Blanchards Liquors

I will be shopping at the Brookline Liquor Mart minutes away from this location on Commonwealth Avenue and far more friendly without all the parking hassles.
My car got towed while I was in the store because they did not announce my car or I didn’t hear them, but regardless, when I went out to the lot and saw my car being towed, I came back in and asked the manager to call the towing company to explain to them that I was in the store and the manager declined to do so and his reason was because he has never spoken with the towing company ever, so of course it makes sense for him to not do so since who cares about the truth and doing what’s right at Blanchard’s Liquors. Or try to do the right thing. Also, the manager tried to lie to me on what his name is at end of the call «if I have any complaints» when he clearly told me his real name at the beginning of the call before knowing the reason behind my call. Nice try Matt, or should I say Jason.
Key lessons as told by the Simpsons:
Just an example of the unreasonable person employed at Blanchard’s Liquors.
With that being said, it’s a good place to buy bulk alcohol from and good selection of wines if you know what you’re doing, but their sommelier know very little about what they offer, you’ll have a better luck googling it.

wow im am reading the reviews down here seeing people get very upset alcholic much? lol anyway walked in here very big store a lot of liquor’s, beer’s, and wine’s for to choose from. me personaly i am a big fan of malt liquor which they had a great selection of. even checked out the wine and vodka just FOR fun! was not intimidated in here because everyone drinks while working at liquor store! i had no problem with my id and even tried to get the girl’s number who was working there because of confidence boost just form atmosphere of the store! she was polite but probaly wont get a call soon i get it. got 3 olde enlgish 40’s and was out the door to concert. was enjoyable and will buy alcohol again here when i return. allie if your reading this please answer my texts

This is a good place with lots of selections, from beer to wine, to hard liquor. The price is fair, especially being in a college area, this is really not bad at all.
There’s also parking so you don’t have to rush shopping for your booze, most places in the city don’t offer you that.
I don’t think the customer service is as bad as some make it seem. It’s a liquor store in a college, so you can’t expect it to be some fantastic six star service where they pour wine for you to try and walk around with you. Most people already know what they want, come in, browse around, grab their drinks, and be done. So I don’t expect much from a liquor place.
I always end up finding exactly what I need here and they have never given me any trouble.
One thing I do have to say is that they’ve put up some cement blocks to divide their lot from the public lot next to them. I have to say that was kind of a bad move because it creates inconvenience for those that are trying to access the public parking lot. When I come in to shop, I always have to wait in long line because those cement blocks are creating such a hazard! I understand that Blanchard’s is probably sick and tired of people parking in their lot and not shop there, thinking it’s a public lot. However, you can’t create traffic just because of that. It really inconvenient the shoppers that are trying to park, as well as those that aren’t shopping there but want to park next door! Blanchard’s, you should remove those annoying blocks.

I just briefly read through a couple of reviews by other people and I am surprised to read that a lot of people complained about their customer service. I am genuinely not trying to be snarky but this is a liquor store… you can’t be complaining about their level of customer service! Of course its going to suck!
I like Blanchard’s because of the variety of beers this store carries. The only other competitor I can think of is Wegman’s on Route 9 but if you don’t have a car, that place is a pain the butt to get to!
As far as price is concerned, yes they do overcharge but honestly it is not that outrageous. Considering the location, parking space, and the availability of different selection they have, I would actually argue you are actually getting a pretty great deal.
If you want variety, then definitely check this store out. If you are just looking to buy some crappy beer and bottles to get you through the night, I suppose you might be better off going to a nearby local liquor store.

I used to come here often because of location and parking. Great selection of wine and beer, however it is all blatantly overpriced. The wine guy is helpful and nice but pretty much everyone else is not helpful at all. The beer guys hide in their little alcove and are not helpful with suggestions. It’s like a tree fort where you need to know the password for them to treat you like a person.

I had a very bad experience here. As many of the people already mentioned, the store had a big problem in customer service. We had a problem and went to ask the store manage Tyler for help. He was basically helpless and keep defending himself and the company. Apparently he only wants to keep his job but did not want to think for his customers. I know a lot of people may like the convenience of this store, but I strongly recommend you to avoid the store because you cannot go to a store which doesn’t think for its customers.

Call me a bitter college grad, but I am not willing to pay their prices. OK, maybe back then, it was cool to buy booze at this hip and happening joint right in Allston, but nope, not anymore. The staff is pretty unhelpful — I mean, most of them avoided eye contact and walked away to pretend to be busy with the new inventory. I mean, you can’t beat the convenience, but I’m willing to go elsewhere for booze.

My negative rating is due to a negative experience I had with the keg deposit policy.
BE CAREFUL ABOUT GETTING BACK YOUR DEPOSIT ON KEGS!
I paid a $ 40 deposit on the keg on my credit card, and was told that anyone could return the keg to the store. My girlfriend returned it, and the employee told her she was ‘all set’.
No mention whatsoever of their very strange deposit policy: you have to take the sticker off the keg and bring it to the register to get a deposit back IN CASH. He took the keg from her, sticker and all, told her she was all set, and walked off to put the keg away. What would you assume in that situation?
I had assumed that since the deposit was charged to my card, it would be returned to my card, as is usually the case with all deposits! But when I asked the manager about this, he said they returned deposits in cash. They keep no record of kegs going out/​in except for the sticker they put on the keg. Which, again, they made no mention of when my girlfriend returned the keg.
My guess is the guys who work there don’t mind making a quick buck on the ignorance of the customers who aren’t careful to ask about getting their refund back. When I came in later to ask about it they were not at all surprised, like this sort of thing happened all the time.
I accept responsibility for being too trusting about getting the deposit back; I’m sure they do this all the time, and had I returned it myself and asked about it, they would have come clean. But I believe these guys have an obligation to explain their rules clearly, ESPECIALLY at the time it is being returned. Instead, an employee took advantage of these hidden rules to make a quick buck, and the manager was completely indifferent (and actually kind of a prick, I wasn’t asking for him or being aggressive, and he was loudly saying how he didn’t like dealing with problems as he walked over…)

The closest liquor store from my apartment. Compared to other liquor stores in this area, they got a huge selection of booze, and their price is very decent. Yet, I am not a fan of this store simply because of the staff. I mean they are alright, but it seems like they don’t know what customer service means. That’s OK. As long as I can get my booze for decent price and get out of this store quick.

Although it’s a pain in the ass to get to (central location but highly trafficked area), you just can’t beat the prices in the surrounding area. The variety is also terrific. And it has its own parking lot, although it’s often jam-​packed during peak hours.

I actually think this is a pretty decent store. The prices have never been astronomical, as most college-​area liquor stores are apt to charge, and the selection never leaves you wanting more. Because… what more is there? There’s high-​end and budget-​friendly all under one roof here.
Don’t turn your nose up at the lower sticker priced bottles of wine, though — you’d be surprised by how much you end up liking brands like Barefoot, Flip Flop (you don’t even need a corkscrew!), and Cupcake. They’re like a more chic (and tastier) Yellow Tail.
At any rate, the parking lot is definitely tiny — but at least they have one (more than I can say about a lot of places in Allston). And they make me feel a little better by checking IDs at the door.
A solid choice through and through.

So I live next door to the smaller Marty’s and I dig it. However, Blanchard’s is on my walk home. I like the $ 3.50 tall Woodchucks but yeah the service is kinda sketch? And I feel super awkward after being hit on by an employee?
There’s a lot of variability in pricing in the area so if you have a favorite booze, you’ll figure out what’s best. Marty’s works for me on some brands of cider, but Blanchard’s pulls through with the big ol’ bottles of cider. They definitely jack up prices on the fashionable brands of booze but if you actually know your stuff you’ll get a deal (umm $ 26 for a handle of Russian Standard? versus $ 35 for a handle of Absolut? LOLOLOL)
Anyway, yes, Blanchard’s has a reputation for stealing credit card numbers. I’m waiting to see if I end up screwed like the many others, but I know that a number of agencies are scoping the place out watching for any uncouth employee behavior with transactions.

What a great liquor store. I used to work at a large liquor back home and this place simply reminds me of a better-​run version of that store. For starters their kegs of cheap light beer are cheaper than water (when will Boston kids figure out that kegs are the way to go?), they have a huge walk-​in freezer with plenty of inventory, and they have every beer/​liquor you could think of reasonably priced.
It is also noteworthy that on weekends they check your ID at the door regardless of your age and that the parking lot is a borderline demolition derby. Getting out of the parking lot is pretty difficult for the out-​of-​towner so it may be best to walk here.
NOTE: I’ve never heard of the supposed credit card theft that is occurring here and have shopped here consistently for the last three years without issues so I’m either really lucky or the issue has been resolved.

I don’t understand why people still shop here. THEY STEAL YOUR CREDIT CARD NUMBERS!!!
People need to stop shopping here and put this fraudulent operation out of business.

This is THE ULTIMATE, quintessential college liquor store — here’s why:
They card at the door so you don’t get held up in line
EXTENSIVE selection of liquor and beer
Multiple check-​outs
LONG hours
TIP: Have your ID ready; they check at the door.
**ALERT: Other reviews have suggested ID theft at this store, so maybe pay in cash…

DO NOT use your credit card here. Credit cards numbers scanned here are apparently being sold:

Cash Only.

One of the bigger liquor stores I’ve been. Excellent booze variety from wines, beers, and hard liquor. Prices are decent. Too bad is pretty far from where I live if not I’d definitely come more often!

Blanchard’s is an enormous (by my NYC standards) liquor store, carrying almost everything you’d want when it comes to wine, beer and liquor. Most importantly, they’ve got a surprisingly decent selection of bourbon at surprisingly decent prices.
They’ve even got potato vodka which I suppose is kosher for Passover. Because you’re not allowed to drink bourbon on Passover. Because they didn’t have any in the desert.
Which, of course, makes perfect sense.

With liquor/​booze prices sky rocketing at various restaurants nearby in Allston/​Brighton, I find myself coming into Blanchards often to find an abundant selection of various wines, beers, vodkas, rums, tequilas and light drinks (Mike’s, Smirnoff Ice, etc). I never leave empty handed and usually always find what I’m looking for.
I often do wish that they offered a wider selection of «girly drinks», but I can make due with what they have. My most recent purchase were all the ingredients needed for a Midori Sour. Nom!
They have their lot in the back and parking therefore usually isn’t an issue. On busy nights, they often ID upon entrance, and if not, they’ll ID at the register before you check out. The worker that usually helps me check out is very helpful and courteous.
No complaints here!