First I Steal From the LCBO, Now I Work for Them!

Berserkers,

You guys are all gonna love this. Remember the long threads I posted about having been accused of stealing from the LCBO? Well, I’ve just had another improper, heinous character-assassinating charge leveled at me by them again. This time I’ve been accused of… GASP… actually working for them!

Yes, it’s true. See, last year I did a fun little trio of threads where I endeavored to try as many different Rieslings from around the world as were available at the time at the LCBO. One of them was the Dr. Burklin-Wolf 2009 Jesuitengarten Riesling GG which I absolutely flipped out over. A near $100 CDN German dry Riesling and worth every single penny. Really opened up my eyes and my palate to dry Riesling and but for the high price tag, I would already have bottles in my collection.

Well as you can imagine, a $97 bottle of Riesling doesn’t sell well when you have conditioned your customers to accept $20 bottles as being top shelf and gotten them used to that. So after keeping my eyes on this wine for more than a year , I walked in to browse last Sunday and finally noticed a sale tag displaying a price cut to $67 CDN.

Of course, I immediately went back the following Sunday to grab a couple of bottles! But once I got to the cash, it was still scanning in at $97. So naturally I informed them of the sale tag and the Vintages Customer Service Rep was called to the cash. After insisting that the price at the cash was correct, I told him about the sale tag I saw and he went to the back to check the shelf and confirm.

Sure enough, it was there and he returned and told me that the tag had been put out in error by someone who was not authorized to do so but that they would honor the given price.He even offered to let me buy more at the price as they would have to take the shelf tag down and bring it back up to full price now that I spotted the apparent error. I got my two bottles and left happy as a clam.

Well I went back in to browse today because this is release weekend (The LCBO always brings in new stuff to the Vintages shelves every 2 weeks) and the CSR noticed me and said hello. I went browsing again and noticed that the sale tag was still on the shelf. The CSR notices me noticing and smiles and asks me, “You work for us, right?”

After getting over my initial surprise, I told him no but joked that I should given that I am in so often and told him that I am friends with another LCBO CSR named Geoff whom I speak to often which may have given him the wrong idea. Nevertheless, he winked at me and bid me goodnight as I was leaving.

So I guess this means I’m back in their good graces. I would’ve asked for the employee discount but for the fact that there is, in fact, no LCBO discount. On the other hand, since I’ve already been informed by Geoff that most theft from the LCBO actually occurs from employees and is the number one reason they won’t sell 50 ml liquor minatures anymore…

I had a similar experience with a magnum of Bonnes Mares many years ago. They had the bottle priced at 750ml. They did honor the price, but it was the last one. Too bad.

Did you pick up a few more bottles?

Is this the same board that kicked Mark B’s ass for taking advantage of a pricing error for a French white wine?

I’m just trying to keep it all straight.

I think this qualifies as an exception, under the rule that when you’re dealing with the gubmint anything goes, but you play at your own risk.

Agreed

In fairness, this was not a pricing error. THis was an actual discount tag that I was told should not have been put out yet is still there so there was obviously a plan to discount the wine at some point. I just happened along at the right time.

I do miss the LCBO. I try to stop by and check out the Niagara selections when I’m back in Toronto.

Are you going all Dances with Wolves on us??

Did you see where the former LCBO director was (allegedly) taking bribes? I’m shocked, Shocked I say!

http://www.shankennewsdaily.com/index.php/2015/09/01/13234/former-plcb-marketing-and-merchandising-director-charged-with-taking-bribes/