research and answer all my own questions before I come in to store, but this time I didn't and she approached me seeing if I needed help and I really really did and she was the BEST. Give this woman ALL the gold stars. PLEASE TELL HER SHE'S AMAZING. Edit: she also got me the PERFECT color match without being able to swatch like usual. AMAZING. read more

Nice clean store and love that we have one here in East County. Lots of staff some knowledgeable some not. Some helpful some not. Cashiers are not very friendly not sure what's up with that. Wound have had more stars, they can use more friendliness and knowledge on their products. read more

Great experience. I walked in to get color matched and was helped by Donna. She was super helpful and very sweet and kind. She really knows her stuff too! The product I wanted was out of stock, but was able to order it online at the front counter and done! Quick and easy! read more

I don't understand the bad reviews on customer service. I was living near Santee for a year and change and this was my go to Sephora. Every single time I came here the customer service was 10/10. Girls always had positive attitude. Fast service. They walk you to the right place to find the products you need. I would come in and out in 10 minutes. Short lines were also a plus. I recently moved to Eastlake and my go to is sephora on Birch and the lines are so long and slow and no more nice workers showing me where products are. read more

The full makeover I received on 8/31/19 at the Santee California Sephora location is by far my best makeover experience to date. I've gotten many however makeup artist Paige exceeds all expectations. During my first impression, I was already impressed with her own makeup skills. My results were amazing, I've never gotten so many compliments from this many people before and truly felt glamorous. Sephora stores everywhere could use Paige (s). She is patient, precise, and truly talented. She listened to my needs and delivered above and beyond! Paige made me look even better than on my wedding day and that look costed me $500. I'm in complete awe and might want her exclusively from now in based on my experience. read more

SEPHORA - Full makeover by Paige - Cosmetics & Beauty Supply Near Me - Santee, California

I felt like going to shop for make up today. Although the way I was being treated I will never purchase from this store. They treated me like I was trying to steal. It felt like I never been treated like before. I been shopping in plenty of Sephora's...and never have been treated so poorly. Horrible experience! read more