Butera Market — Local services in Grayslake

Recently, I had an unsettling experience at Butera Market while shopping with my mom. As someone who’s been a loyal customer for over four years, I was shocked and deeply disappointed by what I witnessed.

While waiting in the 10-item checkout line, I noticed a Hispanic/Latino family at the front desk. They were conducting a cash transaction, speaking Spanish and doing their best to communicate in English. The employee at the front desk—a woman with grey hair—appeared visibly annoyed and judgmental, showing clear impatience and dismissiveness through her expressions and body language.

After helping the family, this same employee was called to our line to verify an ID for an alcohol purchase. It was then that she made several hurtful, racist remarks about the family she’d just served. Her comments, like “This is America. How can they not speak English?” and “How come you come to a country and not serve any purpose?” were both rude and shockingly racist. Her tone was harsh, and her words seemed intended to belittle and criticize the family solely based on their language and race.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the last time I’d experience such unprofessionalism from her. When I returned to Butera Market today, this same employee was helping pack my bags at checkout. I politely told her, “I appreciate you helping me with packing,” but she refused to respond. Instead, she gave me a cold, dismissive look that was uncalled for and disrespectful. It left me feeling disheartened and frustrated, particularly as a long-time customer who values respect and courtesy.

These incidents made me realize how pervasive and painful everyday racism can be. No one deserves to be judged, looked down upon, or ignored for trying their best, and it’s especially unacceptable in a place meant to serve all members of the community. It’s my hope that sharing this experience brings awareness to how damaging these encounters are. I strongly urge Butera Market to consider implementing more inclusive and professional training for their staff, so that everyone—regardless of race—feels respected...

Went for the first time last night to pick up a few things. Was excited to see some great sales on produce, and the area was set up and displayed nicely. Asked an associate for assistance, and he was very nice and helpful. Found most prices to be very reasonable, too! Got most of the items on my list and checked out, the cashier was also nice, but did not bag my items very well, mixing cold items with dry goods. No biggie, maybe seeing I only had few things and decided to use less packaging. Got home, was putting everything away an saw the raspberries were very moldy in the middle where the stickers are--lesson learned, open the package next time. But, then the carton of eggs had a Best By Date of 10/17/2025 😳. I called, and the person who answered said to bring them back, but I don't live nearby, so now I have to use 12 eggs that will be expiring within the next few days. I was pretty shocked that there would be eggs 2 weeks expired, but again, lesson learned. Pro Tip: open and inspect ALL packages for freshness and make sure BB/UB Dates are current and...

There's no winning at the Grayslake Butera. First, one has to be very careful as I've brought home a lot of rotten produce from this place. Then, the deli department is a test for patience. While the wait time can stretch into infinity with only one person trudging behind the counter, you can see other staff wandering around, wrapping a piece of ham just to unwrap it and then wrap it again. Some move the salad containers around, rearranging them endlessly. If you are lucky enough to see one of them sneeze into their hand and not perform hand hygiene, this is your breakthrough moment. I confronted one lady with that and received immediate service! Don't even try to complain to CS, I can tell you from now that the department's manager is off today but you can try again tomorrow. Once I got so lucky with no customers at the deli, zipped through like Sonic, in and out feeling euphoric. Just to find out that the packer placed my soft fruit on the bottom and the heavy rough packages on top. There's no winning at...