Getting crafty with the "Craft Pack"

I don't consider this "unethical" or "stealing"; how could that be the case? If the store doesn't know the value of their bottles in the mix a six section vs. the regular 4/6 pack section it's on them, no need to feel guilty about it.
I always look for the value in the mix section when I go to Wegmans, however you have to check the dates on the bottles and you need to know if that is a "enjoy by" or "bottled on" date.
I got a 6 pack of Resin for $11.99 when the 4 pack was selling for $10.99, a dollar more for 2 more beers? Yes please!

 

Grocery store dude checking in and we had to switch to individually priced beers in the mix six section because of beer vendors not wanting to hold onto backstock so they'd throw stock that didn't fit on the shelf into the mix six section despite them supposed to only be putting six-packs that cost 10 bucks or under in the section. The vendors don't give a shit, they already got their cut at that point.

 

Local grocery store near me has Narwhals and Ethos IPA in their mix-a-six for $9.99. I walk out with two six packs with three Ethos IPAs and three Narwhals in each.

 

Let's ignore the "rules" for a second here and just use some good, old common sense.

What Wegman's is calling a "craft pack" is traditionally referred to as a "mixed" sixer or "mixer sixer" for those of you who like to rhyme all the time.

Putting six of the same beer in a mixed six pack seems to defy the intent of the mixed six pack. I don't think I'd feel comfortable creating a six pack from all one beer to save a few dollars. But hey, we're not talking rules/law here, we're talking courtesy. It's also not against any rules/laws to bring "mules" to places with bottle limits, but for the most part, I think that's a bad idea--again, based on simple courtesy to others.

 

I was thinking the same thing -- especially if it's at Wegman's where I swear they hold all the beer in the back until 2 weeks before it expires before they put it on the shelves. :0

The other possibility is that they rotate higher priced beers into the mix six selection stock to encourage people to try something new that they then might come back and buy in quantity later on. After all, that's the whole concept behind the mix-six idea, right. So, they throw in a few "loss-leaders" to stimulate trial and take their lumps if someone like the OP recognizes the deal and buys six. It's probably still not cost them anything more than their margin, if that. Besides, from what I've seen of the Wegman's pick-six selection around me, most of the time you're vastly overpaying on a per-beer basis ($12/pick-six for beers that mostly sell for $8-10/six on their own), so they're making out just fine in the long run.

honestly, I hate stores that have pick-six set ups, only to stock them exclusively with beers I have no interest in buying. I'd rather they include better beers and raise the price of the six. After all, it's the higher-priced beers I'm more hesitant to take the gamble on to buy an entire 4- or 6-pack.

 

There seems to be some ‘concern’ about the beer retailers.

Let me tell you a story. Over a year ago it was real tough to buy Ithaca Flower Power; it was in short supply throughout my area. I went to my local Wegmans and asked the beer dude: do you have a 6-pack of Ithaca Flower Power that I can buy? The response was: No, but we have a couple of single bottles you can buy. He politely walked me over to the single bottle cooler and handed me one of the bottles (which had a price tag of $4.00). I replied: you want me to pay $8.00 for two bottles? And he shook his head up and down. I handed him the bottle back and said no thank you. I also stated: I am not paying $8 for two bottles.

So, it is not like the beer retailers are exactly looking out for us beer consumers.

Cheers!

 

ETHICS AND COMMON COURTESY DON'T APPLY TO BEER

 

The store figures out they are not making the rip they need on beer because of people playing by store policies. The store raises prices on beer because of it. "Win a little now, but you will pay for it someway or somehow.

 

Seems like its the store manager being unethical or at least negligent; putting the store margins, his and his employees jobs at risk by not understanding the cost of the merchandise being sold under his management.

Does the store also sell lobster or sirloin? Keep your eyes open for the mix your own surf and turf deal.

 

I would do it. I went to Ralph's and found one last 6 pack of sucks. retail 10.99 but they had 6 individual sucks in the mix a six. (9.99) so I got the 6er of sucks and two mix a six with sucks spread through both and a 6er of miller fortune to get 4 six packs and at Ralph's buy 4 get like 40%off all of them. I think I paid 30-35$ for 12 sucks, 2sumpin sumpin, 4 dead guy ales. and 6 miller fortune lol

 

The Northborough Wegs puts different stickers on top of all the bottles in their mix 6 section. I dunno if the cashiers in the main grocery area would even notice if you mixed one that wasn't stickered though.

 

It's all about your craft conscience. If you feel like something is wrong it probably is.

I could have swiped six DFH 90 or PranQster for $10.99 but gave myself a two per brew limit. I A. felt guilty for not giving others a chance to buy and B. there's way too much selection of new/never tried beers I can try and sample and possibly find a new gem of palate. Isn't that the pursuit of palate, to try as many beers as one can in ones lifetime? Plus, if I worked the register and saw you with six of the same in a mix-your-own pack I'd think of you as a douche.

 

Yeah, if it's Wegman's then they do have that two bottle rule I was talking about.

 

My wegmans doesn't have a two bottle rule, but they do put an orange sticker on the cap of the mix beers.

 

I guarantee that the person that put those bottles on the make-your-own-6 rack was conscious of what he/she was doing. I say make a 6 pack of Organic Chocolate Stout!

 

I haven't seen anything at my Wegmans concerning a limit of how many of the same beer you can take at one time or I wouldn't have been able to purchase the 6 Resins that was in the mix a six section.
They do have a sticker on the tops of the bottles and cans that says "350".
I was there a couple years back and this dude was swapping beers from the mix a six section, ,which was a lot smaller back then, with beers from the racks and they wouldn't sell them to him and rightfully so. They almost had to have him escorted from the building he was making such a fuss! That's the douche move to me.
I don't think it's that big of a deal to take 6 of the same, there is always a "beer guy" there filling the shelves and coolers when I go on my beer run at Wegmans, so worrying about someone else not being able to try it doesn't enter my mind at all.

 

Where I go, the mix six shelves usually only have 4 of each beer, preventing such a problem. our mix sixes are $8.99 and 4 pack beers never wind up there. They will let you split up a six pack ( not 4's) if it's not in their offered selection, which is nice.

 

Just ask them what the rules are.

 

Both the Wegman's here have the 2-bottles per mix a six sign - the one out in Northborough and the new one in Chestnut Hill.
That said, even if it wasn't, I still wouldn;t do that - like others said, it's kind of a douche move, even if it's technically within the rules. Not that I'd lose any sleep over a huge company like that missing a couple bucks, but it's still
not the spirit of the pack.