More deals on wine, selling gold

Bargain hunters are a competitive lot. If I write that the lowest prices are at Store X, readers rush to tell me about a low-price leader that I overlooked. At least that's what I hope they'll do. Here are some good tips from readers on the best wine and gold prices.

More low-priced wine sellers

When I compared prices of Twin Cities wine shops recently, I found that Chicago Lake Liquors and Hennepin Lake Liquor in Minneapolis offered the lowest nonsale prices. Several readers from St. Paul said I left out another low-price leader, Morelli's (535 Tedesco St., St. Paul, 651-774-5961, www.morellismarket.com).

Morelli's wasn't included in my original comparison because I was looking only at neighborhoods that had several wine stores near one another, which tends to make the stores more competitively priced. However, after my story ran, I checked Morelli's prices. On the five wines I included in my original comparison, they were higher than at Chicago Lake or Hennepin Lake.

Another reader suggested that I visit Merwin Liquors in Minneapolis (612-529-9639), www.shopmerwins.com) and Maplewood (651-488-1818). Merwin turned out to be a good find. It had prices as low as Chicago Lake on all five wines I checked. With more than 100 sellers in the Twin Cities, missing at least one good seller was inevitable.

Some people also wondered how Costco and Sam's Club would have fared in the comparison. I didn't include them because each of the warehouse clubs stocked only one of the popular wines I compared. A Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay was $10.58 at Sam's Club in Bloomington. Chicago Lake and Hennepin Lake sell it for $9.99. Costco sells the Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio for $17.95. It's $15.99 at Chicago Lake and $16.99 at Merwin.

Getting the most selling gold

Two other readers also said that W.E. Mowrey in St. Paul (1435 W. University Av., 651-646-1895), pays the "highest in the Twin Cities." I didn't find that to be the case when I asked for the price per pennyweight of 14-karat gold. In a phone comparison on Sept. 10, I found that Enviro-Chem still paid the most ($30.89). IPM was paying $30 per pennyweight, and Mowrey was paying $27.80. (When I called, I said that I had only a small amount of gold to sell. If you have a large amount, you should expect slightly higher prices.)

Great upcoming sales

Readers also ask regularly about the best upcoming sales. Here are several worth adding to your calendar.

Odegard's rug clearance, Sept. 28 to Oct. 3, is a true sale in an industry known for inflated prices (219 N. 2nd St., Mpls., 612-455-6100, www.odegardinc.com). Hundreds of unique and contemporary rugs are discounted.

The Thymes warehouse sale for scents and soaps, Oct. 7 to 9, (location to be determined, 612-338-4471) draws huge crowds.