Mixed Six Packs

Generally if a 6 pack costs $8.99 ($1.50 each) I expect a single to be $1.79 - $1.99. Not really a huge difference and most people are happy to pay a small premium to know if they will like something before spending 4-5 times that amount on a 6 pack.

As you said though if you don't know what a 6 pack costs how do you know you aren't being charged more?

 

Shops that charge more for a single probably do so to make up for the possibility of having 1 beer not sold from breaking up a 6 pack.

 

Everybody who does it around here charges more for the singles but some places will give you a discount once you hit six bottles anyway so you get back the premium once you get to that point.

 

Alas, none of the shops I frequent allow for mixed sixers.

That would likely be my default choice on most occasions. Instead I find out if I like a beer by the sixer/four-pack/bomber or not at all.

 

I live on Long Island and most of the beer stores I go to will sell single bottles/cans of almost any beer they sell. There is a small mark up to the 4 pack/6 pack price per bottle as chefkevlar mentioned but it's only 25¢ - 50¢ more. The only exception is pre-packaged 12 packs which they won't let you bust open unless they put it in the cooler to be sold as singles.
I'd rather pay a little bit more for a single, especially if I end up not really liking the beer.
At least I don't have 3/5 more beers to finish and I don't feel like I wasted my money.

 

most singles are $1.79- $1.99,some are 229 -249 but when buying six 10% is knocked of the price @ the shop i frequent

 

I know places that don't charge extra, but they almost always have a higher initial markup anyway. If you are really curious pick a beer that can be found in a supermarket (say Sierra Nevada Pale Ale or Fat Tire) and compare to that.

 

My local place usually sells the usual low to mid alcohol leveled beers at about 1.79-1.99-2.05 range. The double ipas, barleywines etc will sell for 2.50-2.79.

They do however offer a 10% discount on any mixed six pack. Usually, my mixed six cost somewhere between 10-12 dollars, depending on what I buy, a mark up I'll gladly take for the opportunity to try six different beers that I have never had before, rather than having to buy the whole six with the risk that I may not like it.

 

Some places just don't wanna deal with the perceived added hassle of extra inventory control (ie. the creation of new SKU listings or monitoring sales by the bottle...think Trader Joe's-like situations). It's always seemed kinda lazy to me, which is why those places that have good mix-a-six selections tend to get most of my business, added premium or not.

 

The store I frequent does mix-a-six for $12 with singles being higher per bottle.

 

One store does it in Casper and they're all on the shelves opposite to the coolers. Price is $9 unless the bottle has a red sticker on it indicating that it will add a $ to the pack.

 

The only place that's CLOSE to me is Kroger, and they have mix-a-sixes, but their selection is god awful most of the time.

 

This is how it is in Texas, and I really hate it at times!

 

Looks like you're in Dallas...I haven't been back to Austin since we moved over a year ago, but there were some stores in Austin that allowed you to mix-a-six. None of them offered the 10% discount that the stores here in the New England area offer, but it was better than buying an entire six or four-pack only to find out you hate the crap.

 

One of the places I frequent here in Chicago takes the at which they sell a 6 (or 4) pack and divide it by 6 (or 4) to arrive at the price/bottle. You don't buy a "mixed six pack" per say, but merely 6 individual bottles (or however many you want)

 

The world of beer I go to gives a discount on bottles to go, and then gives an additional, discount,once you hit 6, which pretty much puts you back to normal price for each bottle (but they do count towards your loyalty card).

 

The place I go to tends to charge anywhere from 1.99 to 2.99 depending on the beer. More expensive, yes but it means I get to try something before I blow more money on a full sixer. The only thing I avoid with the mixed sixes are IPAs and Pales as the dates on them tend to be a little old.

 

The store by my house does something like this, but if all of the bottles you got are the same price they won't charge you a premium. for example, you buy 6 different sierra nevada bottles or anything else of equal price they'll give it to you for 7.99. i dont mind paying a little extra for mixing bottles of different prices though, i love variety.