Calling bottle shops to ask for whales

Haha!!!!
Yea, shouldn't it be the other way around? I mean, most whales have the potential of being aged. I don't think we can say that about Zombie Dust!!

 

Pretty much everyone around here knows when these "whales" are supposed to hit. Granted, with beer clubs and preferred customers, along with truck chasers and the guys that sit around the shop waiting for the drop...plenty of the more sought after beers never hit the shelf.

Granted "tickers" are pissed, because its one that got away. The whale hunters are upset because they didn't have the opportunity to pick it up at such and such store. The "preferred" customer is excited because he lands one a day or three after the shipment. No matter what category you fall into, there is never enough supply to appease the masses, if it were do you seriously think we would all go ape shit crazy over the beer?

And to answer the OPs question, no I do not call in search of whales. If I am out and come across one, I know that I have to pick it up, because quite possibly someone else will come in before I even get out of the store and buy it from under my nose. I see finding/searching and drinking whales as a game, its almost like an Easter egg hunt...sure its fun and exciting, but I'm not upset if someone is better at the game than I am, or lands the golden Faberge egg. More power to him.

 

I don't disagree, but there is a point that you want to reward the past long-term clients, as opposed to the POSSIBLY future ones, especially when you as a store only get a few bottles or a case of something an there are hundreds of people asking for it.
We have this discussion on the forums each time a WALE is released. There really is no way to distribute a high-demand, low-supply beer that makes everyone happy all the time. I have places that I'm a regular, on first-name basis with everyone from the owner on down, and I have been shut out of some releases. I have others that I stroll into rarely an randomly and have gotten more than I thought I would of a release.
If I ran a store, if I had some good customers, always in spending money, I would try to put a bottle aside for them assuming they asked ahead of time. I wouldn't necessarily advertise if something was in, but if someone was in store asking, they would get whatever the allotment per customer was. (of the free-for-all set.) I don't think I would lie over the phone, but I would warn the caller that it may not be here when he/she gets to the store. What else can one (of te seller variety) do?
And as a consumer, I try to stay ahead of the releases, and if I happen to be there when it's coming, I'll ask for it, and maybe a couple days after. I wouldn't even consider asking for something weeks or months after release.

 

I live 50 miles from any decent shops, so the phone used to be my friend. Now I just take my chances. I have a couple of stores that might hold a bottle or 2 for me if I ask. I'm retired & I still can't be bothered with this truck chasing shit. There are too many good beers sitting on the shelf begging to be drank & too many other worthwhile things in life to do....

 

what surprises me is that the small stores would even answer the phone? i would screen my calls. give the distro my cell etc etc. lol. I never called a store. I had them lie to my face, I know they lie on the phone....

Not a whale hunter.

 

Yeah totally this. I've definitely seen some nauseating chatting up going on (wouldn't be surprised to see some of these guys wearing kneepads), but it is possible to strike up a relationship in a natural way, without having to be an extrovert.

I'd been going to the same store for a while, when one day I asked the beer guy a genuine question about a beer I hadn't tried before. Anyway - he's a cool guy and we chatted a bit and now we often shoot the shit about beer events/releases going on in the city, and sometimes he does hook me up with something cool. But I absolutely don't expect it, or ask for it, and whether I get the odd cool bottle or not, it will have no bearing on whether I talk to him or not.

 

I agree with this 100 %. I used to go to a certain bottle shop in SF until the guy started getting all secretive with his releases, hiding stuff in the back (even pliny!) and only giving it to his "friends" or people that bribe him with bottles or cans of heady topper. He also jacks the prices up on things like cantillon (selling st gilloise for 55 bucks if I remember correctly). Anyways, I digress but as you say the sercet society crap is ridiculous. Put it on the shelf and let the people who do the research buy the damn beer.

 

I'm pretty sure that's an old Pogo cartoon, "We have met the enemy and he is us". RIP Walt Kelly.

 

There is a difference to me between the people that call and inquire every once in a while, and beer poachers.. those folks that call every store in a state and try to reserve as much of a limited release as possible. They're hoarders.. I will never lie and tell them we don't get the beer (I WANT people to know we're getting allocated beers, means maybe they'll start coming in regularly), but I WILL tell people that we received a limited quantity and have it set aside for our regulars. It is frustrating though, usually pretty obvious when someone calls looking for whales and has never even been to the store before.

 

Must be painful to deal with rare releases like bourbon county where you sale out 10 cases at 20$ a 4 pack in 30 min and make more money in that 30 min than you did all week man that's tough work. Lol.

 

I bet Tj's will have Vintage Ale around for at least the next month.

 

I used to work in the restaurant business [pre internet] and it drove me crazy when people would call in the morning and ask about dinner specials. Hell, it wasn't even lunch yet. Worse yet was when people would call and ask "what's on the menu" like they wanted you to read it to them. The biggest problem with calling a store is that it takes someone away from the store floor. When I'm at the counter of a store, beer or otherwise, and the person who is helping me answers the phone and pays more attention to that person on the phone than me, I'm likely to leave my purchase right there and walk out. It's rude as hell to answer the phone while you're helping someone else. I do understand when the store is many miles away and you don't want to waste your time or gasoline going to that store. But hell, if you're going somewhere near there anyway, pop in. You might find something you weren't looking for.

 

Right on to this

 

Haha, touche...

Breweries release x amount of beer and we the consumers create x-level of demand for it. IMHO, the vast majority of shops are trying to do there best to make everyone happy and it's a lose lose situation. Whether it's the extroverted regular, the shy regular, the truck chaser, the guy with limited cash, or the guy who can't leave work in the middle of the day - someone and often multiple of those groups are going to be pissed.

It's us the consumers who have the unrealistic idea that a retailer should cater to our specific individual needs. Find a shop who does cater to your needs and forget about the other ones, but don't getting all pissed and offended over it. In the end they're trying to make right of a losing situation (I'm speaking of customer satisfaction, not making money).

 

My attitude on retailers hiding beers from patrons and making some purchases "regulars only" is that if you don't want to sell to me, that's fine, because I don't want to buy from you. You'd rather lie to me than make a sale? Alright then, to hell with ya.

That's not the fault of the minimum-wage cashier though. If you are going to call, don't take it out on them. Call and ask, but be very polite and realize that this poor man/woman on the other end of the phone has probably answered this question 10 times already today. Just thank them for their time, apologize for asking a question they're probably sick of answering and move on to the next phone number on your hunt. You'll make their day better by showing them there are those of us out there who understand what they're dealing with, and you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you're not an asshole.

 

Ill call my regular beer stores once a week and see what's landed . I'm in there at least twice a week and usually know what's coming out and when the deliveries are but sometimes the distributor will drop things off on the side so its good to call here and there. I have found that the smaller beer stores (at least here in Jacksonville) Usually don't care about the questions because they understand and appreciate the business . Most of the beer stores here know me and my buddy's pretty well because we spend a lot of time and money in their stores, lol, so they will usually set a bottle or 2 aside for us as soon as it comes in. I guess that just goes along with building a good relationship with the owners/employees , Most of the big corporate stores could really care less because to most of them its just a job (wich is fine) and they don't really care about the craft beer community (wich is also fine it is a business after all) ,so to them its just more of a pain (because they make huge profits anyways regardless). Point being , find a good store and establish a relationship with the owner/employees and those hard to get beers may become a little less harder to acquire.

 

It depends on if they get more shipments. I cleaned out my TJ's of the Vintage Ales they had left

 

To someone who mentioned the restaurant business...

I am a "regular" at a local restaurant. I know the owners personally (meaning before they opened the restaurant).

1. I might get a round of drinks comped, but that is it.
2. I don't expect special treatment in any way because I am a regular.
3. If I sit down 10 minutes after someone who eat there for the first time and they order that last surf and turf special, guess what? Tough cookies for me. There is plenty else to order on the menu.
4. Would I EVER expect the owner/wait staff to tell the people that may or may not have heard on Yelp or Facebook or something about a good special and decided to try it out that the surf and turf is sold out, when really they are holding some in the kitchen for "regulars"? C'mon man. No way.

 

Exactly!

Store keeps it in the back for regulars - BAs get pissed at the exclusivity
Store announces on fbook - BAs get pissed that their secret spot got blown up
Store has a one bottle limit - BAs get pissed they can't buy more
Store puts it on the shelf with no limit - BAs get pissed that the first person there is able to clean them out
Store charges more - BAs get pissed at being "gouged"
Store makes limited release available on the weekend - night shift / student / unemployed BAs get pissed
Store makes limited release available on a weekday - 9-5'er BAs get pissed
Store is honest on the phone - BAs get pissed that a "hoarder" from 50 miles away gets a shot
Store is dishonest on the phone - BAs get pissed at the injustice

I would personally hate to manage a beer store

 

I wouldn't. The amount of "BA'ers" who show up at most beer stores is a drop in the bucket compared to the people who just want a case of bud, a simple red wine, or some tequila to go with their margaritas they are going to be mixing up later in the evening.