Side Project / Shared (2020)

I think people are forgetting just how much money out of towners spend at SP. Locals (or localish) people are spending just as much as they always have - maybe even more during COVID. The only thing that's really changed is out of towners, which buy up a lot of the shelf beer (and may not be on sites like BA). Those people aren't going through anymore. The way they make up for that is through creating packages. It's not because of a lack of local draft sales.

I'd be shocked if 50% or more of their revenue stream wasn't from people that don't live local(ish).

 

FTFY

 

Reminds me of BCBS in 2014. Brown Derby in Springfield, MO sold marked-up 4-packs, but it was 2 BCBS and 2 bottles of The Muddy, which was terrible. I haven't gone back since, such a rip-off.

SP is a different story. They could triple the price for a bottle of BA Ambiente or any of these and still sell out in minutes. Instead, they're bundling bottles and moving product, which would happen organically in a normal year--a scenario in which they'd still be underpricing their BA stuff.

 

You took way more words to say exactly what I just said .....lmao

The packages filling gaps of missing revenue from draft/bottle sales has already been clearly stated.

 

The point is that locals aren't the prime source of business. It's been stated many times in this thread that people think that is the case. I don't think that's the case at all, as evident by the package sales.

 

Just my two cents here... I’d be upset if the beer that was put in the packages wasn’t world class but it truly is. If I’m forced to stash away some amazing shelf beer to be able to grab some of the big bottles that have been released lately, I’m fine with that price of admission as an out of towner.

 

And it helps cut into the out of town “flippers” margins. When you’re paying $110+ for a beer that then you probably pay a small proxy fee to pick it up(beer or cash), Then pay to have it shipped to you, then resale on secondary and pay to ship it to that buyer... now the flipper has $175 in the beer. Not as much value in risking shipping twice and spending 2 hours refreshing and the effort to line a proxy up and try to sell the beer and all that for $100 profit.

As someone in LC and who just wants to drink the beer I’m good with it.

 

Locals aren’t the prime source of business*



*for the white labels getting bundled in these bundles

 

I didn't even have the chance to try to get the package, but what SP has been doing is as good as it can be. I can't be mad that I didn't have a chance to get the package- in normal times, there would be 0 chance for me, as an out of towner, to get it anyway unless I came back to visit STL at that particular time. Kudos to the SP crew for evolving during these weird times and making their beer more available to the rest of the country.

 

Snowy Window making a return this week plus A La Table being brewed. i missed Snowy last time so glad this is making another appearance.

 

Honest question, are you in any memberships?

This is exactly how all good memberships work for beer and wine, and heck even liquor stores when it comes to bourbon. The members get perks that others don't get. Generally people that have spent a lot of money on prior sales get some perks that are better than Joe Shmoe who just showed up for the first time to get some limited beer/wine/bourbon.

 

Wait that’s not fair, it’s because we were never able to! If proxy’s were allowed back when I started trading for sp, I’d be going on 5 years of direct purchases

but I do get the point your trying to make

 

Word has it your pay check is direct deposited to SP, is this true?

heard it on the interwebs so it must be true...

 

I do have a comment on the packs. While it doesn’t stop me from purchasing, 4 extra bottles is getting a little out of hand (coco vibes round 2 came with 3 grissette and a bdp).

the thing about it tho is if I buy let’s say a BAA, and live a few hours away, I’d defintly buy other things in the store to make it worth the drive out there. Probably 4 other bottles too just not 3 grissette

now the same goes for shipping to CA, if someone is going to pick up a single bottle and ship it to me, I for sure am going to purchase other bottles to make it worth the shipping.

In my eyes they handled the flippers by making the product 1pp

Now the fact that I can even buy directly and have it shipped even in packs to CA Is pretty damn worth it! Considering some of the packs I’ve gotten are almost impossible to trade for lol

 

I am/were/have been. I'll just address my quoted portion.

Most memberships guarantee bottles. In those cases, if public, members are "forced" to buy the same thing. A bottle.

But my point is that there's a moving goal-post that seems unnecessary (lack of packages to members). The benefit before COVID is that you were guaranteed 1 or more bottles from various releases. At that time, packages weren't a thing. Everyone bought bottles only. Now with COVID, when packages are a thing, suddenly an additional perk is that members don't have to buy packages? Just seems silly to me. The perk was the bottle, not the lack of package. If that was a known perk at the start, that's great for members, but still seems silly.

I don't even understand why people think it seems silly that members should have to purchase the same item (a package) as plebs. Every member says they buy a ridiculous amount of beer from them anyway - So what's the problem? Seriously, if people buy it anyway, what does it matter?

If you go back several pages, you'll see I don't even necessarily think packages are a bad thing. I suggested they temporarily raise the price of the LE bottles to compensate, rather than creating packages. I do think that if they keep doing packages, a better option might be to require "you choose 3 additional beers" from the store, that way people can buy what they want rather than being forced to buy, say, grisette if you'd rather buy BdP. But that's just a preference thing. Paying the price of admission through additional sales is one thing, but buying something you have no choice in, when there are better options (to your preferences) seems silly. This seems like a good way to slow down bots too?

 

So now the complaint is SP didn’t plan for a global pandemic and advertise “non packages” for members?



okay.

 

It's not a complaint, it seems silly from a revenue standpoint for them. If all the LC members are to be believed, it won't upset them because they buy it anyway.

So...What's the point?

Aren't the packages all about raising revenue to ensure not only the business does well, but to pay their employees?

Make members buy the same packages. Why is that a bad idea?

 

What’s your view on member only beers (Tete excluded) since the public doesn’t get to buy those either?

 

That's how memberships work. Some bottles aren't public. That's true for any membership. That's true for any back-alley hand-shake liquor store or brewery deal, too. That's just how it goes.

People can be upset that a bottle isn't public, but that's just how memberships work. Some memberships are such that none of them will ever be released to the public (except as draft, or if members don't pick up their bottles).