Mert's Specialty Meats - Okemos, Michigan

Mr. Green

It’s Christmas Eve I figured the place would be a zoo and all picked over. Instead I found what I needed as well as a store that was very well staffed, stocked and clean. The staff was all so extremely friendly and helpful, which stands out even more in a time where good customer service is increasingly rare. Whoever runs this place must be doing a great job to have staff that seem so happy. Thank you, and Merry Christmas!

Jason B

A great variety of meats fresh or frozen. Picked up smoked salmon, and tried the ham salad and love it. Helpful staff too!

Bill Oeming

Called this place multiple times to inquire about the availability of bacon ends to grind with my venison. I talked to a few staff who advised me that they did not have the quantity I was looking for. When I asked them about making a reservation in the future to secure a larger quantity of this item, they couldn't seem to answer this simple question without running back and forth to their manager multiple times. When I finally got to speak to the manager, Brandon, directly, he gave me answers to questions I wasn't even asking:

Me: "Brandon, I understand you don't have bacon ends in at the moment, can you take a reservation for these or call me when you do have some inventory?"

Brandon: "You see, we don't actually grind our our bacon so I don't know when we'll have more."

Me: "I understand that, but can you take a reservation or call me when you do? Can that be done?"

Brandon: "As I told you before on your last call to us, we don't grind our own bacon so so I have no idea or guarantee of when we will have this in stock."

Brandon, if you can't accomodate this, then TELL people. You may as well have recited the pledge of allegiance over the phone to me because that would've at least been patriotic. I don't think I'm being unreasonable or asking a whole lot here. The fact that I had to call multiple times to not only NOT receive a sensible answer to my question (e.g. "Sorry, we don't take reservations for bacon ends here. Call back later." or "Sorry, we don't have that quantity in stock but if you give me your information, we can call you as soon as we get some more in.) but to have the company be so unhelpful to even see if that's a possibility will only ensure that this place never sees my business. Don't ask this place about bacon, apparently it will make their head explode. Two thumbs down.

Response to reply on 12-1-2024: Brandon. I appreciate your attentiveness to the events as you recalled them and for your explanation to the proper useage and definition of what quotation marks mean. Very helpful. Trust me, if you didn't say the things you did (actually) say to essentially discourage me from spending money at your business, I wouldn't have taken time out of my Thansgiving weekend to write this review in the first place.

I wish you would've applied a fraction of your effort in your lengthy response to this review and think to say something like, oh I don't know: "I'm sorry for your frustrating customer experience, Bill. It seems as though we have had a misunderstanding here. I would love the opportunity to make this right and earn your business. Give me a call and maybe we can work something out." While I would've appreciated that, I can assure you, going forward, I will allow other butcher businesses to "make my head explode" in the best way possible. Good luck with your current business model of "helping customers". ✌️

Hiram

They sell great, high quality meats. The staff are always helpful.

enamel enamel

The service is fantastic, with friendly staff, and the quality of the meat and fish is superb. If you want to enjoy delicious meat, you can't go wrong with this butcher shop. They offer a wide variety of seasonings, making it a place I truly adore.
Also, their shop is filled with delicious food from Michigan and a variety of beautiful flowers, making it enjoyable to look around✨

However, I've noticed that sometimes there is inconsistency in what they say when placing orders. For instance, when I requested thinly sliced meat on Friday, I was told it could be done. But when I placed an order on Wednesday, they said it wasn't possible. It's not due to any malfunction, but they mentioned it's because of the machine's settings. Interestingly, when I visited the shop on Friday to confirm, they double-checked and assured me it could be done. Despite this, when I placed an order over the phone on Wednesday, I was shocked to be turned down.

I'm left wondering if it's actually possible or not. I'm quite confused.
This is probably a personal experience of mine, but since it's a shop I frequent and have an attachment to, it's something that concerns me.

David Kim

Everytime there always satisfied. Staff always cheerful when you walk in with practically a big "Hee Haw" how do you do. Just starts your visit off right. Great selection of cuts and jerkey too.

L P

Great store with a huge selection of fresh and frozen meats, including pig blood and organ meats. Strange thing to include in a review, but that stood out to me. There are pantry items and fresh veg, too. Also if you are searching for Mucky Duck Mustard, like I have been forever, then you'll find it here!

Jelly Girl

My first time checking out the store was when I was looking for scallops to make for dinner on New Year’s Eve. The staff there was extremely helpful and could tell I was looking for some thing so they directed me towards the dry scallops which by the way are not easy to find in Michigan. They were rather busy that day, so without their help I could have easily spent an exceptional amount of time trying to find what I needed. However their approach to customer service made my shopping experience albeit short lived, a great one. They have an amazing selection of meats , and items for your cooking needs. I will definitely be returning to see what else they have to offer.