Frugal MacDoogal Wine & Liquor Warehouse

Frugal MacDoogal Wine & Liquor WarehouseFrugal MacDoogal Wine & Liquor Warehouse
Frugal MacDoogal Wine & Liquor WarehouseFrugal MacDoogal Wine & Liquor Warehouse
Store

3630 Festival Dr
Fort Mill, South Carolina, 29708-7838
United States

(803) 548-7034 | map
frugalmacdoogal.net
PLACE STATS
Average:
3.88
Reviews:
24
Ratings:
25
pDev:
11.34%
View: Place Reviews
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Ratings by Loki:
Photo of Loki
Reviewed by Loki from North Carolina

4.5/5  rDev +16%
The quality and selection ratings reflect NC/SC offerings and that both states have a 6% ABV limit.

Located minutes from Downtown Charlotte just across the state line and at the entrance to Carowinds Theme Park, this is well worth the trip.

They have discounted prices for Cash or Debit Card. The store is divided into Liquor on one half and Beer and Wine on the other half due to SC laws.

Huge selections and massive quantities, that are separated into the Micro/Craft/Import section and then the macros and other beers. Coolers in the back that keep a great deal cold. Great keg selection and wonderful prices. Very helpful staff. A must on the way to the beach or before a big party.
Jun 19, 2003
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4.04 by Apellonious from North Carolina

Feb 01, 2015
Photo of DVMin98
Reviewed by DVMin98 from North Carolina

3.68/5  rDev -5.2%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 3.75 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.75
They basically have a 1/2 aisle of craft bombers, with half being belgians. They do stock Westbrook when it comes out, and have the everyday Westbrook cans regularly. Have an entire aisle of craft 4 packs and a small refrigerated section with some bombers and four packs. Lots of BMC and they have a growler station with decent offerings.

Overall there are a lot better stores around, but when you need your Westbrook fix, its an easy stop off the interstate. Not my first choice, but its not too bad.

One thing they need to do is limit the sunshine that comes right in on the bombers section.

They basically have the warehouse mentality.
Jan 13, 2014
Photo of Turbo79
Reviewed by Turbo79 from South Carolina

2.13/5  rDev -45.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 2 | service: 1 | selection: 3
HORRENDOUS SERVICE AND TERRIBLE STRONG ARM TACTICS. Here's the story: Called the Fort Mill SC location two weeks a head of time to reserve special craft kegs of beer for my wedding. Beer manager (Javier?) totally dropped the ball. Didnt check on the order and didnt call me indicating any problem. I showed up the day before the wedding to pay and he said, "oh well, he couldnt get the beer." He acknowledged that I ordered the beer and was expecting it. He offered a totally different beer for almost twice the price (of course) but nothing else. This beer wasnt even in the same category as the one reserved. He flat out refused to do anything other than charge me full price for a beer that I did not want. So here it was the day before my wedding, and he was trying to strong arm me and overcharge me thinking that I had no choice but to pay. Javier was so bad that at one point, he walked away from me and hid in the back room. When he came out 10 minutes later, I asked him what was happening. He stated, "oh, I thought someone else was helping you." Needless to say, I went somewhere else. There were two other stores within 10 minutes of Frugal's that had the beer I wanted. I strongly recommend you avoid the beer department - its cheaper elsewhere, even in the grocery store. As a side note, the wine manage (Auriel) was so upset about what was going on, he called me later and offered to do something about the situation, but it was too late, they've lost my business forever
Sep 05, 2013
Photo of DoubleSimcoe
Reviewed by DoubleSimcoe from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +8.2%
I came down with the wife to Charlotte to visit a friend and drove over to the South Carolina border- another state to my count and the huge Frugal MacDoogal!!!

This is a really nice liquor store with a tremendous selection of wine and liquor. As far as beer goes, it has a solid long shelf of craft offerings at incredibly low prices. Also some cold beer on the back of the store.

Lots of Dogfish (90 Minute 4-pack for $8.99), Flying Dog (Double Dog 4-pack for $8.99), some Weyerbacher and North Coast... and rare stuff, at least for me. How about Great Divide in 4-packs? I had never seen it before!

Lots of local beer too, including Thomas Creek and Olde Mecklenburg (of which they sell growlers).

I was offered help by an employee there, but most of the folks did not look like they'd be craft-beer aficionados.

I would come back if I were a local. Not a mind-blowing selection, but more than solid. And great prices!
Sep 19, 2010
Photo of CBlack85
Reviewed by CBlack85 from South Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
Frugal MacDoogal has a fair selection of good craft beers. They also have a fair amount of dusty old bottles that have been on the shelf for a while.

It would be nice to see them start carrying a wider variety of popular craft beers, They devote quite a bit of thier floor space to the macro brews (Coors, Budweiser, Miller, etc...)

They have a wall of singles, mostly dominated by 22 oz bottles. They do not have many 12 oz singles to choose from, and they don't allow you to create your own 6 pack...
Sep 18, 2009
Photo of jbhuxley
Reviewed by jbhuxley from South Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
Frugal has a decent beer selection. You will not find very many specialty beers here. The majority of their beers are imports. Their selection of craft beers is about on par with Harris Teeter, a local grocery chain.

The other half of the store is devoted to liquor. As for liquor it is a great value. Again, you won't find anything exotic, but their prices are just about as low as you'll find.

If you are looking for specialty craft beers, go 2 exits down to Grapevine, or Brawley's in Charlotte.
Jul 27, 2009
Photo of Bung
Reviewed by Bung from Michigan

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
Good selection, very good prices for the most part. For really rare stuff you need to go to Brawleys though. I go here for session beers because it is closest to my home. For the south side of Charlotte, this is the best hands down. Space about equally split between imports, large micros from California/west coast, locals and macros. Best stuff I've seen, Yeti, Old Rasputin, Old Stock, some Stone and Bells.
I have noticed old beer here as well. For the most part I wouldn't care, except a good amount of their beers get way too much sun exposure through their front windows.
Large selection of wine I have not looked through. Large selection of liquor in the other half of the store, which is extreamly reasonable if you're having a large party.
Jan 20, 2009
Photo of NHGrafx
Reviewed by NHGrafx from Massachusetts

3.55/5  rDev -8.5%
I was just here today on my way home from a trip to Lake Wylie. I decided to give it a try and was quite impressed. Not what I was expecting at all. They have a fantastic selection of Germans and Belgians here. I was surprised to see they had Delerium Tremens, the only other place I have seen it was at Brawley's. There was one small shelf devoted to the nice imports (mostly singles and large bottles) and craft beers. Not a lot, but what they did have was good stuff. In the back they had tons of cases of more common beers like Miller, Budweiser, Sam Adams, etc. I ended up getting an Orval Trappist Ale, Westmalle Tripel and Rochefort 10. Prices are decent, the staff was not very helpful as they seemed to be pretty clueless about beers other than Budweiser, but that wasn't a problem for me and probably not for most people on this website. Overall a pretty decent place. Very convenient location too, just off I-77.
Sep 05, 2008
Photo of MarkSCCOT
Reviewed by MarkSCCOT from South Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
I managed to stop here on my way back to Charleston from Charlotte. The selection is decent, but all of the brews were ones I had encountered in other stores in SC. They did have Sam Adams Imperial Halertau Pilsner and Terrapin All American Imperial Pilsner. I also snagged a Uerige Alt Beer Classic I wanted.
As for service, the clerk had never heard of Terrapin Wake 'N' Bake which is astounding!!!
I did like their policy of posting the cash and credit prices (cash discounted) on the shelf tags. Also saw many shelf talkers.
In summary...head over heels better than Total Wine ever has been, but...why go here when Brawley's is 10 miles away?
Oct 18, 2007
Photo of BRoss242
Reviewed by BRoss242 from Louisiana

4.15/5  rDev +7%
I visited this store today for the first time to see what kind of selection they would have since South Carolina raised the alcohol limit on beer. The store was set up like a grocery store with lots of shelves, but only one containing beers.
The selection was pretty decent, it looks like they specialize in imports with three quarters of the shelf being devoted to lot's of good German, Belgian, and English beers.
I was also greated by the wine manager on duty and he said that they usually get around 5-10 new beers a week since the abw went up to 14%.
I ended up leaving with 6 750ml Belgians for right at $50, this place also gives discounts on cash purchases which I didn't use.
Overall I would definitely say that this place is worth while visiting if you are in the South Charlotte area.
Jul 06, 2007
Photo of SaCkErZ9
Reviewed by SaCkErZ9 from South Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.1%
Stopped by here on my way back from Columbia. I have seen this place many times on my way back but never felt like stopping. Today I did.

I wasnt greeted or even acknowledged as I walked through the front door. A huge warehoue with tons of beers. However, since this store is located off of the first (or last) SC exit on I77, they are still under the 6% abv cap.

As far as selection goes, this has to be one of the best in SC. Greens in Columbia and Spartanburg have around the same stuff as well. One interesting thing I saw in the store was some He'brew. They had Genesis, 10:10, and Jewbilation, all of which are around 10% and the abv was clearly labeled on the bottle. I dont know how those got in there but they had 22oz bombers of each.

I decided not to purchase anything since Brawleys is just five miles up the road with some higher abv stuff (but Frugal has everything under 6%) like barleywines and impy stouts and the like. Awesome for SC I suppose.
Mar 30, 2007
Photo of Enola
Reviewed by Enola from North Carolina

4.4/5  rDev +13.4%
This place is easy to find just off Carowinds Blvd. There is two seperate sides for liqour and beer. The beer side also housed the wines. There were four taps for growlers to go and I think these were three macros and Cottonwood's Low Down Brown. They had a section for mixed sixers. They had many things here but nothing over the cap of course but I did not count off in the reveiw for that. Not their fault for some stupid law. If the cap ever does lift in SC this place will be hard to beat. The prices were reasonable. I will return here when in the area. Service was fair as I was helped promptly when I asked about a certain selection.
Mar 02, 2007
Photo of wcudwight
Reviewed by wcudwight from North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +7%
This place is truely a diamond in the rough. After a boring beer-wise trip to Myrtle Beach I had pretty much come to the conclusion that SC was a waste-land beer wise. Thank goodness I decided to pull into Frugal MacDoogals as we were traveling 77 on my way home. It gave me hope and if SC ever pops the cap this will be one of the leading beer stores in the region if not the leading beer store. The selection is great for a store that has to fight a 5% cap on alcohol. I was very happy to find several beers that I can't get in my area. The prices are good and great on thier growlers. The service is limited to just people at the check out counter...but they do move you through pretty quick even though it was busy while I was there.
If you miss stopping at Frugal MacDoogles you could very possibly miss the best beer store in S.C.
Now if I'd only have saved my beer $ in Myrtle Beach to spend at Frugals. I won't make that mistake again.
Aug 10, 2006
Photo of GCBrewingCo
Reviewed by GCBrewingCo from North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
Frugal was easy to locate off exit 90 in Fort Mill near Carowinds. The parking was plentiful and getting in an out was a snap.

The beers are located in the right half of the building and they have 4 taps for growlers to go. The best thing about that was the price, $6.49 if the sign was right. The beers were nothing too exciting, but I got the sense that they rotate quite a bit.

On the shelving units are the warm beers that are mostly singles. Sixers are found a bit lower and palletized on the floor. There was also a cold case full of some singles, but mostly sixers. The selection was pretty darn good for SC with many beers that exceed the current ABV limit for SC, but not a ton of those beers. The interesting find was the Cisco beers from MA. Why in the heck would those be in SC and not in NC.

The service was quick, but nobody cares what you need on the floor so your only assistance is going to be at the register. For sure I'd go back to Frugal. Easy to get to and from, good pricing and a decent selection. Oh, and a 2% discount for cash. What more could you ask for?
Jul 07, 2006
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Reviewed by rodrot from North Carolina

4/5  rDev +3.1%
Frugal's used to be one of my favorite beer stores before NC lifted the cap. I work in Charlotte, so it was nothing just to swing down to Ft. Mill during my break and load up on some quality beers. The selection here is pretty good. They carry plenty of British, German, Australian, U.S. and even a few Belgian and French beers. The main reason I visited this store is because I have found gems such as EKU 28, Kulmbacher Eisbock, 3 Monts Grande Reserve, Foret and Cooper's Vintage ale. The beer manager is a fan of craft beer and has been able to sneak in some high gravity stuff over the years. That alone is worth the trip if you are a SC resident who wants something >6%abv and doesn't feel like dealing with Charlotte traffic.
Feb 06, 2006
Photo of SSGPat
Reviewed by SSGPat from North Carolina

3.7/5  rDev -4.6%
OK, I'm reviewing this after we popped the cap in NC, so my opinion may be a little jaded because they can't legally get the selection of beers that NC can (and they are on the NC/SC border and very near Charlotte).

The beer side of the store is more about BAR (basic american rice) beer and wine than it is about good beer, but they did have one of the best selections in NC/SC (of course, until we got the good stuff in NC). For SC, they have one of the best selections and they have good stuff there.

The service is lacking (sorry Josh) when it comes to beer, but they have an easier time with the wine.

The liquor side of the house is amazing and worth the trip in itself. What you want, baby they got it. That is also where you will have to go if you want to get a Port or other high octane wine.
Sep 17, 2005
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Reviewed by finepaws from North Carolina

3.65/5  rDev -5.9%
Take cash. You get a discount. Who knew. This place is split in two. Left side is liquor, right side is beer and wine. Strange, but it is in SC! I've heard about this place for years, but finally went. Lots of singles. I like making my own 6 pack. Also good prices on 6 packs and cases of more popular brands. They have growlers on tap. I got a local doppelbock a few months back. Need to go back for some summer refills. Also got a growler of dead guy. They had a nice wide selection. Not the best, but far from lacking. They also had some glassware, and wine out the wazoo. The liquor side was worth the money too. Well worth the trip if your near Carowinds theme park.
Jul 12, 2005
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Reviewed by Backer2004 from North Carolina

3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
Frugal MacDoogal is defintely in the best location for capitalizing the drawbacks of living in North Carolina. Right in front of the store is a gas station that had at least twenties North Carolinians buying lottery tickets South of the Border. It's also right next to a big fireworks store.

You cannot miss this place, especially if you are heading back from Carowinds. Make sure you walk in the righthand side. Apparently, the store needs be separated between liqor and wine/beer. It must be a South Carolina law (at least you can buy both under the same roof).

Great selection of singles and six packs, both cold and room temp. An even better choice of wines, if you're into that as well. Service nothing to brag about -- they had no empty six pack containers in the area of the singles, many bottle were dusty, and there was no real organization for the beer selection. Also, no personality of the staff like you'd get at a small beer store, a la Brwaley's beverage. This was the first time I saw two different prices for everything -- a cash price and a credit card price.

I did not want to go overboard this time, so I just picked up a mix six pack of singles and a trappist ale. It wil be a while until I've exhausted the choices here. Definitely worth the stop if you're in the Charlotte area or making a trip up or down I-77.
May 09, 2005
Photo of gabe
Reviewed by gabe from Florida

3.85/5  rDev -0.8%
This place is pretty decent as far as selection goes in these parts. Lots of good brews (micro / local / and imports) plus a few things that aren't "supposed" to be found here due to the cap at 6%. Lucky us! Frugals has probably the widest selection I've seen in this area. The only thing lacking I'd say is the service... not that there's anything wrong with it, but the employees basically just do there job and thats about it. Some people go for that and some don't. I like it when you go into a place and the employees are knowledgeable and willing to talk to you. Anyways, the store also offers a discount if you pay with cash so thats cool. Plus they also offer growlers. There are 4 beers on tap that rotate every so often. One or two of them are usually local selections. Frugals also offers a wide selection of wines and liquors for those interested. Overall a good place that I will continue to go to.
Mar 25, 2005
Photo of AlexJ
Reviewed by AlexJ from North Carolina

3.8/5  rDev -2.1%
The selection here is teriffic, especially for those living in the communist beer community of the Carolinas wher the abv cutoff is a mere 6%, preventing access to about 90% of the world's fine beers...sigh. I was here on a busy Saterday, so service was a bit lacking. Lucky for them, I didn't have any questions:^) I found quite a few beers that I haven't seen in NC; Palmetto, Rogue Shakespeare (a Godsend), assorted West Coast stuff. The real finds were 3 Monts And 3 Monts Reserve, Saison DuPont, and Lindeman's Gueze Lambic. I was delighted that the owner had the grapes to carry brands obviously well above the legal limit. Fuck the Police, fuck, fuck, fuck the police! (a little N.W.A. for ya) I picked up an armfull of Shakespeares and a Bavarian Dopplebock, Doppel-Hircsh. The doppel was definately past it's prime, but for 2$ do I really give a shit, no. It was also the only place I've seen so far in the Carolinas that fills/sells growlers. Awesome, although the taps were a bit weak. Sam Adams Winter Lager, Tuppers Hop Pocket, and Cottonwood Endo & Pumkin ales, both good, but very common here. Worth a visit if you are in the area, but I think I'll stick to Brawley's Bev in Charlotte.
Jan 23, 2005
Photo of Shiloh
Reviewed by Shiloh from Canada (ON)

4.3/5  rDev +10.8%
Exellent...
I walked out with 49 singles that I have yet to try...and left a number of brews for my next trip to the area...The staff were all knowledgeable and friendly...my wife says the same of the wine section. Also available is a wide selection of the really hard stuff.

Nice assortment of European macro's and micro's from the US.
Biggest surprize was the number of British ales.

This is definetly the place to go when in the Fort Mill/ Rock Hill SC area.
I will return at my earliest convenience.
Great road trip...thanks Frugal guys..
May 16, 2004
Photo of WOLFGANG
Reviewed by WOLFGANG from South Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +7%
This fine establishment is located off of Carowinds Blvd before the main entrance to the park. If you're pretty much relegated to NC/ SC you're not going to find much better.

As I usually pick up a few stand-by's there are always some beers that I'm not familiar with. The manager was so polite last time I went, that I was allowed to use their internet access to log onto BA to inquire knowledge of a couple of beers in question. Now that's a well deserved 5*.

Beer and wine are located on one side of the "Warehouse," and the selection of liquor and ports can be found on the other side.

An incredible wine selection to say the least. Now although the law states that beer above 6% ABV cannot be sold in the Carolinas, I have found several that the beer manager has somehow been able to put upon the shelves. 3 Monts & Grande Reserve, Foret and EKU 28 grace the shelves along with several fine offerings from Rogue, Sam Smith, Mendocino, and Sierra Nevada. Many imports and craft brews allow you to build your own 6er in no time. All the macros are also available if you're so inclined. Several beers are also found in the coolers as well. This is denoted, as you browse the aisle of beers, by a small note under the beer. A good selection of barware also is available. Not hard to drop a c-note here.

Like I said, the best you can expect for the Carolinas, along with the occasional surprise that we are all entitled to.

Edit:
Drive another 15 min. north to Brawleys...
Jan 20, 2004
Photo of JISurfer
Reviewed by JISurfer from Utah

4.35/5  rDev +12.1%
I think that this is probably as good as it gets in SC for the selection of beers, viod a few smaller places. You can;t miss it. It's right on the SC/NC border next to the Carowinds parking lot. It's like a huge warehouse of beer on one side and liquor on the other. The only prob is that both states mandate that beer not exceed the 6% level. That's strange because they do allow Everclear, which is maybe the strongest liquor ever made. Guess this law is yet another way to keep the Irish Catholics down in the state.
Sep 10, 2003
Photo of kevinl6
Reviewed by kevinl6 from South Carolina

3.95/5  rDev +1.8%
A huge place just on the SC side of the NC/SC border. They appear to have a very large selection of liquor and wine, although I have only spent time in the beer aisle. They have pretty much everything that SC can legally carry, including a nice Rogue, Sam Smith, and Sierra Nevada selection. They also have many that I'm not familiar with that I'd like to try. It is a little aggrevating to get to...off of some cheesy side road near Carrowinds amusement park. Other than that, Its a good place to visit on a weekly basis.
Aug 03, 2003
Frugal MacDoogal Wine & Liquor Warehouse in Fort Mill, SC
Place rating: 3.88 out of 5 with 25 ratings