32nd Street Commissary

This is my third favorite commissary. The first (Was) the MCRD commissary. The second is the Miramar and this is my third.

We make our weekly shopping trip here. Great selection. It gets better all the time as they are always adding new items. Their natural and organic items have been growing which is great for us. Just some tips: don’t go shopping on Saturday afternoon! It’s a mad house. Don’t shop on the 1^st or the 15^th; it’s payday rush. Also, we don’t buy our produce here, except for a few specific items. Don’t forget your reusable shopping bags!
I’m taking off a star mainly because they sneakily add a ‘surcharge’ onto your bill that is about the same amount you would have paid in tax. Which is supposed to be the main perk of shopping here!
* when I asked what the charge for, I was told it was to help maintain the store

Four stars simply because it’s a good value that I don’t want to see go away. They do need more organic products though. Also, a lot of Unilocalers have mentioned that shopping here (for authorized patrons) is «tax free». While that’s true, take a good look at your receipt next time and you will see there is a «surcharge» fee in lieu of taxes. But overall, still cheaper than almost every other local grocery store so it’s worth it.

This place is normally always super packed! You definitely need to go as soon as they open. Poor selection on meat. They change the place around ALOT. They do have a list that shows you what isle is on what. Just kind of unorganized.

Tax free, cheap, not so busy on weekdays. You can’t go wrong at the commissary.
Beats out most grocery store prices by far. Busiest on weekends, notably sundays. Almost no lines on weekdays.

I come here about once a week and try to avoid weekends and pay days when possible because it really gets out of control. I’ll make this review as much to the point as possible.
1– produce has gotten MUCH better than the past as it’s now fresher and far cheaper than other main stream local stores;
2– great variety of brands and items;
3– prepackaged meats and fish is a hit or miss for both prices and quality;
4– deli department is a hit or miss as well in the way meats are cut, unless you ask for a sample;
5– the bagging situation and parking are the only two real negative things about this place.
Bagging: look, I get it you couldn’t get another job and you’re stuck bagging people’s groceries for a living. It must suck. But, at least try to do a decent job and don’t give me an awful dirty look if sometimes I tell you I don’t have cash to give you BEFORE we head out to my car. Truth is, I mainly go to the Commissary so I can attempt to save some money. I don’t live close to the store and I’m on maternity leave, which means I’m getting paid pennies. What’s the point of going out of my way to come shopping here if then I have to give you the money I save to tip you? Not your fault if I’m broke, I get it. But it’s not my choice that you have to bag my groceries for me. I’d be happy to bag my own groceries, believe it or not.
Parking: it would not be as bad if I weren’t 9 months pregnant and due any day now. I like walking, differently than 80% of people who sometimes block entire parking lots just to wait on someone to back off the parking spot right in front of the store. To me that’s ridiculous. Work your lazy ass! However, since I’m extra pregnant right now with what feels like a baby hippo, I rely on the expectant mothers parking spaces. Yesterday I saw this hobo parking in one of the two spots designated for preggo women and nonechalantly getting out of his car. First of all he was a dude. Second, he must have been in his 60s and had no business getting anyone pregnant anymore. Anyways, as I told him he was parked in a reserved spot, he got snarky with me and started cursing at me, calling me a «fat ass». I just left him to his delirium because I felt that engaging in conversation with such a low blow dude was going to decrease my IQ level. What is disappointing though is that no one monitors this parking lot; therefore if you’re an old bag with a shriveled d*ck parking in the expectant mothers parking space, no one will tell you a thing.
All in all, I will continue shopping here because it does save me money and soon enough I won’t be pregnant anymore. But the baggers really need to lay off the attitude.

My spouse and I will never shop anywhere else but here for groceries unless it’s something real special and specific we need. Enough said.

Great place to do big grocery trips. Don’t come on the weekend after the 1^st or 15^th of the month. Also don’t forget to bring a few bucks for the baggers!

Love the commissary. The prices are great & they’re always well stocked. I’m not going to complain about it being busy because everyone else is there for the same reason as I am! If you go on a Saturday or Sunday, you’re going to hit major traffic so it’s up to you if you’re up to brave the storm. I’ll always choose the Commissary over overpriced places like Vons or Trader Joe’s.

4.5 stars
I love shopping, especially grocery shopping.
My man and I come here one in a while and we like shopping here since there is no tax :) It gets crowded if you come during the wrong hours. So, to avoid the long wait in the check out line, use the self check out. It’s a lot faster.
Also, if you have a lot of groceries, someone will help you push the kart & unload all the bags into your car. I usually don’t need their service but when I do, never forget to tip them.

Love this Commissary, it is huge!!! Great selection, lots of space, great service too!

Huge commissary with great prices on groceries. The store was neat and well-​faced. The workers I have come across have been friendly and helpful with cashing me out, bagging, and locating items. (Please remember the baggers work on tips!)
I took away a star because I can never seem to find fresh corn on the cob (the un-​shucked kind) and I feel like the Asian foods aisle doesn’t contain as much as the Miramar Commissary.

I have been coming here for the last 20 years. While the variety of the goods/​brands is wonderful and the prices not bad at all, the quality of the personnel leaves a lot to be desired. Their customer service is just plain bad. I have had several «encounters» and the customer seems to be mostly an inconvenience.
I needed to ask a question and called their number yesterday and today and it’s impossible to reach them. A recording comes up: «lines are temporarily busy, try again later». This is absurd and it only happens with a government site.

Ridiculous. It’s busy at 9:15 in the am, and only 3 cashiers Open. And my chashier, Lynn (according to my receipt), is chatty as heck with the guest in front of me. Her transaction is over! She could talk ALL DAY about the Water Restrictions. MOVE IT! Then she told me (annoyingly) to please be patient 4 times, after I’ve already said I’d wait. Lady, I didn’t even complain outloud.
Who bags Watermelon? The baggers here. Geez. Is that really necessary? I asked you to NOT bag the big items, such as my gallon of milk and my jug of juice. Why in the World would you bag an giant Watermelon?
I’ve noticed that some of the prices are getting higher here every month. I think I’ll start shopping at Sprouts and Trader Joe’s more often. The service is polite but quick, something the cashiers here are NOT.

I’ve been coming here for 25 years so it’s about time I wrote something. This is actually my first time at the new building (and I’m pretty sure it’s been open for a year or two). Wow, is it huge! I would say that produce in general is not the greatest at the Commissary but that seems like a thing of the past because there was a great selection today.
I’ve been going to commissaries since the early 80’s and some back then had isles so small, the traffic could literally only go one way. I’m serious, if you tried to go against the flow of isle traffic, you were going to hear about it! Well, no problem with that hear. The isles are long and wide and filled with everything you could ever want or need.
The meats in the deli are the best brands and there have even been times when they didn’t carry a specific item/​brand and I’ve mentioned it to their customer service and they will try and get it.
Big change for me was the self check-​out lines! So happy to finally see that!
Overall this is my go-​to place to shop. It’s not as close as the local Ralphs or Vons, but for the price, you just can’t beat it! I went in today just to buy some canned tuna. I saved $ 11 JUST from buying canned tuna. I know every time I come I’m probably saving at least 30% That’s nothing to laugh about especially these days. I am ever so grateful for having this benefit!

32^nd st. Never fails. Has a lot of good deals and coupons hanging everywhere. It’s like an Albertson’s but much cheaper. I get all my fruits and veggies from here as well as this one spinach dip you can find over by the dairy aisle. (Try it with Stacy’s pita chips! You’re welcome.)
Caution: they did move some stuff around so, if you’re used to the old layout, expect different.
And just to clear things up, commissary IS tax free but there is a «surcharge» that replaces it. The NEX is completely tax free, however.

No tax? Yes please!
I’ll admit it, part of the reason I like coming here is that it is part of bi-​weekly mother-​daughter excursion with my awesome momz. No day is complete unless we make a stop here and fill up her cart with groceries while simultaneously clowning random husbands for carrying their wife’s purses for them. Seriously? Give the poor guy his b*lls back. And people wonder I get my snark from? Plus it reminds me of days gone by where my brothers and sister and I would harass my parents to death and convince them that it was absolutely vital that we had to have Count Chocula, Lucky Charms, Steakums, Corn Quitos and Capri Sun in our cart. Absolutely vital.
They offer a large selection of fresh produce and meats daily along with what a typical grocery store would carry only at much lower prices and zero tax. Thank you for taking care of our active and retired military. Some items can be a touch pricier but in the end, we end up saving more money here than other stores. AHEM, VONS. Vons can go jump off of a cliff.
Parking is plentiful except on the weekends where the lines can go completely around the length of the store. No bueno dude. They go reasonably fast however be prepared to wait if you decide to make this your prime shopping time. We usually go during the weekdays and never have to endure the zoo-​like experience.
The best part is that no matter how full my kitchen is of food, there will never be a time where my mom will accept that. I think she believes I am a boho hippie, reeking of body odor and patchouli and living off the land or a nearby garbage bin. Which is why I always end up leaving their house with bags of groceries after I’m done being her personal chauffeur for the day.
I like this place. Don’t forget to tip your baggers!!!

I appreciate Commissary’s in general because they offer name brand items at a lower cost and they accept coupons on top of that savings.
This Commissary is HUGE! One of the biggest I have ever seen and it is always stocked. Of course around paydays the meats run low and it gets crowded, but that is to be expected. Meats are always cheaper here then in a civilian market. I personally like the ground turkey and boneless skinless chicken. The ground turkey is typically 3.99 for 20oz. and I can easily get 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast for 6 – 7 dollars. Can’t beat it!
Never had an issue with the costumer service. Always pleasant. I usually let someone bag my items, tip them and then I take the stuff my car. Baggers are almost always elderly people who only make money through tips. A couple dollars isn’t going to break me. Especially if it goes towards a retiree who strictly works for tips.
The San Diego area is a very diverse area and this Commissary caters to that diversity. Which is important.
If you have a military ID… go support our Commissaries! You will not regret it.

Love the commissary. I have nothing bad to say about it. If you have access to base and don’t live too far, it’s definitely worth it to do all your grocery shopping here.
It was just remodeled inside and everything, I meant EVERYTHING, is in a different location. The meats are still against the back wall, but the order or items are a little different.
Not only are majority of the prices a little different, they carry everything here. They have a large selection of Asian foods — WIN! They also use coupons and their coupon policy is definitely not the most strict of them all.
The #1 reason why they get 5-​stars is because every time I have come, everyone who works here is always so friendly and helpful. We got here at 7:50pm last night, yes, that’s 10 minutes before they close. please blame my boyfriend because I would never show up to any business within 20 minutes of closing LOL.
By the time we got the small amount of groceries we needed, we get to the register and there is a guy with about 30 coupons in his hand. The cashier that we had was super cool about his coupons and didn’t seem upset that is was already 9:15 — 15 minutes passed closing. He helped us and was very nice.
I’ve worked in retail and the food industry and I know how annoying it is to have customers come in when businesses are closing. Not only do you have to wait for all the customers to leave, if there is no night crew, you have to put all items back, and clean up the store to be ready for the next day.
There were definitely about 15 other people who showed up 10 minutes before closing like we did and a few of them were still shopping when we were checking out; nobody working in the commissary was rushing them or giving them attitude to hurry up and leave. I really appreciated that and I think it needs to be recognized.

I normally go here if i’m in search of cheaper groceries without taxes. Since this is inside the Naval Base, only active duty members and their family members can shop. Parking here is huge but unless you come by on a weekend then parking can be hard to find. I regularly drink «Naked» juice at work and they sell it here in less than $ 2 tax free which is pretty neat. I went here today to try out some Lean Cuisine and will try a Lean Cuisine Diet for 7 days (yes, i have issues with portion control but i do have a «Man Appetite») So for 3 meals for 7 days only cost me $ 38 pretty cheap compared to that 5-​Day Nutrisystem Starter Pack from Walmart that cost around $ 45 and if you have a coupon, it will cost $ 40.
This place is clean and always in order, there are staff members who are always willing to help like this self-​checkout attendant who keeps on helping me because for some reason the machine is not weighing my scanned items properly. I like the service here and the atmosphere =)
Restrooms are clean, they also have sanitary wipes for your push carts =)
The only thing i don’t like about this grocery is that they don’t have some vegetables that i’m looking for like the chayote squash that i have to buy in another grocery store.