More than a Store is a regular column that delves into the experiential side of grocery retailing.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — I told my friends that the Giant Food on Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C., might need to become our new happy hour spot. I’ve shopped at that store several times, but recently I headed over there specifically to check out the location’s in-store bar — and see if a “sip and shop” significantly impacted the trip.
While the concept isn’t new, as this Giant Food location has had an in-store bar since 2014, offering booze on tap at supermarkets has become more popular in recent years, with grocers like Publix, Mariano’s, Whole Foods Market and Harris Teeter jumping on board. Heinen’s newly opened store in Naperville, Illinois, features a Sip and Shop that offers wine and draft beer on tap, with $5-a-glass options. Even convenience stores are toasting to boozy options with Rutter’s opening two c-stores this past spring that feature a 21-and-over bar and lounge.
The first thing I noticed when I arrived at the store around 4 p.m. on a Monday was that some of the shopping carts had cupholders — a great solution to what could have been a logistical challenge of trying not to spill wine while bagging produce.
The cupholder perfectly held the glass of Whitehaven Sauvignon Blanc that I got at the bar. Browsing through the store, I felt like the cupholder secured my glass, but I still found myself pushing the cart slower and more gingerly than normal out of fear that the wine would slosh around and leap out of the glass.
While I’m a mission-driven shopper who usually goes to grocery stores armed with a shopping list, the slower pace I went at because I wanted to savor (and not spill) my wine led to a surprisingly longer grocery trip than I’m used to. I could have spent 10 to 15 minutes grabbing the seven items on my list, but instead spent more than 40 minutes in the store.
As I enjoyed the dry wine’s citrusy notes, I decided to peruse aisles I didn’t need to visit for my shopping list and, as a result, put some Halloween decor in my cart, including a card featuring a kitten in a costume. The leisurely browsing also helped me remember to grab an item that I had forgotten to put on my shopping list: cat litter bags.
The bar is open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily, except for Tuesdays, and has a wide selection of wine as well as beer and cider on tap, including Shock Top, Stella Artois and an IPA from local microbrewery Evolution Craft Brewing Company. For $6.60, my glass of wine was a generous pour that would cost roughly twice as much at a typical bar or restaurant in the city.
The bar is conveniently located to the right of the entrance and includes about a dozen chairs. Several people were sitting there when I ordered, and I finished my glass of wine at one of the high-top chairs after I got through checkout. Because yes, even after more than half an hour in the store, I still hadn’t finished my drink. A television on the wall in the seating area had on a local news station, and I thought that the seating area could be a draw for folks who need to get groceries but don’t want to miss out on a sports game and a cold beer.
While this Giant Food isn’t the closest grocery store to where I live — there are at least four others that are closer — the bar is definitely a selling point for me to come back and bring some friends. I can imagine myself coming here with friends who live nearby to grab inexpensive drinks and also coming back alone to enjoy another glass of wine while I grocery shop.
Grocery stores are often perceived by people as places to do what is often a very tedious chore: buying food. But in-store bars transform them into a third place outside the home and office and bring a much-needed incentive to slog through a grocery list. Grocers like to talk about “convenience," but have they thought about the convenience of allowing people to socialize and knock out their grocery shopping in the same place?
