The store is always pleasant to visit! But this review is for the meat department. The meat guys are always helpful and accommodating. However, this week especially so: I had a very large request that was very labor intensive. When I told Alex what I needed, he simply said "not a problem, just give us a little bit of time and come back this afternoon ". They have done this many times for me and it always never a problem, which I really appreciate. So a special shout out to Alex and his team in the meat department. Sincerely, Georgina Hayes read more

Not a single package of meat not even the "fresh meat" from the counter or the refrigerated section looked safe to consume. Everything looked spoiled and rotten to the point half the meat was marked down when it should really all be pulled from the shelves that was disgusting. Poor management call. I left the store and googled for other meat markets. There should not be clearly spoiled meat for sale. Do you guys need a visit from the local health department sorry. read more

I have been a loyal Stater Bros. customer for years, but my experience at the Palm Desert location (Store #181) on July 8, 2026, was one of the worst grocery shopping experiences I've ever had. The problems started at checkout. I asked the cashier multiple times whether my Stater Bros. Rewards account had been found because my current phone numbers weren't recognized. I specifically asked if all of my sale prices and discounts had been applied. He repeatedly assured me everything was correct, even pointing to a tiny indicator on the register screen. Unfortunately, I was never given my receipt, so I had no way to verify whether the discounts were actually applied. (He told me my receipt was in my bag and it was not) What made matters worse was that the cashier seemed more interested in chatting with someone behind the register, and yelling accross registers about break time rather than paying attention to my transaction. The biggest problem happened when I got home. About $77 worth of groceries, including several heavy glass items, had been packed into only two bags that were paper and had handles. As soon as my son lifted one bag from the back of my SUV, the handles gave way and the entire bag burst open. Glass jars shattered across the sidewalk and our carport, under my car and neighbors cars and it was at 9:30pm, Alfredo sauce exploded everywhere onto other groceries, all over my sons' shoes, and across the concrete under cars and on the sidewalk. I cant believe broken glass scattered under parked cars. One of my sons even cut his foot while cleaning up the mess because glass had spread everywhere. Instead of bringing groceries into the house, we spent nearly an hour cleaning shattered glass and food. I had to go back out the following morning for another cleanup because there was still broken glass underneath vehicles. A member of our HOA even witnessed the aftermath and showed great concern. Thankfully I had my Visa transaction and took 21 photographs of galss everywhere documenting everything. This entire situation could have been avoided with attentive customer service, proper bagging, or even writing back to the three emails i sent to the emails that are on Stater Brothers on Varner road in Palm desert. I contacted Stater Bros. management and corporate with documentation and photographs and requested a refund, a copy of my receipt, verification of my Rewards discounts, and an investigation into what happened. It has been over two weeks and nothing. Customers shouldn't have to worry about whether their groceries will make it from the car to the house. This experience turned a routine grocery trip into damaged groceries, damaged personal property, an injured family member, and hours of cleanup. What concerns me most is that this store is located next to a very large senior community, with gated access that allows many residents to drive their golf carts directly to Stater Bros. to shop. I can't stop thinking about what could have happened if this had been an elderly customer shopping alone. I was fortunate to have my two sons there to help clean up shattered glass, spilled groceries, and the dangerous mess that followed. Many seniors simply wouldn't have been able to do that safely. What has been just as disappointing is the complete lack of customer service afterward. Despite contacting the store and corporate three separate times, not a single person called me or emailed me to discuss what happened. Being ignored after an incident like this only made the experience worse. Based on my experience, this Stater Bros. failed in several ways: poor employee training, improper bagging, failure to provide my receipt, an unresponsive store manager, and a corporate customer service department that never followed up despite multiple attempts to reach them. If you have elderly parents or loved ones who shop at this location, I would encourage them to shop somewhere else or, at the very least, use extra caution. Please take my experience into consideration before deciding to shop at this store. Very disappointing. I expected much better from a company I've supported for years. read more

So gotta speak the truth. Just getting acclimated to the area - purchased a home in Sun City Shadow Hills a Del Webb 55+ community. This store is quite convenient location-wise. Just threw away (4) bone-in pork chops purchased 2 days ago. Bad news. Had to discard almost a complete quart container of milk too. Bad news again - date was fine but the milk was not, Will be branching out to check other area markets. read more

I just read the other reviews and I have to concur. they are true. I ran into the guy at the meat counter the other reviews talk about. He walked over. I said "How are you doing?" (Basic customer greeting) "How are you doing? I'm just checking everything out." Rude butcher: "How do you think I'm doing ?? (really sarcastic) I'm at work !!". Whoa. Yeah this guy hates his job it's obvious. Something is wrong with the entire staff who seems to make a point of it to kind of humiliate you by either attacking you or ignoring you... I didn't need that bad attitude in my face if you're gonna work with the general public, which I did work for 30 years in service positions, you don't bring your bad day. Into somebody else's life, but this guy did Blind anger?? like being verbally assaulted. I backed away from the meat case, as if I didn't know what was going on here, but I didn't want to buy meat or food from someone who is that angry. Another visit incident: was two female employees. One was the checkout lady and the other lady was boxing the groceries and they didn't want to say hi: like they refused to even acknowledge my presence as I am buying the food. and they just kept talking to each other, and I was kinda just standing there like What the hell is going on in the store? Why is everybody so mad?? So I'm just putting the food down on the conveyor belt and the lady boxing up the groceries starts talking / ranting about how she doesn't like men and all men are toxic and on and on. ??? and she just looks at me as if to say: "Oh I dare you to say something to me." (You're just a stupid man) Wow OK everybody in this Stater Brothers is royally unbelievably just pissed off. ??? Once again I mean the interactions were like being assaulted and you don't generally think of yourself having to protect yourself from a cashier you know what I mean?? I'm just buying some food, sweetie, like what the hell is going on?? Yet leave your personal life and your bad attitude at the door when you clock in or don't go to work or get another job... I started shopping at Ralph's like a quarter of a mile away and it's like night and day. I can't even believe Stater Brothers is still in business the way they hire these really toxic people For some reason, the environment is just really hard-core toxic. Management is doing something wrong, because your whole staff is supremely angry and pissed off and attacking the customers. Now I only go there if I have to. It's like walking into a dark alley or something you never know when you're gonna get blindsided... It's a pity they don't have self check out because if I had to go to the store I would just use self check out because it's like shopping in the afternoon it's like the rest of your day is just messed up you're not really ready to be attacked at the grocery store I can tell you that and it's happened like four times now. So why are the employees at the Stater Brothers Palm Desert so angry and they don't even have the social grace to just be nice to people and say Hello, how's your day going?" "Good afternoon." Nothing... Today a woman cashier was ringing up everything and then she just walked away like no "Excuse me." she just walked away and then she comes back and the receipt was in the printer, and she threw the receipt at me. I just kind of shook my head like this is a new one on me then basically the entire staff is really chaotic and angry and not present and obviously hates their job. So everybody at the Stater Brothers in Palm Desert is just like really angry. Unbelievably mad about something.. So I made the switch to Ralph's I'm not gonna go there... Unless I absolutely have to it's always a bad time over there, you feel like you've been infected by rage... The management really needs to do something I'd be so interested to know why at least half of your staff is so angry they can't even talk straight Any ideas?? If you want to see the definition of a "toxic work environment," go over there and just take some notes it's bizarre They are not gonna get any more of my money I really do not recommend you go to this place ever. Bad karna. Bad vibe. read more

This location in particular sucks . The people from sun city can't seam to even start writing a check until the cashier and 3 someones in line stares at them... the lines are constantly under staffed... they have no self check out.. the old people get in the express lines with a full cart then get stupid at the end when they have to write the check.. i hate coming here but getting to the other grocery store down the street 2 blocks is a California traffic nightmare read more

Stater Bros. Markets - Grocery Near Me - Palm Desert, California

Another Water stop at Stater brothers. We were thinking of grabbing a snack anything of interest. Shared parking lot and Wi-Fi. read more

Stater Bros. Markets - Sign - Grocery Near Me - Palm Desert, California

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Stater brothers best meat best prices best employees no one come close to their level of service

We went to eat sushi and the sushi was old hard rice, hard and not soft and fresh like normal. It must have been a couple days old and should not be put out unless marked at a discount, but to be honest, we should've brought it back in because it was awful. read more

I come here literally everyday to get my groceries and everyone there is super cool until I get to the meat department. Every guy there has amazing service and look like they're happy working there. Except Jacob B that guy has the worst attitude ever he doesn't even smile, and he looks like it kills him to attend people at the counter. He also answers very rudely and slams the meat case doors and slams the meat on the counter. This dude literally Looks like he hates his life working there Management I think Jacob needs a talking to I've heard he's had other complaints and this will be just another added to his tally. Everyone else there is super cool though they actually look happy doing there jobs read more

Deli is awful! Chickens are the worse! summer coleslaw is GOOD but only for the rest of the summer! Cashier's are very nice and helpful!! Forget the fruit that's cup-up! Like rocks!! Hate the Stater brand it's awful! They just can't complete with the big hitters! read more

Every single time we buy milk there it goes off within a couple of days. Disgusting. Told my wife to absolutely stop shopping there. Told her last year when the same thing kept happening read more

Just want to give the guys in the meat department a big thumbs up Alex the manager and crew are the best!, Always friendly, helpful and always stocked up. Never have seen anyone passing that didn't stop for a quick chat with the guys buying something or not. Thanks again read more

Meat cutters will totally ignore you if you're standing in front of seafood. Even after I called out for help, they wait on three more people. Gave up read more

We love coming, but EVERY single time we go To meat department the employees have A TERRIBLE ATTITUDE!!! Today Alejandro from meat department had one of the worst attitude towards me for asking a simple request on my steak. Not worth coming back just to feel scared to order meat! read more

This store is my local go to grocery store great selection, fair prices, fresh food management that communicates and stocks products that I've asked about read more

I keep hearing Stater Brothers is known for their great meat and selection. I wish I had thought to take a picture of the meat while I was there. It was awful looking. Looked like it was past the expiration date and/or refrozen and back on sale. It was nasty, dark looking meat. Fresh meat is quite red, in comparison to older meat, or meat that was allowed too much air to get to it before or during packaging. If it doesn't look appealing I'm not going to buy it. In addition I happened to notice literally big hunks of dirt on the watermelons for sale. Isn't there a way to clean it off without damaging the watermelon rind? A few things I did like, is the aisles were a lot wider than what you normally see at Stater Brothers which was nice. One of the gentleman in the meat department was helpful when I asked for a suggestion on steak for my picky father, when they told me they were out of petite sirloin. They do charge for bags. It was a quick trip in for very specific items, but other than the petite sirloin they had what I needed. I didn't really wander around much. read more

I've been shopping here often on for years. Never thought I would be leaving a review for Stater brothers lol I wanted to go out of my way today to leave a good review because one of the guys back in your butcher department is very polite and went out of his way to say hello and make sure if I needed anything. I'm so tired of terrible customer service everywhere I go. Even had a brief conversation and smiled and said goodbye. It felt like all times when the world was right. I wish I had caught his name. I can just tell you he was a Hispanic guy and he seem like maybe he might've been in charge back there because he really cared a lot about his department. You could tell by the way he made a point to check on everybody. Please keep this guy lol. read more

Purchased potato salad in the Deli on 12/4 at the Palm Desert Stater Brothers on Varner. It was horrid! And, it was not fresh as it went bad within a couple of days. Definitely do not recommend it. What a waste of $7.72! read more

I came into stater brothers to the deli and had the most wonderful service from Irma she was so helpful and kind helped me And my husband get everything we needed for my sons birthday and made sure everything was nice and fresh will definitely be coming back for all my needs thank you so much Irma :) read more

I rarely shop here after the change in management. The few times I do, like today, there are always major problems at checkout. The cashiers don't appear to be trained and have problems with certain transactions. I had a very long wait in the 15 item or less checkout while you wait for managers to show them how to do their jobs. Higher prices, poorer service. This store used to be my go to (except for meat - I've never cared for their meats). Now it is only a "few items" when I am doing other shopping in that shopping center. I'd say twice a year. They just don't seem to want my business. They obviously have a huge convenience factor for the residents of Sun City Palm Desert who are a captive audience. I prefer Walmart and Vons. read more

We love Stater Brothers on Varner Road in Palm Desert - it really is like the old-time neighborhood grocery store that took pride in everything they did.! Yesterday, I went over there to get the wonderful Cleo and Leo fried chicken - oh, so good! Perfection - so good! They had a new batch that had just finished cooking. Morgan helped me . . . very pleasant and cheerful! I wanted to get the Hatch Chile enchiladas which were going to be in the store = unfortunately, the Hatch chiles had not arrived yet - but do you know what was so wonderful? Yolanda in the deli made up two orders of the chicken enchiladas herself, fresh fresh fresh. That was SO nice! After finishing up my shopping, Mario was my checker and he - as usual - was so helpful and cordial and fast - and I had so many groceries besides the fried chicken and enchiladas, that there were two young men helping me unload the cart and bagging everything the way I like - and now I realize I can remember the name of the third bagger, was Michael, who helped me out to the car with my two carts of groceries in the blasting, searing sun - I apologize that I did not get the names of the two other young men, but they were so nice - I hope if Mario reads this, he will tell them thank you from an appreciative customer! Everything was carefully and thoughtfully bagged, not willy-nilly (some places seem to want to dent your carefully picked out cans that did not have any dents and there they are, with dents). Please keep up the great work! Stater Brothers on Varner Road in Palm Desert is a great asset to our neighborhood! read more

I called the suggested phone number the store supplied me, in reference to my review. No one knew what I was talking about. I'm not surprised. This is pretty much how they run this store. It ok - I won't be back. But again, I feel badly for those elder people are forced to shop there. Not only higher prices, but not safe during the virus. read more

I'd like to thank a few people here today. First, a very kind young lady, saw I was in distress, and I told her I wanted to shop but there were no electric carts. She went and hunted me down a fully charged cart. THANK YOU SWEETIE. It is impossible to shop when your mobility is compromised. You are thoughtful and kind. The second group of people of like to comment on, was the person who found my small backpack. Black with silver stars. Thank you for turning It in. I appreciate that you did that Most woukd nab that purse and run. Thank you for doing the right thing. To the employee who knew exactly were my back pack was, thank you so much. I nearly had a heart attack. I didn't have much cash in it, maybe $12, BUT, it was the other things, especially my health insurance cards, and my phone. I don't know of it was a customer or an employee who turned it in... THANK YOU!!! read more

They actually have organic and gluten-free options. Almost affordable, especially if you don't eat meat. I've shopped for a weeks worth for $28.00. You might have to hunt them down but they are there. I haven't been real impressed with their organic produce. It's kept too cold. read more

Now as of this date June 2020 they are charging for plastic bags....really?? Too bad..go only when I absolutely Ridiculous. Got a reply big deal...no customer service read more

Poor management due to poor training of new employees. I asked one of the younger new employees what isle the already bagged & popped popcorn is on. Without even checking he said we don't carry it. Lazy! I found it and showed him and let him know what isle it was on. Even Walmart has better customer service. They will contact someone to find it or will walk around to help. They took out floral and now have the largest area of wine and alcohol area I have ever seen. Alcohol is a big $$$ maker Would have been nice for us millennials & Baby boomers to have a nice healthy section and organic products. I have been using Ralphs on Washington now and it is 100% better. read more

Been visiting Stater Bros for over 50 years. One thing remains constant. One doesn't go to Stater Bros for the service. It's still awful. It's 9:15AM. Feel free to put a few of the employees meandering around the store behind a check stand . read more

Very helpful! I needed a few things from the pharmacy area & Pharmacist Ron helped me out... Answered my questions. Also, I needed an ankle support but didn't know my size & without even asking, Ron went & got a measuring tape so that I could make the best choice right there... Thank You Ron! Without your help, I would have had to go home & come back later... read more

Stater Bros. Markets - Store Hours are different than Pharmacy Hours... Both sets of hours are listed... - Grocery Near Me - Palm Desert, California

Pros - it was very clean, close to where I live, great liquor/wine prices, decent produce. Cons - limited meat and the "fresh" fish looked scary old, bakery section was meh, seem like they do a lot of custom cakes/business. Checkout girl seemed like she was doing a favor for her to let me check out. Confused as to the hype for this brand. Makes me a more devoted Ralphs/Vons customer where the selection is better in just above everything. read more

People definitely have the holiday Christmas spirit. I called Stater Brothers today and asked about a couple of items. "Anthony" knew what I wanted next even before I asked the question! He pays very good attention, knows his job well, and he provided great customer service today-always a thrill during the holidays. Thank you Anthony !!!! read more

*** Pit stop review (Palm Desert) *** This is a very nicely built and maintained store. The store is larger than normal with wide isles. This makes for a nice place to make a pit stop. However parking may be a bit of a squeeze. There seems to be a lot of shoppers during the mid-day hours. Get some good food from the Deli, and grab some snacks before hitting the road. The whole rotisserie chicken is great to have for lunch especially because it's often freshly made. Deli section food = good Shopping area = clean Service = average Restroom = clean read more

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My husband I shopped at this store on Wednesday and once again had an aggravating experience. I have shopped Staters for about 30+ years. Most recently in Beaumont, Cherry Valley and Yucaipa. We just relocated to Sun City last August. I have never EVER had such bad customer service as we have in this store. There is a particular checker/clerk who's name is Mario. He may be the rudest person in a customer service position that I have encountered in years. When I'm ready to hand someone over a couple hundred dollars I expect at least a brief greeting when I'm standing in front of someone's face. We were in his line once again and he was obviously in a bad mood, I even asked him if he was having a bad day and he mumbled something back. I could tell my mild mannered husband was seething. The only time he looked at us was to tell us the total, $226. His manager was right in the next line and heard me ask Mario this question and then he walked over to him an apologized to HIM! Mario walked away and my husband asked told him he knew Staters didn't usually have this caliber of service and that he didn't appreciate being treated like that. Apparently, Mario was pitching a childish fit because he was late taking his break. This manager was obviously intimidated by his employee. The funny thing is that that day when we walked in there were what appeared to be corporate/district people walking the store. I expect an apologetic reply from their corporate office in response to this post, but given the response and promises to retrain employees in other posts this is obviously not happening or the management in the store is really lacking and not enforcing it. It's Albertsons & Ralph's down the street from now even if we spend a little more, it's not worth the aggravation going to Varner rd. Sorry for the long post. read more

Best meat in town plus hot, freshly fried chicken so you don't have to cook when you get home The chicken is inexpensive. Meat varies, but there are usually specials to be had. read more

Rebecca the manager is amazing she went above and beyond to provide my husband excellent customer service, we needed a few items for home and she was extremely helpful and kind thank you soo much! read more

Absolutely love this store. I shop here regularly and every time is better than the last. Great employees and the store Manager (tony I believe) has exceptional customer service.. never fails to help when needed! Keep up the great work! read more

I went to the Stater Bros store on Vista Chino this morning. I can't say enough about the management and staff. The store is sparkling clean, produce is fresh and beautifully presented. All of the staff I encountered were kind, considerate and helpful. The greeter outside the front doors, the cleaning man, produce people, meat department, cashiers and baggers. These folks are working under unusual circumstances and I consider them as important as any first responders. We all need to remember to thank them for their service. Thank you! read more

Was staying at nearby "Sun City" so this is the closest market. HUGE - with a good selection of nearly anything you could want food-wise. Good if you forgot something if you are visiting the Palm Springs area (and we did). Prices were reasonable and even though it took more time to find things, we found some good bargains and enjoyed the Stater Bros. brands. read more

Finally getting around to a review for this store after shopping here for a year. I almost reviewed this location several times since I live 2 miles away & the 1st 6 months we lived here I went to the store once a week. Had some bad experiences with the employees being very rude but decided to stop in here really quick today to pick up a few things. Of course there aren't enough checkers...EVER. To top it off they don't pull the next person over in line but who they want to & it is so annoying. The checkers here are not very friendly, and the guys bagging the groceries are clueless. How hard is it to bag groceries properly? Apparently very difficult. I got home with my items and we opened a feta cheese spread I found in the service deli. It was 4.98 for a very small container. The smell was nauseating so I looked at the date and it was 6 days PAST the expiration date! So back to the store I go which FYI was really annoying. ALL of these spreads in ALL flavors were way past their expiration date! This isn't the first time I have come across food that needs to be pulled from the shelves because it is past the expiration! 3 times now this has happened in the last few months! This is a health violation and the corporation needs to do a surprise visit on this store. I don't trust the quality or freshness here anymore on any of the food. This is really disturbing. Every single time I come here I say never again! This time I am going to stick to it. I want to go somewhere where people are pleasant who work there and the food is fresh etc... read more

Friendly, helpful staff. Deli, salad & soup bars are very good. Grocery prices are competitive. read more