Somerville Wine and Spirits

They do not respect their customers enough to allow them to use their special little bathroom, but they take advantage of them with their high prices.
This is the only liquor store in town and there is only one in Oakland. The only competition is in Memphis, therefore they can demand higher prices. Funny how other stores in Memphis do fine with lower prices although Im sure overhead is higher in Memphis. With that said, I use this store as a convenience and by supporting local business, I tend to buy small bottles here to reduce the price impact, and buy larger ones in the huge city.
This one star review, however is not about price, it is about the disrespect you have to turn a customer away from the use of your bathroom and still expect them to pay your high prices! Such BS!
I will say that I do understand that some disrespectful people will make a mess of it and leave you to clean it. I also understand how hard it would be to clean it up if you are working by yourself. I’ve had to clean public rooms myself before I was able to do my business, so when I use yours, I treat it as if it were my families, and I promise to leave everything in good shape when I’m done. I understand that you cant trust everyone.
Once last summer I asked to use this bathroom and was told it was not for public use. I told the guys pretty much what I just explained and reluctantly they agreed to let me take care of my duties before buying my bottle.
Today, I pulled up and the guy, about 30 years old, was outside smoking and i told him to take his time that I’d use the bathroom first. He said they don’t have a public restroom. Using the same approach, I promised that I wouldn’t destroy or leave it dirty, and he was nice about the small talk and followed me in. I was almost at the bathroom and he stopped me and said I really cant go in there.
He told me it’s against the law for me to use his bathroom! Such BS!
So I told him in that case I’ll just get some beer instead of the whiskey I’d come for. He told me that they have beer if I want it. No dude you don’t get it. If i cant relieve myself in your toilet, then you don’t get my business. When I said ill get beer instead I meant I would buy it somewhere else because I can’t get whiskey anywhere else in town.
If you don’t need your customers, then I don’t need you and your liquor!
I will say that he was nice and there was no confrontation or argument. I’m sure its not his rules and he can’t make decisions. As it happened I was about a 3 or 4 on my need to go. If I’d been 9 or 10 in emergency mode, I’d have locked myself in and waited on the cops. I could have desecrated the back of the building or behind the dumpster but luckily I was ok at the moment and handled it like a grownup.
You may be able to have control over your bathroom but I have control of my money, and you don’t deserve it. I also have control over your public image by posting this review. that means I have a lot more power than you!
I don’t appreciate the way I was treated. If only you’d let me do what I had to do.