Transfers between stores

Just found some btls (no, I'm not telling - there are only 2!) that I want to get from Allegheny County to Ardmore. Anyone know if the protocal is to make arrangements through the store that's the 'source' (has the wine) or the 'target' (where I wish to pick it up)?

I've done this before but it's often been a frustratingly lengthy exercise to convince the store personnel that it can be done, and I'd really like to do it by phone which I'm sure will add difficulty.

Thanks,
Kevin

KevinP, I will tell you how but only only in return for one of your mystery bottles ;-)

I like your nomenclature of "source" and "target" stores, so I'll use that here...

I've done this a couple times, and each was different. Once I called the source store, they located the items, took the store # of my desired target, rang me up including UPS shipping cost and took my credit card # over the phone. I got a call from the target store a couple days later and picked up my order without issues. Another time a source store wouldn't transfer anything unless they were contacted by the target store. And one time the target store wouldn't initiate the transfer for me over the phone, they needed me to come in and present my credit card # in person.

Lastly, one time the target store did an inter-store transfer from the source store at no cost and held it for me when it arrived...this took a bit longer but still worked. I haven't tried recently but understand that there is a new $2/bottle charge for this service:

http://www.pawinetalk.com/talk/7_232_0.html

I think to a certain extent your success and/or the amount of hassle you encounter may depend on your relationship -- if any -- with the luxury wine buyer in the target store.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply Mark. If I can get a few minutes to make the call(s) I'll give it a shot and will report back.

I completed two of these transfers recently. Both have followed what store managers have called the "new-rules". Part of these "new-rules" was to no longer take credit card numbers over the phone, so you might need to make a trip to the Target store.

I give target store my credit card info (in person) and they call source store and arrange for UPS transfer. When wine arrives at target store, they call for me to pickup and charge credit card at that time for wine and shipping.

NOTE: I called the source store ahead of time to tell them to set aside the wine with my name on it, and they would expect a call from my target store. In principal this keeps others from grabbing the wine while your target gets the order through. In practice, I did have two of eleven bottles not make it through the transfer. Not sure if the source couldn't count inventory correctly, or if they passed a few bottles to other customers before the transfer.

I completed another transfer this week. Free UPS shipping between stores if total is over $200.

Little update: as I suspected, the new "expedited" transfer process is an additional option, meant to supplement, not replace, the "SlowBoat(tm)" free option we are all familiar with. So nothing's lost, nothing's taken away.

Officially, anyway. I believe it's entirely likely that some stores will resist using the old, free, transfer, and for what are actually decent reasons (no, not the $1/btl): the main reason for this change is the enormous number of problems the PLCB (and ourselves) had with they old transfer system. The new system will be quicker, yes, but it's also designed to increase accountability, with additional checks and records that should help with reliability at both ends of a transfer. Previously, the "source" store had very little incentive to put much effort into the process, and neither the customer nor the "target" store had any way of holding their feet to the fire.

So those of us comfortable with unreliability and very long transit times still have a free transfer option, though I suspect we may have to push a little to get it.