North Star Steaks review: rip-off, Scam 7

I have to agree that this product is less than par and the guarantee that the salesman claimed the company has is non existent. I was foolish to make such a purchase and have learned from this costly mistake. The meat is full of grissle and turns grey when you cook it.
Central Coast California

I bought a box last year and they were terrible! They use some kind of tenderizer solution that gave the meat a vinegar-y taste, and it wasn't pleasant. And after you thaw them out, the meat is a grey color that is not the most appetizing thing to behold.
If you do some reasearch and shop around, you can get a much better deal (and fresh not frozen meat) from a local meat store. Even if you have to drive a bit, you can do much better. Even at Cub or Rainbow you would be better off than with NS.
They happen to stop by yesterday again, which is why I'm researching them here today, and I emphatically said "No thank you".

Ok here is the story on North Star Steaks. I do not work for the company but I used to for about 3 weeks. I will attempt to explain how this company opperates. First off most of the sales guys have been out of work for some time like I was and came accross the add in teh Star Trib. that reads $900 a week or so with a company van. Sounds inviting to someone to is looking for a way to feed the fam. You show up for the interview at this building/loading area and are immediatly offered a job, can you start tomarow? Thats got you thinking this a good day things are finally turning around. The next day you learn you are going to work Mon-Sat. Show up at 0900 to get your truck assignment and go over you pitch. Next up load your truck with your beef, or maybe some chicken or sea food if there is any around but probably not. So you and your partner in crime head out and pool together some gas money to throw in the gas hog you you are driving for the next 13 hours. Once you put the gas in its off the the races trying to off load the product. Here is how this will play out you drive and drive untill you find a neighborhood to sell at. One of you knocks on the door while the other one sits and waits so you dont have to split and possible sale that might coem aroud so you trade off everyother door or one guy gets one side of the street the other guy gets the other side. This explains why so many of you saw the other guy just sitting there. So lets bring on the product. The meat is actually pretty tasty and most of it is brought up in MN so thats a plus. Now many of you will do an online check of the lot number and find a news feed involving tainted meat or ecoli. Yes this did take place, but it was a few years ago and all that meat was recovered and the problems where fixed. So rest assured you are not buying tainted meat that will harm you or your family. The sales pitch is generally all the same starts at 339.00 or somthing on the flyer "broucher" and then gets lower and lower and lower . Now there is alot of things going on here you see these drivers cant go home untill they offload all the product that the have or its like 10pm at night. That is one reason why the seem pushy along with the idea of trying to bring home some much needed money. Granted I wouldnt call any of these guys suave but they try. Now lets pretend they get a sale now its all about payment and cash is king! You see the driver gets paid everynight based on the cash he brings in. So if he gets a check or a credit card he wont see any of that money and it will sit on the "books" until he brings cash back in the office. So that is why the tend to ask for the check to be written to them so they might cash it on the way to the office so they can bring home some money and have money for gas for tomarows deliverys. Now as far as the products price goes the flyer says 339.00 but that driver is into that box for atleast 80.00 depending on howmany he has left to sell it could be as much as 110.00. That means that whatever he sells the box for he owes the company 80-110 dollars and whatever he has after that is his. (Providing he brough cash back to the office otherwise he is out of luck.) So lets say he sells out the truck and finally gets back t the office, all he has to look forward to is going home with maybe some cash unless its Thursday then he hase to unload a truck of fresh meat at the office then he can go home to a family that is already asleep just to get up and do it agin tomarow.

If you have any questions feel free to ask I will answer the best I can. I gave them a three star raiting because the meat is good and the guys are just trying to make ends meet, but the company pretty much sucks . There was more than a few times in the 3 weeks i just took a box of steaks at cost to settle my books so i could feed the fam. So if one of these guys show up tell them to relax and go slow, they talk fast because there nervus.

We actaully spent $120.00 for the case special that was to be $339.00. We got 39 assorted steaks and 18 patties. To be honest, it was some of the best steak we have ever had and lasted us throughout the summer. The salesman was nice, courteous and did not push us at all. He even took the time to educate us on the best way to cook steaks (from frozen state) which we later tried and agree they do taste much better cooked that way.

Not to say the experiences noted by others are incorrect, but we paid by check and it all worked out. To be honest, I was going online right now to look them up to try and get more.

Perhaps we got a good deal at the right time by the right person, but prior to taking a side on this debate I would simply suggest for anyone interested, educate yourself about the company so you can move forward (or not). One bad experience, or one good (my case) does not generate an overall reflection about a company and/or its sales force.

Let me end by saying I am not affiliated with the company or any employees what-so-ever. Just a regular working homeowner that got approached to buy the product.

We have been ordering steaks thru North Star Steaks for years now. The steaks are some of the finest steaks that my family has ever had. If you compare these steaks to the grocerery store you will find your self ordering from North Star as well. There has been three different representatives that we have ordered from over the years. The most recent rep has been to our house several times and seems to be a fine young man. He has even watched my 10 year old and 6 year old on one instance when I had to run to the corner store. These remarks made by other people are so absurd from what I have experienced over the years. I hope that people will determine for them self the quality of steaks and the courteousness of North Star Steaks. It is a shame that people still stereotype in todays day and age. I do know that you will have my patronage and my families business as long as you continue to service us as you have in the past.

" THANKS NORTH STAR STEAKS!"

I used to work for north star stakes about a year and i knew they were hiding something from me, they told me that they have been around for over 15 years and that meat they get is only about a week old (so every week they got a new load of steaks?) dont make sence does it? Well i never sold much of their meat cuz they teach their sales ppl to push buyers into buying their product, so i dont like arguing with buyers or pushing their buttons to the point where they get so pissed that they gonna call police, to me it was like if you wanna buy then buy if you dont then well have a great day! haha . Now i wish i wouldnt have sold any of their steaks or even worked for them.. Sorry folks

If you took the time and called the USDA you would now that North star steaks is not associated with this break out of ecoli, instead of just reading what one man says because He obviously didnt take the time to research in more depth. USDA has a company USDA # for each shipping company, that number that was E coli back in the year 2003 was the company pararie gold foods, which north star steaks started purchasing there premium meats at a discounted price to sell door to door to consumers as a way to form a small buisness to give the normal consumer meat like you would buy at a resturaunt but at much cheaper prices. North star was started in 2007, So basically its not north star but prarie gold foods which mind you is sold at sams club and other big coporations for more then north star sells them for. It was also the hamberger they believed that was afected with e coli and they still never found out.
As far as the cuts being bad and you not giving them to your dog, how would you know if you never purchased any? From what I ate tonight which was a peice of everthing from each of there packs, it was some pretty good food, better then I would buy at cub, or any where else, that t bone was superb. If you have proof of the meat being the lowest grade and cheapest then please let me know cause I thought it was pretty high grade quality meat.

As far as the liscense to sell, cheak out the USDA they are a lisencened meat seller in WI, MN, and Iowa. As far as having to have a seperate lisences to be a sales associate, NO you do not have to have one to be a sales man only to manufacture the meat and run a buisness.