I'm glad that other Yelpers have had a good experience with this place. I'd love to say that I strolled in, spoke to a knowledgeable member of staff, and walked out with a wonderful bottle (or two) of something special.
In reality, I walked in and began by browsing their admittedly very impressive collection. It was slow and towards evening, and I was looking for a particular rum but had questions about whisky, as well. Based on the reviews, I knew I could walk out with a lovely new find.
The bored guy behind the counter grudgingly took out his earbuds and put down his iPhone after about 20 seconds of ignoring me, with this utmost look of contempt that bordered on the absurd (how do you even do that with your face?), and asked me what I needed. I explained that I was looking for a particular rum for which they had a shelf marker but nary a bottle, and asked whether there might be more in the back or, if not, then when they might be getting it in stock.
Now, presuming that this place's inventory is, like many other stores', digital (there was a computer at the till, not just a till monitor), this would have taken about 10 seconds of effort. Presuming it isn't digital, paper records do still have to exist somewhere.
Instead, the guy looked even more put-upon, didn't bother glancing at what bottle I was even inquiring about, and handed me their store card, saying to "call the manager between 9 and 5--no, 9 and 4. He can tell you."
Understandably, I kept the question about the right Scotch for a meal pairing to myself. I have a pretty high threshold for surliness. It's a slow night, you're bored, and you can't be arsed; I get it, but at least pretend to be apologetic about the fact that you aren't interested in helping me.
Consider this place (perhaps during the mystical daytime hours of 9-4) when you know precisely what you want, and assume it's self-service. I certainly can't abide service this atrocious when there are other stores on the same street and just around the corner that fill a similar niche. read more