Jackson Heights Health Food

While we all welcome a nicer health food market in Jackson Heights, this one comes with two pitfalls:
1) make sure to check the dates on any perishables — they don’t care if it’s old, moldy, etc.
2) if you pay with cash, the skinny man, about 5 feet 8 inches, who works the register, will give you the «wrong» change, and then apologize when you catch him. He’s apologized to me one time too many, and I told him so out loud. He’s a freaking dog who definitely tries to steal from anyone who pays cash. So BEWARE.

This joint moved to 8401 and certainly seems to have expanded. Selection awesome (Including the Alter Eco chocolate bar), prices not so much.

This happened at the larger location across the street. I have shopped here many times, much more when i was a vegetarian, but i dont think i will anymore because I was followed around the store and it was embarrasing. The guy pretended to be fixing the freezer section, I went to the chips section he passed by, I went to the dairy he was there again PRETENDING TO FIX NOTHING, then I looked at the bread rack and turned right. He thought I was gonna keep going, but I turned left and he ran right into me. He was less than a foot away lol.

Very small space, when the employees are stocking their items its very hard to make your through the aisles. They have a lot of vitamins and medicine. They dont have much variety and the prices are relatively high. Not a store ill visit frequently unless i needed a last minute thing. They have both indian and spanish personnel. Communication will not be a problem.

Well I will write another review. Same owners opened a store right across the street. Sorry these owners are animals. No appreciation for their customers. This place is way overpriced compared to Manhattan. I have seen their stock people removing the sell by dates and replacing them with later dates. Also check your receipts folks, they overcharge you BIG TIME. When I realized this upon returning home, I called the store and the manager came on the phone and said I had to bring back all the products I had just purchased along with the receipt. At the time I had an injury and was unable to do so. Shame on these people. I try not to wish bad on anyone, but I hope their new rip off venture fails.

My wife frequents here as it is a long trip to the closest health food store. While the choices are ok, it is the only option in the neighborhood. BUT as my wife and I just noticed today, this store is FINALLY soon going to meet its match AND right down from where we live — :D (All Jackson Heights and Elmhurst residents, REJOICE, your time has come and an answer to prayer [literally has been!] We’re looking at you, Alex B, and other commenters.)

Bought goji berries in bulk, found mold all over them after I got home. Went out of my way to return, only to be told that I had to come back when a specific person was there. Went back again, manager would not issue refund – and was loud and rude. Indian worker here picks his teeth with nasty floss pick while working. Bought sour hummus here before, hadn’t complained about it. Wanted to support local health store, but what a waste of time and money.

OK, good choice of product, albeit expensive as always for NYC, but the staff…
I have some doubts.
Am I being hovered-​near every time because they have to re-​stock that badly, or is there ever-​vigilant anti-​theft protection in place when I enter or anyone enters. It’s unsettling.
And when I approach the bins in the back room, and nobody is in sight and I serve mself some organic grains from the per-​pound bins, is it alright to approach me and scold me and tell me «this is MY job; YOU do not do this».
Psst. Here’s a secret. Don’t be a jerk to your customer. They may not return. I didn’t.
I will however try again. Eventually.
For now, Commodities in Manhattan on 1^st & 10^th gets my biz.

This store has the absolute WORST prices and the owner is rude and unpleasant!
I have been in this store about ten times total and everything is overpriced except for the sale items. I bought 1 product that they claimed was discounted for the regular price! (the price they had as ‘suggested retail’ was higher than the regular price and it was supposedly marked down… how deceptive!!)
Another time I was straining to see their homeopathics and extracts that are inconveniently behind the counter and the clerk invited me to come behind the counter to see them better. The owner who was passing by yelled loudly «YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO GO BACK THERE!!» The clerk quickly said she invited me but he ignored her.
I told him he should have them where people could see them and he replied that «people know what they want and ask for it»
Not everyone knows exactly which one they want… he is a poor business man.
Also I have seen his staff following people around in the store… how disgraceful. I only come here now if I really need something and don’t want to travel since I live and work in the area.

The selection is pretty good… BUT, the prices are very high and the owners are really quite nasty. They treat their staff very rudely and aren’t much better to their customers. It is clear that they know they have a monopoly on the Organic/​Health food market in Jackson Heights and they take advantage of it by charging exorbitant prices!!! I have never found a store that purportedly cares about Good Food and Good Health but has such a nasty, depressing feel to it. It’s obvious that the owners aren’t here to provide the community with Organic/​Healthy options but rather to make as much money as they can! It comes across loud in clear in their attitude and actions. I am a huge supporter of small/​local businesses I haven’t shopped in large national chain stores in over 4 years; But I avoid this place on principle! There are better options for organic groceries in Woodside.

I lived here six years and never knew about this store until my friend told me about it a couple of months ago! I’m glad there’s a store so close by with organic options. I think the prices for some of the items are a bit high but maybe because it’s not a large chain store. I wish the place was a bit bigger because the aisles are so narrow. It’s great when I’m in a pinch and I can’t make it to Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods.

I decided to go over to this place because of the reviews. I did not feel like I was watched over like some of the other reviewers said. This place carries most of the standard health food stuff. The only thing missing from this place is that they don’t prepare food. I found that their prices are a bit high. The size of this place was larger than most health food stores I have found so far. The main reason why I would not come here is because it’s hard to find parking in this part of town. I am giving this place 4 stars because of their large size and good selection.

Great local health food store if you live in Jackson Heights. They have a bit of everything in there and the sales people are very helpful. Things a little pricey but if you need something quickly and don’t have time to shop for a better price at least you have this place as an option. There are no other dedicated health food stores in Jackson Hgts.

I went to this store with my friend to shop and I was told I could not smell the shampoos or lotions. As I proceeded to the household cleaners section I was informed again I was not able to open the bottle to smell the scent or fragrance of the product to which I think is ridiculous since how would you know if you like the fragrance of the product or not. That’s like going to a clothing store and the sales person telling you «you can’t unfold the shirt to see how it looks like.» Needless to say I won’t be coming back here. They are rude and there are other health food stores better than this one. They are overpriced as well. Still love Jackson Heights though!

Its pricey but then again you pretty much get the best of the best here. Yes the employees are not very friendly but remember what you are buying in Jackson Heights. I am sure they have their reasons for following people around and that is because of theft.

Really good food and variety. A little on the pricey side, but then again all organic stuff is. Staff is very nice and attentive.
Highly recommended (plus its your only option in Jackson Heights right now).

1. yes, from my cultural standpoint, the owner is a little bit nuts. for example, it’s not unusual to see him frothing on about something or other, either at a customer, one of the employees, or his wife. but i suppose his behavior is considered good business practice in some parts of the world, and certainly not out of place in third-​world, queens.
2. it’s true, as other reviewers have noted, they’ll follow you around like yer a shoplifter — but this happens to me in nearly EVERY store in jackson hts, woodside, sunnyside, corona, you name it!
3. as far as health food stores go, this place has all the items you’d find in any contemporary (read: generic) health food store owned by people who run it as a business enterprise, not because it’s something they really know or care about, let alone believe in.
4. i’ve done extensive comparison shopping and the prices on vitamins/​mineral supplements are sometimes cheaper here than most places in the city, believe it or not (though i don’t think the rent is really any cheaper in jack hts than anywhere else in the city). by the way, if you shop for supplements on a regular basis, check online for both swanson’s and puritan pride. their prices, and frequent «buy one and get two free» deals, will beat any 3D health food store, any day.
5. what’s up with those registers? you can never tell if they are ringing up the correct price at the time of the sale because the registers don’t have a read-​out facing the customer. isn’t this illegal? and then, with all the different numbers on individual items, such as «regular price,» «sale price,» and «discount,» how the hell can you tell what you’re gonna be charged anyways? bottom line, which holds true for all of queens (the borough of the third world): check the receipt carefully and be very scrupulous about counting your change.
6. last but certainly not least, the little blond italian lady who works the vitamin aisle is adorable. i love her, and she really is the only reason i shop here. normally i wouldn’t mention this sort of thing, just that it goes to the core of my shopping experience in this store: unless you’ve come prepared to deal with a barrage of republican leaning, anti-​Obama, homophobic invective, along with epiphanies detailing the wonders of an imminent alien invasion from outer space, it might be best to refrain from mentioning anything that could be even remotely construed as «political» whilst on these sacrosanct premises.

Sometimes I wanna get treated like a toddler. I want to be followed around, throughout the store and I want lots and lots of hand-​written signs reminding me that if I break something I’ll have to pay. I do. I really love shopping at places that treat my like I’m an out of control rhino-​baby at a Tiffany’s glass shoppe. Seriously, they need to realize we’re not demons out to break all their precious applesauce jars.
Yes, it’s great that we have this place in Jackson Heights. Yes I shop here. But seriously, anyone with half a brain, a store front, and a decent business plan could put this place out of business in a month (if this is you, PLEASE open up a health food store in the hood). The only reason we all shop there so much is because if you are the kind of person that wants to avoid planetary meltdown and eating moth poison with every salad, then your grocery options in this part of Jackson Heights are limited to this one store.

Well, we’ve been living in the neighborhood for a few months now, and we are now regulars at this place. They got used to us, and they don’t follow us around the store anymore, which is rather nice. Their initial reaction, however, still sticks out as being seriously wack.
This being said, we do most of our shopping there. I would advocate people going somewhere else for produce, for the most part, because they have a fairly small selection and it can be hit-​or-​miss, and the only meats they have are frozen, but otherwise, I have few complaints.

This health food store is the only one of its kind in the neighborhood. It just went through a recent renovation where it doubled in size. It’s a pleasant space and fairly well stocked. I go there for things like healthy snacks, honey, yogurt, etc. but there’s a full range of vitamins and supplements as well and a bulk area in the back.
The owner is nice and eager to please. I do think the prices are a little on the high side but this is sort of understandable given that they are not on par with the buying power of Whole Foods and also given that the rents are very high on 37^th Ave.