How have your State Store (Wine & Spirits) store experiences been? (Philadelphia: lease, buying)

[magicoz]

Do you love these stores or do you hate them? I love them maybe just because of familiarity, but all my friends drive to other states to buy liquor. Several in Delaware County were given huge upgrades in 2004. The process should continue with the new "Fine Wine & Good Spirits" concept. My only complaints are as follows:

1. Why all the alcohol abuse PSA posters in the windows? They have a good message but the posters make the stores look really tacky.

2. Why can't we have MORE of these stores inside grocery stores? There have been four "one stop shops" in Delco so far, but all are clustered in the western/northern parts of the state. Why when FoodSource in Glen Mills closed they had to get rid of the liquor store (even though The Fresh Market moved in) I don't understand.

3. They need better hours. The lower volume stores are still closed Sundays! Some are closed Monday and Wednesday!

4. The stores are very cramped and claustrophobic. They stack drink displays in the middle of the aisles which look too easy to knock over and break.

[couldntthinkofaclevername]

To answer 1 and 2: Because they are in family areas. It's not the city.

[frankgn87]

just drive over the bridge to Cherry hill and walk into the Total wine and more store.. Amazing selection and unbelievable good prices..

Total Wine & More - Cherry Hill Wine Store in Cherry Hill, NJ : 856-667-7100

[magicoz]

Originally Posted by couldntthinkofaclevername

To answer 1 and 2: Because they are in family areas. It's not the city.

What do you mean "family" areas? And I'm sorry I meant to say "county" instead of "state" under #2.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by couldntthinkofaclevername

To answer 1 and 2: Because they are in family areas. It's not the city.

The Wine & Spirits stores within grocery stores are generally in suburban "family" areas. See http://www.finewineandgoodspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FindStoreView?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&pageNum=1&listSize=45&category=O ne-Stop+Shoppe&city=&zip_code=&county=All+Stores&stor eNO=

There are none in Philadelphia.

As for #1, are you saying that Wine & Spirits stores in "family" areas have more alcohol abuse posters than city stores? That doesn't make any sense.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

just drive over the bridge to Cherry hill and walk into the Total wine and more store.. Amazing selection and unbelievable good prices..

Total Wine & More - Cherry Hill Wine Store in Cherry Hill, NJ : 856-667-7100

You dare attempt to undermine the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with this "traveling over state borders" nonsense?

In all seriousness, going to Jersey is the correct response when you're buying in even modest bulk (eg, for a party), but if you're just buying a handle or a couple bottles of wine, the savings in alcohol doesn't really make up for the gas/bridge tolls.

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by pcity

The Wine & Spirits stores within grocery stores are generally in suburban "family" areas. See http://www.finewineandgoodspirits.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/FindStoreView?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&pageNum=1&listSize=45&category=O ne-Stop+Shoppe&city=&zip_code=&county=All+Stores&stor eNO=

There are none in Philadelphia.

As for #1, are you saying that Wine & Spirits stores in "family" areas have more alcohol abuse posters than city stores? That doesn't make any sense.

Though there are some wine vending machines--namely at Fresh Grocer in University City.

[magicoz]

Actually, that might be gone now since The Fresh Grocer in Drexel Hill (Upper Darby), Delaware County had one but got rid of it. They still are able to sell a full beer selection because of their cafe though. The cafe and beer used to be upstairs via an elevator, but now it's by the frozen section. Drexel Hill has a great Wine & Spirits store anyway in Pilgrim Gardens Shopping Center. The Fresh Grocer is not doing well as a chain. They just closed their other Upper Darby store (Barclay Square, in the old 50's Food Fair/Pantry Pride building) which had a Wine & Spirits store next to it. They had an almost new store in Villanova around 2006 that closed very suddenly, even though the Wine & Spirits attached to it is still open. Their Cobbs Creek Great Valu store on Baltimore Ave in West Philly is gone too. They fixed up the old school Acme in Southampton/Warminster a few years ago when it moved to Feasterville, but that effort crashed and burned. I'm surprised Acme even let another grocery store take their lease. Usually they try to prevent that. But now Acme is owned by Supervalu which also supplies The Fresh Grocer, and owns the Save-A-Lot discount grocery stores. Those have replaced plenty of old Acme/A&P/Penn Fruit stores and will soon come to Barclay Square.

[pcity]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Though there are some wine vending machines--namely at Fresh Grocer in University City.

I thought the LCB pulled the plug on the whole vending machine operation after many problems with the machines (and also the fact that it made PA look ridiculous in the national media).

[ElijahAstin]

Originally Posted by pcity

I thought the LCB pulled the plug on the whole vending machine operation after many problems with the machines (and also the fact that it made PA look ridiculous in the national media).

I looked it up and you're right. They actually officially ended the experiment a few days after I was last at that grocery store.