A customer new to Total Wine & More was excited about the “free chilling” station it offers to make bottles colder right before purchase, though that’s raising a few eyebrows for some.
The video documenting the service from the chain retailer comes courtesy of TikToker ShannenW37 (@shannenw37). That creator’s video, taken from a Santa Rosa, California Total Wine, has received more than 3.8 million views in three days. Though commenters generally shared in what appeared to be the creator’s genuine enthusiasm for the store, a few comments suggested that “free chilling” right before getting on the road with alcohol was a bad idea.
“Perfectly chilled for the drive home,” cracked one commenter upon seeing the progression of the video, which starts with the creator dropping a jug of Tower Vodka into the chiller.
The creator’s on-screen caption read, “First time at Total Wine & More so had to try it,” as she began chilling the vodka and wandered around the store to document some of its offerings. Those included BuzzBalls, a Texas-based brand of ready-to-drink cocktails in distinctive spherical containers; Outer Space Vodka, displayed in a bottle shaped like an alien’s head; and a display of THC-infused drinks.
The creator stated in another on-screen caption, “Loving it here and plan to be back,” showing lots of browsing of the aisles while waiting the requisite time (as logged on an iPhone timer) to complete the chilling process.
She did have one complaint, though: Being persuaded into buying Tower Vodka. Yet another on-screen caption in the video stated, “I know what you are wondering … where is the Tito’s? I was trying the manager’s recommendation. Won’t be doing that again.”
@shannenw37 #totalwineandmore @Total Wine & More #localinfluencer #vodka #cheers ♬ Turn Down for What – Dance Hits 2015
In a prior Daily Dot story, a bourbon expert criticized Total Wine for a number of things, including, “They will push what is their own branded inferior products over what I think are better products.” The story included a number of reviewers having issues with a couple of brands that Total Wine recommended, namely Wolcott and Chestnut Farms bourbon brands.
Several commenters accused Tower Vodka, from Texas-based Dynasty Spirits, of having a similar arrangement, and someone on the r/vodka subreddit on Reddit answered a query about it by claiming, “It’s one of those Total Wine liquor store Spirits Direct brands.”
A review from Honest Booze Reviews accused it of aspiring to be a “knockoff Tito’s,” adding, “We are here to say that at least Tito’s can mix halfway decent and doesn’t cause literal wincing if drunk straight. That is not the case here, and despite the awards on that little tag (all suspiciously from 2017 in what seems like a media blitz/payoff) we can assure you that if there is a ‘debate’ of Tower vs Tito’s – Tower is the loser. However if that’s the fight – maybe try – a better vodka altogether?”
But at least one commenter on the video suspected something was up, noting, “Total Wine is always pushing Tower in Delaware for some reason.”
Another said, “I have also been told at total to get tower instead of titos.”
That led the creator, who The Daily Dot has reached out to via TikTok comment, to say, “Seems suspicious for sure.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Total Wine via email.
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