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General LCBO Debate & Discussion Thread

This forum is for discussing everything beer retail: LCBO, Beer Store, Grocery Stores and Indie Stores.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

brendan
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Post by brendan »

Coronaeus wrote:I noticed today they have updated the Utopias price. Has this come and gone and I missed it? Or, is it coming? Anyone have an idea?
It's live now.

Coronaeus
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Post by Coronaeus »

Craig wrote:
Coronaeus wrote:I noticed today they have updated the Utopias price. Has this come and gone and I missed it? Or, is it coming? Anyone have an idea?
Just showed up, there's stock online, but they also email blasted it so it might go fast.

Saw that this morning myself and grabbed a few. Even with the price increase, it is still priced so much lower than anywhere in the US. Astonishingly lowers to be honest.

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Bobsy
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Post by Bobsy »

I'd just like to point out how shit the LCBO's ecommerce platform is. The site is slow, counterintuitive in its sort functionality and riddled with crap. I spent about an hour sorting through their current selection, and after putting together a case, I get this message at checkout: "There are errors in your cart preventing you from checking out. Please correct them and try again". Of course, no indication of what the errors are and nothing remotely obvious after a careful study. $100 I'll be spending elsewhere.

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ry_kinney
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Post by ry_kinney »

Bobsy wrote:I'd just like to point out how shit the LCBO's ecommerce platform is. The site is slow, counterintuitive in its sort functionality and riddled with crap. I spent about an hour sorting through their current selection, and after putting together a case, I get this message at checkout: "There are errors in your cart preventing you from checking out. Please correct them and try again". Of course, no indication of what the errors are and nothing remotely obvious after a careful study. $100 I'll be spending elsewhere.
Its the worst. I gave up pretty quickly on the weekend when putting together an order. The app is awful, constantly scrolling through unavailable items. At least on the site you can sort by availability but each page takes so long to load. And they have 4 sets of articles you need to scroll through on each page to browse the beer.

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JaseWescott
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Post by JaseWescott »

The Beer Store website received some much needed changes. The inventory now works like it should.

https://www.thebeerstore.ca/

also LCBO website now lets you give a 5 star rating on products.

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JerCraigs
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Post by JerCraigs »

JaseWescott wrote:The Beer Store website received some much needed changes. The inventory now works like it should.

https://www.thebeerstore.ca/

also LCBO website now lets you give a 5 star rating on products.
I was just looking at it thinking it should be more like LCBO site. For example, trying to find the Unibroue Winter collection it just tells me the three closest TBS stores don't have it. Doesn't seem to tell me that a store just a bit farther away DOES have it without me searching manually. (Unless I'm missing something?)

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JaseWescott
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Post by JaseWescott »

I guess one of the Steamwhistle owners is back and cleaning house hehe

Image

seangm
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Post by seangm »

JaseWescott wrote:I guess one of the Steamwhistle owners is back and cleaning house hehe
Damn, I'm a sucker for that era of BMWs. I wonder if that's just a wrap that comes off easily, I bet they'd let it go for a bargain...

Ukie
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Post by Ukie »

I was in a LCBO store today which I don't usually go into and haven't been in since this whole Covid-19 stuff started. I felt quite safe with the whole distancing thing but the way the store was laid out and roped off I pretty well needed my GPS to get through the store. If you weren't paying attention and went pass the row you wanted you couldn't back up because of the one way streets. It was almost like a round about, "How do I get over there"?

Anyone feel the same? Are those arrows a suggestion or Gospel?

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JaseWescott
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Post by JaseWescott »

Ukie wrote:I was in a LCBO store today which I don't usually go into and haven't been in since this whole Covid-19 stuff started. I felt quite safe with the whole distancing thing but the way the store was laid out and roped off I pretty well needed my GPS to get through the store. If you weren't paying attention and went pass the row you wanted you couldn't back up because of the one way streets. It was almost like a round about, "How do I get over there"?

Anyone feel the same? Are those arrows a suggestion or Gospel?
I just try to stay 6 feet away from people, yeah sometimes you need to circle back to an aisle because there are too many people in it or it's blocked off. it's like playing Tetris at the Supermarkets.

the lines during Labour Day Weekend at the LCBO were gross, it took forever just to get into the building then once you got in the checkout lines were all the way around the store :x

seangm
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Post by seangm »

Ukie wrote:I was in a LCBO store today which I don't usually go into and haven't been in since this whole Covid-19 stuff started. I felt quite safe with the whole distancing thing but the way the store was laid out and roped off I pretty well needed my GPS to get through the store. If you weren't paying attention and went pass the row you wanted you couldn't back up because of the one way streets. It was almost like a round about, "How do I get over there"?

Anyone feel the same? Are those arrows a suggestion or Gospel?
I find very few people actually pay attention to the arrows. I do my best to keep my distance, but if an aisle is empty I will walk the "wrong way" to get an item I need; not gonna circle all the way around if no one is there. I just try to use common courtesy and avoid crowded aisles if possible.

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Craig
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Post by Craig »

The LCBO is by far the worst place I've been in for people ignoring the directions on the aisles. No clue why. I went once at a busy time and it made me uncomfortable, so now I just go when I think it will be slow and it works fine.

cboden
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Post by cboden »

Craig wrote:The LCBO is by far the worst place I've been in for people ignoring the directions on the aisles. No clue why. I went once at a busy time and it made me uncomfortable, so now I just go when I think it will be slow and it works fine.
I've been in the LCBO twice since the pandemic started, both confusing times.

The first time was early on where they limited the number of people allowed in the store. An LCBO employee screamed at these two customers to put their basket down and get out of the store. The two people were apparently too close to each other. They calmly tried to explain to this woman they lived together, didn't know they were supposed to stay 2m apart, but she kept yelling at them to leave.

My second time was a week ago. There was a customer without a mask. No one said a thing. No other patrons, not a single employee, nor the security guard who he walked past.

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

cboden wrote:I've been in the LCBO twice - first time was early on where they limited the number of people allowed in the store. An LCBO employee screamed at these two customers to put their basket down and get out of the store. The two people were apparently too close to each other. They calmly tried to explain to this woman they lived together, didn't know they were supposed to stay 2m apart, but she kept yelling at them to leave.
Wrongful Discrimination? That sounds illegal for a crown corp monopoly store to refuse service to Ontario citizens without any reasonable justification. I would almost certainly sue the LC store or at least get the manager or the police there to document this pathetic miscarriage of policy. The staffer could have calmly, even sternly explained in a respectful tone. The customers weren't acting belligerent, the blue shirt was. Unprovoked yelling is just harassment and TBH it's emotionally immature acting-out behavior you just see from some union-protected staff who don't appreciate the position they have.

We are not contributing massive tax dollars to support insane-acting LCBO staff who believe they have absolute power. Clearly they don't, the LCBO could not ban you from the entire store system over a minor mistake which is really what this one 'punitive' store ejection would imply. The couple likely just went to another store a few kms away and didn't face this idiotic tantrum, so the 'punishment' makes no sense and - here's the kicker - the wasted store visit only caused added risk exposure, for nothing. That alone should get the staffer in trouble, early in the pandemic when education and patience were so crucial. Selfish and inexcusable.
beerstodiscover wrote: I've driven by a couple times on weekends when there were lines and I opted to postpone my visit. I'd imagine it can get hectic/stressful on weekends.
Wise words, sir! :D
Last edited by Belgian on Fri Dec 04, 2020 6:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
In Beerum Veritas

beerstodiscover
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Post by beerstodiscover »

I've been visiting my local fairly regularly, usually mid-week evenings when it's not busy. Following the arrows doesn't really matter when most aisles are empty. No LC-lunacy either. Grabbed my BCBS yesterday without issue. I've driven by a couple times on weekends when there were lines and I opted to postpone my visit. I'd imagine it can get hectic/stressful on weekends.

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