RumRunner, repent! For your days are numbered...
I used to live in this store back when they were in their old location across the street. Starting when I turned 21 I began my wine education there. Back then the clerks were whimsical, cool guys who knew their stuff. But starting about a few years ago, those helpful aficionados have been replaced by arrogant jerks.
Staff rudeness has gotten way out of control. I don't know how many times I've had to smile through one of their thinly veiled snide comments. I wish I had supressed my politeness and told them something like 'Look dude, just because a few handful of Tucson's wealthy come in and buy a bottle of Louis XIII every other week and you chat like you all are good buddies doesn't put you in a higher class than the rest of us.'
Prices RumRunner, prices!
Recently a wine and liquor superstore, Total Wine, opened up across from the Tucson Mall. Usually I am totally against the superstore concept and a hater of Wal-Mart. However, Total Wine's bulk purchasing power allows them to offer screaming good deals:
My Navy Rum at RunRunner's: $25.99, at Total Wine: $19.99.
Lagavulin single malt is $120 at RumRunner's vs. $82 at Total Wine.
Total Wine also offers a massively larger selection and a lot of harder to find wines you won't see at RumRunner's.
I would have stopped going there a long time ago, but for the last few years they were my only supply of the top shelf Pusser's Royal Navy Rum. Every time I went there and asked a question about certain wines, the staff members acted like I was putting them in the witness stand at a trial. If a customer asks about a wine a professional knows to do one of three things: First, tell them your honest opinion if you actually know the product. If you don't like a product because its a Zinfandel and you are a Pinot Grigio drinker, just say: "I've heard a lot of good things about this Zinfandel, I personally couldn't tell you as I am more of a Pinot person." OR, if you don't know jack, just say so. Don't be pretentious and act as if you know something when you don't.
Also, I like to pay for my booze and groceries with cash and every time I threw down some hard currency, those guys literally would roll their eyes. As if it is that difficult to make change because I hand them a few twenties rather than flip my plastic card.
I used to eat at the Dish too back when they were still a secret and happy for the business. Now that they've become an established place with lofty awards, they've become really stuffy and rude. They charge $12 to re-cork your bottle of wine if you don't finish it at dinner. If you want to linger after a meal to finish the bottle, they tell you get out so they can give your table to another customer.
I like what they did with the new building across the street. It looks really cool. But in view of the nasty, under-informed staff and the price gouging, anyone in their right mind ought to seek out Total Wine or a different small purveyor where the staff knows how to treat its loyal customers. read more
![The RumRunner - looking into the wine shop from the dining room: a.k.a. The Dish [bistro-bar] - Cheese Shops Near Me - Tucson, Arizona](https://s3-media0.fl.yelpcdn.com/bphoto/pvJVw2cmGDjaGlnPn68wXg/348s.jpg "The RumRunner - looking into the wine shop from the dining room: a.k.a. The Dish [bistro-bar] - Cheese Shops Near Me - Tucson, Arizona")
