Getting the Fun Back...

Call this a mea culpa, if you must. We've come to the painful realization that while we were out there trying to grow the empire, the Dog had become a less fun place to be. Some customers complained that our in-store service was sporadically snooty, snobbish and off-putting. This is totally unacceptable to us.

We started this business with the intention that it would always be a fun, clean, inviting place where folks would be comfortable hanging around, whether they were wine savants, beer enthusiasts, or someone who is just starting to discover the breadth and beauty of adult beverages.

So we've made some changes. Joe and I are back from the Crusades of Commerce, and we're directly managing in the stores again. Leeanne, who has graciously bounced from store to store for us, has become an accomplished wine buyer, and is developing a growing cult following.. The staff - Brian, Wendy, Shawn, Martha and Matt - are top notch. Ignore the fact that I'm writing this at 5:30 in the morning when I say that we don't lose a minute of sleep when they are taking care of you in the stores.

Today we are announcing a new partnership with Laurie Forster, better known as The Wine Coach. Sorry, Laurie, I can't make that cool (R) registered trademark symbol on the blog. Laurie is joining the Dog team with a title to-be-determined. We've bandied Lifestyle and Event Specialist, but I'm not sure that fits on a business card. In any case, Laurie is going to be helping us to make this place more funnerer, more customer-friendly, and better.

We've worked with Laurie occasionally for the past few years, and we've always appreciated her goal of de-mystifying wine. Many, many people are still intimidated by the supposed vast amount of knowledge necessary to understand wine, and Laurie's done a great job of lobbing a huge lawn dart of reason into the big balloon of bombast about wine. (It may be early, but my metaphor gland is apparently functioning.) We welcome her assistance.

We're also bringing back more store events, from Darting for Discounts this Friday night to more in-store tastings. We're working to expand The Poop and the web site. Soon we will also be cross-marketing events with Coffee East as well. More on that later.

Thanks for your business.

Status Report: The Big Sale

We're nearing the end of Day One of The Big Sale. It's been great to see everyone come out and get some tremendous deals on wine and spirits, all of which we're selling for 99 cents over our wholesale cost today and tomorrow. We estimate that customers have already saved nearly $10,000 with today's deep discounts.

A lot of people are interested in the question of why we do it. Every time we have the sale, some folks think that we're circling the drain. Umm, no. We have the sale (a) because it's fun; (b) to reward our fantastic customers for their support throughout the year; and (c) to blow out seasonal wine inventory so that we can replace it with new stock.

We only announce The Big Sale by email, which is reason enough to subscribe to The Poop, our extremely awe-inspiring monthly newsletter. In addition to stunning beverage revelations, hilarious high-brow humor, poorly-altered photos, and the occasional totally fictitious feature, you'll get coupons, advance warning of special events, and a healthy dose of savoir-faire.