Wine wars this weekend
 

Competing wine sales at Sams and Binnys this Friday/Saturday/Sunday (May 19-21). Sams hit first, with 15% off USA, Italian and Australian wines as well as Rum and Vodka. Binnys has countered with 15% off everything. burp.

I only received my Binny's notice. I may go there a little later and stock up.

headed to my local Binny's now.

So I show up to the counter to check out. I had needed some marsala for a dish I was making that evening, but of course with 15% off I was searching and "found" (imagine that! ;) ) some other wines to buy (about $250 worth).

The checker totals me up on the register and I ask about the 15% discount for the weekend. "oh you need your coupon we sent you"

"oh, then I won't be taking this bottle, this bottle, this bottle, this bottle, this bottle". I only ended up with my $9 bottle of marsala. FOOLISH behavior on their part, they can look up my binny's number to see I'm a member and received the coupon. I should have asked for the store mgr but wanted to get home to make dinner.

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Sorry to hear this - stupid on their part. I don't fully understand the coupon thing, your membership should have gotten you the price.

That is absurd!!! I never carry any store reward cards on my person. I went down to Sam's without my card as well. The cashier was only too happy to look me up, give the discount, and offered to redeem 500 points from my bloated account to get another 10 bucks off the purchase. Often the 'little guy' has more flexibility than the chains.

Two things here. The first is that there was a difference in the two sales - Sam's version was a straight 15% off, available to anyone who walked into the store, there were signs by the shelves, etc. Binny's was coupon based and the coupon clearly said you had to present it. Indeed, when I went into my Binny's there were no signs advertizing the 15% at all - it was a "secret" sale. (still small of them to not honor the deal for a member who knew enough to ask, but so it goes.)

The second is that I would hardly call Sams a "little guy". In the Chicago market they are the 500 pound gorilla.