Grace Z.
Google
EDIT: Crafted commented on the sexist interaction by changing the connotation of their sentence. I said the only recommendation to me was a “lady love-maker” for it being weak and sweet, while the owner said it is “loved by the ladies given its low proof and smooth profile.” While these aren’t the words I remember receiving, the sentence is STILL nearly identical to what I said, yet they are threatening me.
So are they sorry for offending me or are they suing me? Both are diametrically opposed ideas. You cannot scare me into taking my review down. I will not hide and cower in fear after I was bothered at this establishment. Even in their reply, they ADMITTED TO FOLLOWING US AFTER WE SAID NO TO HELP TWO TIMES. My boyfriend only asked about Mythology after he felt harassed and pressured to talk. I am disgusted by this twisting of words.
The owner acted like I was invisible the second he saw that a man was with me. If you’re a woman, you might not get the help you need here, and if you’re “lucky”, you’ll even get a sexist comment from the owner himself.
I came into the store with my boyfriend to buy bourbon to make cocktails at home (my own recipe, my choice of comfort bourbon). I was asked by an employee if I needed any help and I answered “no.”
Then the owner asked us the same thing, I answered “no”, he continued to come up to us and talk, so then I asked if they had the brand I was looking for. When he said they did not, I said “we have plenty of bourbon at home” (we do) and tried to leave.
The owner then cornered my boyfriend and started upselling bourbon to him for 20 minutes. He was offering $200, $100, etc., bottles; bottles that were “very rare” and will “sell out soon.” He kept on going that we won’t find these bourbons anywhere else. My boyfriend said his budget was $50 hoping this would cut this conversation short, but the guy kept on trying to pressure him into buying a rare, expensive, amazing bottle of liquor. MY BOYFRIEND WAS NOT THE CUSTOMER. I WAS. Why are you selling to him when he doesn’t want anything? I was the one looking for bourbon that night, not him.
In addition: there was a sexist comment about one bottle being a “lady love-maker,” and I’m positive it was because the bourbon was sweet and weak. This is one of the ONLY sentences addressed to me. I am an individual with a diverse palate ranging from fruity little drinks to pounding the hard stuff straight. Making an assumption about how much I’ll like a beverage based on what genitalia I have is misogynistic and just plain stupid.
Don’t get me wrong, they have a great selection here, but A: we didn’t want help, B: my boyfriend wasn’t buying anything, and C: the real customer (me) just asked about a celebrity bourbon. Does that customer, who was asking for an $80 bourbon popularized by fictional vampires, want a $200 to use as a mixer? Absolutely not.
This lengthy tirade on top shelf liquor was both chauvinistic, wildly unnecessary, and just bad business. Know your audience. Ask what the occasion is. Ask what I’m using the liquor for. There are occasions in which I AM drinking whisky neat, and in those cases I would be reaching for something nicer; however it was a random Wednesday in October and I wanted to make a simple cocktail with dinner.
We only went here because my boyfriend lives in the neighborhood, but this trip was ANYTHING but convenient. I wasn’t being an ass when I told the owner we had bourbon at home in an attempt to escape; my boyfriend did have plenty I could’ve used instead (I just wanted to take a peek and see if they had my comfort bourbon, it’s like a guilty pleasure). Instead of taking a little peek and heading out when we didn’t find what I wanted, we wasted our evening looking at shit we didn’t want nor need. I left feeling unseen, unheard, and beyond frustrated.
At the end of the day, my boyfriend put his foot down and we left with a $50 bottle, but next time we are just going to DaveCo in Thornton, where there is an amazing selection and we can shop in peace without getting harassed or profiled based on gender.