After years of patronizing this store and having spent a lot of money here, our household will no longer be shopping here.
With the exception of a few nice guys working at the store, the staff and management is cold and rude and doesn't care about customers or know the least thing about customer service.
Primarily we buy and enjoy wine. If you know wine, you know that every now and then you'll encounter a bad bottle or even a bad box. Everyone has different pallettes and taste, but a wine connoisseur can recognize when a bottle has gone bad. Every winemaker would say the same.
On a few occasions, we have ended up with a product that has turned. In that case, a reputable seller should accept it back for a full refund with no questions asked. Whether for a one time customer or a frequent buyer. Today my wife returned a wine that was undrinkable, and as usual, the women were rude and doubted the veracity of the reason for the return. The shift supervisor acted appalled and as if she had never processed a return, so she called the store manager on duty, who accused my wife of "just not liking" the product. As if. The manager sampled it herself and said "I think it tastes exactly like Duckhorn!" Laughable. In the end she wouldn't refund my wife's purchase, only offered an exchange. We are not wine snobs by any means. Good finds in the $10/bottle range are the sweet spot. No customer deserves such cold and dismissive treatment. Maybe this wine was just far off our pallettes, but a single whiff made me gag. It was an organic, boxed Cabernet. We know Cabernet. It's not generally characterized by a sharp prune aroma or taste, and no good wine is musty.
In the past, attempts to return a bad bottle have always been difficult and an imposition on staff. If you're going to buy wine here, make damn sure you get a receipt, but it's a roll of the dice if they'll actually refund your purchase.
Furthermore, getting a receipt is very important if you're a club member. At least one staff member (tonight's shift supervisor) won't ask for your club card membership, and we've found we paid $4 to $8 more than the club price for a bottle on a number of occasions. Not worth the hassle of dealing with the supervisor or manager to get the price corrected.
The shift supervisor, I've also personally heard, badmouthing company management and policies. If you're just that miserable in a work environment, find a new one. There are staff shortages everywhere.
We'll be taking our business to other sellers in Blaine, probably Top Ten because of their incredible knowledge and service. We're done shopping at G-Will altogether. Stop lights, traffic, and whatnot are a small price to pay for reputable stores and friendly, helpful service, when such other stores recognize, for better or worse, "the customer is always right."
Two stars, one of which is given just for G Will's convenient location in the neighborhood.
Update: next day... The replacement box of wine is markedly better, so there is no question the first box was spoiled. G-Will management needs a serious sit down with this store's management and supervisory team.