Jewel-Osco

An IDIOT writes weekly ads.
Most ad items each have different special requirements. Must buy combinations of 6. Only on Monday. Only on Sunday, etc. Buy 1 of these and get one of those. Goes on and on. Never in over 2 years have they had all sales items I wanted in stock. Tuesday English muffins 2/​$ 3 not in stock.
Then there’s the bad produce. I guess people rarely use Jewel. One cashier open. I could go on, but for many years this store keeps getting worse.

Once again disappointed at the local Jewel. Went in at 6:15 to pick up some wine and wings for the biggest Hawks game of the year. They are completely out of wings. Normally this wouldn’t bother me but it’s the latest «out of something» in a long string of being out of stuff when I go to shop. This is why Heinens and Marianos are kicking butt. So long Jewel. Good luck!

The employees at this store are unhelpful and generally unpleasant. The food is overpriced and in my experience fresh fruits and veggies are a rarity. I’m not usually the type of person to leave nasty reviews for places especially grocery stores, but for the jewel in Lake Forest I felt it was necessary. Hope other’s experiences are better than mine

Jewel just updated /​remodeled the in-​town Lake Forest IL store. It’s a shame for a company thats been on the Chicago scene for so long to be so far behind the times. Even though its so close to where I live, I choose to drive to other supermarkets than spend my money at Jewel. Recently they added a salad bar and whoever designed this should be fired, nice try, but it seems its only there because of the preassure of Marianos and Heinens. I have found over the last several years the level of in store service from its employees to go way down as so many of them act as if they are doing you a favor to help you. If I am already in town and forget to stop somewhere else I will go in to the store, otherwise I shop at Marianos or Heinens. Jewel needs to wake up, seems to me they have a corporate management problem and this reflects down to the local store employees. This is my opinion of being a loyal Jewel customer for decades.

Um, it’s a Jewel. This one is moderately above-​average thanks to some renovations over time. It has a very nice produce section that’s attractive and well-​lit, as well as a fine selection and a solid Osco. The pharmacists are also very helpful. The one downside is a small, somewhat tight parking lot, but the nice aspect of Lake Forest that none of the other towns in the North Shore have is that there is parking all the way up the main street (Western) along the train line. There is a Fresh Market a couple of doors down and while two grocery stores together doesn’t sound like the brightest idea, the two stores actually do a very nice job complimenting each other’s offerings.

What people should be aware of is many items are priced differently on the shelf and once you get to the check-​out cashier. Higher, never lower! Happens at least one a week to me. I called over the manager the other day and they DO NOT give you the item anymore if the price is different at the cashier versus the shelf.
The manager did agree that it was mis-​priced and did NOT make one move towards correcting it that I witnessed. BUYER BEWARE WHEN SHOPPING HERE!

I was doing my groceries as I often do, I was starving so I decided to buy some chicken wings, what was my surprise when I saw the grocery attendant throwing those in he big bin just to replace them for the ones recently done which were oily and fattier even looking worse than the ones I was ready to buy, I could not believe this action which seems to be a routinely one for the shop attendant. What is this policy to throw away perfectly good food, when there is people literally with nothing to eat here in Chicago!!! This was not a good experience for me the shopper: knowing this supermarket is throwing good food like this makes me wonder about how other things are handled inside. I thought better of Jewel Osco, but my perception has changed from a place that wastes food like this instead of using it for a good cause.

Jewel is my go-​to general grocery store now that the Dominick’s near me closed. I like how it’s just the right size for my shopping needs (Mariano’s/Costco are both way too big and super overwhelming). Jewel has a good selection of fruits and their pre-​cut fruit cups/​bowls are cheaper than what Dominick’s used to have. With my time-​constraints these days, it’s nice to be able to buy pre-​cut fruits that aren’t all that expensive, especially for things like pineapple, grapefruit, and oranges that involve a ton of cutting and peeling. They also have an entire aisle or two specifically dedicated to organic products if that’s what you’re into.
Staff here are just so-​so. I’ve ran into some friendly cashiers but most are just whatever about greeting you or ringing you up. I’ve also gotten some overly enthusiastic folks that continuously offer to help bring my groceries out to my car. One time, I literally had to repeat «No thanks, it’s okay» 5 times in a row before this old guy stopped asking me if I needed help. Right… a LITTLE BIT creepy, not going to lie. Another time (by a different gentleman), I was questioned about where I came from — he seemed to have never met an Asian person before in Lake Forest… or was just confused about what an Asian-​American person is.
Grocery shopping-​wise, this location is convenient and easily accessible for me. The parking lot always seems crowded no matter what time or what day I come even though finding parking itself isn’t ever difficult. Weird. It’s also a good location as Fresh Market is next door if you want another grocery option. Donati’s Pizza is also just down the street too!

I am really starting to love this Jewel. Ya know… when you move you have to get used to everything again. I knew where everything was in my old Jewel…
… but now I am used to this Jewel and am really liking it! They have great produce (I guess because there is a Fresh Market a few doors down, they have to have nice produce to compete). Hubby and I like to have veggie nibbles during the week and this place has everything we like: snap peas, baby cucumbers, carrots, and more. I got a big bag of carrots for less than $ 2.
They also have a nice meat selection. I bought their pork chops when they had them for $ 1 each. They were very lean and juicy.
They have a wide selection of everything… yogurts, cheeses, chips, pop (or soda for you non-​midwesterners), liquor… just about anything you can think of!
The staff is nice… I was disappointed that they didn’t have paper bags with handles… but then one of the staff told me you just have to ask for it at check out. Voila! Paper bags with handles!

Just your average tight downtown Jewell-​Osco. They close early at 10PM nightly but they have a decent selection for not being the biggest grocery store. It’s a good store for close to home shipping but if I’m traveling I will go to larger stores that have a better selection.

This Jewel used to be a dump but it had a face lift last year and is SO much better. Now it has bright isles, clean shelving and a pretty decent wine selection. For people looking for a true grocery store in Lake Forest rather than a specialty food store, this is your place.
However, I do wish there was a full-​sized grocery store here. The closest one is Dominick’s in Bannockburn. The LF Jewel parking lot is extremely small but there is street parking — just not as convenient when touting small kids. The isles are smaller so they can feel more congested. But for everyday, convenient shopping, this place is A-​OK.