Fortinos Hamilton Upper James - Hamilton, Ontario

Carole I.

Bien beaucoup de chic mais il en manque encore in peu

steven_igo_4uf

review date: august 14, 2025
customer since: ongoing since 2015

i have been a fortinos shopper since 1988 when i was 14 years old. so there's a lot of history, and (overall positive) feelings i have about the store.

fortinos hamilton upper james (FHUJ) is a place i don't go to very often as it is out of my way/area. i normally go to dundurn or the mall road store. i used to go to eastgate when i lived in the east end.

FHUJ compared to the other 3 mentioned stores has a unique and bizarre layout. so it took me some time to get used to it. for example the condiments (pickles, bbq sauces, etc) are on the outer aisle on the east side of the store, that is, besides the produce. the almond milk is not quite with the dairy and yogurts; but rather in a middle bay at the back of the store near the back perimeter of the frozen foods fridges.

another quirk is the checkout aisles. they can get quite congested and there isn't much room to form lines. and there's no eat-in space like dundurn and eastgate have with their cafes and food services.

as you get used to the eccentricities of FHUJ, there's a lot of positives. staff overwhelmingly here are polite if not friendly, willing to assist with setting up your shopping experience for success. and you can get most, if not all of your shopping needs fulfilled here.

i would like to take a moment to recognize a young man named robert ID#212 who was working the cashier at 515pm 8/14/25.

robert projected a very positive, respectful spirit and conduct of both himself and the store; with myself, and the customers before and after myself.

he made sure each and every person was treated with fairness and taken care of with bagging groceries, and attention to detail. it was really nice to see a young person with old-school values.

as i commented about robert with other co-workers at the customer service desk, they were not really surprised, as he is considered one of their better workers and gets good feedback from the public.

i would like to wish robert all the best on and off the job, and wherever his good work ethic/character takes him either with the store or if he pursues other career interests elsewhere. 💙

i would also like to thank the 2 ladies working the customer service booth at 515pm 8/14/25 who helped me with my shopping experience as well. 💙

fortinos is not cheap with prices; however you are paying for quality and a deep selection of grocery items, compared to a food basics.

as usual, fortinos meat, chicken and produce are on point here just as they would and should be at any of their stores. ⭐

bottom line: while FHUJ isn't as fully equipped as mall road/eastgate/dundurn, i am giving it a 5/5 for the goodwill of the staff in the store.

i would recommend FHUJ to others and would return there as i need to, when i am in the area. 👍

Annmarie V.

What a beautiful clean and amazing grocery store.
They have quite the selection of things. Huge verity from groceries to plants , windshield washers even up to dirt and wood.
Staff is very friendly and helpful. Cashiers always have a smile and cash out with joy.
Keep up the good work. You deserve to be rated one of the top supermarkets to shop. We definitely appreciate all the hard work you do to make shopping that much more enjoyable and convenient for us.

Terry P.

It's the only place I shop for meat, top quality, great selection, amazing customer service from the butchers.
Produce & bakery department, always clean and stocked. So many choices for pastries.
Great little candy bulk selection and catering available.
Perfectly situated near LCBO and beer store. It's a one stop shop!

Anthony M.

This location has the hot foods counters including sandwiches counter, pizza/chicken wings, and the counter with the higher quality picks such as prime rib, lasagna, and other Italian favourites. I love this hot foods counter and have had both lunch and dinner there. My dad loves going there for the veal and lasagna and he is a hard sell on Italian food since we had a restaurant of our own years ago. I don recommend going to this location.

Camilla K.

It's a nice enough Fortinos, but I do prefer the one on Mall Road and the one in Ancaster. They both have the eat in restaurant sections ,( pan fresco ) available which is a huge plus. Whereas the Upper James location doesn't have it. They do have a nice Bakery section, although they don't have the in-house Donuts like the other mentioned locations. In all honesty ,I haven't shopped at the Upper James location very often.

T J.

To the old lady with glasses and the young lady at the flower station around 1pm. I know what my relative asked you to do and she also mentioned that you gave her sass and ignored when she asked you do it. Because the same sass you gave me as well. If you aren’t good at your job and I have to show you how to do it. Then please find another job suitable for your skills. Your job is to help the customers not give your opinion or sass. We all have problems in our lives let’s not create more by being ignorant and hurtful!

I hope this reaches you and I hope this reaches the management to train their staff better!

To the young girl. I saw you rolling your eyes! Learn some manners. Not only you ruined my day but also made me drive all the way back to fix what you couldn’t do!

At the end I just wanted to go away and get a proper flower bouquet from a proper place! You guys made it even worst!

Date July 28th 1pm

Carole T.

We seldom take the time to provide positive feedback. Staff were extremely pleasant and accommodating! Greetings and smiles on everyone! Makes all the difference, thank you! 😊