In an effort the boost business, the state liquor control board is giving it's more than 600 stores a makeover, starting with customer service.
The state liquor board will now be shelling out $170,000 to beef up their employees' customer service skills. The question is, do liquor store customers want to foot the bill?
Hawa Re and Mark Story of East Stroudsburg said you can't beat the service at Wine and Spirits in the Pocono Plaza.
"They are always willing to help people bring the wine, to help the disabled, help everybody. Whatever you need. You just ask them. If they don't have it they will order it for you," Story said.
Which is why the couple is surprised to hear the workers there and at every state liquor store will now be required to take customer service training.
The state liquor board said the hope is to make their 4,000 employees more approachable and more knowledgable and in turn, make them better salespeople.
"I think it is a great idea. If people want to try something different they are going to know that someone is knowledgeable enough that they will get better ideas," said Lou Snyder of Portland.
However the price tag for customer service training makes some shoppers weary.
"I think the custumer service at liquor stores is fine already. As far as spending more money on it doesn't seem profitable. It's more or less in this economy, this recession, no it is not a thing to do." said Anthony Nunez of Stroudsburg.
"I think they don't need to be spending that kind of money just to help the customers because they are doing a great job already," said Benjamin Woten of Stroudsburg.
There is more to this story. A top liquor control board employee is married to the president of the Pittsburgh company which was hired to train the state store workers.
The state liquor board sid that official had "no influence" on the training contract awarded to her husband's firm.
The state liquor board will now be shelling out $170,000 to beef up their employees' customer service skills. The question is, do liquor store customers want to foot the bill?
Hawa Re and Mark Story of East Stroudsburg said you can't beat the service at Wine and Spirits in the Pocono Plaza.
"They are always willing to help people bring the wine, to help the disabled, help everybody. Whatever you need. You just ask them. If they don't have it they will order it for you," Story said.
Which is why the couple is surprised to hear the workers there and at every state liquor store will now be required to take customer service training.
The state liquor board said the hope is to make their 4,000 employees more approachable and more knowledgable and in turn, make them better salespeople.
"I think it is a great idea. If people want to try something different they are going to know that someone is knowledgeable enough that they will get better ideas," said Lou Snyder of Portland.
However the price tag for customer service training makes some shoppers weary.
"I think the custumer service at liquor stores is fine already. As far as spending more money on it doesn't seem profitable. It's more or less in this economy, this recession, no it is not a thing to do." said Anthony Nunez of Stroudsburg.
"I think they don't need to be spending that kind of money just to help the customers because they are doing a great job already," said Benjamin Woten of Stroudsburg.
There is more to this story. A top liquor control board employee is married to the president of the Pittsburgh company which was hired to train the state store workers.
The state liquor board sid that official had "no influence" on the training contract awarded to her husband's firm.
