Need Help in AZ

Fuck Total Wine, anyone that supports them is not truly a small biz supporter and most craft breweries are small biz! If you are interested in supporting small local biz, support AZ Wine Company! Awesome little places, usually some beers on tap and they get all the goodies! Again FUCK Total Wine, they don't know shit about the products and the push around people!

 

I travel to Phoenix regularly and really like to stop by Papagos. Four Peaks is also a must stop when I am in town. The Whole Foods in Chandler is a must go and yeah I do stop and shop for bottles at Total Wine but I know what I am looking for so I do not mind that they do not have anyone to hold my hand...lol. Good news is I just landed a job in Maricopa County and will be making AZ my permanent residence in September. You guys have always been good to help me with advice when I come to visit so now that I will be a permanent resident I hope to see some of you at Papagos or Four Peaks and treat you to a cold one of your choice! Cheers!

 

Fuck Total Wine? No thanks. Tired of the inflated prices I paid 2006 and prior. Small business can suck it, as far as I'm concerned. It was insane that I paid significantly less in L.A., San Diego, Denver, etc. then got reamed when I came back to Phoenix from trips.

 

Loving Dragoon Brewing Company's Dragoon IPA. If you like Firestone Walker's Union Jack, you'll like Dragoon's IPA. Papago featured it on tap at their Tucson Brew night a week and a half ago. Glad I live in Tucson. Phoenicians should request it at their favorite local craft beer pub. Tristan said it would be at least a year before they start canning, if ever. Growlers only for take home.

http://www.dragoonbrewing.com/beer/

 

Looking forward to sampling their stuff. Thanks.

 

In addition to their IPA and Stronghold Session Ale, Dragoon has a witbier with the classic orange and spice on tap, and they are getting ready to release a saison.

 

You obviously haven't a clue when it comes to pricing....Support the billion dollar company, and fuck the little guy. Total Wine screws the distributors, and sues them if they dont get what they want. Wah wah wah....They maybe a little lower priced on SOME things, but majority of the good stuff...i.e...Craft beers, Single Malts, Bourbons, Wines that actually are made with first pick grapes are the same price if not cheaper!

 

Unbelievable. Incredibly inaccurate. For single malt Scotch I was drinking at the time I was having to pay almost $40 for ones that I could buy in Chicago, Denver, SoCal for mid to upper $20's. Similar for $40's in those metros, yet $60 here. It was a reaming here in AZ. Sometimes there was a $40+ difference on the 18yr ones that were in the $100+ ballpark. Not even close. It was absurd that I was flying stuff home from Denver in my luggage because it was such a savings from what I was having to pay here mid 2000's and prior. The single malt selection here sucked hard too, before BevMo and Total Wine. When BevMo first opened (the first big chain here) it was obvious that most Sportsman's and others would go under. You could drive 3 mins between the two on 67th ave and laugh at the price differences in single malt and other premium spirits. Finally... things would be *normal* here in Phoenix, in terms of competitive pricing. Competition is great for the consumer.

What's sad is I could show you these same differences even today. Just look at some of the stuff at a typical AJ's in the suburbs. Single malts bout $60 that are around $40 at a normal liquor retailer. Even today.

Beer wise in mid 2000's there were quite a few that were $10/sixpack at local spots and then BevMo and Total Wine had these for $6.49. It's just stupid to be paying about40-50% more for some of the same sixpacks.

I don't care about the little guy in this case. They weren't offering some sort of superior experience, knowledgeable sale, etc. Most of their staff were usually just as ignorant. Some little guy was charging more for a product that should have a slim profit margin and much lower price for the consumer. It was a joke that the Phoenix metro was the size that it was yet had no discount liquor chains like every other metro this size or larger in the country. It's about time the little boys' club with little retailers and distributors had to make changes.

 

I also support Total Wine and Bevmo types. I also like Costco...so there you go. Reason? I'm not driving 40 miles to pay more at Papago or similar establishments. Do I buy local? sure...when I get a convenient opportunity.

 

Yemenmocha you are one of the big reasons I read these threads. Amen to decent prices. I do not mind folks making a profit but I work hard for my cash too and if I can drink quality for a good price then hell yeah I am supporting Total Wine or whoever else sells what I like at a reasonable price. You are one of those who guided me on my original beer tour of the valley and your suggestions have led to some marvelous beer discoveries. I have the first round should we have the opportunity to meet at a local establishment in the near future!

 

bitter much? former employee? clearly a renegade opinion (all caps FUCK says it all). their prices are easily $1 less per 6 pack/bomber on average than bevmo & WF, and cheaper than Topps no question (I still go to Topps as needbe, but if I can get the same damn beer for $5.99 vs $6.99, nuff said). and the Tempe store has numerous very knowledgeable beer folks.

 

I am not an employee and would never work for a company that sues all the distributors just to get their way and shove small business out of the market...period...I support small business, because it is America. I will always pop in to a local establishment and gladly pay $1 more to give my money back to the economy in which I live! I guess that is my opinion and the rest of you on the thread can go where you like. I have been in Total for 2 hours and never been asked if I needed help, and every question when I could find an employee couldn't be answered with any bit of knowledge! So to each his own

 

Unless you're a baller or something I think you might consider re-evaluating how much you are really helping the local economy vs. some "other" economy. And as far as I know, none of the Total Wine employees are flown in from somewhere else each day to work all of those jobs in the Phoenix area.

Often it's much more than $1 too. Sorry, I'm not going to bend over and pay $15+ more per typical bottle of 12yr or 15yr bottle of single malt, or 40% more for a sixpack of Hoegaarden or similar.

Retail service doesn't pay much, for obvious reasons. Beer knowledge is not a marketable skill. Those are low wage jobs for a reason. If it makes you feel better that the dude at the cash register makes a little more per hour then good for you. I don't need advice & shooting the bull with some guy when I go for a few sixpacks each week, and I'm glad I don't have to pay more for that "experience".

Until BevMo & Total Wine came to town I always found it odd that liquor & beer was so much cheaper in high cost of living cities like Chicago, Denver, SoCal area, etc. No more. thank god. Local people with bloated pricing? Not for me.

Regarding the lawsuits for distributors you're going to have to divulge the details.

 

Look, I am done stating why I think it's important for people to shop local...the stats are obvious and out there. For every $100 you spend $43 stays in the economy with local shops and only $13 stays with corporation shopping. I can tell you for a fact that your deal with $15 a bottle on Single Malts doesnt fly where Im at, unless youre buying Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, or another not hard to find product. To the point that beer is cheaper in LA or Chicago you are nuts, and its definitely not the case. Haven't been to Chicago lately but I guarantee LA isnt cheaper. Shop wherever you can save a buck, I am putting my money on good relationships and small business. The world is not about saving a buck but about making good connections and good people. As far as the lawsuits, if you were in the business you would know how much everyone hates Total, but it is what it is! Good day

 

WTF do I have to take photos of a beer tag for $6.49 at Total Wine and then $10 at a local spot for you? I'd wager you're not going to be convinced even then. Same for single malt. You can't possibly be serious. And the L.A., Denver, Chicago comparison was single malt, especially pre-BevMo days - 2006 and prior. Beer was still cheaper too, but the reaming wasn't as bad with beer as it was with premium spirits.

source for your $43 local vs. $13 on $100 spent? I wasn't aware there was such an enormous profit margin on beer.

And thanks for telling us all about the lawsuits so we can make up our minds for ourselves. I assume by "everyone" you're not including the consumers in Phoenix.

 

I lived in the Los Angeles area about 5 years ago and beer was much cheaper. Maybe things have changed but I doubt it. I had sticker shock at beer prices in Phoenix. Glad we have Costco, Total Wine, and Bevmo because they are more realistic.

 

Regarding the numbers on local vs national chain, there are several well known studies on this. The most recent one I am familiar with was a study conducted in Grand Rapids MI in September 2008. They actually showed $63 of every $100 spent staying in the community. I know there are others and I have seen several figures out there, but all clearly show a greater local impact to shopping locally, besides it being logical. Profit margin is irrelevant in looking at this study and others like it.

 

while i don't want to get into a further economic debate here, the counter so such a study and claim relates to labor (number of employees). in a beer example, yes maybe $63 of Topps funds roll back into the community, but they have a much smaller payroll that Total Wine (esp considering the # of TW stores). Hence, the local economic impact in absolute dollars is actually much greater from a large store, as all employees at TW live and work in maricopa county and then spend their money earned working at TW within the county (for the most part). Same argument can be made for any other big box store; often times why counties and cities are willing to grant tax breaks, even though profit flows back to a private company or the corporation is based in another city. The sheer economic impact in terms of jobs and funds to said employees is significant.

I say we end this with, to each their own as to where they want to shop for beer.

 

I agree, everybody gets to shop where they want to shop. However, these economic studies do take into account salaries, etc. They are done on a percentage basis, so there is no doubt that the big stores put more total dollars into the local economy...however, on an individual dollar basis the local stores contribute more.

 

There is not one 6 pack on Totals shelf that outsells my local by $3.50 guaranteed, speak from experience where I live! Back East single Malts prices are way better, no doubt! Still for every customer looking to save $1 on whatever they can, you have one that wants to support and will continue to look out for the little guy. Knowledge and Service standards will overcome. I know for a fact that my guys get stuff Total won't even get offered because distributors dont like dealing with them. Shop wherever you like, I was just stating my opinion in supporting the local stores instead of Chains that don't give two shits about the AZ economy. As for the relation to money staying in the economy, educate yourself and look something up. Next time you are in Total look for someone that works for the distributors and ask them what they think! Total cheats the system put in place to keep things fair, and they push around and yes sue the distributors with their billion dollar owners who were never in the liquor business money backing them. Support and shop where you want, I don't care!!! Just stating my opinion