California Costco Shoppers Hit Alhambra Chaos, Mad Max Parking
Hundreds of complaints have turned the Alhambra Costco into what one shopper called the most claustrophobic Costco experience of my life, with mad max parking and packed aisles driving the backlash. Shoppers say the problem is not just store traffic; it is the way people move through the lot, the gas line, and the checkout path.
One Reddit user described the Alhambra store as having terrible drivers, unaware and entitled shoppers, poor and insufficient parking, and horrible gas line layouts... I have seen several accidents in the parking lot. Another said, Do normal social rules not apply at the Alhambra Costco?! after a shopper tried to steal their cart.
Alhambra Draws Hundreds of Complaints
Hundreds of negative reviews now point to the same store. A Yelp reviewer said the crowded conditions bring out the worst in everyone, and another shopper wrote, I gave up my Costco membership after one visit to this store. Insanity. One more called themselves an Alhambra Costco veteran and said, I still wince at the thought of going there.
Costco has over 600 locations in the U.S., and California has three times the amount of Costco locations than any other state. That concentration helps explain why the state has become a pressure point for complaints, with the Alhambra warehouse singled out as one of the most infamous Costco stores in California.
Monterey Park's Tight Layout
The Monterey Park Costco adds a second problem site. It sits in a fairly small shopping center with other businesses like an In-N-Out and Home Depot, and shoppers say its few entrances and exits create a poorly planned layout that obstructs traffic flow.
A Yelp reviewer called the Monterey Park parking lot atrocious, a sharper criticism than the usual parking gripe because it points to the lot itself, not just the people using it. The source material also says Monterey Park may have a worse parking lot than Alhambra, putting the two California warehouses at the center of the same complaint pattern.
What Shoppers See Next
For members heading to either store, the practical issue is simple: the complaints are not about Kirkland Signature, free samples, or Costco’s return policy, but about the trip in and out of the building. If these locations keep drawing the same reviews, shoppers will keep treating parking, aisles, and gas lines as part of the cost of the visit.
The friction is already visible in the language customers use. One store draws hundreds of complaints, the other gets called atrocious, and both now carry a reputation built on congestion rather than convenience.
