Cookaholics Bulletin Board

Dave, JB,

I wanted a box because I'm driving up to Oregon with this wine, plus some more. A wine box would prevent the bottles from rattling against each other and potentially cracking. A bag does not.

It's considered normal in San Francisco and most other places I've lived that if you buy more than 4 bottles at any wine vendor (including local wine stores, BevMo, TJs, and even Costco), that they will provide you a wine box if you ask for one -- after all, they have plenty. Our local Whole Foods, as a matter of policy, has chosen not to supply boxes so that they can sell me a wine bag.

This is why I will, in the future, go a couple miles out of my way to buy that wine from someone else. It's just shoddy customer service, especially from a chain which already charges premium prices. After all, it's not like Whole Foods is a discount outlet.

Here, they often pile up boxes in liquor stores in a cage, and you can take them free, even if you aren't buying anything - they have to pay to have them hauled away, so you're doing them a favor. People moving often go to liquor stores to get boxes, and they let them have them, as long as they weren't emptied out recently.

If it were me and I was buying 6, I would inquire about the price of a case, which should both earn you a discount and get you a box.
Total here offers 10% off on cases, others offer 10-15%. Some will let you mix, some won't.

At Total and a case, the price for would 12 would be very close to the price for 6 at Whole Foods.

What Dave said is the norm around here, too. I just bought several bottles of wine for a dinner party and the staff was actually debating between themselves as to which used wine box would be the best to give me.

Using a leftover wine box can enhance the value of your holiday gift of fine wine. Deliver a full case of personally selected wines to your oenophile friend's paneled, cooled and humidified wine cellar in a Thunderbird wine box to add the perfect touch of sophistication.

Tim

Tim,

I prefer Manichewitz boxes, myself.

Fuzz,

Oy vey, hanukkuh was last week!

cc

Why not just take your own box? If you are getting them from other stores, save one and take it with you.
Not giving you a box is such a minor infraction, not enough to keep me away.

I too, would give my eye teeth for a WF.

Laurie

We get boxes for free too. But you don't want to know what we pay for our wine!

I never shopped Whole Foods much, but I generally liked the selection when I visited. In Manila the closest thing, both in selection and price, is Rustans. Sadly for my palate but thankfully for my wallet, a good 6 to 7 hour trip from my place.

That whole "off the cuff" bad mouthing Hungarian Paprika has me giggling. But the blank eyed, flat footed and clueless, thing they have down to a "tee" here. "Which type of Prague Powder is this?" I asked the clerk as we inspected their repackaged bag. "Pink" was their triumphant reply.

I'd take a Safeway or similar and be quite content if it was close by.