Produce Junction — Local services in Whitehall

Produce Junction is very "no frills," but I've found the staff to be very pleasant and helpful, and as the mom of 6 kids who wants to serve healthy food, the prices can't be beat. I like that most of the produce is already bagged, so I just pick up the number of bags that I need. I routinely leave with approximately 50 lbs of produce (yes, I've weighed it before just out of curiousity) that I've paid about $50 for. I'm very glad that in the past year they have added small grocery carts, as I used to buy my veggies, run them to my car, then come back in to buy my fruit.

Although I'm not a big fan of the traffic around the mall area, and PJ is a 20 minute drive from my house rather than 5 minutes to my preferred grocery store, I figure that since I get in and out of the store so quickly, I probably spend less time going to PJ to get produce than I would spend picking out and bagging produce at my local grocery store.

One reviewer complained about the separate lines for fruit & veggies and flowers...I think they do that to make getting stuff that is stored behind the counter more efficient for the employees, which does make sense. Also, since the employees seem to have most of the prices memorized, separating the lines reduces the number of prices they need to remember. But I do agree that there should be some flexibility in where to pay for a customer who is only buying a few items--I have seen the employees be...

This place has some strong positives and negatives.

Positives: amazing prices, fantastic selection (including lots of speciality/ethnic items and very fresh eggs), spacious, pre-weighed bags for speed, attendant service for retrieving many items

Negatives: separate lines requiring customers to pay for fruits and vegetables separately, manager not always on-duty, pre-weighed bags and attendant service do not allow personal selection of produce or selection of customized quantities of anything

After a recent trip, I returned home to find that heavy potatoes and onions had been packaged atop ripe cucumbers and tomatoes, which had been damaged more severely than simple bruising. I contacted the store and spoke with manager José, who told me to come in and speak to him the next time I was in the store, and that he would replace the damaged produce. I asked if I required documentation, and he assured me there would be no problem. The next two times I was in the store, José was not present, and no one has been available to address my concern. I fear I'll have to dispute the charge through my credit card.

I have never had an issue with the quality of the prepackaged produce; they don't hide inferior product within the bags. I do continue to shop here, but I watch the attendants closely as they package my orders, frequently re-bagging items to ensure...

Some Great Bargains can be had here. Don't know why I never discovered this place a long time back. Been only popping in when I can the past year or so. You could pop in here a few different days of each week and bits can change. Prices change up and down all the time, some products change, and quality of what they can get their hands on can change. Sometimes some things are priced rather high, but various things can be caught on at least a little bit of a bargain to a significant bargain. Just be sure to examine your produce when buying to determine approximately how long it might last, or if you'll be able to freeze it, can it, or cook it soon after to keep it for a while. Sometimes their product is seconds, and sometimes it can be high quality. The Plants and Flowers (cut and potted) can be of a similar nature as far as really good condition, to poorly kept or overgrown that greenhouses didn't care for just right. If you want good bargains on this, stop in as often as you can, especially through spring into early summer. I've seen prices for similar products be half to a third of what I've seen at some farmer's markets and other spots (which I consider better priced), and possibly even more savings compared to some extremely overpriced greenhouses/nurseries.

EDIT: They also now accept EBT(Food Stamps) and Credit Cards. It is...