Schaefer’s Wines, Foods & Spirits

If you want a good experience, do not use Schaefers! They had the worst customer service ever. To start, when I first contacted them about my wedding, it was mid July. They told me to call back in October because they only need a week or so to process the order. (my wedding was 11−13−15) So I did, not a big deal. I called in mid October, about a month before the wedding. I told them the budget I was aiming for (they said it was perfectly doable) and a base selection of what kinds of alcohol I wanted. I said I wanted a beer heavy, modified full bar that specifically included amoretto and tequila and I said I did not want champagne. When the email with the invoice came, it was more than double my budget, had 36 bottles of champagne, over 40 bottles of hard alcohol but no tequila or amoretto, and hardly any beer! Fed up with multiple phone calls, we took matters into our own hands and did research with online alcohol calculators to figure out for ourselves what we needed. To put into perspective how far off they were, they had 8 bottles of jack on the invoice and 12 bottles of vodka. We calculated that we only needed 2 and 6. We were right. We ordered a fraction of what they were trying to sell us and had leftovers.
After I emailed them the new list of alcohol, I waited a few days for an updated quote. It never came. At this point it is about 2 weeks till the wedding. I had to call and ask what’s going on. They nonchalantly said «oh, it was on the other guy’s desk». So I finally got a new invoice and went into the store to pay it in person. The week of the wedding I got a call from them asking if my order was still a go and I need to pay or else they will consider the order cancelled. I told them that I came in and paid a week ago. They basically said «oops. We didn’t see that».
Three good things for Schaefers.
1: They provide free glassware. Wine, rocks and champagne
2: Free delivery
3: They fully refund any unopened alcohol
These good points bring me to the last bad point about my experience. They refunded me what I was owed and needed to charge me for 11 broken glasses. Not a problem at all. Until I looked at my credit card statement and saw a charge for $ 264! I called and asked what that was all about and they basically said «oops, our bad. Someone goofed» and it should’ve only been $ 22. Seriously Schaefers! –_​_​_​– They said they would credit me again. We’ll see how long that takes. Never again will I use them.

At Champagne fest right now, what a great event! Not often do you get a chance to taste all sorts of Champagne and sparkling wine from around the world from bargain buys to the ultra high end… And all the money goes to charity. That’s a win — win in my book.
Bonus points for the staff, they are usually great, but watching them deal first hand with the entitled, arrogant 1% is quite impressive. The clientele is the only downfall they have — some of the customers are bitter, old fogeys who have nothing better to do than bully people to get their way or get something for free. It really is a shame, I would make the trip up here from the city more frequently, but I just can’t handle these people. The people shopping side by side with you shouldn’t make you want to leave (or punch someone). If you have the patience of a saint, come for an event or on a weekend — otherwise shop on a weekday to avoid the jerks. Love Schaefer’s — hate their customers.

It was difficult to decide on how many stars for this rating for Schaefer’s. What made it hard? The tasting to make wine choices for our wedding.
Without the tasting, I would have been debating between 4 stars and 5, but leaning toward 5. It’s a beautiful store. The staff has been anywhere from adequate to knowledgeable and helpful. They have weekly tastings and yearly festivals. There are high quality products from charcoal to food to mixers to all kinds of alcohol. And the deal they have for weddings and large parties? Very well thought out. They oversell you, giving you the peace of mind of knowing you won’t run out. They credit you for every unopened bottle upon pick up. They let you borrow glassware for free (not awesome glassware, but some of it is quite serviceable) and return it unwashed. They deliver. They pick up. On time. And the cherry on top? The cherries. Not the yucky ones. Good cherries in those Manhattans at my wedding.
Add the tasting to the mix and now the debate is between 2 and 3 stars. My spouse and I sat down with our friends and Dan Madden, the general manager. He seemed distracted the entire time, looking over our shoulders around the store. He poured the wine in teeny tiny plastic cups. There was some wine tasting going on right next to us in the same room. They were using wine glasses. But we were tasting wine out of medicine cups. The kind Nyquil and Pepto come with. Dan heard what kind of wine we wanted, but told us we were incorrect – that at weddings, normally people like this or that. We knew our crowd. We knew what we wanted. But that didn’t seem to concern him.
After the tasting I found myself in the surprising position of calling other places. I was surprised because I was SURE we were going with Schaefer’s.
Brian Flannery saved the day. Brian was personable, listened to what we wanted, and gave us great suggestions. He adjusted quantities on our order several times, asked and answered questions that helped us to be sure we had all of the right liquors and mixers, and stayed in contact. If it weren’t for Brian, our order would have been placed elsewhere.
But it wasn’t, and it all turned out well.

Have been to/​had parties multiple times where Schaefer’s delivered beverages and supplied expired soda. Not cool.

This review only pertains to the yearly wine sale they have. I haven’t actually shopped in the store, but I did briefly walk in there and it looked like they had a good selection.
The sale was in a small warehouse close to the store. It was PACKED. But the deals were so good its easy to understand why. They have open bottles of everything and tasting cups. I plan to come back next year with friends! People were loading up shopping carts and buying cases of wine like crazy! You could get a decent bottle of wine for $ 6.
When you come be prepared to deal with crowds and a long check-​out line. The staff though was so friendly and welcoming especially considering the stressful environment they were in. I will be back with reinforcements next year to stock up!

What a great place! Used them to provide drinks for a large adult birthday party. They could not have been more helpful. All done remotely via email and phone.
Brian helped estimate quantities, suggested variety of reasonably priced wine, provided just enough mixers. Provided wine and bar glasses free, along with tubs for ice. Delivery and pickup to the party site was right on time. Credited for unopened wine.
Just great. Highly recommended.

I’m not sure what I enjoyed most but I have a blast and had amazing food and drink. I’ll def be back for parties!

I’m new to the area and drove past several times, I decided to stop in and grab a bottle of wine. The selections were amazing in every price range, and the store was immaculately laid out and designed. I settled on a Bava Barolo and left happy with my knowing that Schaefer’s is not far from where I live.
To the man that showed me around in the store, thanks a ton, you were great.

They were fabulous — we had a party for 150 people. I was nervous, they calmed me! They provided excellent referrals for a bar tender, kitchen prep and clean up people. They were so helpful — I was able to enjoy myself at my own party!
the delivery and pick-​up was easy, efficient.

Came in to look for a specific Moscato D’asti wine… found the section, but my particular wine was not sold there… the person helping did say that the Ceretto wine that I was looking for was the same as the one on their shelf — just packaged differently. I bought their item, took it to my friends, and it tasted completely different than Ceretto. Quite sad actually. But since I was in a hurry and didn’t really have time to shop elsewhere/​around, I was stuck with this aweful wine.
Gonna go to Liquor Barn next time.

We got the alcohol for our wedding from Schaefer’s and we couldn’t be happier! We worked with both Dan and Brian throughout the process and they were both very helpful. We opted to come into the store to get a better idea of what they had, and Brian walked us through typical amounts of alcohol needed, gave us suggestions for brands, but ultimately let us make our own choice on what to get. He drafted up a proposal and it was easy to adjust it after that point.
Everyone in the store is very helpful and knowledgeable, and quick to give suggestions. Everything worked out great for our wedding day and the ease of being able to return all unopened bottles was amazing. We would highly recommend working with Schaefer’s.

Schaefer’s has been my favorite wine store for over 10 years! Their staff knows so much about their products and is always available to offer suggestions and assistance. Saturdays are great for tasting many of their wines and deli treats.
One of my favorite events is the warehouse sale. It is literally in a warehouse just northeast of their store and they have about 75 different varieties of wine available for tasting. Great bargains (over 50% off) on many, too. Tips — stuff a credit card in your pocket, leave the coat in the car and go mid-​day. Check their site for the dates of the next one.

Well I gave Schaefers another try at the recommendation of a client for a 75^th anniversary sale and I was very impressed. Apparently once a year there is a huge tasting of wine and beers. This year there were free hot dogs and a sorbet made with wine from Homer’s Ice Cream.
Many bottles were half off or more and as the wine rack in my basement was getting barren I was able to replenish my supply. I wound up with merlot, malbec, a very nice stout, a chianti and several other bottles for a very reasonable price. I couldn’t believe how may people attended the event… apparently they bought 1000 hot dogs and they ran out.

I just discovered this place last weekend. They were having a huge 75^th anniversary party. I think that says a lot about a company when they’ve been in business for that long. Inside they have everything from great wine to gourmet cheese and other notions. I definitely plan to stop in again when it’s not their birthday to see how it’s different, but from what I saw this place is a keeper. They seem to care about the neighborhood and their products and customers.

Usually an amazing selection of wines (not as good in the beer department) and great service but I have to say that tonight was completely off: we tried to get someone to assist us but the floor person was clearly more interested in flirting with a male customer than helping us find a bottle of wine. We were in the market for a $ 20 – 30 bottle and walked out with a $ 10 bottle instead: I was not psyched about spending money here tonight.

Wide variety of wines in a chic gourmet deli ambiance.
Also, a decent variety of pates, cheeses, and other gourmet tasties (including blinis which I have searched far & wide for). When I went, there were a number of samples out on the floor.
Drawback: pricey pricey pricey. Really only for those moments when you need something incredibly specific. Or, if you’ve got some money to burn.

I’ve never been to a friendlier and more accommodating wine shop! While primarily a great stop for wine, they also offer a solid selection of popular spirits and craft beer as well as unique cheeses, salsas, sauces and high-​end snacks. There are free wine tastings here all the time which really seals the deal for me. I’m so glad Schaefer’s is close to home!

Classy winery to get your fav’s…love the Saracco and Albino Rocca D’Asti Moscato

A huge variety of liquor and wine for a relatively small store. Fantastic deli and cheese selections not to be found anywhere else. Samplings on weekends and other tastings have often been the deciding factor in buying some of the product I tried before leaving the store.
Knowledgeable and helpful staff. As more and more specialty liquor stores fall to the chains, Schaefer’s is still standing and among the best you can find.

I used to work here way back in High School. Things have changed here dramatically. The atmosphere was remodeled and it looks great. The prices for beer remain a tad high, but the wine selection, which is huge, remains very fair. The deli and cheeses are delicious, but the guacamole is my favorite. Be sure to pick up some chips for the guac while you are there, cause schaefers has some of the best chips available that you can’t seem to find in a simple Jewel or Dominicks.