Just when I had written off Total Wine....

Got my Cherry Rye from Total Wine. It will always hold a special place in my heart.

 

Multiple years and decent prices (for Utopias) are available at places I know here. Surprised to find out it is hard to get for others.

 

Haha, that one is the worst and doesn't get the same things as the Norfolk and Hilltop ones.

 

I worked at a Total Wine for a few years, recently got a new job, I understand all the complaints - they are typical big box store, run by a lot of inept people. A lot of the employees you run into in the beer sections at a TW typically are not trained in that product AT ALL. The company puts a lot of focus on wine and wine sales hence the name Total Wine. Having said that, you can usually find someone in each store that has a real passion for craft beer. But generally, if you are just wandering around the beer isle, and are approached by someone - they have probably been more heavily trained in spirits and wine.

I'm not defending the company, just giving my 2 cents.

 

I gave the Claymont TW a call at lunch yesterday and they told me the BA Bigfoot just got put on the shelf. I scored 2 bottles. That is my first time in there, and after lucking out, I will probably continue to call every once in a while to ask about special releases that I am looking forward to. I don't intend to do much business there, since you pointed out that TW can be detrimental to "mom-and-pop" operations.

I still support my local shop, Kreston's. The beer selection is small but strong, and I can stop in there when walking my dog (the clerk always gives him a milkbone). I didn't mind going to TW, because I am still going to get my 1-per-customer BA Bigfoot from them as well. If I wanna stock up, I'll take a short roadtrip to State Line (Elkton, MD) which has a great selection and is also family owned--I don't bother looking for super special releases there because it is a pretty well-known beer destination.

When I left the Claymont location, there were 6 BA Bigfoots (Bigfeet?) on the shelf. I would guess that they are sold out by now, most stores (nation-wide) have been getting 1 case or less.

 

No! It used to be mediocre at best but the beer manager, who ran the jax beer blog at beerjunto.com, is no longer there. atm its become an unorganized mess where no employee knows anything about beer. fortunately riverside is bringng in even more craft beer places and grassroots manages to be amazing.

 

I live only 1 mile away from TW here in Florida so I do shop there for my beer. They have by far the best prices and a very good selection. I've noticed that if you aren't buying something seasonal, you really need to check the bottling date because they do leave really old beers sitting on the shelves forever collecting dust.

I was just there last week and saw SN Bigfoot but didn't see the Barrel Aged - I will have to look for that. I have seen Palate Wrecker (think it was $8.99 a bomber) there recently and some other special releases. The thing about the special releases though, you have to get there quick. As another poster mentioned, if Cigar City puts out a special release, it's gone from the shelves in less than a day.

I go on their website, sign in and click "Email me when available" on some of the beers they are out of that I want, so they email me when it comes in. However, one time I saw a beer that I had requested notification on. It had just came in and then I received the email a day or two later.

 

Just realized there's one not too far from me, in Towson, MD. Going to have to check it out and see what all the hub-bub is about

 

I always it makes me laugh when people on this site (a majority who are or claim to be more than well-versed in beer) complain about a lack of knowledge from employees at beer stores. Do some of you really spend that much time asking these people questions? I get it if you're new to craft beer and need some guidance, but let's face it, that doesn't really apply to just about all of us on here.

The only interaction I've really had with the employees at my local TW's (besides at check out) is, "Do you still have any *insert limited release* left behind the counter?" or "When might *insert seasonal release* hit the shelves?" Otherwise, I'm usually there knowing exactly what I intend to purchase, or if just randomly shopping I have enough experience to know what I want to try.

 

+1

 

Total Wine is good for what it is. They almost always get special releases, and at least where I bought beer in NoVA, there was never a crush when stuff like KBS or Hopslam came in. They always got a relatively small % of my overall beer dollars, but they usually have a much better selection of the Belgian staples than other beer stores in that area.

 

When you ask about a beer and the employees have never heard of it, and nobody on the floor has any idea of the delivery schedule or when a beer, special release or otherwise, might arrive, it is frustrating. Maybe this isn't the lack of knowledge people complain about, but I've been to more than one TW where the employees don't even know what product is on their shelves, or what is due to arrive.

And despite being knowledgable about beer, I will cop to not knowing everything there is to know about every beer ever made. Occasionally I see something I've never tried and am considering buying, and would like to chat about it with someone who knows the product. I know it's 2013, but sometimes an actual conversation with a real person is more helpful and satisfying than browsing reviews on the interwebs. But maybe that's just me *shrugs*

 

ahh thats a pity, I was not aware that Steve had left. Granted I make it to jax maybe once a year...

 

FYI Virginia BA's, how's the Richmond TW like? Is it comparable to the one in Alexandria (really good selection) - or more comparable to the one in Fredericksburg (just kinda good selection)?

 

Do they check the database, or just shrug their shoulders and say they don't know? I could understand the frustration of the latter, but that's a case of just being a bad employee in general and shouldn't be held against TW as a whole. Bad/lazy employees exist EVERYWHERE in the retail industry.

Buying a new beer is going to be a gamble regardless of what anyone says, no matter if the conversation takes place in person or over the interwebs. Besides, having an actual conversation with a real person is what my friends/regulars at the local beer bars are for.

 

Hey man, I know about Total Wine, Goody Goody, SPECs, and Central Market. TW is pretty good as far as selection, but is there another store in Fort Worth that I don't know about??? Thanks

 

ahh, you have grown wise young BMitch...TW has a million things for sale...to expect that the person you approach in the ailes of a TW is going to know much about everything is a stretch...someone in the store most likely will and the best service they can provide is to try to find someone that can help the consumer...if they can't they should offer an apology and ask if there is anything else they can help you with.

 

I have built a repoir with the store manager of the TW in Las Vegas (Summerlin), NV. She actually emails me when new beers come out.

They had gotten in only 6 bottles of Fruet, and she was nice enough to let me know when they would be hitting the floor so I was sure to get one.

 

Like I said earlier, most these employees aren't trained at all in beer. They are encouraged to focus more on spirits and wine, which I completely disagree with (beer is the biggest seller, by a large margin). I tried to keep everyone in my store aware of the new releases and upcoming releases to prevent this stuff from happening.

Also, most of the employees on the floor don't know when deliveries are expected or what is expected to come. Only a handful of people know that, and it's usually just the receivers (who are constantly in the back, NOT on the floor).

On a side note, you have obviously been in a TW so you have seen those shelves, do you honestly expect every employee to know the shelves that well? Most of these employees are just college kids looking for a part time job.

 

Speaking of something being a stretch, calling me wise might be the biggest one yet! haha

You and the lady going to be out later this evening?