Originally published on June 19, 2010.
A NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: Most of this still holds true up in Copake-land. Except for the delivery bit. That’s a whole different story up there!
Certain questions come up over and over. Questions that actually have to do with wine (vs. questions about corks, parking, and how to get to the World Trade Center site.) So we put together little cards that answer those FAQs. Below, you’ll find the official answer and the behind the scenes answers (available on this blog only.)
Question: Do you deliver?
The Official Answer: Why yes, we do! And if you’re below Canal Street, it’s free and there’s no minimum order. Otherwise, there’s a minimum or a delivery fee.
The Behind the Scenes Answer: Yes, we’ll deliver one bottle. And yes, we’ll even deliver it across the highway. But we’re not set up like a restaurant, with bike-loads of delivery people on call, so it might take a while. This will be true whether you want one $10 bottle or a case of high end Champagne*. So yes, we’ll get it to you. And we’ll let you know when we can realistically get it to you. But that answer won’t always be “in 10 minutes.” And sometimes, like when you call 5 minutes before close and want one bottle delivered 10 blocks up and 5 blocks over, that answer may actually be no. (Well, the answer would really be “we can get it to you tomorrow,” but that’s probably still not the answer you’re hoping for.)
*To be completely honest, if you order a case of Champagne and we’re working solo, we’ll probably buck up and call in a delivery service. For single bottles, this probably isn’t a mathematically feasible option.
Question: Do you offer case discounts?
The Official Answer: Why yes, we do! 10% off mixed or full cases.
The Behind the Scenes Answer: Yes, I’m perfectly aware that such-and-such a store offers a 20%, or even a 25% discount on cases. But I’m also very well-versed in New York wine store math and if someone is regularly offering a case discount that deep….well….it’s more than a little possible their regular mark-up is a tad too high.
Question: Do you have Champagne?
The Official Answer: Why yes, we do!
The Behind the Scenes Answer: It always amazes me that customers ask this – that they don’t automatically assume that a wine store will have anything sparkling on the shelves. This is a problem for Champagne in particular and sparkling wine in general – that so many customers think of it as something so far removed from wine (and “wine occasions” to get all marketing-speak on you) that they don’t even expect a wine store to carry it.
Question: Can you keep track of my purchases?
The Official Answer: We try to, but we’re admittedly not very good at it.
The Behind the Scenes Answer: We’d really like to be better at this but simply put, it is a pain in the ass using an off-the-rack Microsoft Point of Sale system. First we need to get you in the system. And it’s tough to do this without raising the fear of spam in most people. Then once you’re in there, we have to remember to ask you if you’re in the system. And then even though you just told us you think you are, we have to remember to add you to the transaction. And if we don’t, we have to manually add what you just bought in the “notes” field because there’s no way to add you to a transaction after the fact. And if you order on-line or call in an order, that’s a totally different system and we have to track it manually anyway. And that system can securely store your credit card info. But only if you reorder within 3 months. Which is a pain, but it keeps your credit card info secure in a way that storing it forever on an index card can’t. So that’s a good thing, really.
Anyhow, we’ll get better at it. And eventually, we’ll cough up the really big, huge bucks for some sort of fully integrated system. Until then, if you want us to track your purchases, just let us know and we’ll do the best we can.