After all these comments on the Met on Fulton, I’m sure glad that it’s not the closest grocery store to me!
Looks like the opening of Green Planet (and maybe some of the remarks here on the interwebs) have the Met trying to make themselves look better. This just in from reader Rachel:
I found this really interesting: Met Foods now has a painted sign on their window claiming “Largest fresh organic products in the area.” I went in to see if there were, in fact, any fresh organic products and was hard-pressed to find any (just the usual half-rotten produce they usually carry). It’s clearly a reaction to the threat of all the discerning customers shopping at Green Planet, but why lie? I find it very fitting that the bunny painted next to the sign looks more like a giant rat…
Heh. It actually does kinda look like a rat!
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I knew something was up when they started clearing the aisles of crap that overflowed from the shelves.
A nervous Met Foods can only be a good thing. Right?
Meanwhile, I was there two days ago and clearly smelled spoiled milk somewhere near the door in the back that goes outside to the loading area.
They shouldn’t worry about stocking up on organic stuff (even with the threat of Green Planet’s opening), instead, they should focus on simply cleaning up the store and moving some of the boxes during peak shopping hours. They’ve got the basics and the extra stuff that Green Planet will never carry and I don’t think they’d lose business for that very reason.
How funny! Actually the Met has had signs in it for at least the past 4 years claiming it has the largest selection of Organic foods in the area. They do have random organic products sprinkled all throughout the store, NOT so much in the produce dept. Moreso packaged goods. Even before the opening of Green Planet I noticed more & more random products being added to their shelves in response to their changing demographic. BUT, I want them to concentrate on the basics first– like unspoiled food and cleanliness– before they branch out into “exotic” items!!!
A few words in defense of the Met.
My wife and I have lived around the corner four years and after exploring some other neighborhoods and and the grocery options I can say the good far outweighs the bad.
The Met’s produce is largely conventional but they keep it fresh and have a decent variety. I’ve seen stores where the only letuce was a few withered heads of Iceberg. To describe the Met’s produce as usually “half rotted” is just not accurate.
The Met has always had a selection of organic packaged goods that exceeds expectations. The fact that they are adding more organic and “exotic” products (such as San-J tamari, chicken saugage) should not be discouraged. These are often unavailible at your average outer-borough grocery.
The Met’s beer selection is one of the best I’ve seen in a supermarket of it’s size anywhere.
The staff has always been friendly.
In four years of shopping at the Met almost daily I can think of only once having a problem with a product and it was quickly corrected without any issues.
The Met is not perfect. The clutter can be a pain. For really good meats and such I might make the effort to shop at a specialty store. We are happy about the Greene Planet and Provisions. I think folks can welcome positive additions to the neighborhood without deriding places that have been working hard to serve the whole community.
Also I like the Met’s bizarre/charming painted signs.
why is it that most of the supermarkets in the ‘hood are like shopping in a third world country? This is NYC! I can go to any suburban grocery store and find clean fresh produce and a wide selection of products. Don’t the people of NY deserve better than dusty groceries and shady produce? It sucks I have to “inspect” everything I buy in our local stores. The store on Myrtle/Hall is the cleanest yet isn’t convenient as I’m closer to Fulton but MET, Associated, and Pioneer all need a serious cleaning and makeover.
Where else have you looked devin? I would describe the met’s beer selection as pitiful. I can find better almost anywhere.
I like the guy who sells bootleg DVDs by the cash registers.
Has anyone ever bought one of those bootleg DVDs? Isn’t that illegal? I find the Met to be mostly decent, but they often charge me a different price at the register than the ON SPECIAL tag advertises in the aisles. Annoying to have to nitpick with those nice cashier ladies when it’s not their fault.
This store is a large corner deli with none of the convenience. I have begun walking down to the new deli down Fulton for produce basics, (tomatos, potatos, fruit). I only use the Met in the event of an emergency- and even then- am often left wanting.
I particularly find their dairy section curious. When the refrigeration is functioning (rare again) they often have a vast selection of buttermilk and egg nog. But, no cream or half-n-half and only one choice on whole milk. I have counted the egg nog varietys in awe- sometimes as many a 8 different types available at one time- and not a single half-and-half. It is irksome.
Thank you for that comment Devin. The Met isn’t perfect, but it fits the bill just fine for the basics. They have a quality hummus selection, as well as a well stocked vegetarian freezer in the back. Sure, the fruit can be a bit, um, pallid – but we all know that already. I just don’t go there for those products. I welcome Green Planet with open arms, but its nice to have a grocery store a few blocks away.
Oh, and they do have a ton of beers.
My bad. I was talking about the wrong supermarket.
I think that it’s sad that we need to lower our expectations because stores and services do not offer quality products and or services.
I read on one of these threads that Met was gearing up for renovation–has anyone else heard this?
So place your complaints where it will be heard by the company…
http://www.metfoods.com/Store/StoreHome.aspx
Beers, hummus and egg nog. Just meeting the needs of the marketplace, I’d say!
I am somewhat disappointed with Green Planet so far, I’m glad to have them and my wife and i have visited often, but where is the green- I’ve got more produce in my fridge than that store, hopefully during spring and summer they’ll get a stand outside and have more choices.
The met- gotta be careful(always check dates on stuff- saw an expiration date on seaweed crackers from 06′ recently) it aint perfect but its what we got and Rocky is responsive if you have a request for something specific, and i think they stopped smoking behind the coldcuts area finally. My biggest issue is those cashiers -damned if youre in a rush.
Its the only place in walking distance that i can get Steam Anchor liberty Ale- so i’ll deal.
Rather than renovate, they should just really CLEAN the place–it’s filthy. I’ve lived here for over 10 years and don’t get what most the guys do in that store–sitting on milk crates, mostly. Couldn’t any of them occasionally sweep or mop?
And expired goods is a real risk there–you really have to pay attention.
Thanks for the link, Brien–I already registered my complaints!
Mets, all of them, should be closed. Today. They are all subpar and I’m quite sure that “Keep the inside of the store nasty at all times,” is written in the company manual. When I lived on Long Island, I stumbled upon one of the nastiest Mets ever located near the Port Jefferson Station train tracks, so that just goes to show you that Mets are even nasty when they are located way out in the boonies. I remember that there was also a gross Met on (or around) 14th St. on the west side in Manhattan.
I’m positive that this Met is trying to step it up now that they feel the pressure. When that Met on 14th Street started feeling the pressure from specialty stores in the area they tried to clean up the store and they changed the sign to “gourMet.” Lame.
Does anyone do Fresh Direct?
HEllo everyone,
I have been living in the neighborhood for 20 years now,Metfood has been nothing but excellent. I am very happy with thier service dedication to serve their customers.I have been a customer when the neighborhood was (bedstuy),The neighborhood has become better and so has has the store.I can see that it is evolving little at a time.And from what I heard they are going green soon.(I cant wait) The neighborhood trust Metfood because they have been there for so long.Thier a family owned business for 45 years.Everyone I know shops in metfood and will continue to shop there because…
Hi, everyone I think that the comments made here about the Met Food is a bit harsh. To say they are filthy is out of the park.I have lived in this neighborhood for twelve years and I shop
in both Met Food and Pathmark and I have to say with a name like Pathmark u would think that the fruit would be fresh NOT!!!!!!so before we start to point fingers lets look at Met Food for what it is. A neighborhood store which serves the neighborhood. They are friendly and they know your face and are there to serve your request.
The sad fact is that pretty much all NYC supermarkets are subpar. Where’s Wegmans?
The Met has a great beer selection! the best value and selection of beer in the neighborhood and possibly anywhere in walking distance.
1. I don’t need a beer selection, I need fruits and vegetables.
2. To say that a store that serves its neighborhood when it sells a dismal selection of produce and oftentimes expired foodstuffs is laughable.
3. The store is in need of many repairs–most of which negatively affect the quality of the food (ceilings leaking into the refrigerated cases?!). Not to mention the host of disgusting things the Dept of Health found.
4. Just because it’s been around the longest and no one’s had enough sense to demand anything better than what they offer is not a good enough excuse to not to anything about it now. I’d prefer to keep my business in the neighborhood and not use Fresh Direct, but I’ve been left with no choice. I can’t justify handing over money to a business that doesn’t seem to serve their customers other than offer bootleg dvd’s.
life is so hard in clinton hill ’06
Totally agree, birdbath. Have you ever noticed how disgusting the checkouts are at the Met? Sometimes I feel like I should bring my own tarp to put my groceries on so they stay clean…
close it down!
After reading all the negative comments on here I was really surprised at how nice the Met was when I (finally) went in. Good selection, lots of fresh looking produce, friendly cashier, LOTS of differend beers etc. Just moved to the Hill from the West Village, so I’m used to Gourmet Garage and Citarella, and I gotta say the Met isn’t too bad in comparison.
I don’t really know how to respond to that other than question the quality of your eyesight…
To Harmony, you might be interested to know that the owners of the Fulton Street Met actually told one of my neighbors who was complaining to them about frequently spoiled milk they are trying to improve the store. They said it used to be nicer decades ago, but the neighborhood became bad in their opinion so they did not worry about the condition of the store or the selection etc. They when on to say that now that it is getting better in Clinton Hill (the original name of the neighborhood from the 19th century, regardless of whether that name fell out of usage inthe 1960s when the demographics of the neighborhood dramatically changed) they are improving it. It has gotten better, especially in the last couple of years, but I find the fact that they did not try to maintain it as well as they are trying to now because they thought the neighborhood was not worth it to be pretty lame, borderline offensive, but ultimately not surprising.
Dear Birdbath,
Stop whining.
I don’t consider asking business owners to stop being lazy fools whining.
Neither do I. Ranting on a message board and attacking folks who disagree with you, however, is more akin to whining than asking.
You’re right, and I didn’t mean to make anyone feel bad. It’s just that it makes me angry that the one place primarily responsible for providing food for so many people isn’t doing such a great job.
I’ve always found the cashiers very courteous and not particularly slow. yes, the sale of the DVD’s is illegal, and I remarked on this to the manager once. He asked my boyfriend next time he was in the store why I was trying to get the “African” in trouble. As a public defender I was just trying to give everyone the heads up – but as a resident I thought it was kind of tacky. As for why supermarkets in NYC suck, I guess for the same reason movie theaters sucked when I arrived in NYC twenty years ago. But I think the advent of the newer chains in Manhattan and now Brooklyn will slowly change that. I personally have never done Fresh Direct, and have always thought that their trucks are a major drag on the environment.
In response to the comment about the bunny on the Met window looking like a “rat” I walked past today
and noticed it just looks like a bunny. What it is suppose to be.I think that whoever made that comment A: Has to much time on their hands, B:Maybe needs glasses and C: Maybe was just looking at their reflection in the window.
hey people just had to see to go by mets looks like they are picking up they got lots of new organic produce fruits and veggis great guess new compition is great for us and they got all the applegate products wow i,am can’t wait to see what they next heard they are subleasing the back to fish market great we need a fish market out here bad
the ladies at the check-out (most) and the older stock clerks (you know that old guy..) are always friendly. slow sometimes, sure. i learned to shop early in the week, after they’ve stocked, never buy their ice cream, and get most of my produce elsewhere. but they’ve got a good veggie-substitute selection, and, as mentioned, killer beers for the cheapest i’ve seen, as well as the basics. they always have their windows painted for the season, which cheers up the place.
as far as i’m concerned, i’m happy w/ the met–it ain’t great by any means, but each of the grocers in the area has their issues (i’ll be damned if i have to step foot in pioneer–assholes). don’t shut ‘em down, encourage them to move up! they’re obviously trying.
My concern is not so much about the inventory of food…it will do in a pinch…but the lack of racial diversity with respect to it’s staff. It’s ridiculous. As an African-American, I am offended that they do not seem to hire even stock people that are black to work at this store. On sooo many days, I never see a black face at that store as a member of their staff. This has bothered me for some time. We have supported and frequented this store for years. If this were a white owned store in this neighborhood, we would be up in arms. How is it that this store is allowed to get away with this? Hell…they do not even hire young black men to pack the damn bags!!!
Take a look the next time you frequent this store.
Dee, You have got to be talking about another Met Food on fulton. I think you are mistaken!!!Whenever I go there I notice that the stock people are Afican-American, the cashiers are African-American and at one point they did have young black men packing your bags. I think people just talk just to talk w/out any facts to support what they are saying. For all this people I only have one question? How many years have you lived in this neighborhood? If it is under 8-10 years. Do us all a favor and SHUT UP!!!!!!
Sandy – I was with you until the last line. Why possibly does someone need to have lived in the neighborhood for any amount of time to have an opinion about a supermarket? While I qualify for speaking privileges under your definition, I am really offended by your lack of civility. That said – clearly Dee is talking about some other location (or is she implying that African immigrants aren’t “black” – hmmm). I just got from the Met which seems extra clean right now. Perhaps this thread will be a the encouragement the management needs to take the presentation up a few notches.
dee you must live in another area or your just blind ass hole wit no life realy
And you call yourself “harmony”? Lovely. And we are complaining about the filth at Met Foods? Someone needs to buy some soap there and wash his/her mouth out.
sorry didn’t have my coffe & dose of hempp
“In response to the comment about the bunny on the Met window looking like a “rat” I walked past today
and noticed it just looks like a bunny. ”
….Bunnies don’t have long snouts, though. What kind of weird mutant bunnies have you seen?…
I read all the comments written and I really like Birdbath comments the most. But i really had to walk past see “this rat” and this “filthy” place that is know as a supermarket. It was surprize to see a lot of the things stated in this blog were untrue. Like a lot of the produce not being up to par. The produce looked pretty good. The store was clean,the staff was nice , a good organic selection,and a good beer section.I did all my shopping there and was not left wanting at all.I just wanted to say also that we don’t have to insult businesses because we don’t like somethings. I think maybe we should
voice our opionions and wait to see changes instead of jumping the gun. Everyone deserves a chance to better serve the public.
Lindsay, I’ve been waiting for 10 years…hardly jumping the gun.
I remember when the rumor about a Starbucks opening elicited so many negative comments about chain stores yet the blog seems to be turning into a forum to bash local small businesses
A benefit of having mom& pop stores is generally the owner(s) are reachable.
Do any of the frequent negative commentators ever speak with the owners ( and/or managers) of these “terrible” businesses? to express their concerns and problems? What has been the reaction from the owners?
Chloe i agree with u. I happen to shop in this Met on Fulton and I do like the selection of organic produce,organic foods that they offer. I used to shop in Pathmark but why should I have to go so far when there is a store right in the neighborhood that offers what they do. If i ever left wanting i just usually request from the manager the item I need. I think we should support the small businesses in our neighborhoods. It’s what makes a neighborhood a neighborhood.
I have requested items that the Met carries but weren’t in stock at the time (not staple goods, but sometimes it does take a while for bread to come in). They’re very nice about hearing me and telling me that they’ll be getting said item in one of their next deliveries “later this week.” It’s not usually the case, though. Hopefully competition will give the Met a nudge towards figuring out what this changing neighborhood needs, supplying it, and keeping it fresh on the shelves.
And there’s room here for businesses that stock what the Met doesn’t supply (or fails to supply enough of), if that means more “organics” or whatever.
The important thing to me is that I can get a better selection of grocery items, keeping me and my money right here, invested in our neighborhood.
I have been a Met Food customer for over
sixteen years. As time has change so has the supermarket. I think that they try to stock the store according to the changing neighborhood and that what shows that the do care.Reading the early
blogs I notice a lot of bashing and I don’t think this is fair.We need to keep our money in our neighborhood and build up the business not destroy it with our words.
My husband and I have been shopping at MET since ’92. We never had any problems and haven’t experienced any of the harsh things mentioned above. There food is always fresh n’ clean and the workers there are friendly. I am actually a little skeptical about this thread. It seems it has attracted a group of “negative nancies”. This MET has been in the neighborhood for nearly half a century (working on 41 I believe) and definitely does right by it’s customers. My husband and I (not to mention almost everyone we know) go there on a weekly basis to shop and there meats, dairies, and produce are always fresh n’ clean. IMO I would have to say that the negative posts here are totally false. Seems like someone really went out of their way to sabotage MET by making this thread and by doing so opened the door for others to tag along. MET has grown tremendously and continues to do so. They are here to serve and always up to par.
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