The wine retailer that I decided to visit was Scotto’s Wine Cellar located at 318 Court Street, Brooklyn NY 11231. I decided to go to Scotto’s because of it’s proximity to school. Mainly, because I wouldn’t have to pay too much in travel expenses was my main motivation. Scotto’s Wine Cellar has been doing business since 1934. They opened their doors pre-prohibition only to be closed by the prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, sale and possession of alcoholic beverages. Because of this they were forced to close, they reopened in February of 1934 at their current location and when licensing changed they were able sell spirits and wine.
The layout of Scotto’s was not friendly at all. It was very cramped , and I found myself bumping into things. At every turn there was wine , which was great, but their layout is much too clustered with wines, wine barrels as decoration and the customers. But what they lacked in space they made up for with organization . There is a clear pattern to how to the wines are organized There were several sections dedicated to the same wine regions and style of wine. There was ease in navigating this wine shop. There were handwritten signs stating the regions but those signs like the wine appeared in many places which made finding things by region fairly easy. They also have very reasonable prices , I saw a couple of great bottles for $10.
There were a lot of the regions highlighted at the wine shop. Many of the regions we discussed in class were highlighted. Regions such as France, Italy, Spain, and some we will discuss like Australia and South Africa, California. I found it interesting that they also fare sold found in a typical liquor store and they also sell sake not your typical liquor store fare.
Scotto’s Wine Cellar was very great when it came to promotional literature or listing of extra benefits. When asked I was referred to the website and another employee told me that did free delivery, wine tasting, food and wine pairings. I went to the website and found that they did something called a wine dinner and a description followed. The employee told me of the food and wine pairing,.
The customer service I must say was exceptional. I was greeted by the two people at the counter, one of which looked like the owner. After 10 seconds of being there then I was asked if I needed help finding anything. I felt like they really wanted to help with my request for more information. I told the girl at the front counter that I was doing a school project and if she had any promotional literature without breaking her gaze with the man next to her she said yes and there is more information on the website.
My recommendation for Scotto’s Wine Cellar is too expand. There small space hinders them from doing more business. But I did to closely examine their location. There’s a terrific neighborhood atmosphere at Scotto’s where the staff are friendly and knowledgeable. They carry a good selection of local, regional, and imported wines and liquors. Their prices are very reasonable, and great discounts when you buy by the case
Scotto’s Wine Cellar has tremendous potential but is inhibited by space. I would most certainly return and make a purchase.
Scotto’s does do a fine job in helping their guests. You are right to observe that the store is crampted and when this is the case guest service is vital to a successful business. Since they have an online site then that reduces the congestion in the store as well. You made fine observations.