Tuesday, January 29, 2013

In a Wine Store...It's Not All Rose

My mother drinks cheap champagne. There I've said it. And technically it's not champagne, it's sparkling wine. Cheap sparkling wine. She takes a glass of champagne, adds a few drops of Framboise, a raspberry liqueur, and enjoys a nightcap before going to bed. When she runs low on supplies, it's time for me to go to the liquor store to bring in the reinforcements. Today was one of those days.

Now the store with a great selection and great prices is about seven miles away and a pain to get to. The store is large with too narrow aisles and extra displays and clutter in them. So you have all these people with extra large shopping carts trying to get past each other like cars on a narrow street. People actually cede their right of way.

First up, some beer. When I didn't see a case of what I was looking for, I asked the stock girl who was in that aisle if they had it. No. Okay. I then look in the cooler that is maybe ten feet away and what do I see...just what I was looking for. Strike one.

If you are buying a case of wine or champagne, they need to bring it out to you. So I corner a salesman/snob, tell him what I want and he looked at me in pure disgust. Really, you want that? It's dreadful. Yes, he said a product his store was selling was dreadful. And he was British, so it really sounded...dreadful. Now I admit I was off my game because normally I would have let him have it. But I just said, yes, it is dreadful but my mother likes it and would you please get it for me. Strike two.

As I wait at customer service for the case, another salesman comes over and asks if I need anything. No, I'm waiting for a case. What are you waiting for? I tell him and he gives me the look. Well, how about trying... Now I'm getting pissed but just want to get out so I say no thanks. And I wait. Apparently all the stock clerks in the cellar are on lunch. And I wait.

Finally, I get the case and go to the register where I tell the woman I will pay for my order and my mother's order separately. Fine, she says. Then proceeds to scan it all together. Not ten seconds later. Strike three.

Needless to say, I was very happy that I came home with alcohol.

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6 comments:

  1. all fine &dandy u forgot minor detail--- no cognac.are u not making a ham soon?would have saved u a wee bit for ham

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  2. I have to admit... I drink Barefoot Bubbly. Sparkling Moscato, Extra Dry Brut, etc. It doesn't cost a lot, but it makes me feel special and pretty... maybe that's the alcohol effect.

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    1. You are special and pretty, but bubbles do make everything better. Unfortunately, I do not share my mother's palate for cheap champagne. Also unfortunately my wallet does not agree with my taste palate.

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  3. I think its time to find a new beverage store Kat!

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    1. For the most part I don't go there, but it is the only store we know of that carries the specific brand of raspberry liqueur she likes. She know is stocked up for the foreseeable future...unless she starts drinking more heavily.

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  4. Damn! They must have all been drunk. Surly drunks. I was in my local liquor store recently and I asked the clerk if they had chocolate bitters. He looked at me like I was from outer space. Granted, it is an unusual item and I AM from outer space, but it's his freaking job to know this stuff. He told me to look it up on the internet. Okay, that's $8.00 they're not getting. Yeah, it sounds like you needed a drink after all that. How aggravating.

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