BevMo! Paso Robles Review – A Sour Taste

by tipsy on May 18, 2012

BevMo! Paso RoblesBevMo! Paso Robles has opened their store on Theatre Drive, in Paso Robles, California. I've been anxiously awaiting the opening day too. As a cook, who likes to drink, I've always considered BevMo! (formerly Beverages & More!) as something special. And in a relatively small town like Paso Robles, getting a store like BevMo! is pretty exciting.

Unfortunately, excitement turned to disappointment today when BevMo! Paso Robles repeatedly dished out "non-help." After all the trouble they go to to win my business, they've lost sight of the big picture.

If you don't have BevMo! in your area, it's a supermarket for people who like to imbibe. They have a huge selection of wine, liquor, and beer. They also have obscure liqueurs and snacks. If it's connected to drinking, BevMo! probably carries it.

I've been a "ClubBev!" member for years. ClubBev! gives discounts when you swipe your card. Their website is handy too, you can place your order online, and have it pulled and waiting for you when you arrive at the store. I have loved BevMo! for years. I felt good going in there. It feels like the prelude to a good time...felt...like that anyway.

BevMo! Paso Robles - An Unfortunate First Impression

First let me say - I'm not a whiner. I get it that sometimes things don't go my way. For example, BevMo! Paso Robles offered a $25 gift card to the first 500 people through the door on opening day. I missed out - barely. That's okay, I wasn't upset about that. I went on in and took a look around.

Since the store was so full, I figured I'd visit later in the day. All day I kept hearing the radio ad talking about getting $10 off of your $50 purchase. So, even though I missed the first 500 promotion, I figured I'd risk angering my wife - and spend enough to get that $10 off.

When I got to the store, they had beer tastings, little snacks and even samples of chocolate with bacon. It was an event!

In a store like BevMo! Paso Robles, it doesn't take long to hit the $50 mark. I picked out some good gin, and a couple of other things and went to ask about that $10 discount. Turned out, I needed a coupon.

Let me start by saying that in the morning, they were actually giving coupons away for that promotion. I didn't get one, since there was a line, and I knew I'd return later. My point is that the coupons were not numbered tickets or anything special - they were printed in the local newspaper. A photocopy would have even worked. I also want to say, I stayed very calm through this whole saga.

So - I asked a cashier about the discount - and she said, "Well, we had some here we were giving away, but it looks like they're gone."

She said, "Let me ask my manager." Without looking up, the manager, who was about ten feet away said, "They're in the paper."

The girl returned and said, "You can find one in the newspaper." I replied, "I don't get the paper." She then said, "I'm sorry. I know we had some around here earlier." (That didn't exactly make me feel better.)

I said, "Well, I guess I'll put this all back, and get the cheap gin." You see, I mistakenly thought that would tip her off to the fact that I was not really getting what I wanted. I also thought that she would care that I was now spending less money at BevMo! Paso Robles. After all, I wanted to spend more money there...and with the bad economy and all - well you know. But she bravely stood her ground and said, "I'm sorry."

BevMo! Paso Robles - Strike One! Strike Two! Three Strikes!

  1. The "manager" couldn't be bothered with my measly $10 coupon problem. So I put my stuff back and got the cheap gin. Their total sale from me went from at least $65 (minus the elusive $10 coupon) down to $12.99.
  2. When I got the less expensive gin, I waited in line and thought - "this can't be happening, they said they want my business, surely this cashier will take the time to find a coupon, do an over-ride, or something to save my opinion of BevMo!" Nope.
    As I approached the register - she asked, "Did you find everything you wanted?" I said, "Yep, but I put it all back because I didn't have the coupon from the newspaper."
    Guess what she said..."Aww, I'm sorry 'bout that."
    How about "let me get my manager to see if we can fix the situation"? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?
    Then - to top that off, she asked me for my ClubBev! card so I could pay $12.99 for my gin. (I haven't had an actual card for years, because I'm told they won't replace them. You have to open a new ClubBev! account to get another card.) Instead of a card, you can also use a phone number. Guess what. My phone number didn't work in her "system," so she was going to charge me $16.99 for the gin.
    Instead, after trying every phone number I've had for the past ten years, I just told her to forget the whole thing.
  3. As I was leaving BevMo! Paso Robles - empty-handed - a cheerful girl was standing outside the door and thanked me for shopping. (All I did was shop - since I didn't actually get to buy anything.)
    She asked how my visit was - and I told her. What do you think she said? "I'm sorry."
    She didn't get a manager, she didn't give me a hug, nothing.

I'm sure BevMo! Paso Robles will look at their opening day as a great success. I'm sure my little bit of money didn't make a difference in the big picture. But how many other people who don't vent on a blog went home empty-handed? Or how many others drove to Albertson's (like I did) and got what they wanted - without the balloons and chocolates?

The bottom line for me is the sad realization that another one of my favorite stores has succumbed to the mindless, 'we can take or leave your business' mentality of many of the other big stores. I'm not excited about BevMo! Paso Robles anymore...okay, I guess now I'm whining.

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How to Cook Tri-Tip in the Oven

by tipsy on March 25, 2012

Tri-Tip in the Oven: It can be done - here's how.

Tri-tip in the oven.

I've been asked how to cook tri-tip in the oven many times. I'm in between houses right now and a friend is babysitting my grill. So I thought it would be a perfect time to do a tri-tip in the oven and report back to you.

First, get an oven.

Then get yourself about a three pound tri-tip and either marinade it or rub it with your favorite flavoring. If I didn't have a prepared spice, I have just rubbed the meat with olive oil and used salt and pepper to season it. It is absolutely delicious.

Just as when cooking a tri-tip on the grill - let it come to room temperature before you start to cook.

Pre-heat the oven to 425° F.

I used a sheet pan with a roasting rack to cook the meat. It wasn't a set, but they fit together. I didn't want the meat to sit in its own juice and fry, so the rack kept it up off the bottom of the pan.  (Personally, I like to line the pan with aluminum foil to help make clean-up easier.)

Center the pan and rack with the tri-tip on the center rack of the oven - fat side up. The fat will drip nicely down the sides and keep basting the meat. Set the timer for about 30 minutes.Tri-tip in the oven.

Just like with the grill recipe: NO Poking, NO Flipping, No cutting yet. The juice is all in there, it's not going anywhere.

Check the meat after 30 minutes to see how it's doing. It should barely spring back when you touch the thickest part. It should still be rare in the center, but it should have a nice brown crust on the fat. You can let this go a little longer if you like. But at the point I get a char on the fat, I flip the meat ONE TIME.

Cook it on that rack another 10-15 minutes. Then, take it out and tent it with aluminum foil and let it rest about 5-10 minutes. Slice it across the grain for maximum tenderness. It should be delicious.

Since I used the oven, I wrapped a couple of potatoes in foil, with a little butter, and baked them with the tri-tip. By the time the meat was done, the potatoes were too.

Just be kind to your meat. Don't stab it or poke at it. Don't flip it every two minutes - let it cook! What did your meat ever do to you?

 

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Tri-Tip: Trimmed or Untrimmed?

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You want to cook Tri-tip? You gotta find one first.

January 24, 2011

Every one of the 98 million head of cattle in the U.S. has two tri-tips just hanging there ready to be grilled. That’s a lot of tri-tip. So why are they so hard to find in your area? If you want to know the reason you can’t find tri-tip locally, read on. If you’re just [...]

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