Have You Ever Told Off a Beer Store?

I recently had a store owner ask me what I thought of his selection. I said I thought it was great, and then told him that my only disappointment was in his pricing. I told him that every single beer he had, whether in singles or in six packs, was exactly $1 higher than everywhere else, including the store a block away from him. You'd be surprised how offended and defensive some people get.

The first time I went in there he had a 750 of Saison out and was showing it to customers, saying it was the best Saison he'd ever had ($14.00 bottle...). I wanted to tell him to stop shaking it and turning it upside down to get the sediment loose - but I didn't have the heart that time, and, some people might be into that I guess...

 

Once I brought a sixer of golden monkey to be rung up and it scanned as fifteen dollars. The cashier said, "fifteen dollars" and I walked out then and there with nothing, never to return!

 

One of my local shops overprices many craft beers. I kinda like it, if I miss out on a release at one of my regular shops, I know there is a good chance this other shop will have them sitting on the shelf over priced. It is then up to me if I want to pay the markup.

 

There's a bottleshop down the street that I go to quite a bit. The owner is awesome but, unfortunately, one of his employees is not. Last year, I brought a bottle of Parabola to the counter and he told me I could only buy it if I bought another bottle in the store. OK....
Then a few weeks back, I was looking for a bunch of Pliny for a trade. I walked into the store and saw that they had just gotten a few cases in. I grabbed four bottles an headed to the register. Unfortunately, the same employee was working and he saw me coming. He stopped me and told me there was a two bottle limit... and I had to buy something else. Son of a... I get a bottle limit (though most places will put some kind of sign up if they have them) but making people buy another bottle? Sketchy... I emailed the owner as soon as I got home and, while he never actually replied to me, that employee has yet to do something like that again.

 

Nope, just don't shop there any more.

 

I will definitely pay a premium for great service and good conversation in my beer shopping. That is mainly because my area is dominated by giants like Total Wine, who have some of the most incompetent people in the beer game. (sorry if that offends anyone who may work at a Total Wine outside of Orlando and is doing good things in their store) That being said I wouldn't trust anyone who recommends a beer based on high alcohol content alone. That screams ignorance. Support the small guys first, but only if they are in the game for the right reasons. Profits are very important but so is proper education of newcomers into this great craft beer world.

 

FWIW that Dark Horse Variety pack was expensive in Indiana. It cost retailers almost $37 per case so that pricing would have been below cost here. Then again, you're in Michigan.

 

damn. Where was that in MA? I have 4 shops off the top of my head that sell it for a little over $12 for a sixer!

 

But thats the thing, i dont mind paying a little more to help a small, well run business stay on its feet. But, the first time I bought Doom was at a store closer to me that's actually smaller and does less volume and they were selling it for $15.99. I'm not trying to condone being a baby about not getting yourway and forcing the mom and pop store to better suite my wishes, but when I see that they have no competition AND are 5 minutes away from a major university where I see college kids coming and going all the time AND I hear the store clerk telling a guy that Palo Santo Marron is 12% so it will get him drunker faster (a very true fact but not the sales pitch I would liked to have used for that delicious beer), I feel it's time to move on: but I could accept that if the prices weren't ridiculous.

Again, not picking on the store, just pointing out it's not an innocent mom and pop sellin beer a little higher cuz they can't compete with the market. Rant over :-)

Cheers!

 

I'm friendly with my beer store guys, but I spend my $ as I see fit.
For example, there's no way in hell I'm paying $11 for a 4pk of Siberian Night at one shop when I know I can get it for $7.50 elsewhere. Having said that, I feel I spend enough at the other shop on stuff not stocked/available elsewhere.

Regardless, if they talk shit after I leave, I don't care.

 

$15.00 is a great pack for the whole 12 pack. Which store and where was it?

 

I've outted a poorly managed liquor store on here before... the manager then joined BA and called me a liar and never posted again because of the backlash.

 

I don't think he did anything illegal at all. Technically, the way I understand it, he could price them at $50 a pop and he wouldn't be shut down or dragged away in cuffs or anything like that. I do think it's kind of a shitty move, though. I realize people run their businesses how they want, but I figure if you want to stay in business, you need to have competitive pricing and honesty with the customers. Telling you that you couldn't get the Dark Horse varieties anywhere else would've elicited an outright laugh from me in the guy's face and would be enough to seriously consider going back there again. I realize it's a sales tactic, and you won't hear an owner say "Well, you can get it down the street for way cheaper", but he could've came up with something else that didn't amount to an outright lie.

Just curious though, where in Michigan are you? By the way you're wording your posts I realize you don't want to out the store in question, but this sounds eerily similar to a place near me in the GR area. The owner's a nice enough guy personally, but the bottles there are a good $1-$2 more expensive than other places, and when KBS hit in 2012, he let me know that he could sell me some bottles a $20 a piece, because "that's the going rate on eBay."

Rishi's a pretty nice and helpful guy, at least when I've been there, but I've outright balked (loudly too, in some cases) when I see the price tags on the beer there, like the time last year I picked up a 120 Minute and it rang up for $18.

 

I used to work as a restaurant manager back in the day, and the owner and I didn't see eye to eye on this issue. He believed strongly in "suggestive selling" and "upselling." Basically, what the cashier tried to do to you with the Gubna, only with things like appetizers, more expensive drinks, etc. My philosophy was you ask the customer what he or she wants and then deliver it. If they ask for an opinion or a suggestion, you give them an honest one, but you never try to force anything on them, even gently. To me, their loyalty and repeat business was worth far more than a higher check on one particular day.

With the store, I don't think you need to "tell them off." You just make it clear that you aren't interested and that you are there to buy the Dale's. If they insist, just smile and say "nope, just want the Dales." They'll get the message.

 

Any clue how much the Doom was?

 

You wouldnt be talking about D schulers in grandville would you? I am loyal to The Copper vine. Always have what your looking for and if they dont Siciliano's will but its a farther drive for me.

 

I have informed the beer guy at one of the stores I frequent that I wanted to buy a sixpack of "X" beer but after checking the date, decided not to. A kinder, gentler way of telling him that some of the beer was outdated, IMO since I did buy something fresher instead.

 

Negative. North of GR.

 

That would have been an excellent sales pitch to the college me (wasn't that into beer then because I didn't know how good it could be and preferred scotch). A high ABV good tasting beer? Hell yeah. Maybe the guy just knows his customer base and is catering to it (though he did misjudge the OP apparently).