Retail Beverage Store Analysis

My visit at Astor Wines & Spirits located at Lafayette St., New York was wonderful. I had the pleasure to meet with Bambi Ray, one of the Sales Manager at the store. She was very professional and helpful. She seems to know a lot of wines and to enjoy it at the same time. Ms. Ray gave me a tour of the store. At the entrance, the first section is European wines and then sparkling wines. She also showed me a site in the store where they keep some wines under cool temperature and the reason why it is because some of them are old and it needs to be kept there. She was telling me that every time she takes clients to that area, they think those wines are very expensive since they are in another room, but they are not. You can find all kind of wines from $16 to $300 in that area which is not bad at all.

While doing the tour around the store, Ms. Ray was telling me how happy she is working with the company. She has almost 11 years studying wine and she’s been working in the same store for the past 4 years. She still feels very happy there since the owners treat the employees right and make them feel comfortable at the workplace. They are very engaging, they do not micromanage, and they are always willing to listen to employee’s new ideas. Something that Ms. Ray would like to improve at the store that she will talk about with the owners soon is, to add some additional stacks, so it will keep things more organized. She also added that they keep unpaid orders for two weeks when clients call to order, but she feels that’s unfair since there are other clients who come at the store requesting the same item but she can sell it since it is already hold for someone who has not paid. She would like to eliminate that. She prefers that they all pay in advance in order to keep the items for pick up.

At the store, I had the curiosity to know which is the most sold wine and why? In which Ms. Ray took the time to print me a list of all sold wines and the number one wine is Mia Prosecco from Italy. They sell around 1,969 bottles monthly and it only cost $11.96. She said that one of the reasons why is because it is good quality for a good price. 

Overall, I had a great time at Astor & Wines Spirits. I really enjoyed interviewing Ms. Ray and learning more about wines. She was just awesome and very helpful. She wanted to make sure I had all information I needed before leaving the store which I really appreciated.

This is a red wine from Italy. Romagna Denominazione Di Origine Protetta Cagnina Dolce from 2018. This ruby red wine has sweet berry flavors, and a lingering aftertaste of candied violets.

This is a sparkling wine that is not from the European Union. Jansz Tasmania is from Australia. This sparkling wine has a rich floral bouquet of strawberries with a soft and creamy palate.

This is a dry white wine from Greece. Assyrtiko by Gaia is from 2018, produced in Santorini.

This is a shelf talker written by Heather G, one of the employees at Astor Wines & Spirits. She wrote this to Jean Velut-Lumiere et Craie, a bottle of champagne from France.