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THE STORE
Smiley's has been in business for many years.
There were 3 owners before I purchased the business in 1987. What started
out as a very small convenience store has grown into a large convenience store
with the largest selection of Imported and Domestic Beer in New Hampshire.
When we combined the Deli with the Store, great things happened for our
customers. When you order Food from us you do not have a limited of
selection of beverages or chips to go with your meal. You can choose from
over 100 different flavors,, brands and types of drinks. What makes it
even better is that we deliver it right to your door! We will also deliver
any tobacco product with an order from the deli. Of course proper ID is
required for Alcohol and Tobacco.
The Beer:
Smiley's has the largest selection of Domestic, Imported and Micro Brews in the
State of NH. If NH has approved the Label or Brand, Smiley's has it.
We may not carry every package of an item but we will have a package you can
purchase. Through the years Smiley's has become the Place to Go for that
Rare or New Beer. We have found that our 6 packs and large bottles sell
better than our 12 packs. We carry most popular 12 packs. If there
is a substantial savings we will always bring in the 12 packs. The beer
companies have learned the art of marketing very well but I will leave that for
another day. We are very accommodating when it comes to purchasing your
beer.
Storing and Caring For the
Beer: We take GREAT pride in what we do.
We have NEVER sold a skunked Beer unless it was one of the Fire Sale Cases that
we often get. We take inventory twice a week. Why should we
warehouse the beer for the companies? If prices go up, so what? We
do not order 100's of cases to make a few extra dollars. The price is
going to go up at some point so why have something sit in your store under
lights and heat? Rotation is VERY important to us. We check rotation
when we do our inventories. If something is out of date (sometimes the
better brews are better the older they get) we ask for it to be removed from the
store. All of our beer is kept in the original boxes so it is not exposed
to light longer than it really needs to be. On our shelves in the front of
the store we stock from behind always making sure the oldest package goes out
first. If it is a slow seller we only stock 3-4 bottles leaving the
remaining bottles in the original case.
In the wintertime the bottom floor is NOT heated.
We may turn the heat on to take the Chill out but exposure to the Dry Heat is a
taste killer! Our back storage area also has no heat. This is where
we keep all of the Big Bottles and most of the Specialty Brews.
The summertime is tricky for us because we do not
have Central Air and it gets pretty hot in here. During this time we limit
the amount of Beers we have on our "warm" shelves. The rest is stored in
our backroom which maintains a very comfortable temperature. It has very
few lights and no windows. The Beer stays very FRESH out there.
We try to educate our employees about the brews
that we carry however it's hard to teach a 16 or 17 year old about beer.
Most of the cashiers that we have are not old enough to drink, don't drink or don't
drink beer so it's hard to educate them. I have a few employees that share
the passion that I do about beer and are well informed of products. We apoligize for the lack of knowledge on their end but all of them are trying very
hard.
FAQ'S
1. Why doesn't Smiley's add more cooler
space? It is in our plans but we do what we can with the space that we do
have. We feel that many beer geeks do not want their brew at 40 degrees.
We try to chill the brews that are best drank cold and leave the chilling of
others up to
our customers. In fact, many if not most of our customers ask for their
beer to be at room temperature. In the Wintertime this is about 60
degrees. It is easier and better for the brews if you chill them to the
temperature that you wish to drink them at than to warm them up. I prefer
most of my brews at room temperature as I feel they become more complex and you
will note more flavor to them.
2. Do you charge more for Cold beer?
NO
3. Do you charge more for aged beer?
NO
4. Can we mix a 6 pack? Why of course
you can! In fact we have Special pricing for mixed 6 packs. We do
not charge you single prices but charge you based on the beer you put in your
mixed pack. The average is $8.99
5. Can we mix ANY brews? Yes you can!
We ask that you do not place 4 pack brews in a mixed 6 pack as these are always
more expensive. You can mix all 4 pack beers and all 6 pack beers, just
not together.
6. Why are most of your 12 packs warm?
If you want a cold 12 pack and we don't have one we will take a 6 pack out of
the cooler and replace 6 of your warm bottles for 6 cold bottles. This is
never a problem. We do chill most of the popular brews in 12 packs.
If you are a regular and would like a 12 packs chilled for you at all times,
just ask and it will be done for you.
7. If you don't have a beer that I want
will you order it? Yes! If it's available in NH we will get it for
you. We will also keep you updated on the progress we are making in
obtaining the beer for you.
8. Do you ever have tastings? Yes and
they will be listed on the events page here and on our
Monthly Calendar here. We are also known
to let you sample a beer that you are interested in. We have tastings
most Saturdays 12pm-2pm which is done by myself or my staff. We usually
try the new items that have arrived or some of the more obscure brews that we
carry. Get there early and you can choose the brew you would like to
sample.
9. Can you mix a 12 pack of domestic beer?
Only with the cans because the cost is less. Example would be if you like
Bud and your friend likes Budlight you can grab a 6 pack of each and be charged
a 12 pack Price.
10. Why would you suggest that we purchase
beer from you and not the big box store? First a-lot of our beer is less
expensive than the big box store. We never go out and check pricing
because we know what we have to make in order to keep our doors open. The
Big Box Store does not have the passion for beer that we have. They do it
for the profit only. In fact although Smiley's sells more beer than the
local Box Stores, the bigger beer companies cater to them. How?
First they send an employee in to stock their floor and coolers, even on
weekends. Smiley's does not get a cooler filler AT ALL. All of the
sales are made for the Box Stores! They tell the Beer company what they
want on sale each week (months in advance) and the Distributors and Beer
Companies plan their pricing around them! We used to get coupons then the
companies threw a fit that stores like Smiley's were submitting them! That
is why you see coupons now with a certain amount off Beer with the purchase of
Meat or an item that stores like Smiley's doesn't carry. Nothing like
stomping on the little guy! This is why Smiley's promotes the Micro Brews
so much. They are small companies too and they have a passion about what
they do. It's not always about the bottom dollar! NOTE: Most
of the "FIRE SALE" cases you see at Smiley's has come from the BIG BOX Stores!
We have ran out of many seasonals and have asked them to pick some up at the BOX
STORES but they refuse, so the beer just sits there, getting old. Then
when the BIG BOX store refuses to bring in the new seasonal until the old one is
gone...you the customer get one hell of a deal! Smiley's takes great care
of your beer and we LOVE what we do!
*Submit your questions and we will post them and
the answer here.
FAQ@smileysdover.com
THE WINE:
Smiley's carries a large selection of Wine. Our prices are often lower
than the Liquor Store and the BIG BOX Stores. If you want a certain Wine
just let us know and we will try to get it for you. At this time our Wine
is not chilled however if you are a regular and would like your Wine chilled at
all times just let us know and it will be done. In the Wintertime the
bottom floor where the Wine is located is not heated so they Wine is at about 50
degrees or less. We hope soon to have a cooler just for the Wine.
If you have any suggestions on Wine that you
would like to see Smiley's carry or any questions about our Wine please e-mail
me at lyn@smileysdover.com
FAQ'S
1. Can I purchase a case of Wine from
Smiley's? Yes you can! Let us know in advance (about 2 weeks) of
what Wine you would like and we will have it here for you. Want it cold?
No problem just request that we chill it for you.
2. Need Wine for an affair or a wedding?
Let us know what you need and we will order it for you. Heck we will even
take it to the car for you!
*Submit your questions and we will post them and
the answer here.
FAQ@smileysdover.com
OTHER DRINKS:
Smiley's carries a large selection of Soda, Energy Drinks, Alternative Drinks
and Speciality drinks. We may not have the deals we used to on the cans
but we still give you the best EVERYDAY price that we can. You can thank
Pepsi and Coke for catering to the BIG BOX stores! We have many choices
for you to choose from. We even carry specialty drinks that no one else
does. We have GingerBeer from Burmuda, we have Tonic Water that only the
rich mixes with their alcohol. We can obtain many items that you may not
see in the store at a low price, just request it. We have an everyday
price on water FROM NH! We are looking to expand our selection of the finer
beverages and offer them at reasonable prices.
FAQ'S
1. Can I purchase a mixed case of soda or
alternative drinks? Yes you can and you will be charged a case price.
2. Can I order multiple cases and have them
chilled for me? Yes you can and it will save you a-lot of money on ice in
the summertime.
3. If something is available in NH can I
request Smiley's get it for me? Yes you can and we will beat the company
up for a great price.
4. Will you ship products out of State?
No. The cost would too high for any consumer and you want us to ship
glass?
THE TOBACCO:
Smiley's carries a large line of cigarettes, chewing tobacco and some loose
tobacco. We try to maintain the lowest price however we NEVER check prices
at other stores. Many stores do not except Credit Cards because of the
cost of accepting them. Smiley's had to accept Credit Cards when the they
became so popular a few years ago. The reason we had to accept them is
because of the deli. We do a-lot of business with organizations or bigger
businesses that can only pay by Credit Card. We try to cut the cost for
those that do not use Credit Cards by offering a $1.00 discount on every carton
of cigarettes that you purchase. We often have sales on Marlboro's such as
$10 off a carton. We have never or never will "sell" out to a tobacco
company. We feel that every tobacco company deserves space on our shelves
and when a company demands that you "hide" the smaller companies cigarettes
behind doors we had to say NO. This probably will hurt us in the long run
but we have to stand by our morals at all times!
FAQ'S
1. Why are sometimes out of cigarettes?
There are 2 reasons for this and they are A) Cigarettes are a very expensive
inventory to purchase and carry. We try to order a couple of cartons more
than what we sell but sometimes it just doesn't work out. B) The new
company we have decided to go with takes every single holiday off so our
ordering for that week is always messed up. In fact sometimes we have to
order cigarettes for the next week the day we get our order in! If I had a
crystal ball life would be so easier.
2. If I want a carton every week can I
request you keep it behind the counter? Yes in fact we encourage this!
I have asked the cashiers to try and remember the cigarettes that we are always
running out of but they have a-lot of responsibilities and it is hard for them
to remember. Bring in a note addressed to Lyn and I will make sure your
cigarettes are behind the counter for you when you need them.
3. The FDA has taken over control of the
tobacco industry, what does this mean for the consumer? I have no idea and
I don't think they do either! I am hoping that prices do not go up again.
When the tax increase went into effect a year ago the tobacco companies and the
US Government made twice the money off that increase. I do know that some
advertising inside the store will have to be taken down and that some cigarettes
had to be taken off the market and renamed. As soon as we know something
we will let all of you know!
4. Why don't you sell more loose tobacco
and cigars? If we were jerks we would do that however there is a business
in our complex that sells all of these items. Too bad they don't feel the
same way..... I do carry some because some people feel awkward going in
there and they have requested the items.
5. Why are you so strict on the sale of
lighters and matches? We require an ID for the purchase of these items.
Our thoughts on this is why would a minor need a lighter or matches?
Hmm....
If you would like us to carry or hold any tobacco
product for you please e-mail
lyn@smileysdover.com
OTHER ITEMS:
Smiley's carries a large selection of items that we think people need in a pinch
or would like to purchase. We try to maintain these items however
sometimes we forget to order and they never get on the shelves again. We
are going to change the way we do this so you will see more items that you have
requested or that we feel you need stocked on our shelves. If you have any
ideas please let us know.
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