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Where I Shop

In Greenville, we have 4 major retailers of wine on Woodruff Road.  I have found that name brand wine costs more at Whole Foods and Trader Joes than at Costco and Total Wine.

Total Wine has name brand wines and wines they call "Winery Direct".   Name brand wines usually have prices that end in 7 and are excluded from their coupons.  The name brand wines are  usually located on the highest and lowest shelves while the winery direct wines are at eye level on the middle shelves.  The name brand wines are usually priced very well and are competitive with Costco.  Clearly, Total Wine wants to entice you into the store with the name brands and switch you to the winery direct wines where they have better profit margins.  There are many signs saying that if you like this name brand wine, you should try this other winery direct wine.  If you ask for assistance from a clerk, they will always recommend a winery direct wine.  It has been my experience that the winery direct wines are a little overpriced, even with coupon savings.  If you shop Total Wine and stick with the top and bottom shelf wines with prices ending in 7, you will do well.  However, you will need to know what you are looking for because the clerks will not be helpful in finding a name brand wine.

I buy most of my wine at Costco.  The prices are unbeatable and Costco's wine buyers have a knack for selecting excellent wines.  It is always an adventure to shop for wine because you never know what the selection will be.  There are always new wines to try.  Costco does an great job of displaying the ratings done by reputable organizations such as Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast.

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