Golden Harvest Market — Attraction in Merrill

I've been consistently disappointed with the quality of some of the produce, namely peppers, garlic, shallots and basically anything with a shorter shelf life. They let it sit for far too long and don't seem to cull until it's too far gone to even donate. Sometimes it's at a point where I would use it if it was on my counter but I'm not paying a premium for produce that isn't fresh.

Also, I'm generally suspicious of businesses that peddle in alternative medicine. Of course not everything here is cause for alarm but there is reason to remain very skeptical about the efficacy of many of these products. I've dealt with chronic pain and health issues in myself and close family. I really do understand losing faith in mainstream medicine and the desire to look for alternative treatments. Just be aware that many products in this realm are ineffective at best and use misleading or downright bad science and testimonials to give false hope and sell useless products to people in vulnerable health situations.

Gets 2 stars for sometimes having things I can't find at other stores in the area as well as the spice selection, though I would be cautious about buying anything other than very popular or whole spices. Spices degrade over time, much faster if processed. It's much easier to forget about the age of a ground spice than a fresh vegetable and if they're missing the veggies...

All that said, the staff have always been super kind and helpful and I think there's a ton of potential in the grocery side of this store. I just wish I could be more confident that the produce will actually be fresh...

I love this all natural store. A variety of things to pick from including organic habaneros. I had to buy a few because I'm going to cut them off and put them in my scrambled eggs. They have a fantastic shampoo combo body wash that's natural for my son to use. He has eczema and very sensitive sensitive skin. Previously we did try that Johnson Johnson body wash shampoo which worked okay but I was noticing eczema patches on my son. And then he started having almost like a chemical burn reaction to their stuff even though it said hypoallergenic. So you started getting their brand called Attitude Natural Care, also switched to a more natural laundry detergent because he also has asthma. First time I used the Attitude Natural Care shampoo body wash, I noticed his skin felt so much more moisturized. Not even a month into it and his eczema is gone. They have a variety of things and I love absolutely love the giant dinosaurs and bear and different displays out in the front of the store. We shop here for different things. And natural is absolutely what we needed. I'm grateful for...

We WANT to support local businesses, like Golden Harvest. But yesterday, 10/23/2020, the United States had 83,000 new cases of COVID-19, and Wisconsin is a hotspot. Walking into Merrill’s Golden Harvest, we were greeted by a sign stating that masks were not mandatory. If you aren’t part of the solution, you are part of the problem. When ALL the available & reputable science says you should wear a mask in public spaces, you wear a mask. If you are a business, you make mask wearing mandatory. This isn’t political. This is intelligence and compassion. If you want my families continued business, institute mandatory mask wearing until we are past this pandemic. Otherwise, YOU are part of the reason...