Stein Mart

This relatively new retail store in La Costa is 2.5−3 stars at most.
Stein Mart sells everything from men and women’s clothing, accessories, shoes, costume jewelry, home décor, bedding – and even furniture pieces. I’ve come in on several occasions and my experience has been the same each time. The service is pretty terrible — no one on the floor wants to be bothered and cashiers are not very friendly. On the one occasion I asked for assistance, the cashier looked super annoyed when I asked if there was additional inventory in the back or if she could call another store to locate an item that I needed two of. I almost wanted to apologize for bothering her — how dare I ask her to go above and beyond being a cashier? As if!
This isn’t my first choice when i’m in search of something for the house but if I decide to stop here in the future, I just know I’ll do it without any help or assistance. Which sometimes is ok.

I have to say… I have nothing but good experiences at the new Stein Mart. I found some very cute, «young» clothing… you just have to poke around a bit. I also got a great deal on a London Fog purse in my favorite cobalt blue.
The service has always been great. I didn’t notice any «odd smells» like some other reviewers… maybe because I didn’t visit the store until they were pretty well established (June ’15).

I’m loving the fact that they opened just down the street from me! Sure, it’s a little cramped inside, but if you spend the time to look then you’ll find some great deals.
Steinmart targets the more mature audience, so if you are a hipster you probably won’t like it. For example, they carry «cruise wear». Does a hipster even know what that is?
Anyway, I think that the store would do better here in Carlsbad if their buyers decided that they were a «resort». The store in the Palm Springs area always seems to have really cute stuff, and they are considered a «resort», but I don’t think the one here is considered that.
I’m giving it four stars because they helped put together a fashion show and were able to make all the women over 50 who were modeling the clothing look absolutely fabulous!
I’m looking forward to seeing what else they can do.

Note to myself… I went to Stein Mart for the second time… what was I thinking?
The store smells like a nursing home, the music sounds like an old AM station from 1980. The merchandise is so old lady; everything is polyester… When I walked out I felt nauseous.

I went in here with my daughter and my two girlfriends just to look… We were admiring the purses and some wallets. All of a sudden an employee is watching and following us throughout the store, as if we were going to steal merchandise from their store. I tried to ignore it but when every time I looked up from their item this older blonde lady was staring me right in the face. I grew up going to Stein Mart with my mother… I was so excited it was going to be right down the street from my house in La Costa. I bought my purse and a pair of shoes from this location and told the lady at the front about my experience,…first experience in their store, she did not seem to mind that I was being followed throughout the store. I did not see this blonde haired lady following any of the elderly women in the store… only me. I am iffy about coming back if I’m going to be judged for being young in a predominantly elderly woman store.

I had no idea what the heck Stein Mart even was, but on a quest to find shoes for my friend who was getting married the very next day, I screeched up in a panic. I had been shopping for four hours and had gone to every mall in North County to no avail. This was my last and final stop.
First of all, it was a mess to find. Google sent me in three different directions before I broke down and called them only to be told they weren’t yet on Google. Ugh. The employee was friendly but couldn’t give me clear directions, so that was frustrating. I don’t even know La Costa all that well so I can’t clarify to anyone else where it is. Good luck.
When I finally did find it, I went straight toward the shoes. There were two employees there, neither of whom offered any assistance even though I was lingering and pacing the aisles several times. I finally settled on a white pair of open-​toed pumps with silver threading. Do you know how insane it is trying to shop for something as serious as wedding shoes without the bride present? I had no direction. I also had to pee. +1 on the bathroom situation though – top notch.
The store was closing so I didn’t get a chance to poke around, but what I did see on my way out was unappealing. The clothing all seemed very old lady-​ish. I did notice the MK bags upon walking in so had I not been in such a rush, I’m sure I could have found something to buy impulsively.
All in all, it’s definitely not a store I have any desire to return to. Was it bad? No, but it wasn’t great either. Those who have said it’s like a mix of Target, JCPenny and Kohls have pretty much nailed it. OK place with an odd name. Three stars because those damn shoes were perfect for the bride when all was said and done.

Most Stein Marts have staff who have been with the company for some time and are patient, friendly, and helpful. Not quite the case here. Younger and less experienced staff, probably due to the newness of the store. No offer to check online for anything for you. Not actually unfriendly but didn’t feel like they were interested in going out of their way for me either.

I passed this store multiple times having no clue what it was leaving me wondering what could possibly be inside. Being one of the larger stores it sets the tone for the rest of the shopping center and sadly I was disappointed in a way and let me tell you why.
When entering Stein Mart it felt like the organization of everything was off and in a way seemed like whoever shaped this store was confused on where to put everything leaving it with the aspect of being cluttered. Stein Mart is like what was said before a mis of JC Pennys and other discount stores. They sell Micheal Kor bags and other semi high end brands. They seem from clothes to small pieces of furniture and funny gifts for friends.
I would not come back personally because it seemed like they were not meant to be in La Costa and would rather drive to the Forum and shop there, or Target. Sorry Stein Mart.

I’m so excited that Stein Mart has made its way to Carlsbad. It’s located in the beautiful new La Costa Town Center and I absolutely love it! I was sad when Stein Mart closed in Oceanside, so, this new location is a blessing… and just in time for Christmas! I thought Nordstrom was the only one to take a nice monthly allotment from my bank account, but now that Stein Mart is back on the map — watch out!
Love the location. I can make a bee-​line here after church on Sunday’s and just shop my little heart away. I think it’s in a wonderful location. It’s right off Rancho Santa Fe in San Elijo Hills; my immediate description of the La Costa Town Center shopping center where it’s located and general atmosphere — picture the Carlsbad Forum, but in the early stages of steroids. Obviously, the center is growing and more store fronts are to arrive soon, but this place is going to be awesome!
Before you shop you can head over to Wells Fargo (now open), Chase Bank, or San Diego Credit Union for cash. Sleepy or need a pick me up? Then you can grab a coffee at Starbucks. Hungry? Grab a bite to eat at the brand new Habit Grill, or soon to come Chipotle, Noodles, etc. Need groceries? Stop by Von’s on your way out. There are just so many reasons to make Stein Mart an awesome place to shop. Yes, it’s in more of a neighborhood, but with so much to offer in this great new center, why complain!
I arrived at 11:00 AM on the dot when the store open on a Sunday. As soon as the doors opened all the patrons were greeted with friendly hello’s and welcomes. I thought that was neat and really appreciated that. I was on a mission to find the mate to a beautiful mirrored side table at this location. There was a friendly gentleman who immediately went to work trying to locate another for me. Shortly thereafter, he was able to locate a second one in their stock room. I was very excited about that. I do wish they had more items on sale. However, I understand that the store just opened only weeks ago; Hopefully, we’ll see more sales as the holiday season progresses.
I left three hours later with a trunk and backseat full of goodies to further decorate my home. I had a great time shopping here. And I will definitely be back very soon!
Way to go Stein Mart you guys rock!

Eh… Why on earth did a Stein Mart get put in this shopping center? I just think this store is grossly out of place in this part of Carlsbad. As for the actual store, the items seem to be a bit outdated and it was difficult to find things. Kind of a cross between Kohls, Wal-​Mart, Target and JC Penny lol. We had a tough time finding anything that we actually wanted to buy. Granted, I went to this place cause it was new in the neighborhood. I remember Stein Mart from back east, but not in Cali. The staff seemed rather focused on making the racks full and not customer service, the place had a rather odd scent and the clothing sizes seemed rather odd to me. The positive things going for them is obviously a fantastic location with not much retail in the area and a beautiful new building in a new shopping center. That being said; I would find it very hard to recommend shopping at this place. Just not for me, IMHO.