Comparing Wine Prices Between Cost Plus World Market and Total Wine

Cost Plus ​World Market is a retail store that sells items across multiple categories including furniture, gifts, decor, food, and wine. One of the many draws to World Market is their wine and beer offerings. Unlike other wine retailers, World Market offers a discount when purchasing a minimum of four or more bottles of wine. This deal can include any bottles in the store or a specific style of wine such as rosé. Typically, the discount is 20% off the current price of a bottle. A few times a year, World Market will offer up to 30% a case of wine. 

On July 7th, 2019, Ashley and I visited World Market and bought a couple bottles of wine with a 20% discount. Some of the bottles we got were on sale as well. The pricing on the receipt made the deal appear too good to miss. However, I wanted to compare the final price per bottle against a low-cost competitor.

Bottles purchased at World Market

The large retail wine competitor in my city is Total Wine. They carry a large variety of wine bottles from all over the world. I like Total Wine because they almost always have what I am looking for or carry an applicable substitute. The only time I have issues at Total Wine is when I walk in without a plan and get lost roaming the endless aisles.

While not all wines carried at one store can be found in another, I was able to find pricing for three bottles purchased at World Market. These bottles were Line 39 Cabernet Sauvignon 2017, Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2017, and Masciarelli Montepulciano 2016. We have had the Line 39 and Santa Julia before, but the Masciarelli was one Ashley wanted to try.
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Price Comparisons
The Line 39 Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 at World Market was on sale for $11.74. After applying the 20% discount, the final price came to $8.99. According to Total Wine's website, this wine is available at my local store for $7.99. The total savings would have been $1.00 at Total Wine.

The Santa Julia Reserva Malbec 2017 had a price of $13.99 at World Market. With the 20% discount, the final price came to $11.19. Total Wine sells this bottle for $10.99. However, my local Total Wine did not have it in stock. The potential savings at Total Wine would have been $0.20 cents.

The Masciarelli Montepulciano 2016 was on sale at World Market for $12.49. The final price after applying the 20% discount was $9.99. My local Total Wine sells this bottle for $8.99. I would have saved $1.00 if I went to Total Wine to purchase this wine instead of World Market.

Conclusion
If I had visited Total Wine to purchase these bottles, I could have potentially saved $2.20. While one bottle was not in stock at Total Wine, I would have easily found something else at the same price point. World Market offers a small selection of wines by varietal and region compared to Total Wine. Ashley and I typically have few other options when searching for a specific varietal and price point at World Market. Due to the large selection at Total Wine, we likely would have purchased one or none of the same bottles from World Market. This is because we do not always purchase bottles that we already enjoy. We like to try new regions and brands on occasion.

I believe the biggest takeaway is that World Market's wine discounts are not as favorable as they appear. The prices for each bottle of wine at Total Wine were lower. While Total Wine may not carry every brand or bottle, they offer plenty of options at multiple price points. However, there are still a few reasons I would continue to buy wine at World Market. If my local World Market is more conveniently located, I would continue to shop there. In addition, saving $2.00 is not always worthwhile when time is a factor. I also would continue shopping at World Market if they carried a bottle I enjoyed that was not available at Total Wine. The ability to re-buy something you enjoy is important. Going forward, I will pay more attention to wine prices and where I can purchase my favorite bottles.