THIS made me stoked. Store managers take note.

I don't agree with this thought process at all. It makes no sense to me. If you are going to do something like this that is attempting to favor regulars, you should have a list. I'm OK with a list for regulars, but randomly choosing who gets to buy based on whether you recognize them or the story they tell you about how they found out about it makes no sense to me.

 

This. As someone who is in Chicago for the holiday this week, I would hate to go to a store and find some Coffee or Cherry Rye (which I'm not counting on, but it would be nice...) and be told that I can't buy any because I'm "not a regular". I try to hit a few stores around the area most of the time when I'm in town, but it would be impossible for me to achieve "regular" status with the infrequency of my visits. I'll probably only go to a few stores to look for any, and if I don't find any, it won't kill me, but I'd be disappointed knowing that I walked into a store that had some just to be told that I wasn't "worthy".

 

I agree. I live a good 50min from the nearest "good beer store". The one in my little town does have a decent craft selection, nothing rare but a good selection of founders, bells, some stone, etc. I can't drive almost 2 hours round trip to pick up beer often enough for regular status.

 

it sucks when the stores pick and choose who they sell bottles to

a store once did that to me, i rarely visit it anymore. someone posted on here wine and beverage depot in totowa nj just got in stone enjoyby that day. i asked for it, the employees told me they havent got it yet but i can add my name to the list. they had it in stock in the back when i was there, they were just reserving it for people. i never got any call even though i added myself to the list that day. i spent a ton of money there(and still do sometimes) but i avoid shopping there every time i can now

limited bottles should be first come first serve on the shelf, one per shopper

 

I think you're thinking of beercirclejerkadvocate.com

 

I wish...

http://www.beercirclejerkadvocate.com/

 

It's assholes like that manager that make chasers like me mad. I have 15 bottles so far and i had to drive to 15 damn stores to do it, that is earned enough.

 

Did he really have to tell the guy he wasn't a regular, so he didn't get one? If he spotted him as a non-regular (or maybe he's just a guy who shops without the chit-chat) couldn't he have just told him they were sold out? Isn't that just teasing the guy with beer he can't buy and scolding him for not being a good enough customer?

Whatever you do, just don't ask for free bread.

 

Two things:

1) I'm just LOVING the idea that the owner is turning off "a potential regular." Sure. Next time he has a craving for some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale he'll hop in his car and drive to BFE for it. After all, the 30 seconds he spent in store #24 on his tour of rare beer searching was probably very memorable and worth heading back out to.

Bottom line is that the way he treats random whale chaser #800 for the day will do absolutely nothing to his... well, "bottom line." If he sells it to him, it's not like he'll be back to contribute more. If he refuses, it's not like he's losing out on future sales.

On the other hand, doing a local a favor can create a very lucrative amount of loyalty in that shopper. They will probably remember that favor next time they have a choice on where to shop. There's something to be gained here.

It's always possible that this dude was just a down-on-his-luck fellow desperately searching for a beer his local shop failed to deliver on. If that's the case, maybe he should reconsider the shop he is pledging the bulk of his beer dollars to or "diversify his portfolio" a bit.

2) I wonder how many of the people outraged by this owner's behavior just got home from their own all day Bourbon County/Bolt Cutter/*Insert Rarity Here* hunt?

 

some valid points, however i think the issue many have is not just with this case in particular but with the larger topic of reserving beers for "regulars", which invites a host of complicating factors into the debate.

 

I don't even know if it needs to be so complicated. Working in retail, I very quickly began to recognize "regulars" to the stores I worked at. It didn't require any sort of extra effort or calculus on my end. I just knew "Hey it's that guy" or "That family's here again." If it were me, I would be happy to hand out special releases to any familiar face. They'd certainly be a better future bet than the strange guy who walks in and immediately asks "Got any Bourbon County?"

 

Wow, someone thinks he's WAY too cool for being a regular in a little shit town...

It really comes down to how the shop owner said it. "We don't serve yo kind roun heya" comes to mind. All he had to say was that he only had a limited supply and they're already accounted for. Distribution is horrible in my area, so i have to drive about an hour and a half to get access to anything good. Does that mean i should be declined the opportunity to purchase a beer? I think your directing your distain on the wrong type of person, what about the ppl on here that hoard this beer and then post pics of it? That probably amounts more to this beer being so hard to get, rather then the poor guy that's driving around looking for it, just to taste it once...

I've never tried it, but since GI sold out to Budweiser, ill just wait until they mass produce it to death. Then i wont have to deal with hicks trying to bring back segregation.

 

No actually Falling Rock...but he only works during GABF.

 

but again, going back to previous posts, what defines a regular? what if your store is in a high-traffic city locale that sees scores of customers (i live in a metro area and regularly shop at several beer stores, one or two - probably one, depending on who's working - acknowledge me as a regular), not to mention high employee turnover. do you tally who comes in the most? how much s/he spends? a guy who comes in once or twice a month but chats up the staff might be viewed as more regular than a low-key dude who comes in during rush, or when the beer manager isn't working, etc but spends much more. how regular is regular enough to be rewarded? there isn't going to be enough for all regulars, who gets shut out? i'm sort of playing devil's advocate here, but i definitely see where the frustration comes from.

 

The manager at my local recently stopped holding limited releases for people because of the number of asshats from Chicago who would call and then never pick up their reserved bottle because they found it elsewhere in the meantime and didn't want to drive the 45 miles. That's an accumulation of dick moves that spoiled it for everybody.

On my day off this week I drove 30 miles to an unfamiliar store I heard had some Cantillon. I talked to the beer guy for a bit and he said they were out. They had an interesting enough variety that I was going to buy some other bottles anyway, and I continued talking to the guy about beer while I filled my cart. At some point he went in the back and came out with a bottle of Cantillon kriek, saying he had thought they were out but he actually had two left and I could have one. I was thankful. We talked some more and I asked if they were getting Bolt Cutter. He went in back again and gave me one that had just been delivered! I walked out with about $60 in beer and an appreciation for his generosity. As I was leaving he told me that they were into trading as well, and if I ever got any interesting beers from out of state I should give him a call. Very cool guy and I'll be back.

TL;DR: be a human being to people and don't expect the world and you might get rewarded, even if you're not a regular. If you're a truck chasing dick it'll catch up to you eventually.

 

Totally get the store owner. I spend between $30 and $50 a week at the local bottle shop near me. 1 per customer doesn't apply to me and I appreciate that continue to shop there.

 

I have a few pal at my local place who would hold a bottle for me if it was going real fast. But this is Montana, so we don't get much in the way of limited stuff, and things like Abyss and Collage sit on the shelf for a week at least.

Better yet, I have a honey hole that is a buck cheaper than most places, and no one thinks to look there for good beer. They had a case of Ivan tonight, $12 a bottle.

 

The biggest good beer store in town is strictly first come first serve but do sometimes hold it in the back and use social media announcements saying come ask for it (for the most limited releases). I like the store but it is quite out of the way.

Another store is closer to work. It is smaller but has a very good selection and high traffic. They are a bit more secretive about the special releases but if they've seen you before (I am there once every week or two) and you mention it they'll usually hook you up (enjoying a Lukcy Basartd from such an experience now).

I think I prefer the latter, but this is only because on the first come, first serve deal it sounds fair but not if you have a day job and releases are fairly random.

Bourbon County too? Did absolutely every cool beer come out this week?

 

This is only difficult when you have entitled "regulars" that think they deserve every new or rare beer that comes in. Which the OP may or may not be. Or when there are idiots that just chase trucks to hoard every rare beer that comes in. Which the person the OP and others are making fun of may or may not be. Cool story bro

 

I'm against anything that makes it harder for me to get beer.

If I was to drive all around to get many bottles from stores I usually don't visit, I would be saying, hey everyone has the same rights, that manager is a dick for refusing to sell.

Since I don't drive all around, I am glad to hear that none was sold to this chaser, kept for regulars. and I hope my stores do the same.