VIP membership & other deplorable practices...

Hm. I'm not so sure what you're describing is "deplorable." Honestly, if my local bottle shop (that I go to regularly anyway) guaranteed me that they'd hold limited releases for me for $35/year, I wouldn't think twice. It sounds like one way, if not the only way, for a small business owner to deal with the madness around limited releases while making a little change on the side. It's not like its $350/year; he's not going to send his kids to college on it.

 

I wouldn't pay it out of principle. Fuck that guy.

 

Desperate? Or willing to pay for the convenience? There's a big difference.

 

One less stop for truck chasers and case hoaders to use = net gain for everyone if you ask me.

 

Sounds like a good idea. He probably doesn't want some douche from three towns over dropping in for the first time and buying out all the good shit. This way regulars can just pay a little extra and not have to deal with the hassle.

 

To be fair, the money you're spending on that membership probably is money you'd need for the inevitable liver transplant in the future.

I'm not really opposed to membership practices at all personally. Of course I'd rather rely on free goodwill, but I think deplorable is a bit harsh.

 

Our local bottle shop, and they have a good supply, does everything possible to draw in customers. From free wine tastings, giveaways, drawings, and special appearances by corona girls, st paulie girls, bud girls etc. They do everything to keep customers happy. The VIP club is free and is basically a discount club for loyal customers. They will order any beer , if possible, you request. Gouging customers for an extra $35 is not good business. You probably spend 20x that during the year, so why not keep you happy?

 

I wouldn't do it as I would prefer to take that $35 and spend it on other things (like....beer!). I also wouldn't shop at that store. If someone else got in on the VIP thing, that's cool, they spend their money how they see fit, I spend mine how I see fit. However, it is certainly a concerning sign of the times. So many great things in this world are becoming prohibitively expensive to the common man. A great movie at the theater, a ticket to a ball game, a trip to visit relatives overseas, a quality education. These experiences are wonderful and help working people enjoy and cherish life more. Beer can also be like that in my opinion. Unfortunately, it's starting to seem like unless you got the money for the cover charge, your chances of experiencing nice things are slim. So overall, it's a bummer and I wouldn't do it. But again, people buy all sorts of shit I would never buy (ex. truck nuts).

 

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Illegal. If the money only gets you the right to buy certain beers.

 

We give you a 30$ 4 glass spieglau set, a card that gets you 5% off on craft beer for life (1 time fee), and a bit of free swag for $30 for our "beer club" membership. Damn.

 

What happens when there is less beer available than VIP members who want it?

 

Posting this to facebook.

 

But is 35.00 prohibitively expensive to a craft drinker who's buying special releases anyway? It's a fraction of what many BAs pay to trade/ship shelf beers.

 

That contingency plan does not exist.

 

Why would you think memberships are illegal?

 

They are illegal for alcohol sales in some states.

 

I think it's a great idea.

 

I think a VIP, I.e a convenience fee, is okay to pay for, as long as the shop isn't price gouging heavily already. I have a bigger problem with heavy price gouging. It is killing my pocket book even worse... however, in the words of Overlord, capitalism baby, and I just take my business elsewhere...