As an educated buyer, I really enjoy the occasional finds at Lees. The staff is generally pretty ignorant of wine so an uneducated buyer will have a problem and likely be lead to whatever huge allotment needs to move. I think the stores are just a bit too big for good quality control. Tons of white wines and rosés on the shelves well beyond their expiration and brown, but they'll sell them to you and returns aren't always easy. So if you know what you're after/buying, again some great deals and nice finds. Otherwise, it's dangerous. That said, Lees is a great place to get wines with some nice bottle age, whereas Total Wine is ONLY newly released vintages.