I stopped here for the first time in a few years to pick up a bottle of wine. I was so surprised. The convenient, well stocked, well priced, run by nice people store was now dirty, smelled awful and had the rudest people at the register. The wine prices were very high also. I will never go in there again. read more

Racist employees, don't go here. My girlfriend is asian and came in here to get some wine for her mom. The cashier tried making conversation and started guessing her ethnicity. He went through multiple asian ethnicities.. Japanese, Chinese, etc. Once she said Chinese was right, he started making fun of her eyes. He said things like "How can you see? Are your eyes even open? Are you looking left or right?" and even more. It was very disgusting and unnecessary racist behavior. Don't support a business acting like this to their customers. read more

A local packie with good selection for beer and spirits. There is also a decent selection of wine as well. Store is clean and brightly lit, open with high spaces, not feeling cramped at all. It feels like they could carry more stock with the space available, but otherwise I usually find what I'm looking for. Employee's usually laid back, banter back and forth with each other but otherwise friendly with customers. Being located next to two grocery stores is a great bonus as well. read more

Tried to return specialty beers that were clearly off, sour, etc. (which I never do, but friends who tried the beer were adamant that I should) and the manager refused to refund me for the beers that were not drunk. I used to shop here frequently. Very bad business acumen. Will never shop here again. read more

Former Long time customer. It is one thing to gossip about the customers, but completely different to have this customer overhear them. Was a Good customer, will not be back. read more

Been living in Salem for 16 years and used to shop here when it was a well managed and well stocked store with good prices. Just stopped here to pick up a bottle of Cab as this was the closest store before closing time. What a joke! Prices are high, selections are terrible and the 2 Neanderthals manning the register just wanted to move me along. In fact the male Neanderthal threw the wine in the bag so quickly I'm surprised it didn't break! Never again! read more

I visit very rarely. Almost nothing is priced, and I feel like a fool asking "How much is this", "How much is that". Price more items, especially the beer, and I may return. read more

Great selection of beer, wine and spirits for this medium sized package store. Supposedly they do wine tastings on Saturdays as well. However, I haven't been able to make it yet. There staff also has been great, striking up useful conversations and recommnedations. So far I've never had a bad recommendation from them. Plus they carry one of my favorite belgian beers! read more

I googled liquor stores in the Salem area to order a bottle of champagne for my niece who got engaged last night. I was hoping that they might be able to deliver a cold bottle to her home to congratulate her and her finance. Daniel answered the phone and said sure, I will hand deliver your bottle of champagne tonight on my way home. Daniel was so helpful, (even looked up which bottles were on sale for me!) knowledgeable and pleasant! Since customer service is so important in any field, I felt the immediate attention to detail and customer service from Daniel. I like people to treat me how I treat others. I rate Daniel and Busa Wine & Spirits an 11 out of 10! Thank you!! Kerin Crofton Kelly read more

I'll give Busa props for their wine & beer selection - it is the main reason I continue to come here as a local. However, the customer service is seriously lacking. At least every other trip I have someone completely rude and unprofessional ring me out. Whether it is their overall demeanor towards you or just totally unnecessary comments regarding arbitrary things as your ID or just things you don't feel the need to discuss when you're buying your booze. Also, good luck if you have an out-of-state ID, their staff can't tell the difference between legitimate ones and fake ones so it's hit or miss whether or not they'll give you trouble for it. Once again, price & selection are very good here, hence the 2 stars. But a little customer service can go a long way, Busa, and so I would not recommend coming here unless you don't mind being spoken down to every now and then. It'll only be a matter of time before I boycott it for that reason if they allow their employees to keep it up. read more

I was ordering wine gift orders for my clients and this store was so great in helping me order in addition to having great selection and online store: Saint Emilion, du Pape, Margaux and my preferred CA red (hard to find online!) David Bruce! Fair pricing and nice staff too... read more

The beer selection at this store over the past year has improved a lot. So if you haven't checked it out lately you should. It tends to be more IPA heavy but you can find a lot of interesting picks there. It also has large wine and liquor sections (including mixers). The guys that work there are incredibly nice and helpful. read more

Went to a recent wine tasting and had a blast. The staff are so friendly and knowledgeable! They have a very large and unique selection of wine and beer. read more

This staff knows their wines! I have never had a bad experience. The Saturday wine tastings are fabulous and informational. They do several BIG tastings a year and I never miss it, they offer additional discounts that day. They carry wines that you cant get anywhere else in the area, and they are very reasonably priced. I highly recommend this liquor store for picky wine drinkers! read more

I've been going to Busa since my in law told me about the one in Burlington. For a while that was one of my favorite spots to look for beer years ago. I remember when I first started seeing Caitlin around the Burlington location. She was very helpful and knowledgeable about beer. Once Burlington closed down I ended up continuing to go to the Woburn location where not as large, still managed to supply amazing beers. I've only visited Salem a couple times since it's a bit further away but if I do it's mainly because I'm looking for advice from Caitlin's knowledge! read more

A couple weeks ago I would have given this store at least a 4 star rating. I have been here numerous times and they have a great selection of beer and a large selection of wine. However, after coming here for a few months I was informed the other day that their store policy is to not accept out-of-state IDs. This would be fine, but if that is truly the policy, then why was I allowed to buy on a dozen previous visits. I asked the clerk this and he then said "It's up to the clerk." So which is it Busa? Is it a store policy that you selectively enforce? Or is it up to the individual clerk. I doubt I'll be coming here again, even though it is very close to my house. read more

I'm getting very annoyed that my reviews keep disappering. I just wanted to say that I was very pleased on Christmas Eve. I was in and out quickly and the cashier (lip ring/blonde hair) was very nice. very helpful regardless of the chaos of customers. The wine selection alone, I give 5 stars! This place has really improved within the last Year. However I get an attitude, (Other Blonde/No piercings) and (tiny girl/nose ring) And I do not appreciate getting out of work and stopping at the packie only to be treated like they're doing ME a favor and I should be grateful. So for that its minus 1 star, but this place still definitely deserves 5 stars! read more

This store has really come a long way! Lots of changes in the last 6 months with the addition of a wine bar where they host tastings every Wednesday from 3-6. Amazing new wine selection at fabulous prices. A family run business that has just transitioned to the 3rd generation. It's obvious they are making great changes and have heard there are many more to come. read more

My favorite place to go. The wine selection is huge, and the staff really know their stuff. Specifically Ben, he showed me around and explained every wine I asked about. Tia is always very kind and knows how to handle customers. The staff really know what they're doing! I definitely suggest this place to anyone. 5 stars! Keep up the good work, Busa! read more

I called this place based on the positive reviews. I asked if they had any Chinese wine....silly me, I figured it was reasonable question for a wine store. The guy who answered says "Yes, we have a large Chinese wine selection. We have it for the Chinese population that lives in Salem. It is one of our specialties." I say "okay". He says "you are kidding right? We do not have any Chinese wine." A simple, "we do not stock any" would have been sufficient. read more

I went to this store to purchase a 6-pack of beer, and was extremely disgusted by the way I was treated. The cashier asked to see my license (I'm 24 years old) and refused to sell me anything because I had an out of state license. I haven't ever heard of anyone being denied service because they were from out of state. I even showed my credit card and teacher id, but was still refused. The cashier was rude, I was shocked and definitely would NOT ever recommend this place! read more

Good selection of Joe Six Pack Beers in bulk quantities & prices. They "get it" that people can go to Costco and get Bud etc on the cheap. The staff are not the most effervescent, but they seem to be helpful, if you have a request. Wine & Spirits selection is OK, but the prices are no real savings. read more

I went there last night and bought a wine that I thought I would like from previous purchases of a similar kind (Vouvray-chenin blanc varietal). I opened it when I got home, and there was something amiss about it. I thought it might have gone bad. I brought it back today and the owner/manager tasted it for me-at my request, to see if it was me or the wine. Sure enough, it was me. He offered me a refund, but instead I took an exchange. He suggested that I try an American chenin blanc, as it is more popular. Sure enough, I like this one better. Now I know. I think I will be walking away from the chenin blanc for now, until I developed a better appreciation for a diverse variety of grapes; however, I am so pleased that he not only allowed me to return the wine I was displeased with, but he also gave me - an enthusiastic wine newby - a little more knowledge of an unknown varietal. I would be happy to recommend this store. The prices are also fairly standard for the area. read more

Ok, I went back. No smiles, no "thank yous", no customer service. I purchased a bottle of Campari and a case of Sam Adams. The Owner/manager was at the register. Never made eye contact. Kept talking to employees while waiting on me. Did not credit the bottle return slip I handed him. When I asked for a receipt he got very upset that I didn't tell him I wanted a receipt BEFORE the transaction (who knew)? Said he gave me credit, even though the receipt showed he didn't. He finally slapped $1.35 on the counter because he didn't credit my purchase after all. After I left and looked at the receipt again, I realized he over charged for the Sam Adams! These guys are bad news! read more

Large selection but store is overly cluttered amd messy. Most aisles have boxes and shopping carts (that they stole from other stores) in the way. "Im gonna need an id" was the first thing the cashier said to me before I was even at the counter. I responded with "im well thank you for asking" I think it went over his head. Also a manager person was staring at me the entire time from the office. Maybe he could help clean that place up a bit...maybe not. This is definatly a last resort liquor store. Ill drive out of my way next time. read more

I like reasonably priced and tasty reds. This is the place for those. I also find the Saturday wine tastings a wonderful way to try before you buy...and getting a discount on the tasting wines most of the time ...well, what could be better than that ? Another side of my beverage preferences is for good craft brewed beers and ales. The selection isn't huge...but it is great quality ! Try the Dale's Pale or the Torpedo...both great ! read more

I wrote a bad review about this place about 5 years ago saying the staff was rude and not paying attention. Well that has improved! As soon as i walk in the door now the friendly girl with piercing and tattoo asks me how i am and to let her know if i need any help. One day i went in there with no ideas on what to buy my mother for her birthday, and that girl and the hispanic male asked me the right questions to sum it down to a few options and tell me which ones are most popular. It made my experience there alot more enjoyable. Although I do not appreciate the attitude from the short much older woman, in general the morning staff has disappointed me, i also have nothing nice to say about the new management, and i can see why most of the best employees are quitting and finding work elewhere! STOCK UP ON POPULAR WINES LIKE JACKSON CHARDONNAY! I have gone in there on several occasions disappointed in the selection. Is this store going out of business? read more