“I think our staff up front is a lot more knowledgeable as far as being able to tell the customer where the product was sourced from and what part of the animal it comes from, is it antibiotic and hormone-free, what it was fed, things like that. And we have the ability to give them suggestions on how to prepare it,” co-owner and operator of Mert’s Brandon Decker said.
The store tries to use local products and offers a wide selection of recipes for various cuts of meat and prepares ready-to-cook meals for shoppers, among which are MSU students and faculty.
“Suzy (Merchant) will stop in and shop occasionally... Our relationship is more strong with the faculty (at MSU),” Decker said, though various students have been employed at the store and shopped there, along with athletic director Mark Hollis as one of the various MSU clientele according to co-owner and operator Shirley Decker Prescott.
“Most grocery stores do everything in the morning and they’re done...everything is out there and you have to choose from what they have,” Decker said. “We always have a cutter here from open to close and the customers know that — no matter what’s in the case they can ask and we’ll cut it exactly to their specifications — that’s what makes us different.”
