S&A Wines and Spirits — Local services in New York

I walked into the store this afternoon to pick up a bottle of wine to enjoy the long awaited game of thrones premiere night after a long awaited 2 years. I wish I could echo my fellow peers reviews but I was met with poor customer service by an employee of the store.

It turns out she was too busy having a conversation on her cell phone to acknowledge that I had walked into the store and to identify that she was an employee there (despite me even saying hello to her and asking how she was). Fear not though, it would appear her poor customer service started and ended with me as she quickly took time to address a caucasian couple.

After noticing this, I approached her and she finally greeted me with a “what’s up” and I expressed to her that I’m a little offended that I walked in and have remained in the store and she hasn’t even so much as acknowledged my presence but did the couple. She quickly gave me the excuse that she didn’t say anything to me because she was on the phone... but acknowledged the couple because she walked through them.

Ofcourse I would be able to acknowledge this excuse of poor customer service if she wasn’t still on the phone when she greeted the lovely Caucasian couple, a fact I pointed out to her. Instead of accepting that she handled the situation poorly, she continued to respond by saying “ARE YOU DONE YET?” As a black man, I left the store feeling racially profiled and flabbergasted that in 2019, store representatives have the audacity to exhibit this behavior. I will never be going back to this store.

Went the following day to meet with management. Unfortunately, the same employee from yesterday was there and was pretending to be management and amplified...

If you're not prepared to serve the owner with a smile, don’t bother coming here.

Yesterday, the owner of this place had the audacity to scold me—yes, scold—for being "too shy", based on our interactions of my previous visits. I was stunned. Did I really just hear that? He was actually DEMANDING that a customer “the way he wanted”???

Let me make this clear: I don’t owe you conversations. I don’t owe you a smile. I came here for a transaction —I pay, I get my item, and I leave. No unnecessary chatter, no forced socializing. That is my right as a customer.

He seems to think it works the other way around—as if I should be the one catering to his needs and making him feel welcome. How ABSURD. Instead of providing service, he took it upon himself to reprimand me for not being friendly enough, as if I owed him my positive energy. WELL, I DON’T. AND NEITHER DOES ANY...

Classic bait and switch pricing. On Wine Searcher the item I was seeking was priced between $39 and $55 across 12 stores in the New York metro area. Online this bottle's price at S&A was $41. When I called to confirm availability they said it was in stock. When I asked if I could have a few set aside for pickup, the storekeeper said he had to "look up the price," and after a couple minutes said "we can do it for $59 per bottle." I am reporting this store to Wine Searcher and would urge anyone looking up their offerings online to beware of their shady practices.

Response to store owner’s response: “Barrel Proof” was clearly noted on your website listing and you have since changed the listing after our call and my review. The 100 Proof Rye is $23-30 at two dozen stores across the metro area. You did not make a mistake, you simply...