cheers: for all the times you got boozy on the bitty.
Whether kicking up your heels with the girls to have a kiki, or indulging in a soul-soothing solo “me party“, getting tipsy on the cheap is always a treat. Specialty retailer Trader Joe’s has been the savvy shopper’s go-to when wine is on the menu. They’ve cheaply boozed up people and parties across thirty states coast-to-coast for over a decade.
While the gourmet grocer continues to share a wide selection of economical varietals, the store’s catchy Two Buck Chuck, er Charles Shaw Wine that is, will no longer sell for a mere two bucks anywhere in the U.S. Wine lovers in Cali were the last to enjoy the bargain brand at its popular price, while in s
ome regions it has already been dubbed Three, and even Four, Buck Chuck.
“Until now, Californians have only had to fork over $1.99 to pay for a bottle of the wine whose low price was made possible in part by a glut of California grapes. Trader Joe’s told the Los Angeles Business Journal this week that the wine would now cost a whopping extra 50 cents, making it Two-And-Half Buck Chuck, ” LAist reported, noting that the Monrovia, California-based grocer sells about 5 million cases of Bronco Wine Co.’s Charles Shaw each year, and over 600 million bottles since it hit shelves.
“We’ve held a $1.99 retail price for 11 years. Quite a bit has happened during those years and the move to $2.49 allows us to offer the same quality that has made the wine famous the world over,” Trader Joe’s spokeswoman Alison Mochizuki explained to the Business Journal.
Okay, so charming ol’ Chuck for less than five bucks isn’t the end of the world, but it’s definitely the end of the I’m going to get drunk for the same price as a Sunday newspaper, era. There was a special ring to that alliterative alias and a certain feeling in the air upon procuring it. Two Buck Chuck, you will be missed. Cheers. —Casandra Armour
