Jerry’s Fruit & Garden

My parents shopped here all the time 20 – 25 years ago so when I was in the neighborhood today and needed to pick up a few items I was feeling nostalgic and decided to stop in. My first red flag should have been the parking lot at 1 pm on a Monday. Good lord, does this place bring the crazy out. I didn’t think the prices or the quality were that overwhelming, and I won’t be back because Jerry’s is a disorganized chaotic mess. Boooooo

Okay, here’s the thing. You have to be mentally prepared to shop at Jerry’s. You have to know what you want, get it and go. The prices are great and the selection is fantastic. But you will also get rammed into someone who only speaks Polish/​Mandarin/​Hindi/​Russian/​Farsi/​etc. If you can get in with just a basket, all the better. Grab your super fresh spinach and some delicious challah and plant yourself clearly in one of the checkout lines. If you can do that, you’re golden.

This is one, if not THE BEST markets I’ve come across.
The price and variety is what keeps me coming…20 miles to and from!
The staff us very friendly & helpful. However, the patrons is a small deterrent; rude and discriminatory, but you’re in Niles…

I will… NEVER shop here. (Why isn’t there a zero star option Unilocal??) Consider the following:
Friday– My client requested Kaiser rolls from here for a large event on Monday. As I will need to pick them up early in the am on Monday, I called to place the order immediately after receiving the request so I 1) wouldn’t run into the chance of them running out before I got there or 2) wouldn’t deplete their supply. I told her I definitely needed 60 and might need 72 and asked what type of notice she needed for the extra dozen. I was told to call back the day before (Sunday) to place the complete order.
Sunday– I just called a few minutes ago to place my order. After being transferred to 5 different people and being placed on hold forEVER I finally got someone authorized to make a decision. Here is how our conversation went:
Me: Hi, I’m calling to place an order for 6 dozen Kaiser rolls for tomorrow morning for a 9am pick up.
Staff: You have to call back tomorrow morning.
Me: Ok… well I was told to call back today because I’m ordering a large quantity. How early should I call?
Staff: When we open… at 8am.
Me: But I will need them by 9am. You will have them ready in an hour?
Him: Um… I don’t…
silence
Him: How many will you need again?
Me: I will need to pick up 72 rolls by 9am. Will you be able to accommodate my order?
Him: I’m not sure. We open at 8 so I don’t know…
Me: Going to GFS now
I have no time for ridiculousness manifested in poor customer service.

I’ve been coming here off and on for a while. I’ve never reviewed bc I wanted to keep it for myself haha.
I have a love hate relationship with this place.
I love that everything is so cheap. I hate how crowded it is.
I gladly make the 20 minute trip for some produce tho!!! They have all kinds of goods here. Things I’ve never heard of and things I’m afraid to try.
I wish they would get rid of the dry good section and make the whole place produce. That would be amazing. And maybe help the place be less crowded bc no one goes in the canned good aisles anyways.
The best part is my produce doesn’t go rotten the next day after purchasing from here.
One down side is the last time I came here I bought a pineapple and it took my like three days to actually cut and peel it and my kitchen had fruit flies. Wth I never had any until that pineapple. Luckily I cut it up and put it in the fridge and they were gone shortly after.

Jerry’s fruit’s has a lot of good sales on produce, meat and pasta. Though I felt their pork butt prices were about the same as in the city or other suburbs. I liked their pasta noodle selection and tomato sauce selection like «Bari.» I don’t think we would venture out this way anymore because we still like «fresh farm,» and our local «Pete’s market,» for fresh cheap produce.

I grew up always driving by Jerry’s and noticing their cheap prices, but never actually went. Last week, I finally decided to stop in. I was initially like a kid in a candy store, but then began thinking, «Wait, something can’t be right here… $ 1 for a pack of chicken? $ 5 for a Costco-​sized bag of spinach? This has to be too good to be true.»
It turns out, it was… I cut open an apple the other day, and the core was moldy and rotten. I’m currently sipping on a spinach smoothie, and am crunching what feels like a quarter teaspoon of sand in my mouth with each sip (and yes, I washed it). And lastly, ever since that grocery visit, my stomach has been really, really upset with me – I’ll stop there.
$ 60 for $ 100+ worth of groceries is nice, but I believe some things aren’t meant to be that cheap. I’ll gladly spend an average amount of money for food if it means it’s not moldy, dirty, or old.

I love Jerry’s! Everything there is always great quality with bargain deals. Every time I go there I feel good leaving instead of being annoyed at how much my bill was. Highly recommend.

Jerry’s is the holy grail for fruits &vegetables. My mom loves this place and has been buying a large portion of her groceries here for years. After introducing this mecca to my boyfriend and best friend that live 30 minutes away, they’ll only go here now. You can buy $ 30 worth of groceries at Jerry’s that would probably cost $ 75+ at a convenience store.
They have large signs outside that display their current specials. Their website also lays it out simply! Specials vary daily according to season and availability.
For two weeks, strawberries were 60¢ and blueberries were 99¢. I love snacking on fruits and veggies and Jerry’s wide variety really tugs at my heart strings. Love that they have things like collard greens, chard, jackfruit, fresh thyme/​basil/​mint/​rosemary/​sage, and so much more!
Their skinless boneless chicken breast are regularly priced at $ 1.99/pound and pre-​marinated varieties (tomato basil/​lemon pepper/​Mediterranean/​Italian) are not much more expensive at $ 2.50/pound. There were a couple weeks where chicken leg quarters were 19¢/pound.
Walk over to the dairy section and you’re guaranteed to find huge specials on items that will be expiring in the near future like select varieties of Chobani yogurt 2/​$ 1, or European yogurt smoothies for $ 1. Lunch meat can be priced very low as well. Sometimes regular items like Fage are $ 1 and Chobani can be 89¢ with reasonable expiration dates and more variety than you would see at Jewel.
French bread, tandoori, focaccia, pita, and rye bread are dirt cheap! So many steals!!! I feel so guilty saving so much money.
As many other reviews state and the state of the parking lots suggests, it can get veryyyyyy busy and crowded at Jerry’s. I’d recommend grabbing a basket to maneuver better through the store. You’ll still run into oblivious cart drivers or people just standing in the way. Avoid the headache by coming later in the day and during the weekday.

Jerry’s is unreal for produce and international products!
The cart people are no joke. Watch your legs!!!

I hate this place it’s so old and dirty… and what’s up with all these people???
His produce is not that good and everything else meat and such are not good at all…
Just hate it

If you need vegtables or fruits, your prb not going to find them cheaper then here if you live in this area. Meat is also a bargain here as well. The only prob is that everyone knows this. This place can get so packed sometimes its like sitting in traffic, and im talking about the aisles inside! The aisles zigzag and are narrow, im sure if you came here u haven been hit by a cart or two. This place makes so much money they need to expand and get bigger. As in other reviews the fruits can be hit or miss, but if you shop right you will be very happy here.

Jerry’s Fruit & Garden is on Milwaukee & Oakton in Niles, IL. You absolutely can’t beat the prices here @ Jerry’s. Today isn’t crowded which is very surprising considering it’s absolutely beautiful outside. I have come here and been unable to get into the parking lot as there were too many cars. What you get at Jerry’s is awesome prices on produce that can’t be beat anywhere, but with that comes a price. At times it is so crowded you can’t even move in the aisles. Even though I come here all the time I am often surprised by how low my bill is when checking out.

It’s been some time since I have been in here and the layout has changed but it’s still as busy as I remember it to be. always good service and sans the line quick service and check out.

Good prices. But the older people be in here deep. And I don’t think they know how to say excuse me. Got to hold on to your cart. Because they will take it.

Jerry’s, how I love you… let me count the ways.
Pros: Great produce prices. Great selection of fruits and vegetables. Many things you wouldn’t find elsewhere (Ex: Banana flowers, green almonds, turmeric)
Cons: Their meat, Parking, the crowds (but i really enjoy it most of the time)
Park on the Mc Donalds side of the building if you can make the walk. The other side lot is as insane as the isles. Seriously — don’t be surprised if a grandma sneaks up and flat tires you in that store! Show NO MERCY!
I don’t understand why they are trying to take on meat there. They used to really have none and now they do and its dragging their rep down!
Stick to the produce. Enjoy the sights. Keep ahold of your cart or go commando (sans cart) if you’re feeling like you can make it out alive easier that way.

The products there are so cheap, especially the fruits and vegetables. I usually get avocados and apples there. The fruit section is so crowded though. Actually, the whole place is crowded. I think it was designed to navigate the flow of traffic and maximize space, but they didn’t consider that people need to stop to pick their fruits and vegetables. The backlog is crazy. The parking lot is pretty crazy too. It’s not designed right, so at the entrance to the lot, it’s easy to get into a fender bender. However, putting up with the traffic is worth getting food for cheap.

Jerry’s should be the standard as to which other grocers provide produce. It really shows as they are always busy here. Sometimes, particularity on the weekends, finding a parking spot here can take some time despite their large parking lots on either side of the actual building. It can get crowded inside too but they manage pretty well.
I’ve been here several times and I can honestly say that nobody can beat their prices. Fruits and vegetables here can be often found for a bargain compared to big box grocers. They also have international fare like some of my favorite Polish cookies for cheaper than I can find anywhere else.
I would absolutely recommend this place if you are doing some grocery shopping. The only reason I wouldn’t award it an extra star is because despite their amazing prices, I think their produce could be a little bit more fresh but that’s me being highly critical. If you do grocery shopping once a week, this place is fantastic hands down but if you are like me and buy enough blueberries for example to last me two weeks, it can be a little bit of a stretch but still good.

Have been going to Jerry’s for many years. Great variety, fresh produce and exceptional
Prices! One does need to be patient with the crowdedness of the store but that’s a
Lesson we all could use… patience!

As the name suggests, Jerry’s has one of the best produce sections in the area at reasonable prices. However, don’t overlook the extensive Mediterranean (Greek, Italian) pantry items they stock. This is my go-​to place for jarred pasta sauces (they are one of the few places that carry Racconto) and olive oils.
On weekends, be prepared to fight crowds in the parking lot and in the produce aisles (they’re narrow) as everyone and their mother and their mother’s mother is here shopping.
I’ve been coming here for decades, and I wonder why they never moved into a larger location.