Actually the last time I bought wine in a Costco up in the Cities this spring, the prices weren’t any different than at my local Hy Vee or Sids. I saw a bottle for $11.99 that I had bought locally for $10.99 (or $9.99 on sale) and found it at a mom & pop liquor store down the road for $10.49.
Beer = same deal, you have to buy by the case and they aren’t very competitive either.
The wholesalers in this State don’t let anyone have an advantage. Closest thing to a cartel you will see.
HyVee has a $3 wine that’s good. About every 10th bottle is corked. For this price, just poor it out. I have heart disease and drink one tall glass of red wine every evening. OK, sometime 2 glasses. It helps kill cholesteral, improves circulation, and it’s a nice little buzz. I used to buy from Costco when I lived in Denver. There’s a liquor outlet store there that would match and often beat Costco prices. Costco would be a good outlet in that you come prepared to buy and load a lot of stuff including a case of wine.
It’s going to be hard to beat the liquor stores in the Hy-Vees on Minnesota and East 26th. It will be interesting to see if Costco is bigger than either of those, which have to be the two biggest liquor stores in the state.
I just hope it revitalizes 41st between Minnesota and Grange, that area needs an update.
I like the idea of liking wine, but I don’t like wine – I’ve yet to drink a bottle that I thought tasted good. I’ve tried the $5 stuff, I’ve had the $85 stuff, and I’ve been to a winery where I tested ten or so varieties they had available… it all tasted like crap to me.
I guess wine is one of those things that people either love or hate. Give me a Blue Moon and an orange slice and I’m happy.
Then again I don’t like coffee either. I guess my taste buds never grew up.
If you don’t like coffee, you won’t like wine.
Good cheap wine is Two-buck Chuck (well, now it’s $3) from Trader Joes.
My favorite wine is my favorite beer ironically. FREE.
The real wine deals are at Trader Joes. Every time I go home I try and buy a case. I’m kind of burned out on the two-buck chuck ($3 in Minnesota) but I’ve found some favorites with the other stuff ($4 Blue Fin Pinot Noir for the win).
Now if we could just get another grocery store OTHER than HyVee in town… I can’t believe that in a market this size we only have ONE grocery store. I feel like the Soviet Union had more competition!
Aldi’s has been scouting Sioux Falls and has plans to open here. Another chain (who doesn’t want everyone knowing their name yet) has also been looking at potential sites.
The problem is, people say they want more options, but everyone shops at Hy-Vee or Walmart even when options did exist. A store cannot survive when their customer base consists of people who simply don’t like Hy-Vee or who are tired of starting at obese women in stretch pants over at Walmart.
I shop exclusively at Slumshine. I get me food there, my liquor there and my movie rental. The place is ALWAYS busy! I will say this too, they have the nicest staff I have ever met. They will go over backwards to make sure you get the right price, etc. Never any arguments.
F’k HyVee.
That Sunshine is the most diverse place in the state.
It is a great thing that Hy Vee didn’t want to buy it.
But I shop at Hy Vee, it’s too close and too nice.
Justin – I get so tired of the diversity references. That’s horseshit. I see an occasional minority in there, but not that much, and I visit the place almost every day! Most of the people who shop there are DT workers and McKennan Park people.
So is that good or bad, in your view?
Not to pick at a scab, but another example of a downtown business nobody wants to buy.
I didn’t say I didn’t see ANY minorities, I’m just saying it is used by a wide range of people. It’s not the ‘ghetto’ store it used to be. I think they did a nice job with the remodel.
I think the main reason why Sunshine never sold that store was because it is profitable, that and HyVee would never want to open a store at that location because it is too small. Like I said, it is ALWAYS busy. I can’t imagine that Sunshine would have stuck that much money into remodeling if they weren’t making a buck there.
Actually the last time I bought wine in a Costco up in the Cities this spring, the prices weren’t any different than at my local Hy Vee or Sids. I saw a bottle for $11.99 that I had bought locally for $10.99 (or $9.99 on sale) and found it at a mom & pop liquor store down the road for $10.49.
Beer = same deal, you have to buy by the case and they aren’t very competitive either.
The wholesalers in this State don’t let anyone have an advantage. Closest thing to a cartel you will see.
HyVee has a $3 wine that’s good. About every 10th bottle is corked. For this price, just poor it out. I have heart disease and drink one tall glass of red wine every evening. OK, sometime 2 glasses. It helps kill cholesteral, improves circulation, and it’s a nice little buzz. I used to buy from Costco when I lived in Denver. There’s a liquor outlet store there that would match and often beat Costco prices. Costco would be a good outlet in that you come prepared to buy and load a lot of stuff including a case of wine.
It’s going to be hard to beat the liquor stores in the Hy-Vees on Minnesota and East 26th. It will be interesting to see if Costco is bigger than either of those, which have to be the two biggest liquor stores in the state.
I just hope it revitalizes 41st between Minnesota and Grange, that area needs an update.
I like the idea of liking wine, but I don’t like wine – I’ve yet to drink a bottle that I thought tasted good. I’ve tried the $5 stuff, I’ve had the $85 stuff, and I’ve been to a winery where I tested ten or so varieties they had available… it all tasted like crap to me.
I guess wine is one of those things that people either love or hate. Give me a Blue Moon and an orange slice and I’m happy.
Then again I don’t like coffee either. I guess my taste buds never grew up.
If you don’t like coffee, you won’t like wine.
Good cheap wine is Two-buck Chuck (well, now it’s $3) from Trader Joes.
My favorite wine is my favorite beer ironically. FREE.
The real wine deals are at Trader Joes. Every time I go home I try and buy a case. I’m kind of burned out on the two-buck chuck ($3 in Minnesota) but I’ve found some favorites with the other stuff ($4 Blue Fin Pinot Noir for the win).
Now if we could just get another grocery store OTHER than HyVee in town… I can’t believe that in a market this size we only have ONE grocery store. I feel like the Soviet Union had more competition!
Aldi’s has been scouting Sioux Falls and has plans to open here. Another chain (who doesn’t want everyone knowing their name yet) has also been looking at potential sites.
The problem is, people say they want more options, but everyone shops at Hy-Vee or Walmart even when options did exist. A store cannot survive when their customer base consists of people who simply don’t like Hy-Vee or who are tired of starting at obese women in stretch pants over at Walmart.
I shop exclusively at Slumshine. I get me food there, my liquor there and my movie rental. The place is ALWAYS busy! I will say this too, they have the nicest staff I have ever met. They will go over backwards to make sure you get the right price, etc. Never any arguments.
F’k HyVee.
That Sunshine is the most diverse place in the state.
It is a great thing that Hy Vee didn’t want to buy it.
But I shop at Hy Vee, it’s too close and too nice.
Justin – I get so tired of the diversity references. That’s horseshit. I see an occasional minority in there, but not that much, and I visit the place almost every day! Most of the people who shop there are DT workers and McKennan Park people.
So is that good or bad, in your view?
Not to pick at a scab, but another example of a downtown business nobody wants to buy.
I didn’t say I didn’t see ANY minorities, I’m just saying it is used by a wide range of people. It’s not the ‘ghetto’ store it used to be. I think they did a nice job with the remodel.
I think the main reason why Sunshine never sold that store was because it is profitable, that and HyVee would never want to open a store at that location because it is too small. Like I said, it is ALWAYS busy. I can’t imagine that Sunshine would have stuck that much money into remodeling if they weren’t making a buck there.