The quest just got a whole lot harder

Our once great local wine shop Sam's Wines and Spirits has finally succumbed to horrible management and has been absorbed into the Binny's empire.

www.samswine.com

Sam's Wines and Spirits was once a grand store. For quite a while they were the largest single wine retail space on the planet. They had inventory that filled shelves reaching to the ceiling of their 3 story store/warehouse. They had sales people that could dizzy you with their passion for wine while simultaneously making sure they didn't lord their wine knowledge over you. When I shopped Sam's I felt like they were happy I dropped by. It didn't matter if it was for empty cardboard boxes or for a few cases of wine you were treated like a valued part of their business. They even had a rewards program that was automatic and generous. Sams was a classic family owned success story and a destination in and of itself.

Then along come the new owners with plans to turn Sam's into a monster of retail. They had plans to open 20 new stores in a year or so and to sell only "what people buy" which meant a sea of $8 bottles of animal emblazoned wine would soon replace the deep inventory. The inventory was decimated (why tie up all that $ in wine when you deploy it elsewhere) and the shelves that reached for the ceiling were soon taken down. With the diminished inventory the need for knowledgeable salespeople waned almost as quickly as the salespeople's interest in the shallow inventory faded. They moved on and the passion was gone. The rewards program was gutted and turned into a short expiration date coupon. The few new stores that had opened were shuttered. The online system crashed repeatedly and made placing an order a real test of ones willpower. Sam's sadly had become a place to avoid, an empty shell of a once great institution.

As for the quest, this turn of events will make things a bit more difficult To be honest it was rare that I would find anything new there anyway but still.... Oh well.... I wish everyone who remains the best of luck!