The Top 10 Questions Liquor Store Customers Actually Ask (With Model Answers)

The same ten questions get asked in indie liquor stores every day, in roughly the same order. If your staff can answer all ten well, you have a meaningfully better store than the one across the street. This is a training resource — print it, put it in the break room, hand it to new hires on day one. The model answers below are how I would answer if I were behind the counter on a Friday night.

These are the questions I have heard most across two years of operator conversations and watching kiosk conversation logs. Memorize the answers; the basket lift adds up.

1. "What do you have under twenty bucks that's good?"

The most common single question in the store. The customer is telling you they want a recommendation, they have a budget, and they are trusting you not to embarrass them.

Model answer: "What are you drinking it with — or is it just for tonight?" If they say red wine, point to a $15-17 Argentine malbec. White, point to a New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Bourbon, an Evan Williams Black Label or a Buffalo Trace if you have it in stock. Tequila, an Espolòn or El Tesoro Blanco. Two-sentence reason and move on.

What not to do: Recommend something just because it has a high margin. Customers can tell. They will not come back.

2. "What pairs with [thing they are eating]?"

Covered at length in the wine pairing post. Three questions: protein, weight, budget. One bottle, two-sentence reason.

Model answer for steak: "Argentine malbec at $15 is the easy answer. If you want to spend more, a Cotes du Rhone in the $25-30 range gives you more complexity and still pairs perfectly."

Model answer for sushi: "Dry Riesling or a gruner veltliner. Both are crisp, light, and won't overpower the fish. Sake is also great if you want to go that direction — we have some at $20."

Model answer for pizza: "Chianti is the classic, around $15-18 for something solid. If you want a beer instead, an Italian lager works just as well."

3. "Is this worth it?"

Customer is holding a bottle and looking at the price. They are asking if the bottle delivers what its label promises. This is a credibility question, not a wine question.

Model answer: Be honest. If it is overpriced for what it is, say so and offer an alternative. "Honestly, that one is overpriced for what you get. For five dollars less, the [other bottle] is the same quality." Customers will trust you forever if you do this even once. Do not protect a bad bottle's margin at the expense of your trust.

If it is fairly priced: "Yeah, that's a solid bottle. The producer makes consistent stuff and at that price you're getting what you pay for."

If it is a steal: "That's actually one of the best deals in the store right now. Take it."

4. "Do you carry [specific brand]?"

The check-the-shelf question. Most clerks point. Better clerks know whether the brand is in stock without looking.

Model answer: "Yes, aisle three, second shelf from the bottom" — said while looking at the customer, not the shelf. If you do not have it: "No, but I have [closest substitute] which is similar in style and a few dollars less. If you want, I can order [the original brand] for you — it usually comes in within a week."

The kiosk version: This is exactly the question an AI assistant answers without anyone losing face. Customer asks the screen, screen says yes or no and points to the aisle, customer moves on. No clerk interrupted.

5. "What's a good gift bottle for someone who likes [whiskey/wine/tequila]?"

The gift question is high-stakes for the customer and high-margin for you if you handle it well. The customer is buying for someone else and is anxious about getting it wrong.

Model answer: "What does the person usually drink? And what's your budget?" Then pick something one notch above what they would buy for themselves. Single malt scotch in the $50-80 range is the safe gift answer for whiskey drinkers. Reposado tequila in the $40-60 range for tequila drinkers. A nice Napa cab or Burgundy for wine drinkers.

Always offer to bag it nicely or include a gift bag. Customers remember the polish.

6. "What's the difference between [two similar things]?"

The "I want to learn but don't want to feel dumb" question. The customer is asking about two bottles or two categories — bourbon vs. rye, sauvignon blanc vs. pinot grigio, blanco vs. reposado tequila.

Model answer for bourbon vs. rye: "Bourbon is sweeter, vanilla and caramel notes, made mostly from corn. Rye is spicier, more pepper and cinnamon, made mostly from rye grain. If you like Manhattans, rye. If you like sipping neat on the rocks, bourbon is usually friendlier."

Model answer for sauvignon blanc vs. pinot grigio: "Sauv blanc is more punchy — citrus, grassy, sometimes tropical. Pinot grigio is more neutral, easier-drinking, less assertive. If you want something that wakes up your palate, sauv blanc. If you want something quiet that goes with everything, pinot grigio."

The framework: Two-sentence comparison, then a use-case recommendation. Never lecture. Never use words like "terroir" or "viticulture."

7. "Is this on sale?" or "Are there any deals right now?"

Customer is price-sensitive and is opening the door for an upsell.

Model answer: Know your weekly promos cold. "Yes — that one is $3 off this week. Also, the [adjacent product] is buy two get one. If you're stocking up for a party, the case discount on [wine] is the best math in the store right now."

The kiosk version: Promotions are a feature your dashboard handles — update the kiosk once and every shopper gets the same accurate answer for the duration of the promo. Forgetful new clerks are the most common reason promos fail.

8. "What do you recommend for a [party / wedding / birthday / wake]?"

Volume question. Customer needs multiple bottles and is asking for help thinking through quantity and variety.

Model answer: "How many people, how long, and is it a meal or just drinks?" Standard rule of thumb — one bottle of wine per two people for a meal-paired event, plus extra for stragglers. Mix of red and white, lean toward whatever pairs with the food. If beer is appropriate, suggest a 30-pack of a domestic plus a 12-pack of something interesting for variety.

For weddings or larger events, walk them through the case discount and offer to deliver if you do that.

9. "Can you ID me?"

Three flavors of this question — the polite under-30 customer, the older customer being defensive, and the borderline case.

Model answer: Always check ID for anyone who looks under 30. State law and your liquor license depend on it. The polite version: "Yep, I check everyone under 30 — it's the law." Do not apologize. Do not skip it because you remember them. Do not skip it because they are with someone older.

For underage attempts: Stop the transaction. Do not lecture, do not engage. "I can't sell to you tonight." That is it. Hold the ID if it is fake (state law varies — know yours).

10. "Do you carry anything from [local / regional producer]?"

This is the question that separates indie liquor stores from chain stores. The customer is asking if you support the local stuff. The answer should always be yes if you can possibly make it yes.

Model answer: "Yes, we have a section for local producers — let me show you." Walk them over. Even if it is just two SKUs, treat it like a section.

If you do not have what they are asking for: "We don't have that one yet, but we have [other local thing]. If you want, I can ask my distributor about getting [the requested one] in." Take their name. Actually do it.

This is the question that builds your local reputation. Indie stores that get this wrong lose to whoever gets it right two blocks away.

How to use this as a training tool

The shortest training plan that works:

1. Print this list. Put it in the break room.
2. Once a week, role-play one question with a new hire during a slow shift.
3. After a month, the new hire can answer all ten without thinking.

If you want to scale this beyond what one manager can do — meaning you have multiple stores or rotating staff — an AI assistant becomes useful. The kiosk handles the questions consistently across every shift in every store. See the solutions for multi-unit operators page for how that scales.

What the kiosk catches that staff training misses

A pattern I have noticed in conversation logs that I will share because it is useful: roughly twenty percent of customer questions in a typical indie liquor store are questions the customer would never have asked a human. They are too embarrassed, too rushed, or do not speak the language well enough to feel comfortable asking.

Those questions become sales when there is a screen to ask. The lift is real and the operators who have run pilots can see it in their basket-size data. If you want to talk through what that looks like in your store, that is what a demo conversation is for.

Frequently asked

What about questions about cocktails or recipes?

Common, especially around holidays. Stock a printed cheat sheet for classic cocktails behind the register — old fashioned, margarita, manhattan, paloma, mojito, espresso martini. Customers will ask what they need to make a margarita and you should be able to answer in five seconds.

Should staff ever say "I don't know"?

Yes, and they should follow it with "let me find out." Honesty plus a plan beats a wrong answer every single time. Then actually find out.

How do I get my staff to actually use the recommendations?

Tie a small bonus to upsells if you can. Or just make it part of the shift culture by modeling it yourself when you are on the floor. Staff copy what they see managers do.

What about questions in Spanish?

Cover the same ten questions in Spanish if you have any Spanish-speaking traffic. Or run a bilingual kiosk so the question gets answered consistently regardless of who is on shift.

How does an AI assistant pick which answer to give?

For Remi specifically, the model is trained on the store's actual catalog and the operator's preferences (price tiers, promo priorities, voice). It does not pick from a generic database of advice. The relevant differences are described in what is an AI store associate.