Goody Goody Liquor is inviting customers to its newly reimagined Northeast Dallas store, where technology now powers a faster, more efficient shopping experience at the longtime Greenville Avenue location.
The store at 7124 Greenville Ave., which first opened in 1984, has been transformed into the company’s first concept location. Customers browse aisles lined with single bottles of spirits and wines that sparkle behind glass in sleek, black, lighted cabinets, much like fine jewelry in a display case.
Instead of plucking the merchandise off the sales floor to fill their shopping cart, customers scan QR codes with their phones to view product info, size options, pricing, reviews, and real-time inventory, and then build a digital cart. Customers who do not have a cell phone or who prefer not to use their phones can use digital devices available at the store or ask a store employee for assistance to fill their digital cart.
Customers may still need a shopping cart to load up on other items in the store, such as drink mixers, sodas, and snacks, which are all available to self-select. Beer is kept in coolers along the back wall for customers to grab and go.
Once the shopper completes their order, the merchandise in the digital cart is retrieved from the stockroom via an automated system and assembled for pickup at the checkout counter in under two minutes.
The company designed the system and the stockroom workflow with maximum efficiency in mind, David Felan, the Wine and Beer Category Manager, explained. The top-selling 10% of alcoholic spirits and wine are located next to the stockroom agent’s work station within easy reach of the employee.
The next 60%, which make up the majority of products sold in the store, are stored in bins on a multi-story grid in the stockroom and are retrieved by robots.
Customers can watch the action in real time on television screens behind the checkout counter as the robots maneuver through the grid to access the items.
The bottom-selling 30% of merchandise is located just a few steps away from the stockroom employee. Once the order is completely assembled, the stockroom worker tags it with the customer’s name and brings it to the checkout counter.
“This is the biggest leap forward in our company’s history,” said Scott Jansen, president of Goody Goody. “We’ve reimagined what a liquor store can be by combining innovative technology with the service and selection our customers expect.”
The smaller store footprint allows for an expanded, curated selection while helping control rising costs. The result is a more customer-centric experience, as employees can focus on assisting shoppers rather than on stocking shelves.
“We’ve taken people off stocking shelves and put them where they belong, helping customers,” Jansen said.
The company, founded in 1964 and now with 23 Texas locations, is promoting the debut as a technology-forward evolution of its boutique-style approach. GoodyGoody is the first retail store to use this robotic grid system, although large warehouse merchandisers have used similar systems for several years, according to Non-alcoholic Category Manager Cryssie Brooks.
To mark the launch of the new concept, Goody Goody has scheduled sales and events at the Northeast Dallas store Thursday through Saturday.
On Thursday, April 9, shoppers receive 10% off all liquor and beer. A free Spirits from Around the World tasting event runs from 4 to 8 p.m.
Friday, April 10, offers the same 10% off beer purchases, plus a 20% discount on six or more bottles of wine with prices ending in “9.” A free Wines from Around the World tasting is set for 4 to 8 p.m.
Saturday, April 11, brings 500 bonus Bottle Club points with any in-store purchase, the ongoing wine and beer discounts, product tastings all day, and food trucks from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Additional activities are planned throughout the day.
The store is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Jansen said the concept could expand if successful.
