Pricing errors, check the stickers on the bottles at the SAQ

[Frederick Blais]

Yesterday as I went to my SAQ to buy some Bordeaux 2003, some Taylor vintage port got my attention for a few secs. At 51$can instead of 112$, it was a very interesting deal. The clerk made a mistake and priced them for Vargellas 98 I did grab a pair, I wanted more but with Lafleur and Mission H-B in the cart I was reasonnable for once.... or not!

Anyway all this to say that it pays off to look at the price stickers from time to time, especially at the SAQ, they do make often errors! In some branch you can even get a 10$ extra rebate for the error, something the SAQ Signature is not part of, but 95% of the SAQ are.

I'll drink to that with a Javali Reserve 2004 tonight!

[Marc J.]

As a matter of fact the other day I was able to pick up some bottles of mis-priced Churchill '94 for $27.00 a bottle. Without a doubt it pays to keep an eye open for any "deals" due to mis-pricing of bottles.

[Alan C.]

Well done. I'm sure their mistake will make it taste all the sweeter.
Its amazing how many people used to get caught swapping labels, from a lesser item to a very expensive one. That was generally stopped by the introduction of Barcodes. As a young Police Officer in the 80's I learned how to process prisoners and put the paperwork together by dealing with such folk, and many others.
Which also reminds me of the druggy I had to deal with one morning who was caught stealing a plastic watch that was reduced from £20 to £5. He was in desperate need of a fix, and as I dealt with him, I asked him why he had stolen that particular item of rubbish, with all the more expensive items around. He told me, in all seriousness, that this item was for his girlfriends birthday, and he couldn't pass up on it, because, 'It was such a bargain!'
Reality is so much funnier than jokes.
Alan

[Luc Gauthier]

Yesterday as I went to my SAQ to buy some Bordeaux 2003, some Taylor vintage port got my attention for a few secs. At 51$can instead of 112$, it was a very interesting deal. The clerk made a mistake and priced them for Vargellas 98 I did grab a pair, I wanted more but with Lafleur and Mission H-B in the cart I was reasonnable for once.... or not!

Anyway all this to say that it pays off to look at the price stickers from time to time, especially at the SAQ, they do make often errors! In some branch you can even get a 10$ extra rebate for the error, something the SAQ Signature is not part of, but 95% of the SAQ are.

I'll drink to that with a Javali Reserve 2004 tonight!

Must make it more often to the SAQ . . .

[Mario Ferreira]

[..] I asked him why he had stolen that particular item of rubbish, with all the more expensive items around. He told me, in all seriousness, that this item was for his girlfriends birthday, and he couldn't pass up on it, because, 'It was such a bargain!' [...]

This is a funny story

[...] it pays off to look at the price stickers from time to time, especially at the SAQ, they do make often errors! [...]

This reminds one of my experiences I had in Miami, Florida [USA]. On one given day of 2001 I was in a restaurant in Miami and was to chose a LBV Port from the wine list. I picked the Fonseca LBV 1994 that was reasonable priced but on the bottle that was brought over I noticed they were pouring the Vintage 94. I mean, on the label I could read it was not an LBV but the Fonseca Vintage 1994 itself - a wine rated 100 points by Wine Spectator !!.

The restaurant had the Fonseca LBV 94 listed but the one available on the shelf was the Fonseca Vintage 94, which was not listed !!!

I tasted the wine. The Fonseca VP 2004 was already a little oxidize for the bottle had been opened for quite a while but one could easily notice from the taste that the Fonseca VP 94 was really an huge wine: very deep ruby colour, full-bodied and still intense fruity aromas. Only the alcohol was "starting to burn".

So, this is how I tasted my first WS 100-point wine 8) .

Then in 2001 in Miami I tried to explain the restaurant staff the general differences between LBVs and Vintage Ports. The staff had no clue on what I was talking about and were not even worried about it. I guess the mistake had been done at the Distributor's warehouse. The order was done for a Fonseca Late Bottled Vintage 1994 but the warehouse guy shipped the Fonseca Vintage 1994. There's a "slight" difference on the name but definitely an huge difference on the price.

Anyway, as Frédérick explains, no doubt sometimes consumers benefit from the errors of the poor Traders.

MF

[Alan C.]

Mario,

all I have to say is.........JAMMY SOD!!!!

Alan.

[Al B.]

Mario

Great story. Do you want to tell us the name of the restaurant? They might suddenly see an increase in the numbers of people ordering glasses (or even full bottles) of their Fonseca 1994 LBV



Alex

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

Maybe I’m too old and fat, but I feel awkward buying manifestly mis-priced stuff without drawing their attention it. Hmmm.

Upon reflection, I am definitely too old and fat and mad and grey and dead and bald and past it. But I do feel sufficiently awkward that I would tell somebody that it’s wrongly priced.

[Al B.]

Last time I did that I was told that I was wrong and that the price I had been quoted was the correct price.

After that, I didn't argue - just bought the bottle! It was Yquem 1990 for £10.

Alex

[Julian D. A. Wiseman]

Fair enough. I’d have taken a case.