Total Wine & More

Why three stars? Great selection, but… my boyfriend described it as the Fourth Circle of Hell. Really, not the best Total Wine out there, which is a shame because they have tons of stuff and knowledgeable, interested staff, but it’s all crammed into a teeny tiny space. They could remove an aisle, slightly lessen their selection, and have room to accomplish their goal. We were trying to stock up for the holidays and went on a Thursday afternoon. We were asked at least twice per aisle if we needed help, which is just *too much help*. It was like being attacked by really polite mosquitos. Mosquitos with a lot to say about red wines from Argentina.

Even the smaller locations (in Wilmington/​Pike Creek) has a good selection. But if you want real breadth, try Claymont. Having said that, I find the number of staff at the smaller Pike Creek to be better given the size of the store. This means you always can find help, and they are not being pulled 5 different ways due to the flood of other customers. Better for browsing, questions, and suggestions

Pros:
— Very large selection of wine.
— Fairly large selection of spirits.
— Fairly large selection of warm beer.
Cons:
— Disappointingly small selection of cold beer.
— Rude employees that talk down to you.
— The smallest aisles you could possibly imagine. If you try to imagine the smallest aisles that a cart could fit down, I guarantee you that these are even smaller.
— Constant, heavy crowds. It’s a well-​advertised place in a well-​trafficked location. The amount of people exacerbates the above con tenfold.
— An online ordering system that only works as well as the employee filling it. eg, one time I ordered some Dogfish White Rum online, which they said was available, and when I came to pick it up in store they gave me some other kind of Dogfish rum. Luckily I decided to open the bag and look before I paid. The employee said «oh, sorry, that’s the only Dogfish Rum we had» as if that was somehow a valid reason.
Even though Total Wine does have a fair amount of Pros, I give it two stars because those Pros are unimpressive and unimportant to me, and dare I say to the average person. Yes, you may have 4,000 bottles of wine to choose from, but do I really care? Give me 50 types from each kind of wine and I’m more than happy, and if I’m a true wine snob then I’m probably going somewhere fancier than this anyway.
If you’re looking to stock up on stuff and can deal with the claustrophobia and rude employees, then this isn’t a terrible place. If you’re just going to pick up one or two things, especially if you’re looking to grab a cold 6-​pack on your way to a buddy’s house, avoid this place. There are a couple of far better liquor stores within a few miles.

I LOVE this place. They have coupons and good sales. Used them for our wedding and loved the wine discounts and online ordering tool. They has our order ready and boxed up a few hours after placing. They accepted all unused/​unopened alcohol back for a full refund. There is one older cashier who is a little unnecessarily loud and always asks for your ID before you can even get to the line (I’m so serious!) but the staff is very pleasant for the most part.

We live in New Castle, but drive out of our way to come here. The staff is friendly and helpful, and go the extra mile if I’m trying to find something specific. Best prices in town, too.

Completely dissatisfied with the on-​line ordering process and live customer service, both at the local level and the corporate level. I attempted to place an order for my wedding reception alcohol, spending well over $ 1,000. Not only could I get a straight answer from the local store managers on the best way to place the order, the online process was so complicated and cumbersome, you needed a doctorate in computer programming to get it completed. Also attempted probably close to 3 dozen coupon codes, and not one of them worked. When contacted the corporate office to gain assistance, I was literally told, «I’m sorry sir, there’s nothing we can do.» I took my business to a local distributor which is where I should have started from the start… they seemed to genuinely want my business!

I always shop at Total Wine. They have everything you need in stock — if for some reason they don’t they always have another brand for you to try. Friendly staff is readily available to answer any questions.

Although I live in MD, I came here to buy tax-​free booze for my wedding (and because this Total Wine location had great Unilocal reviews. :-)) Didn’t disappoint!
All Total Wine pricing information is available online on their website, so I was able to figure out exactly what I wanted before coming. The prices are very competitive. I signed up for their email to get a free coupon — you should do that too! ($ 5 off $ 50 of wine. Doesn’t sound like much, but they’ll apply it to each $ 50 of wine you buy, so for bulk purchasing it adds up.)
The staff were super helpful and found everything I wanted almost immediately. I hope I won’t be buying $ 1000 worth of wine again anytime soon, but if I am this Total Wine location will be my first stop.

Best beer and wine store in the area. period. Huge fan.

Total Wine and More is a pretty awesome little store. They have a great selection of beer, wine, and liquor, which is amazing to have all in one store when you are from PA. I could spend hours just looking at everything, I actually didn’t get to spend as much time there as I wanted because they were closing. The staff was also really friendly and helpful. I cannot wait to go back!

Was really impressed by the friendliness of the staff. Everyone offered assistance with a smile and provided great suggestions. This place has everything! We left well stocked for 4^th of July week.

I use both THIS Total Wine store, and the one that’s twice the size in Claymont. In a word — WOW! Just simply the selection makes it worth going a bit out of the way, and I’ve found the prices to be VERY competitive, especially if you use the flyer and email coupons where you can regularly save another 10%. (Also look for prices that end in 7, as these are particularly good deals that they apparently purchase in bulk!)
As for the staff, I have found the clerks out on the floor to be very helpful, with a couple of whom have had suggestions particularly well suited to my tastes. Wine is such a subjective thing, so I think ANY personal recommendation can be a little dicey. Simply following the ‘recommended’ tabs on the shelf has been especially hit and miss, with a couple BIG misses, so I tread cautiously there. Most of the check-​out clerks are something less than friendly. Don’t know why — just an observation.
If you’re really obsessive about the game, you can read recommendations in Wine Spectator, then get on line to see what they have in stock before making your way to the store. In fact, I think you can even have your order put together before you arrive. Never done that.
The wine tastings are so-​so — a little odd drinking out of little plastic cups like you get with cough medicine. We’ve also done a couple of the wine classes which we have found to be informative, but really targeted to beginners. Good to get a general feeling for a particular region, such as the French Rhone valley, or California Cabernets — but I’ve been surprised how haphazard the handouts and PowerPoint slides are. Picky, I know, but for $ 25 for a tasting class, I expect a bit more.
But all said — this is my go to store. Haven’t tried many of the boutiquey stores in the Delaware Valley — when we’re really in that mode, we go to California and visit the wineries instead! Ah, the good life!

Overrated. Sure, compared to PA there are some good deals here, but not everywhere so you need to be a good consumer to pick & choose wisely. 80% of the wine here is garbage. Many of the winery direct offerings are horrible, and the most informed employee TW has ever had told me this himself (thank you, B!). PA’s winery direct (or Chairman’s Reserve, as it’s know) is far better. Pa actually passes the savings on to you, TW does not. Anyway, sure they have better prices on some things, but caveat emptor. If you’re looking for wine, I’d go to Kreston. Less selection but better high quality choices within the selection. Happy shopping!

Great selection, good price, friendly staff. but the last few times I had to deal with cashiers with attitude. I stopped going there and now shop at Premier next to Buffalo Wild Wings.

Great selection. For wine, I try to patronize the smaller wine stores like Deerfield or Moore Brothers, but for beer and liquor selection there really is no alternative. And when I have bought wine there, it hasn’t ever been stale, which is more than I can say for some of the small liquor stores around Pike Creek.
I especially love their specialty beer selection — always a good gift to fill up a 6 pack or two with different beers.
A con is that that old bald man who has been working there for years can be a little surly. But he’s very good at carding. He carded me from the ages of 21 to about 30. Now he just kind of flares a nostril in my direction.

Located in the Milltown Shopping Center in Wilmington, Delaware, «Total Wine & More» has stepped it up for wine warehousing. It has sister chains in Claymont, DE and Cherry Hill, NJ. I bet there are more, for this is a Northeast wine superstore.
The Good:
+ The sheer size of the store allows for high volume of inventory, which leads to an impressive wine selection. Having a penchant for Pinot Noir, I can go inside an aisle full of 50+ types of Pinot. That is amusing since I am used to seeing none or no more than 10 in my usual wine store haunts. I’ve been so impressed, I even bought wines in a box (note to snobs — real oenophiles enjoy the grape any way they can on the daily… or was that the definition of a real alcoholic?).
+ Nice beer selection. There are singles and four/​six packs (of beers I’ve never seen — I guess special brews) you can take off the shelves to try at home. Kegs and cases are always in stock.
+ Wine tastings from 12PM-​6PM on Fridays through Sundays.
+ Knowledgeable and helpful staff. «Can I help you with anything today, sir?»
«Nope, I’m just a kid in a candy store.»
+ Have your driver’s license ready. This place arrests minors. Or at least they claim they do. I never witnessed any rough housing or kicking and screaming.
+ I was in a tobacco mood once, so I picked up Arturo Fuente Hemmingway Signature singles here inside the walk in humidor. It was a nice touch. To tobacconists, this was quite a find.
The Bad:
— Why, why, why aren’t you in New York?
The Ugly:
– What am I doing in Delaware? I’m buying wine, sucka. Oh, I’m visiting some friends, too. But let me pick up some wine first.
Friends: «It’s great to see you! Why were you so late?»
Me: «…»
All wine stores are not created equal. Total Wine & More has a distinct advantage.
IFHTP 3+