Have You Ever Told Off a Beer Store?

Why do you say you miss Arbitrator? What happened to him? Does it have to do with Black Xantus?

 

telling him off isn't going to change the prices. Don't shop there, every dollar you spend in his store is supporting the things you are unhappy with. I will never spend another penny in Eagle Provisions (and i'm still a little pissed i ever bought anything in there) for this exact reason.

 

Yes he is extremely helpful, if he was rude he wouldn't be able to get away with the price gouging. There are plenty of great beer stores in GR with helpful staff and owners who price their products much more reasonably.

 

Yeah the first time I went in and mixed a six pack, which none had price tags, I was shocked. The last time I have been in.

 

Out of curiosity what brewery were you talking about? I have a friend who works at Belching Beaver Brewery and they do not bottle their beer yet. She told me she'll get me some if they ever start bottling.

 

I called out a Beer Store on their pricing for KBS ($10 a bottle) when others in the area were selling it for less. They told me they had to do a lot of things just to get KBS so they felt justified selling it at that price. They have blocked me from making any comments on their Facebook posts.

 

A new beer store opened near me Burlington Wine and spirits, semed a little pricy ($14 for a 4 pack of matilda /sofie) but ok. Then Ommegang Iron throne came out suggested retail $8-$10, picked up one bottle at Gordons in Waltham for $9 but a one bottle limit when I wanted two so I went to get one at Burlington Wine and spirits - asked the price $12, I wanted it so I paid but I told him I thought it was a rip off. that was three months ago I havent been back in but I regularly go to Gordons or Redstones and seem unable to leave without dropping $40 a time for great beers. I voted with my feet and I hope the extra cash he took makes up for the beer I wont consider buying from him again. Now I wont even go near that store - though to be honest the roads there suck for being backed up and congested and parking is a life and death experience.

 

Jesus seriously?
7.99 here.....

 

Singles at $4 are not unheard of and they do have you right where they want you if they are the only bottle shop in town. The local grocery in my town actually offers a national selection but it's not cheap either. I divide my time between the two and can do very well if I just remember to check dates, which eliminates quite a bit from both places.

 

Reasons like that are why I make every effort to only stop by when I people I know are working.

 

On a trip out-of-state, I popped in to specialty bottle shop to buy a sixer on the way to a rehearsal bbq. The owner was stocking newer six packs of the IPA I wanted behind the older inventory. I knew this because the packaging had been redesigned, and a few of the older designs were still on the shelf. Anyhoo, I grabbed a new sixer from the back of the freshly stocked shelf as the owner looked on in disapproval. He even gave me shit about it as he rang me up. I was "Dude, then why did you put it on the shelf if you weren't willing to sell it?"

His loss. I bought $300 worth of beer at another store and shipped it back to VT.

 

Sort of related, but I find that asking a beer store guy for any recommendation, or simply entertaining them, in a mistake for 99% of Beer Advocate users. Let's face it, we usually know what we want more than they do. I'm not trying to sound arrogant here, but I'm recommended stuff all the time that I have little interest in.

 

good people act that way. do your good name a favor. shrug your shoulders and think to yourself "whatever". then leave.
honestly, I can't think of too much that is more trivial than a bad experience in a beer store. i'm not even sure why I am replying as a matter of fact. eh.

 

The title of this thread is: “Have You Ever Told Off a Beer Store?”

You made mention in your post: “Now I have somewhat known and liked this owner for a little bit now…”

From the above I am assuming that you have a ‘relationship’ with the owner, is that a fair statement?

If I have established relationships with business owners (my mechanic, my beer store guy, my whatever) I feel like can have a conversation with them. I personally would not “tell them off” but if there is something which is disappointing (prices out of whack, poor business practices by employees, etc.) I think it is fair to just have a conversation with them. Business owners need to deal with people (customers) all of the time and they should be prepared to deal with customer expectations. So, just talk with the owner and honestly relate your thoughts. He may be receptive and responsive to your concerns and maybe he won’t. If you do not feel as though he is being responsive enough you should take your business elsewhere.

Cheers!

 

This guy has given you a break on some items in the past, and I think that kind of generosity should be taken into account here. It's a douche move to try and get you to buy the higher priced item, but he's a business man first. Getting pissed at a business man trying to get you spend more money is like getting pissed at a dog for eating it's own shit. As disgusting as it is, it's par for the course sometimes.

As such, I don't think it's worth telling off the guy/store at this point. With that said, I think there are absolutely occasions when one should tell off an owner or store. But again, I wouldn't say this is one of them. It would be worth however, to just be straight up with the dude. In other words, "Spare me the sales gimmicks, I have spent enough money in here for you to know that's not necessary."

Ultimately, few acts send a stronger message to a store owner more than taking your business elsewhere.

 

Definitely agree about recommending a beer based off high ABV--one of my pet peeves about trying stuff at a new store is having an employee come up and ask something along the lines of "HAVE YOU HEARD OF DEVIL DANCER, IT'LL GET YOU DRUNK AFTER 2!". I hope I don't look like that much of a noob...

 

First time I visited Siciliano's I told the owner/manager when I walked in that it was my first time in the store and he immediately introduced me to an associate who was like my own personal shopper. She asked me a lot of questions about my preferences and what I've enjoyed in the past. Very knowledgeable and provided solid rcommendatons. Crazy good customer service!! My first stop whenever I visit GR.

 

Being in GR I must know what store you are talking about?

 

All the Michigan beer shops on here, it's disappointing because I have ran into the same thing here in Kalamazoo. I heard a bunch of places were getting Black Note in, I called the local Mega-Bev to see if they would hold me a bottle or two until I got out of work. I stop in with the girl-friend and noticed they had two four packs left and asked if they had a bottle limit, they said 2 so I was fine with that and asked if my girlfriend could buy two as well. They were fine with that and sold me the bottles.

Fast forward, I went down the next day to see if I could find another bottle at Tiffinay's (realizing how damn awesome Black Note is) and the owner comes out and says

"Yes we have some, but it was super limited so I can only sell you one at $10 each, and not your girlfriend because I saw her come into the store with you."

WTF.

I said that I had 'heard' Mega-bev had a two each person limit and what was I supposed to do share a single bottle with my girlfriend? He told me it would be unfair to sell me a bottle and my girlfriend a bottle. This isn't the first time the guy has done this, he marks KBS up to $10 a bottle as well. I told him no thanks and haven't shopped there since. Beer karma as it were though occurred, that weekend Bell's was selling Black Note by the case without too much of a limit at $5.50 a bottle.

TL: DR; Bottle shops sometimes suck, tell them with your wallet by not shopping there and tell your friends as well, they will take notice!

 

I always thought about telling the store near me some tips on how he can better utilize his stock and whatnot when it comes to beer but the one time I told him about trading online all he asked me was how much he can sell certain beer for. He routinely charges at least $5 more for bombers, for example he has last year's batch of kalevipoeg, just he base beer mind you for $28 on the shelf right now. It was available for no more than $15 at many other places. Once he noticed I kept buying 6 packs of batch 9000 as of earlier this year, he had at least 4 cases in overstock as well he took notice and removed it off the shelf cause the bell's rep told him to take off his shelves (why would a bell's rep care about a beer that was released over two years ago?), suffice to say I never believed him and now I can buy a single batch 9000 for $8. I decided its not worth the fight. He doesnt care about beer so he's gonna sell it how he wants to, just move on to the next store and call it a day.