I really wanted to love this LCBO. It's the closest one to my home…read more
I'm not a regular LCBO shopper, probably because I am consuming an adult beverage at a restaurant, bar, or a friend's place. Recently, I had heard about Cottage Springs, a company that offers sugar-free craft vodka sodas. They come in peach and lemon lime. I wanted to give them a try.
I went online to check out availability. My usual LCBO store at Woodbine and Highway 7 only had three. I didn't feel like going to my favourite LCBO store in Aurora. I saw an unusual 29-can surplus at this store on Steeles Avenue East, between Middlefield and Markham. I decided to give it a visit.
There are plenty of store in this plaza. Parking was pretty good for a Saturday. I backed into a spot and walked it.
This store is clean and bright. Bottles of booze are nicely organized and labelled. There was a staff member pouring samples of shiraz cabernet. I took a small sample while she let me know more about the wine. I liked the taste. It's more peppery than I tend to drink, but I still found it enjoyable. She was also helpful with letting me know where this vodka soda would be.
This store does not have a beverage cooler (a.k.a. walk-in fridge) like the one in Aurora does. Still, beverages at the back on the store are fairly chilled.
I found my Cottage Springs vodka sodas. Yay! I decided to get one of each flavour. Each one costs $2.75, which matched the advertised price on LCBO's Web site.
I went to pay for my goodies. I got an older woman at the cashout area. She scanned one of the cans.
"You need to buy more than one of the same brand," she said to me.
"What?" I asked.
"You need to buy more than one of the same brand," she repeated, as if I didn't understand English.
"They are. Both are Cottage Springs," I noted.
"You need to buy four. The SKU is telling me so," she said.
"Four of the same flavour?" I asked.
"Yes," she said.
"Okay, I'll be back."
I went all the way back to the store. I took a photo of the sign that says that EACH can is going for $2.75 and that there wasn't a restriction that said that I needed to get four to get this price. I put down the peach vodka soda and picked up three lemon lime ones. I went back to the cashier. Unfortunately, she was the only one open.
"The cans don't come in a plastic ring?" she asked me.
"No, they are sold by the can. The sign says $2.75 each. It doesn't say that I must buy four of the same flavour, as you had mentioned," I stated.
I asked her to scan one of the cans. Sure enough, I could indeed pay for a can. She apologized and blamed it on the fact that she used the wrong SKU. Whatever.
Frankly, to me, she exudes incompetence as an LCBO employee. She managed to create false rules about what I can and cannot purchase. Isn't LCBO government-run? It's a new year, but I wasn't expecting ridiculous pricing rules conjured up by an incompetent woman. When it comes to numbers, if you do that to me, I will run you down. Yes, it's the math minor in me. I also don't like being inconvenienced due to an employee's irrational thinking.
I let her know that she was highly inconveniencing me. She told her associate to get "one peach." I corrected her. I said that I wanted two peach ones and two lemon lime. Sure, woman cashier, you work here. However, I am buying these items. I have a say. I have been troubled by you that I am now getting four of these cans.
"I said that I want two peach and two lemon lime," I said to the cashier.
"Don't worry, hun. You will get them," she tried to reassure me.
"That's the problem. I'm dealing with you. How come there is only one can of lemon lime in front of me?" I asked.
Yes, she put three of the lemon lime cans behind her and had the lone lemon lime can between us. She then took one from behind her to correct her mistake.
Her colleague came back with two peach cans. It cost me $11. The cashier apologized again. I took my brown paper bag, said thanks, although I didn't want to, and got out of that store.
If I were to come back to this store, it would be for the selection of alcohol. I loved seeing my Stella Artois in various sizes. The rum section made me happy. The Cottage Springs lemon lime is deliciously refreshing. However, my experience with an incompetent employee who put a damper on my experience won't make me come dashing over here anytime soon. I expect better than made-up purchasing notions. She needs training. A whole lot of it.
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