Harlem Wine and Spirits

Apr 3rd, 2024

I came here with a lot of questions and the employee was kind and patient enough to answer each one. I really appreciate not just the patience, but also the friendliness and the expertise.
Mar 29th, 2024

My favorite liquor store! Polite and helpful staff. Reasonable prices.
Feb 29th, 2024

Feb 26th, 2024

Where to start... Well, this is the nearest liquor store to me, so I end up going there whenever I need to grab something quick. That makes me a fairly regular customer. The overarching problem with the place is that it's pretending to be an upscale, fancy liquor store - note the use of the pretentious "Spirits" in the name, over the clearer and better "Liquor". In reality, it's only slightly better than a typical ghetto liquor store (GLS) - the kind with bulletproof glass between you and the cashier, where you can't go in to select your bottle. In some respects, HWS is even worse. The selection is better than most GLS, but not all. There are a few GLS that have a reasonably good selection. The prices at HWS are typically high for a newish store - I would say 10% more than an established store in a less ghetto neighborhood - say the UES or UWS. A bottle of wine which costs $12 at a store on 83rd and York will cost you 13.50 at HWS. Ironic that a store in a lower income neighborhood charges more than a store in a super rich neighborhood, but that's typical in Harlem, where the services are poor and competition is light for anything good. The other thing I suspect is HWS preys on the ignorance of some of their customers - having certain nothing-special bottles of wine marked up more than they should be. To be fair, many Americans know very little about wine, and when they see a high price tag they assume "oh this must be special". Moving on - nobody in the store except for a guy who seems to be the owner or manager knows anything at all about wine. This is unacceptable. A store charging premium prices should have someone on the floor who knows about their products in DETAIL, and nowhere is that more true than in a liquor store. Further - the aforementioned owner / manager - his knowledge is anecdotal and incomplete. I have had a number of conversations with him where I end up explaining something he had wrong - a region in France, the grape used there, why certain wines are a lot more consistent than others vintage to vintage, etc. Possibly my biggest beef though - A close friend of mine goes in the store multiple times a week. I go in there once or twice a week. The manager guy knows both of us. The checkout staff knows us. We are REGULARS. Despite that - not ONCE has anyone said, "Thanks for being a good customer. Here's a little something our distributor wants us to start stocking. See if you like it", and stuck a little bottle of designer booze in our bag. Not once has anyone said "Hey it's on the house" when I rush in to buy a $7 bottle of white wine for cooking. The manager, the owners, and the staff know nothing about the proper way to run a business and build a LOYAL clientele. On top of that, they had the nerve to recently put out a TIP JAR! Can you believe it?!?! I guffawed when I saw it, and couldn't help saying "A tip jar? Are you guys kidding? What did you do to earn a tip? Does anyone know anything about the products? Did you come out from behind the counter and ask me if I needed help? No - you sit back there all day long taking money! A tip?! Preposterous" I asked why there's never a buyback. They blamed it on the manager, who wasn't there - saying it's not allowed. I would bet my eye teeth that it never occurred to them as they are ill-trained, mostly sullen, young, probably minimum wage workers. Nevertheless, I believe them when they say the manager forbids it. BAD business - see Paul Fussell's book BAD, or the dumbing of America. In conclusion, HWS is my last choice in the neighborhood. Uptown Wine Pantry 2 blocks east is a GLS, but it's cheaper, has a workable selection, stays open later, and doesn't have the irritating pretension. Freeland on 118th has similar prices, 0 pretension, stays open later and delivers. The reason I didn't give HWS 1 star is - it's a liquor store close to my house, which counts for something in the service desert of post-pandemic Harlem.
Jan 30th, 2024