A Grocery Outlet store opened in my area over the weekend and out of curiosity I went to peruse their offerings. For those unfamiliar with Grocery Outlets it is a discount food chain typically selling foodstuff at a heavy discount. I was surprised to see such a wide selection of craft beer--Stone, Drake's, even Avery were on their shelves, at prices comparable to or just slightly lower than what I'd pay at other grocery stores in the area. Since the store just opened I assume all the stock to be fresh/recently bottled--especially because Avery just returned to the California market, from what I understand. But since it's a Grocery Outlet I had my doubts. Anyone have any insight on this matter? It's the difference between a Denogginizer and a Hog Heaven, to put it in beer terms.
Its where most of the "problems" go ... IE: slow moving, code date issues, etc. Usually the distributor will sell the cases on the cheap to GO and in turn GO will make more money. Its great for grabbing beer for a party, but not the best place to grab beer to stock up for yourself.
We just got a ton of Bison IPA bombers down here (Fresno). They are letting them go for $2.50 per. I grabbed a handful--great for extras in trades.
Good to hear they have some decent beer there, how were prices? I'd probably start with only buying stuff with legible date stamps so you don't get stuck with old inventory. But if dates check out on the dated stuff I'd risk it on the un-dated stuff at least once, assuming prices were good.
Interesting! I was at first happy about this place, then annoyed by the traffic cluster it's caused at the intersection. However, I think the good will outweigh the bad if to a place with more than just BMC, Lag IPA, Anchor Steam, and old Stone beers (oh, and actual food) just two blocks from my place is a good thing.
