Definitely not what I’ve gotten from David. All he (and others like myself) are saying is that Winery Direct is absolutley NOT all crap. They directly import many top labels that peeps post about here all the time. Their private label crap is a different story. Probably makes sense to use the right terminology here because they are two very different things.
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It’s been a challenge for certain folks in this thread to get these details straight and I’m not sure why. It’s not a particularly hard concept to grasp and it’s been explained about a thousand different ways.
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Tons of them, Spirits Direct and targeted at National Brands like Tito’s example below vs. Tower Vodka (although they were forced to replace the copper cap on Tower). Beer too.
Not directed at you, but it’s their business model, and its a very successful larger scaled Costco/Kirkland model, I don’t see the outrage. They are welcome to make any margin they can sell a wine/spirit/beer for, they aren’t a charity, they are a for profit.
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Exactly. They use national brands as loss leaders and price them at .97 so they aren’t discount eligible, margins anywhere from negative (where legal) to 10 or 15%.
People like a large selection and one stop shop. It’s their model, its successful, its a for profit company, and they should be able to make whatever margin they want on an item once they buy it.
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I would have expected more than $1 price diff. How can the customer service folks steer you to this.
“Excuse me sir, the Tito’s is over there but can I interest you in a truly unique vodka at a lower price point”?
I think this is what pisses people here off the most. Caveat emptor at its finest.
FWIW Costco had a big boy of Kirkland domestic vodka for $13 and French vodka in a Grey Goose looking bottle for $22
Full disclosure, I bought some Midori (hello 1970’s) from TW last week and some Ukrainian beer.
No vitriol on my part. I rarely, if at all, buy wine there.
Me too, though I think if neither of us is buying winery direct plonk from Total Wine, then we don’t really need to know.
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How was the beer?
I find the private label quality angst interesting. I am in the grocery industry where many of our consumers have made the shift from national brands to store brands in the past few years. Many stores like Aldi and Save A Lot have made this their core business model and have been quite successful. It really is dependent on the relationship with the manufacturers to produce a quality alternative. I would have no problem recommending most of my private label groceries to my customers and allow them to save money and increase my gross profit. This implies that the retailer cares about the quality of their products.
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Haven’t tried the beer yet. Picked it up last week
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I think what you were missing is a huge segment of the population is not brand loyal to Tito‘s because they love it but rather because they’ve heard of it. Some of them like to try something new whether it’s the same price or a dollar cheaper and the dollar cheaper encourages them to do so.
Even within the private label category, there is a distinction to be made. There are private label wines made by quality producers that are of decent quality. Then there are faceless private label. Wines made by some unknown entity at a warehouse in American Canyon. I refer to those as industrial wines.
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Traditional Tito’s 1.75L price is $34.99, there are a lot of things at play, Costco sells Tito’s and is capped at 13.9% margin among others, so TWM has a smaller gap to be market competitive.
The difference I see is Kirkland Signature, Kroger Simple Truth or Private Select, or Safeway Signature Select or O Organics, are clearly that stores label. In wine and spirits most brands aren’t that of the store, they are a fanciful label to appeal to consumers.
No one day was enough and here you go:
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2019 Buttercream Winery Chardonnay - USA, California, Central Coast, Monterey (12/18/2021)
Not terrible. Drinkable with apple, pear and some spice. (81 points)
Butterknife is even worse.
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2020 Butterknife Chardonnay - USA, California, North Coast, Mendocino (7/30/2022)
A Total Wine exclusive. How many butter wines are out there? This is another cheaply made wine that offers very little in enjoyment. Oak chips, mild lemon and some spice. Not much acidity and shorter finish. Just get a Washington State Chardonnay for under $10 and enjoy. (75 points)
I doubt most are using a coupon. Most people in and out of a line are grabbing a bottle here and there. I almost never see a case of wine on a purchase in the many lines they have.
Well now you are just dead wrong. I know people that work there. Coupons and discounts are used in the vast and I mean vast majority of purchases. Those usually include purchases of 6 or more bottles. Time to step off the soap box and send me my sub $100 Lynch Bages and sub $40 Chappellet signature cab. Handsome rewards await you!
David I am feeling you work for Total Wine. In MN I very rarely see a transaction involving a coupon. Yes I have studied their mark in the Twin Cities. Keep drinking that Double Diamond.
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You don’t want handsome rewards? Im a real estate agent
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Again keep drinking that Napa Valley Oaked wine.
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I just pulled the cork on a 2013 Schrader LPV to enjoy tonight! Thanks for the suggestion!
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