Employee attitudes at beer stores

I once asked for a Pliny in San Diego. Hi Times in Costa Mesa (Most Awesome Beer, Cigar, Wine & Spirits Store I've ever encountered)

The Beer Buyer then went on a tirade of how Pliny sucks, is over-rated and steals their brewing system from Dogfish Head and Sam C.

I didn't care for the history lesson, or for what I already knew. Told me there were many better beers, but didn't offer any as suggestions. My Wife, who doesn't have a mean bone in her body said as we were leaving, "I need a shower after talking to that guy..." As this story ends, he told me there was no Pliny. The checker, as I was leaving offered me one as a one limit per person.

This is when i truly understood the term "Beer Nerd." Or rather..."Beer Loser."

 

I noticed a lot of people at my local stores do not know a single thing about beer in general. There's a specific store I do go to where there's an employee I usually talk to that will suggest beers and warn me of mediocre or nasty others.

 

Same here on occasion, also when I travel, and even worse than those who don't know anything are those who think they know everything (but obviously don't). I don't mind that as much as the general breakdown of customer service though - the attitudes especially, as mentioned by @mcdonaldlockport It's as if some think it's just a hobby thing for why they're there, and fail to realize or forget that they chose a customer service job in retail.

 

Not for me. I've got nothing but friendly faces and reasonable people. If I hit a store staffed by anyone obnoxious or pretentious, I might be inclined to steer clear - but it'd depend on what's on the shelves - I mean, it's not like I have to converse with them, right?

I don't expect everyone in a beer store to be up on the craft product. I just expect polite banter and/or common courtesy. So far, guess I've been lucky.

 

Current Universal Answer- Hipsters

 

I've found that there's a huge variance. On one end there are a bunch of stores around me with people that have no clue what they are talking about and on the other there are a bunch with people that look down upon you for not knowing as much as they do. Only come across a few stores with friendly helpful staff that enjoy beer and want to share that with others.

 

I love Hi Times but I've occasionally encountered a bit of a pompous attitude there as well. By the way, Costa Mesa is in Orange County not SD. Just wanted to point that out to anyone who may search for it.

Also, there's a few beer stores near me where the guys who work there act like they know every damn thing about beer and are pretentious as shit. It's annoying but if that gives them joy or happiness to act that way then so be it. I have several other beers shops that have excellent staff though. It's hit and miss just as a server is at a restaurant.

 

@yemenmocha I think you're exactly right when it comes to people not realizing that working at beer store is, at its core, a retail job. It can be fun, but you're there to help people and provide a good experience while they're in your store. I try not to talk smack about anything, not only because I'm trying to sell it but because I'm not the arbiter of taste for all humanity. If you want my opinion on something I'm a straight shooter, but you'll not get a lecture on why Oddside Ales (just for rhetorical purposes) has room for improvement unless you ask.

I can't imagine someone not willing to answer a question, not able sure, but unwilling? For God's sake, why do you think you're there?

 

I go to one specific beer & liquor store for vast majority of my purchases so I cannot comment on attitudes at other stores in the area, but the guys at the one that I do frequent are extremely nice and helpful. The guy that's in charge of getting their beer selection has on quite a few occasions gone in the back room and provided me with great/rare beer (BCBS, BCBBW, Silva Stout, Permanent Funeral, Darkness, etc.) when I told him that I haven't tried something or haven't been able to find in a long time. I feel fortunate to have found such a place with great help after reading many of the replies in this thread.

 

Exactly. Sometimes I'm surprised by the attitudes. It's as if they think they have a particular set of knowledge or skills that is the "real" reason why they're there and not for customer service duties. And I was honest when I said I'm not bothered so much if they don't know anything about beer. But if they transform into a total A-hole when I politely ask if they have a particular beer, then that's a problem. It's not my fault if that's the 43rd time someone asked that today. It's part of the job. Take any other similar example. I think we all have them. As you said, at its core it is a retail customer service job.

 

Agreed. I am a generally friendly, outgoing and gregarious type who talks to people as a major component of my job and I've had a lot of fantastic interactions and relationships with beer guys and gals everywhere I've lived and worked. I've gotten friendly with more than a few of them and will sometimes bring them stuff from out of distro that I pick up in trades or in my travels, not to butter them up, but because they're good people and I like doing it. I've even had decent interactions in stores that have questionable reputations.

I agree with Greywulfken's second point too - if the staff is obnoxious but they have what I want at the price that I want I'll go there anyway and just buy it without much ado.

The work that I've done as a professional musician, in the customer relations/development/fundraising world among the financial elite in NYC, and in the literary/publishing/editing field, has given me the chops to deal skillfully with pretentious douchebags in a merciless and cold blooded fashion. So whether it's a comic-book-guy style neckbeard or a snooty hipster cliche I can usually get in some withering rejoinders that cut them down to size.

Also, I will sometimes react to a particularly egregious statement by just staring back without blinking or responding for an unnerving amount of time. It kind of takes a little practice but it's fun when you can pull it off.

 

This kind of attitude is common across the entire retail spectrum, because some people are just pricks, and some are okay but have the occasional bad day and can't help but share it with everyone else. It's always going to be that way.

The main reason this sucks in beer/bottle shops is because beer is so fun to talk about.

I definitely get a little bummed when I'm trying to talk to a store employee about beer and they treat me like I'm an inconvenience for asking questions or otherwise hurry me through the checkout process.

But whadd'ya gonna do? That's life. At least I get to leave the store right away with my beer and don't have to wait until my shift is over.

 

The folks at my local beverage store greet me by name when I visit. They also add stuff to their inventory that I suggest (i.e., Sculpin) if they have access. They also hold bottles for me when they're "sold out" (Darkness, KBS). And they've given me free beer a couple of times.

Of course, I spend as much as the GDP of some small countries at their store, so that may impact our positive interactions.

 

Beer Hipsters are the worst. Sometimes they are 'crafty' enough that they are not decked with beards and tats, but still manage to talk the talk while also managing to walk you in a circle of befuddlement if you're not hep. Dig?

For what it's worth I don't have too many problems with clerks or merchandisers nowadays, and that's mostly 'cuz I've been in their shoes and can judge their level of aggravation immediately. On the other hand, I spend almost no time looking for rare beers in the wild; Either I spot it right away or I pick up a serviceable shelf beer and move on in the search -if any- but I know how some of these folks can be driven to distraction by overly zealous hobbyists. Again -- I've been there, OP.

 

There's a always a few cool guys at some of the spots that I usually hit, but most of the time they move onto bigger and better things beyond retail.

I always read reviews of bottle shops and growler spots beforehand, so I have a good intuition to avoid any hipster run or overpriced trendy places.

If I had more free time, I would brew enough beer so that I wouldn't have to even goto a store, but obviously we as consumers always want to try the latest from certain breweries and or be the first to pick up that seasonal limited release.

 

The staff doesn't matter to me so much as long as they can answer the question "do you have _____?". I've never had a problem with that.

 

With everyone on here who says getting the beer they want is all about the relationships they cultivate with the staff at their local shop, I have to say this isn't all that surprising. Imagine if you're just trying to do your job and people keep coming up to you all day long wanting to be your best friend (and BTW hoping to score the rare beer of the week). Each customer is in the store for only a few minutes, so they don't see the aggregate number of customers throughout the day wanting to talk up the staff and "build relationships."

I'm not saying there aren't a lot of people out there who simply aren't suited for retail work, and I'm sure there are some folks who just got out of college and haven't exactly found a job commensurate with their very expensive education. But this culture where you apparently have to know the right people to buy sought-after beer isn't necessarily always going to produce the most favorable results either.