Calling bottle shops to ask for whales

Not walez but I just called a bottle shop 4 hours away and talked to the beer manager and scored a bottle of Single Barrel Foggy Notion from Mothers and a bottle of Sweet Repute , both of these had a one bottle limit and the store which is a high volume store only got a couple cases of each , so making a phone call , being nice can score you some good beer every now and again

 

The bolded part of this quote couldn't be any more spot-on. I don't begrudge stores that hold back stuff for their regulars, but if you think about it, treating the limited stuff like any other beer and putting it on the shelf is the best way to ensure that, *overall*, your regulars will be the ones benefiting by getting to purchase the special stuff. This is especially true if, for something like BCBS, you hold back your allotment and only put it on the shelves a week or so after the OFFICIAL SPECIAL LET'S CAPITALIZE ON BLACK FRIDAY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE release day. And even more true if this is a regular practice. Because your regulars--being regular and all--will be the ones most likely to come in on some random day to see a stack of BCBS sitting on the floor. They will also be aware of the practice of not putting items out on the official release day.

Now, you have to be prepared for the fact that on an *individual* level, some regulars will miss out from time to time--maybe they were out of town that week or got busy at work and couldn't make it in for a couple weeks. But over the long haul, your group of loyal customers will likely benefit more than the randos.

 

I worked in customer service at a grocery store for about 3 years while in school. Yeah, it sucked. I won't deny that customers can be annoying. But being honest and nice to them was part of my job, so I was, even when I didn't want to be.

 

Yep. I've always wondered how "regulars" were sorted. What if I shop at night or on weekends when the beer manager is out? Or when it's busy, or at downtown/metro stores with high customer volume and employee turnover? I might quietly spend double, once a week, what some chatty dude who is in all the time spends... but because I'm not well-known I could get the short end of the stick when it comes to limited releases. And when demand exceeds supply, even among so-called regulars, who gets the beer/info then? What if you have 6 bottles of a sought-after beer and a couple dozen regulars? I guess you have no choice but to up the ante and turn the tables on the beer store, providing them with beer! But then what happens when everyone else catches on and follows suit, and then you have to start overwhelming them with your wales, but then that seems counterproductive...

Idk, I've always been partial to first come, first served with a bottle limit. As to the phone issue, I'm fine with a polite, "Sorry but we have a store policy not to give out special release information over the phone."

 

Then you understand why people bitch about customers as well as why they work those jobs. Being honest is not part of any job my man.

 

I think the policy of not confirming/reserving over the phone makes more sense in an area where beer is more easily accessible. I completely understand the shops wanting to being people in, however for some of us a drive to the bottle shop is a DRIVE! I took a class recently that asked everyone to bring an Anchor Steam in for tasting and around here that wasn't gonna happen. I resorted to calling places that we 30-40 minutes away because I didn't want to drive all the way there only to find out I still couldn't get what I needed. Anchor Steam is by no means rare, but I live in Ohio where West Coast brews are much harder to find. I appreciated the suggestions I was given and ended up making the drive to buy a haul of other brews from the guy who helped me out.

Basically, we aren't all calling to be hoarders or snipers, so I appreciate honesty.

 

Here in Los Angeles it seems like most of the shops post stuff on Instagram or Facebook when they get it. Outside of stores like Total Wine, BevMo, or Wholefoods, there is no reason to call anyone.

 

Employee: we might have a BCBS left
Beer geek: here's a DB Damon, a KBBS and an AB Mexican Cake I thought you might like to try
Employee: just remembered - we do have that BCBS left - you want it?
Beer geek: yeah! You're the best dude - always hooking me up
Employee: you're a regular - we take care of regulars. We might have a KBS left

 

I was at a local spot I don't frequent, because it was my lunch break and this store was next to the restaurant. Walked in checking out there selection, employee asked if I was looking for something. I was simply browsing the beer wall. Friendly chit chat about beer as I looked and he worked. I am very ocd about looking at every bottle just so I don't miss anything. Low and behold buried behind some non descript Belgians was a hidden bottle of Surly SevIIn, I pulled it out and laughed a little. Beer guy then reaches behind some other bottles and pulls out a second one. He offers it to me, I decline telling him to allow someone else the chance to find it. I know this really doesn't have much to do with the subject, other than sometimes we might take things a little too serious and instead of getting upset, just enjoy the experience and wait for good beer karma to come your way.

 

I like that some people assume if there's a part of their job that's annoying to them, then they shouldn't have to do it... I wish I was lucky enough to have a job where I can pick and choose to do only the tasks I enjoy...

 

Pro Tip: Next time you are turned down for a job and/or don't get a raise, this may be why.

Nothing happens in a vacuum. Think you just lied to me and I didn't know it? Maybe. But maybe not, in which case I'll never shop at your store again. For anything.

 

I am a pro at bullshitting people, maybe that's why I have been promoted to manager at every job I have ever worked at, as well as the fact that I have a great set of references. Granted they are low skill places to work. Knowledge of your product and knowing how to express that knowledge with people is the requirement that takes the place of being honest in the workplace.

 

I think people should read Moby Dick again. The whale analogy symbolizes a wasted life of pursuit not a holy grail. And I'm happy to be a Starbuck (no, not the tax dodgers who sell overpriced shitty coffee) amongst all you Captain Ahabs.

 

Consider yourself lucky then. I work tech support, and everything we say and type is recorded. You probably wouldn't get away with stating that last comment in the middle of a deposition LOL...

 

Why would you ever state that last comment at work, that would be honest.

 

I fail to see how this is a problem for retailers...other than they are making it more of an issue than it really is. They get an allotment of "x" beer, they put said allotment on the shelf, they make money when someone buys it. After all they are a business, and what business wouldn't be happy with product flying off the shelf as soon as they can get it out. It's really a consumer problem not a retailer problem.

 

It wa

Lulz It was actually CBS a few years back.

 

It's not that they are asking questions, it's that the same questions are being asked - sometimes by the same people - dozens of times a day.
I have not worked in beer retail, but I did sell guitars. Now, the releases aren;t the same as in the beer world, but when there was a new article in any of the guitar magazines about the newest "latest and greatest" guitar, amp, effect pedal and so forth, we would always get dozens of calls asking if we had it.
The first couple were easy, "sorry, no we don't carry that" but after it's the same conversation over and over and over, it does get frustrating.

 

Interesting. It is the opposite for me around here. I can get Zombie Dust nearly every week. KBS may not even ever show up in it's season. I may have to drive to Founders during it's release in hopes of getting some.

As for calling shops, yes I do. When I only bought one bottle of Backwoods Bastard to try, and ended up loving it, I called five other shops around me and all had sold out. I called one up in Michigan and they had a ton. The shops that I utilize also have always been honest in what they are getting and what they are not.

 

I very rarely call a store ahead of time, but the few times I have it's worked out for me, so I'll continue to do so in the future if I am pressed for time. With that being said I think there is more of a "hunt" in going to the store myself and finding it hiding in the back of the cooler.