Obviously, this is bad. But, what are the odds that the wrong information is actually going to hurt the customer who doesn’t know that the information given is wrong? And, once you know the information given is wrong, then you probably don’t need the proffered help anyways.
As for saying you’re not sure rather than giving incorrect answers: they probably think they’re right and it never even occurs to them that they might be, or are, wrong.
+1
I doubt anyone here goes into a Total Wine to have their ego stroked. In those rare instances that I go into TW, I generally avoid the sales folks. To their credit, they generally will come up to you to help. Kudos to them, well done. I am not faulting the sales people, but the store itself. TW touts itself as the “end-all” for wine afficionados, carries a broad range of wines, including so-called reserve and more mature wines in temperature controlled compartments. TW has wine seminars, wine tastings, newsletters. I’m sure they are making a fortune. Spread the love down, pay your employees a bit more and train them better. If you are going to sell high-end wines, including wines in the hundreds of dollars, at least make some attempt to hire and train people that know how to sell those wines. Instead, they train their people to promote higher-margin wines, many that they get direct.
Brian - Would you hold the same opinion if a salesperson told you vintages did not really matter? Couple years ago I was looking for a wine of a certain vintage, and they only had the next year’s vintage, which I knew to be a pretty crappy year (think 2010 Bordeaux versus 2011 Bordeaux). While most of us would know that’s wrong, how about others? What if I sent my wife in to grab something specific - which I do from time to time - and I asked for a 2010 X, the sales person sends her out with the 2011 X, as she would not know he/she is wrong in the advice? Yea, I know, first world problems, but then again, it’s a first world store. They are not selling basic produce, they are trying to sell wines ranging up to the highest end stuff available.
+1
The original poster still has not said where this store is, so I don’t know his retail environment, but Total is low-end retail, cut the employees some slack. Most employees do not invest the time or energy to learn unless the company empowers them to do so and/or the employee has a passionate love of what they are doing, which is not usually likely. Why even go in there expecting knowledgeable workers to know where Patagonia is when half of them can’t even find New York State on a map?! Find a specialty retailer and use them if you need (more) correct geography.
I don’t think you read the original post regarding the bolded part of your comment. I went there with a coupon to browse, not to research something esoteric. While in the Malbec aisle, a salesperson asked if she could help, and at that time a question about Patagonia came to mind. And I was just asking about stock on hand, not anything specific. If I had gone there specifically on a mission for Patagonia, I likely would have searched their inventory ahead of time.
Believe it or not, I am aware there are such things as good, small wine shops. But I’m in Albuquerque, they’re in Santa Fe. Three options come to mind. That’s a half day round trip, and worth it if I’m looking for a recommendation or something from a non-standard region. For generic shopping, though, TW and liquor-wine shops are the local options.
Most of the responses here act like I went to McDonald’s expecting caviar and Champagne. No, I went to Applebees expecting Applebees level service and selection, but couldn’t even get help finding their monthly specials.
I’m much more aligned with Brian than the folks who want to bitch. If you are walking in Walmart/Target, you don’t expect the same service that you would get at Nordstrom’s/Saks. If you want better service, be prepared to pay up a bit.
Honestly, if this is the type of thing that upsets you, you need to chill. #FirstWorldProblems
I do like the fact they price match adds and Morelli’s in St. Paul has good prices on beer and liquor but don’t take credit card. Total Wine allows me to use a credit card on the price match.
As mentioned they really don’t know too much about their products except their house brands. In MN other liquor stores are selling their house brands which is legal to do. Now if we could just get the Terry Theise lineup elsewhere other than Surdyk’s.
Our TW has some great juice. Sales help ok but I generally know what I am looking for.
I’m very happy with the TW that opened up in Manchester, CT this year. They opened up in April and have had grand opening specials ongoing until end of August. I tried a wide variety of inexpensive Bordeaux right away and began stocking up on the ones I particularly liked.
Two I found quite good in the $15 range are 2011 Clos de la Vieille Eglise (Castillon) and 2011 La Tonnelle (Haut Medoc).
I also discovered a $13.98 white Bordeaux that both my wife and I like a lot.
The next best store in town has maybe 10% of the variety of Bordeaux as at TW.
As far as getting advice from a salesperson, I come prepared - so if they don’t know, I don’t mind.
The sales staff here are above the $10 scale for sure, but not experts by any means.
Their system of discounting is unusual. Any wine with a price ending in 8 gets discounted 10% in quantities of 6 (mix & match ok). No other quantity discounts.
One thing I found odd is that the two Connecticut stores have very different prices on a few wines.
However, I get them to match the other store’s price on everything I buy when it helps me.
In fact, the Vieille Eglise is $15.99 here and $12.98 in Norwalk. I buy six and get 10% off the $12.98 price - without having to drive a hundred miles. That’s $4.31 savings per bottle.
Oh, I returned a corked bottle ('09 Lilian Ladouys) last night that only had one glass left in the bottle, bought in April, no sales receipt - no problem.
I once went into a TW store to buy a dessert wine as a gift. i was IN the dessert wine section and wanted some information about a wine I had picked(can’t remember what since it was about three+ years ago and I never went back). I found someone wearing a badge that said “wine manager” or something like that. I wanted to know about the RS in the wine and asked him about it. Hi answer? What is RS?
I’m thinking Bevmo is more the Walmart of Wine; Total Wine more like the Target of Wine 
You pose a tough question! On one hand, vintage can make a huge difference. On the other hand, if you don’t already know that vintage can make a huge difference then vintage probably isn’t what you need to be focusing on at that particular time (rather: regions; varieties; producers). Put another way, I think there are other things one must first appreciate before learning to appreciate vintage variation. Saying vintage doesn’t matter is appallingly bad information, generally speaking, but I think that information needs to hit the “right” person at the “right” time for it to have a meaningfully adverse impact. Like I said — tough question.
Agreed. They’re required to offer help even if they’re not trained to provide it. Mainly they reliably know what aisles things are in. If you’re already in Argentina, and looking for Patagonia, then just save yourself some time; smile and say “no thanks, I’m fine.”
…or for fun just ask for Terrasses du Larzac.
I have no idea on their wages, but our local stores do not have “kids”. Nobody under 40 is walking the floor, and some are definitely in their 60’s. They read from a play book and do not have even a rudimentary knowledge of the product they are selling.
I do not need my ego stroked by walking into any store, ever. Take your job seriously, and do it with conviction…you will succeed. Go above the script, learn about minutia and make a sale from the high end refrigerated case.
This is a poor analogy and bordering on a 
argument. Walmart/Target are the Walmart/Target of wine–big box retailers with a bit of everything, specialization in nothing, and, yes, they do carry some narrow selection of inexpensive mass market wines. Grocery stores fall into the same category.
A much better analogy for TW is a Lowe’s or Home Depot. It’s a big box/warehouse, but focused on one market segment. My general expectation at Lowe’s or Home Depot is that a salesperson can get me to the part or tool I need if it’s in-stock. Especially for staff tied to a particular department, basic knowledge of brands/manufacturers and the ability to give correct if limited info is typical. Lowe’s/Home Depot tool corral, for example, is usually a big step up compared to Walmart/target tool aisle in terms of options and base level service.
The problem with TW is not entirely with the salespeople. If TW didn’t market itself as an educator, that would be one thing. But it does, and that opens TW up to criticism if the employees who run the classes lack basic knowledge in their purported areas of expertise.
Agreed, Greg. TW markets itself as a speciality store. My local TW stores even have seminar rooms.
I’m riding the fence on this one. Coming from Indiana where the selection of wines seems to get worse, a TW might kick-start the industry. I think people are expecting a little much from the regular sales clerks on the floor. They aren’t sales persons from Saks or Neiman’s on commission. They’re trying to make a living on sales clerk’s wages. But, on the other hand, since and when they don’t know what they are talking about they should be able to say, “I’ll be right back with someone who can answer your questions”. But that isn’t the case.
And, TW does in fact present themselves as educators. And as educators they don’t seem to have the ability to educate their staff. That may be because normal retail attrition but that doesn’t excuse their claiming to be something they likely are not. So, I do see people’s issues with TW. I shop at TW a few times a year when I am in Florida. Absolutely adequate, if not exciting or deep, selection of everyday to somewhat special wines with a few exceptions kept locked in the temp controlled doors. The prices are good and, frankly, most of us here don’t need assistance past where is your Burgundy/California Cab/Rhone section.
I don’t like box stores (and they are a box store) and I would go somewhere else if I could find an alternative in the Stuart, Floria area.
JD
You’re awful testy Greg. The point was not to quibble about whether TW is more analogous to Target or Home Depot (I get mediocre service in both places), the point is that TW is not a boutique. If it really offends you so much that a sales associate making $15/hour doesn’t know the correct pronunciation of a French grape that you find yourself banging your head, I’d respectfully suggest you exclusively deal with online retailers so that you won’t have to converse with such simpletons.
SMFH.
Patagonia actually produces plenty of interesting wines these days, but I’ve been there and sold wine from there and wouldn’t expect most people to know that. In fact, I wouldn’t really expect most people to know much about geography anywhere. To me, the TW scene seems pretty normal. The person recommended Carmenere and Tannat, from completely different places, which of course are nothing at all similar to Malbec from parts of Mendoza. Those were recommended because they’re from somewhere in South America so they must be the same. That’s the reason so many stores put Spanish wines on the shelf right next to those - they all speak the same language so the wine must be the same. It’s the way it’s sold in the US.
But the sales rep can be forgiven. The question as originally framed was pretty broad - Malbec from Patagonia. Why Malbec? Because it’s what we get from Argentina, and that’s as far as most people take it. In fact, they do grow it there but as the wine areas in Patagonia tend to be cool - it’s the southernmost wine region in Argentina, you might want to try some Pinot Noir from there, or some of the other grapes.
Of course if you asked her for PN from Patagonia you probably would have been given a blank stare.
As to her leading the educational seminars - to be fair, the average customer at TW would walk out feeling like he or she had acquired new knowledge if they learned that wine came from South America.