Total Wine & More

Reviews 3

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Adam

The bottom line: This is a national chain with deep pockets competing with local Connecticut liquor stores and it shows in both selection and price. I mainly shop for spirits (whiskey in particular), but I always peruse when I stop in, and they have a large selection of everything. Their prices are great (for Connecticut...). You can view both inventory and price through their website. This is the second location to open in CT, the first being in Norwalk a couple of years ago. While they are both large, the Norwalk store is the largest. Some observations: Before I say anything else, know this and be warned: Total Wine (TW) employees are trained to push the house brands (anything with Spirits Direct or Winery Direct on the price label). These are spirits and wines produced specifically for TW. Because they are made ONLY for TW, they make the most profit selling these items, which is why employees are trained to push these over other brands. Push may seem an aggressive term, but I assure you that if you ask for advice on choosing something, their first - and typically only - pick will be a TW house brand. Regarding spirits, if youre only looking for a mixer or something to use in a cocktail where youre not all that concerned with flavor, their house brands are excellent choices as they are typically much cheaper than other brands and sometimes go on sale (really on sale, not the usual on sale we see in Connecticut which really means "still slightly over the cost of any bordering state"). Knowing my way around the whiskey section, Ill test the employees once in a while when I visit any liquor store and TW employees fail every time (TWs fault, not the employees). Their house brands are not exactly known to be great sippers, but every time I ask for advice on choosing a whiskey, the TW brands are immediately selected as an answer to my query. And every time Im in there I hear some unsuspecting customer looking for a gift for their husband, or something to bring to a party, or whatever, being shown a TW brand. Get ready for disappointment! (I have witnessed the disappointment first hand from a friend who didnt know any of what Ive just talked about, had a TW brand bourbon suggested, bought it, and likened its flavor to watery whiskey) This frustrates me for two reasons: There are better options out there for great prices - which might be suggested if TW employees were more fully trained - and it makes me feel like the store wants my money, not my satisfaction. Its like the classic movie used car lot; what can I do to get you to buy this Spirits Direct option? All of that is why I give them four stars instead of five. Im tempted to give them three, but I know how to navigate the shelves on my own so Ill only detract one star for their sales aggressiveness. Ill end my rant here and move on to other observations. Their beer selection is excellent if you want to purchase a single bottle, but if youre looking for a whole six-pack from your favorite micro-brewery, look elsewhere. They tend to carry regular packaging of the more widely available beers. Beer prices are average at the very least, certainly not high (from what Ive generally observed; havent bought a beer in a few years). Their wine selection is mainly something I pass through on the way to the spirits, but it seems extensive. My go-to inventory tester is Two Hands Brilliant Disguise, an Australian muscat with limited American distribution. If they have Two Hands anything, then I consider it a wide variety and if Brilliant Disguise is available, I consider it top notch. This location has Two Hands available, but not the Brilliant Disguise. The spirits section is sizable. I mainly purchase whiskey and there are plenty of options in that category (including American, scotch, Irish, and a limited Canadian section). Their prices here are typically the lowest I can find in CT and if Im not headed up to NH for a while I keep a list going and head in here when it gets large enough to warrant the 30 minute trip.

TR

Trevor Ariel Vellani

M & R liquors is a minute away and has just as many options and friendly staff, I recommend you go there. A good friend and I were out shopping when he decided to stop and grab a six pack. I accompanied him and went in, I had my infant with me. When my friend was ready to check out he got in line and I waited for him-now we are both pushing 30 and we appear that way. They asked my friend for ID and he gave it, all of a sudden they asked me for ID, I told them I was not purchasing anything, I was not even in the line and they told me it doesnt matter I need to show ID. By this point it was abround 9:00 p.m. Pouring rain....they made me run out to the car with my infant (my friend was unable to carry her at the time) in the pouring rain, it was feeezing, all for my ID when I was not purchasing anything and I am clearly not under age. At the same time there was a boy, maybe 13 or so, with who who I assume was his mother, clearly an older woman. They did the same thing and the boy said Im not of age, Im just with her. I dont know what the outcome there was, but they were held up with staff and managers from the time my friend got in line until we left. Are parents supposed to leave their children in their cars now? Going to a reunion when youre asked last minute while on the way to grab a bottle of wine. Youre supposed to just figure out what to do with the kids in the car because you should have planned out your liquor stop without them? What exactly will this do? We were all young once, if someone is planning on purchasing for their minor friend how will harassing their customers help? Kids will just leave their underage friend in the car the next time, send in the person of age and still get their booze. The only thing this rule will do is make you lose your customers. I will never go back to this location again. Making me run out to the car in the freezing rain to dig through a diaper bag with my sleeping baby in hand all so my friend could purchase his 6 pack of cheap watery beer? As I said, M & R liquors is right around the corner and is over all way better anyways. You dont have to deal with any of the bull there that you deal with at this Total Wine location.

SA

Samantha Mills

I went in there 4/29 to buy alcohol and was refused for an unfair reason. When I orginally went there I was with 2 other people.. I went to check out and I gave the lady my ID, she said she couldnt serve me because the other 2 people didnt have their ID with them. We left, went back home to get their IDs and came back. As soon as we walked through the door the guy who works there stopped us and say he still couldnt serve us because one person that was with us didnt come even though the 2 of us had our IDs. I asked if he would sell me alcohol if I had my child on my hip, he said "only if you didnt plan to drink and breastfeed your child" which I find disrespectful. Then I asked if he would feel comfortable if I had my child with me and left her in the car and he said no. So what is the difference between me having my child with me vs both people that are in the store have their IDs. I understand it helps prevent underage drinking but I do not find it fair that I was denied the sale due to the fact that one person who was the with us orginally, didnt come back with us the second time. 2 out of 3 of us came back into the store with an ID and was still denied the sale. Thats like going to a restaurant and the waitress deny you a drink just because the other people at the table doesnt have their ID. I got home and had my father call the store. Originally "Ryan" said we got there at 10pm and that is why we were denied the sale which was a lie because we got home at 10pm. Then he switched the story saying that it wasnt him and put us on hold for 15 mins when we requested to speak with his manager who never came to the phone. I am extremely disappointed I was treated like this. CT State Law requires the seller to ID the person who is buying. Whatever I do on my personal time is none of the sellers business. I will be going back to the store to speak to the manager because this is ridiculous and terrible customer service.

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