Binny's Beverage Depot - Lincolnwood — Attraction in Niles Township

I entered the store with my girlfriend on thanksgiving day to purchase some wine for her parents as a gift since we don’t drink alcohol and they seem to enjoy it. Forgot my credit card at my home so I asked if I can just show my ID since I am of age to purchase alcohol legally & If she can pay for the wine with her debit card so I don’t have to run home and get the card since we were in a rush.

The lady at the checkout counter asked for her ID instead and that’s when I explained she’s 20 years old doesn’t drink and the wine is for her parents. We were in a rush so I asked if it was okay if she paid for it with her card instead of me rushing home like I mentioned before. She said no she can’t do that. So I said okay thats fine. Is it okay if I go grab cash real quick next door in the Walgreens atm and come back? She said yes that’s fine and left the wine on the counter.

So we go to the atm grab the money and within five minutes I come back with my girlfriend.. walk through the front door and approach the counter and talk to the same woman who is working the checkout counter since no one is in line to purchase anything. I hand her my ID & Cash and she says she can’t sell me the wine. I ask why what do you mean you literally just left the wine on the counter and told me its okay to get cash and come back? All I wanted to do is purchase this wine for her parents and leave because we are running late. Some random guy decides to come up and disrupt our conversation thinking he will figure out the situation and save the day... Then she tells me she can’t sell me the alcohol because my girlfriend is not of age and in the store… Meanwhile she never even checked her ID… just going based off what I stated... and I could of easily never said anything about her age in the beginning but I wanted to make it simple to understand and not cause any issues at the counter… I completely understand it’s not legal to sell to minors but I am of legal age to purchase alcohol & I was purchasing it this time around.. with cash...she just came along to choose the specific wine her parents like.. Then they make my girlfriend leave the store… saying she can’t be in here because she’s not of age..? When there are clearly underage children there with their parents & several teenage kids with other people that looked like their older siblings... Which I pointed out in the interaction and addressed... but the response I got was "They're with their family dude" ... They are clearly underage standing next to their parents/siblings who are legally of age to purchase alcohol… So I then asked "Okay my girlfriend has left the store can I purchase the wine?" They continued to simply say “No” and "We're done here" I would just ask “What do you mean” They would never explain the situation or give me a valid reason… They would simply say "no" and look at me with some odd facial expression thinking it would intimidate me or something. Then they just flat out told me to leave. The lady & the one random guy who came up to the counter were the only ones involved in this. Everyone else was just observing the entire interaction.. I asked for the manager and by the time he came I just decided I don’t even want to waste any more time or spend money at this establishment if they are going to treat me like this. I was more than willing to have a civilized conversation and simply wanted an explanation.. but all I got were short rude responses and dirty looks… The entire situation was completely blown out of proportion & just ridiculous. What a great way to start Thanksgiving!

Definitely would not...

Adam, the Lincolnwood beer expert, is simply the best. He knows his beers. For the past 3 months, he has introduced me (a novice) to a wide range of new flavors and has recommended beers to my "connoisseur" boyfriend. His customer service is excellent. While Adam knows beer, he will go out of his way to answer questions about other spirits. He does know quite a bit about whiskeys and others though if he does not know expertly he will still get you an answer whether by reaching out to a colleague who knows more, or by looking it up on the spot. Adam has impressed me with his extensive knowledge and helpful attitude. Further, he is your guy if you are searching for a particular beer. For example, I asked him if there was such a thing as a beer flavored with oysters (he has introduced me to peanut butter flavored, barrel aged, jalapeños among others...), surprisingly there was and he happily ordered some for me. From the beginning, Adam has made it clear that his passion is connecting people to good beers. This is why we continue to return to this location.

11/15/19 tonight, my boyfriend and I stopped by to shop for seasonal beers as we knew our beer expert was in. Adam once again was able to guide us among the many beers. We also had the pleasure to meet the store manager, Chuck who assisted us in choosing a Binny’s select bourbon. It was apparent that Chuck cares about his customers, he walks us to the counter, he made us feel welcome. I can speak from experience, this Binny’s has friendlier staff than others i’ve Been to. This is the only store where as we walk through staff members consistently ask if we need help. My boyfriend might know his spirits, I don’t. At this specific Lincolnwood location, if I am alone, I very much appreciate the assistance offered. If Adam is not here, or Marcus, I must say their colleagues are happy to assist and often made great suggestions. Simply this Binny’s is awesome, clean, organized as well as has friendly and customer service...

Not one time, but 3 times me and my husband both have been carded to buy liquor. Both of us are in our 30s. Today he was told to go outside while I pay because he didn't have his ID. What bothers me is I observed noone else getting double carded. I never see that when we come. I also never see other black people around, which could explain it. It appears to me that Lincolnwood Binnys has a people preference and since we are not the customers u prefer we will go somewhere else. My husband shouldnt have had to go outside he was clearly over 21 and not paying for the liqour. Im disturbed that the hennesy and Remy have a limit two stipulation on the sale tag. Next to the "smile your on surveillance" sticker. I looked around the store for more of the two stickers I read next to one of the most popular black liquors in the store but couldn't find them. Dear black people, Don't bother these people with ur money or presence. You are not one of them. They dont want our business. This may be 2017 but we are still dealing with 1920s...