Trip to the liquor/wine store

The New York section at a local store
Photo by Melody Flammger

Last time I had occasion to go shopping for wine, I considered the possible causes of one of the statistics we heard in my Wine, Beer and Spirits Marketing class at RIT.  The statistic was that 24% of wine consumers are overwhelmed when they walk into the liquor store.  That is a huge market share and to harness it would be...well... a marketer's paradise.

Considering carefully the potentially less knowledgeable wine consumer, I proceeded with caution.  Walking in, immediately there were cluttered shelves and displays of featured wines.  The wines not being featured were arranged by region.  That arrangement is fine if the consumer knows which region they want a wine from or knows what they are looking for- but as I began to consider the arrangement I honestly felt overwhelmed by the possibility of having to look over the entire store if I did not know which region(s) produced the style of wine I was looking for.  This may be just one reason some consumers are overwhelmed.

Worse yet, when I got to the New York section I realized that I had no idea what I wanted because I was on a budget and wanted to try something new but did not know what.  As I carefully scanned the bottles looking for a wine to call out to me- a wine salesperson did.

In the past, I'd had good experiences with salespeople and accepted his help.  I explained I was looking for something different and was intent on getting a New York wine because I wanted to support our local wineries.  I suggested maybe I try a red or a rose, those being wines that New York is not well known for.  Instead of helping me in my quest, the salesperson felt the need to insert his opinion- which was very pointed about New York wines.  It was totally off-putting- and yet that may be another reason consumers feel overwhelmed.  If the people who are supposed to be there to help you do a poor job of being receptive to your taste or choices, it only serves to make the selection process even harder.

Eventually coming out of the store with my three selections for around $20, I thought about it.  If someone less stubborn than myself had been listening to that wine salesperson they would most likely do one of the following:

• Walk out without buying anything
• Follow the salesperson's advice and buy a European wine instead
• Buy a New York Riesling (as that's apparently the only thing NY does well?  REALLY?)
• Never seek the advice of a salesperson again

What would you do?