Market Saturation & Product Shelf Date

Did you take them back or did you not notice the old date until you got home?

I am willing to bet that you will be checking dates for your next purchase!

Cheers!

 

I suppose I am a different sort of beer consumer. If I went to one of my local beer retailers and asked if they had beer X and they responded: "I am presently out of it but I would be happy to order you some" my response would be "please do".

I have enough beer in my basement and refrigerator that I do not require instant gratification. Would you classify me as an atypical craft beer customer?

Cheers!

 

Only partly related question, but since you are here, if I walked into your store and wanted to order a full case of something you'd be willing to get it if possible?

If so, do you think you'd need/want a deposit if I was a regular customer?

 

FIFY! YW!

 

I wouldn't consider you "atypical", but there's a lot of "new money" that wants that instant gratification and will go to a different store on the other side of town to get the new hazy/juicy/whatever that just dropped this week. Enough that those consumers do make up a significant portion of my customer base.

 

no fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it) I spend more time flipping products up in a liquor store than I do actually shopping for beer. Obscure reference but sometimes I think I am that dude buying eggs in the Clerks movie (dude spinning eggs on the floor looking for the perfect egg). I sadly put them back on the shelf and walked away

 

If your business plan is to respond to customers that demand instant gratification then your previous statement is indeed the case: “Damned if I do, damned if I don't.”

I personally would recommend that you maintain smaller inventory to ensure freshness (quick turnaround) and special order when requested but needless to say this does not satisfy the “instant gratification” criterion.

Cheers!

 

As long as I can get it, I would order it with no deposit down, regular or not. I do it for weddings and corporate events all the time.

 

You sir win the award for most obscure movie reference.

And yes, I did indeed watch the movie Clerks. I did enjoy it when I watched it 'back in the day' (199x). I am uncertain what I would think of this movie i I watched it today.

Cheers!

 

I do maintain a smallish inventory. Most stores my size stack cases as high as they can with no regard to freshness or turnover. I try to forecast my purchasing needs based on what I think I can turn over in two weeks. My inventory is fresh, but there are some holes because I cannot anticipate everything that happens over the course of the week. Sometimes hotels, caterers and bars will come and clear me out on something because they forgot to order from their distributor, or someone is having a party tomorrow and cleans me out on something.

 

Kudos to you.

Cheers!

 

I always tell brewers to think about the investments of packaging (bottle/can) versus the revenue stream. It's their business and they can do what they want, of course, but from 14 years of retail beer-buying experience I've seen so many beers just sit, and the brewery squirm (or go under) trying to pay back the loans they took to buy a canning line et al.

Of course, then I had to battle with distros who "encourage" stores to buy in bulk. Stouts and porters and even lagers, that's fine. IPAs? Nerp. I then inform the brewery of the distro practice and they can make more informed decisions.

As for buying new stuff, I'm lucky to live in CO where there is a ton of new stuff every week. Out of state beers...well, I guess I'd better travel more! (and the GABF helps, too)

 

Not sure why, but the Total Wine near me got like a pallet of Lagunitas Sumpin' Easy 12 packs. I bought them until they reached 3 months old and they are still sitting on the floor. The date on those is canned December 2017. They need to be moved off of the floor. I find that beer is a really good beer to keep around, but if a new customer purchases it (someone not aware of dates), they will never get it again. I would think with the level of competition out there that reps would start trying to keep an eye on this, but I guess some things never change

 

I was picking up a 6 pack on my way to my friends this weekend. I decided to reach for Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale as a good classic to start the night, and then paused to check the bottle date - that package (and all the others behind it, I checked) were bottled in April of last year.

I put it back and bought something else.

 

Have you witnessed any positive changes via this discussion?

In my area it seems to me that the larger, distributing breweries are doing that same thing - "encourage" Wholesale Distributors to buy in bulk.

Not to single them out but.... in my market it sure seems like Sierra Nevada "encourages" the local area Wholesale Distributor to purchase in bulk (via significant discounts to purchase in bulk). The Wholesale Distributor then has a 'shit ton' of SN beers from the same batch which it slowly distributes to the retailers over many months. The net result is that there is continually 'old' Sierra Nevada beer on my local retailers shelves. I have gotten to the point that the only Sierra Nevada beers that I purchase are seasonal beers and special release variety packs since they are the only ones I can find fresh.

Cheers!

 

I see that here, there are a lot of folks that see posts on social media regarding the newest hazy bomb that just hit and its like wild fire over to that store. I feel this is a great thing for retail/breweries. Social media is hot and tickers use it a lot to get the newest stuff.

 

I just don't see a different tack on the subject here. You should feel free to join one of the other recent discussions on freshness, bottling dates, and old beer sitting on shelves.

 

Some, but it's a slow process. Some distro contracts hamstring a brewery's input into as to how their product is distributed. Some may say distro has to meet certain sales numbers by a certain date--that's when you see some pallet drops and discount prices at certain stores. As soon as the store buys it, it's a sale in the eyes of the distro. It's difficult for a brewery to know what happens between store drop-off and consumer enjoyment.

 

But there is the aspect of the brewery selling to the Wholesale Distributor as I further discussed in my prior post (post #35). If the brewery's priority is that there only enough beer out there that will sell in a timely manner they could simply 'modulate' what they are selling to the Wholesale Distributor in the first place.

Cheers!