CNN Money Price Gouging Article

The people paying these prices are idiots. End of story.

 

Russian River will quit distributing beer to your store if they are aware you are jacking up the prices beyond what they consider fair market value. It's an important point that Natalie mentions that price gouging really can impact your brand negatively.

 

There's no such thing as price gouging if you traffic in black market goods.

 

I know it's different, but I must admit that it's amusing to see an owner who sells a 750 mL bottle of beer for $45 lamenting pricing practices. And I'm someone who has no problem with that bottle being sold for $45.

Also, it's disappointing to see CNN Money using the term "gouging" so broadly.

 

As long as people keep paying these prices...it will continue.

 

Yes, to pay an inflated price for a beer is idiotic, but you can say it shows how far craft beer has come that there are bottles out there that are as sought after as a bottle of fine wine. And I've said it before, beer is a luxury item and if someone has the means to overpay for something, there's little that can be done to stop the practice of gouging, whether it's beer, wine or a ticket to a sporting event. It's all supply and demand. And there are plenty of people who either have the means or just have to have something so I'm afraid it's something that's not going away soon.

 

The only legitimate issue in that entire article was the point about alcohol distribution and retail sales laws. It is not "price gouging" when you have a willing buyer and a willing seller where neither has to buy or sell.

 

This is not a gallon of gas or bread for your kids after a flood. It's not gouging, to me. If you don't like the price, don't pay it.

Likewise, if the manufacturer doesn't like what the retailer is selling it for, don't sell it to them.

 

This is absolutely true, and I have no problem with it philosophically, but I still think that the people that pay those prices are stupid, or at the very least empty inside. Anyone paying that price doesn't want Pliny because they'll love it, they want it to be able to say they had it, or to make other people jealous. Good luck with that.

 

"giving away a can" isnt price gouging.

 

If there is a black market for a product, this clearly shows that pricing is not correct and should be higher. Would I pay more for a Pliny? Nope. But it's been well-documented on this site how difficult it is to get a bottle. How much less difficult would it be if the suggested retail price doubled with the next batch?

 

I don't think it's idiotic at all. I have never had a Heady and would pay $15.00 for one can just to try it if I knew it was fresh.
That's said knowing that my final opinion of the beer would be " that's a fine DIPA but not head and shoulders better than other DIPA's.

 

Well there's hardly any good beer available anywhere these days, what with the craft brew shortage the country is experiencing, so it makes sense to pay through the nose for something.

People are idiots.

 

1. Has RR ever sold a sour for $5?
2. CCK was 2011 (nitpicky, sure)

 

Price gouging is an open market problem. The black market has no rules since it's illegal in the first place. For a consumer to complain about black market prices is idiotic.

 

I guess the only thing left to do is to brew our own.

 

If the breweries could just invest in expanding production and distribution of these limited but highly sought after beers, they could help knock out this problem. There will always be people willing to pay these ridiculous gouged prices as long as they don't have easy access to such beers at normal retail price.

 

I guess you could say RR is being entitled by complaining about price gouging and the black market....

 

Or the are selfish for using a small distribution range, and focusing on quality over quantity?