Haskell's is probably my most-frequented liquor store by virtue of proximity. They are not price competitive with Total Wine on most things I buy, but who really is anymore? I pay the extra for convenience, the fact that most of the workers recognize me here and are friendly, and I'd rather not deal with 'center of Maple Grove' traffic on any given night or weekend.
Unfortunately, lately I've been paying extra because some sale price items ring up at full price. That's some MGM garbage right there and I will have to pay more attention when checking out. Thankfully I live close so it's not *that* big of a hassle to go back and get it straightened out, but why make 2 trips when you shouldn't have to?! That's pretty much what keeps them from getting a 5-star review from me.
The craft beer selection is excellent and I really like the build-your-own 6er option for $9.99 that always has options that would be in excess of $10 per 6er on their own. It has allowed me to try numerous beers that I wouldn't have plunked down $10-$15 on a 6er in case it turns out to be a dud. This way, if the beer sucks, I'm out less than $2 on a bunk brew. That's value shopping, fellers!
My wife assures me that belonging to their rewards club saves us money, but I'm still very in the red from my purchases here as far as I'm concerned. No bother. It's expected. I'm not much into wine, but they have an impressive variety and prices seem decent. I'm no 2-buck Chuck type, but there are some good reds that hover in the $7-$10 category that are now go-to when wine is desired. Liquor prices, again, exceed TW for pretty much everything, though the spread is much narrower when on sale. With that, I shall cease this review and go grab something out of the cabinet from my latest Haskell's shopping trip. Skål!
UPDATE 12/23/16: After continually being burned by their mis-pricing (even on the same item as the previous trip, in the most recent case) and their lack of updating of prices in their system, I think I've reached the point where I have to take my business elsewhere. I've literally spent thousands of dollars at this store in the past year, but I'm sure they won't miss me. Their actions in light of me pointing out pricing issues has assured me that they don't care enough to do things the right way.
When a customer points out that the sale price on an item is $x.xx and not some higher price that it rings up at, change the price of the item in the system for crying out loud! The fact that they haven't done so signals to me either willful ignorance or outright fraud. Maybe they are counting on most customers not checking their receipts, as it's probably a nice little revenue stream for them considering the volume of sales. When Total Wine comes to town and starts eating your lunch, I suppose it can be tempting to resort to all sorts of survival tactics. Actions speak louder than words, so sorry isn't cutting it for me anymore and I'll spend my money where I know I'm not getting chiseled every time.
UPDATE 2-24-17: I took a few months off from here after being fed up with their price inaccuracies. Stopped through tonight due to convenience. Guess what? Still up to the same old sale items ringing up $2-$3 higher than as marked on the shelf. Seriously, screw this place. Guess the rest of the yuppies aren't calling them out on it so they think it's OK. Strike 3, Haskell's. You're out! read more
