Anne A.
Yelp
This store has a wide selection of unique alcohol, snacks, chocolate, and so much more. Things are a little more on the pricier side, but it's a great place to find nice gifts.
My 2 star rating is related to the staff. While Epicurean trader is great in terms of what they offer, I've found that most, if not all of my encounters with the people working at the register, have been unpleasant. The staff have been downright rude, impersonal and unhelpful.
I went in to buy a nice bottle of alcohol with my husband, and upon my husband paying, the guy behind the register looked at me and said, "you don't have YOUR ID?" I've never been to any store where they have asked both me AND my husband for IDs, and it just seemed off. The way he asked (he could have said, "may I see your ID too"), his tone, and his overall demeanor. I tried to make a joke about it by saying that it was a complement that he asked me in the first place, but instead of being nice about it, he didn't say anything while proceeding to look at my ID.
I wouldn't have minded it so much, but I clearly witnessed the transaction he had with the couple in front of me, and he did not ask BOTH of them for their ID when they purchased a bottle of alcohol.
Furthermore, when I asked him whether they had gift bags for purchase, he pointed to a top shelf in the store. I walked toward it, looked up, and realized I was kidding myself by thinking I could reach it. I asked if he could grab me one and he very RUDELY responded by saying that there are some behind the register (as if I was supposed to know the landscape of the store and the fact that there were ones behind the register). Let's be real, he couldn't say that before he saw me walking toward it?
I'm not one to care about writing reviews (my mom always told me that if I don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all), but I've had one too many encounters in here with rude staff, and this most recent encounter was the tipping point. My hope is that management fixes this or has some sort of training for their staff on basic etiquette. I love Hayes Valley and this is not the tone that should be set.
For those wanting to avoid this negativity, please make your way to the Market on Market (10th and Market), where you'll find a similar and even wider selection of the same goods offered at Epicurean.