Gordon’s Fine Wine & Liquors

I’m writing this review on behalf of my mother based on the story she just told me of her experience at this particular Gordon’s location.
As a bit of a disclaimer, I am a big fan of the Main Street Waltham location. My girlfriend and I have spoken to the owners before, and they are always friendly, helpful, and willing to place a special order if they don’t have what you’re seeking in stock. My brother frequents the Moody Street location quite often for craft beer and small-​batch bourbon.
My brother’s birthday was yesterday and my mother wanted to get him a Gordon’s gift card after seeing them in the «gifts» section of their website. On Saturday afternoon, she went to the Newtonville location thinking this would be a quick in-​and-​out visit.
Upon her arrival, she went to the cashier and said she’d like to buy a gift card. The cashier told her that they do not sell gift cards. My mother said gift cards can be found on the website, in the «gifts» section. The cashier didn’t argue, but said he had never been told about gift cards before and thus didn’t know how to process her request. He suggested that she go home and come back after his shift since the next person working might have a better idea of how to process a gift card.
My mom explained that if she went home, she would not be coming back. The cashier then called another store, but unfortunately nobody picked up the phone. He then proceeded to look through drawers and found an envelope full of gift cards. I’m wondering if the gift cards were found in the «gifts» section of the drawer.
Despite finding the blank gift cards, he said there were no instructions on how to put money on them. He asked her if she could run some errands and come back later while he attempted to contact somebody at another store. She went to Star Market, bought some groceries, and then returned. When she came back, the cashier said he figured it out and asked how much money to put on the gift card. She told him the amount and placed her credit card on the counter. Unfortunately, he didn’t understand that this gesture typically implies that one would like to pay with a credit card. He said he entered her order as a cash transaction and didn’t know how to reverse the process. He then asked if my mom could go to an ATM and come back with the cash. Out of absolute pity for this poor soul, she obliged.
My brother loved the gift idea, but I have my doubts that there is even any money at all on the card. I suppose only time will tell.
Gordon’s (in Waltham) is definitely a great place to go if you’re looking for a hard-​to-​find Cabernet or vintage Champagne. They frequently have sale prices listed on their website, and their Thanksgiving and Christmas sales are phenomenal. I’m giving 2 stars instead of 1 since I still feel Gordon’s is a fine company. While this may be an isolated incident, I feel that it should be brought to management’s attention.

This is probably the smallest store of all the Gordon’s locations. But just like the others, the staff is both friendly and helpful. The loss of a star is merely due to their size and therefore limitations in variety. They are in the ground floor beneath the Star Market that straddles the Mass Pike in Newton. Plenty of parking in their lot (shared with Star) as well as the Austin St public parking lot across from them.