Purchasing Beer Singles

Never experienced this first hand (and haven't heard of it happening in NYC), but definitely have seen people mention it on here. Don't really love the idea of stores doing this, but I guess it has the (quite likely unintended) effect of discouraging people who go store to store trying to get as much of a limited release as possible. And that's always a good thing. If I ran a store I might do this to people I didn't recognize. Slippery slope though I know.

 

I never experienced it but I would have bought it instead of driving to another place because I'm probably buying a case of some other Bells anyway. If all they had is one case I can't say I blame them.

 

i think that's a bit ridiculous, i have never heard of that, but i have seen stores limit one four/ six pack of some things per customer, it could be that this was done at the distributor's request?

 

I have seen some businesses do this practice of, "You can purchase this is you agree to buy those" with rare and allocated bourbons/whiskeys. It is not a practice that I consider above board, and, though I won't presume to tell you where to shop, it will never happen in my business.

 

Haven't dealt with this personally but I probably would've been holding a sixer of Oberon or two-hearted when I asked so it would have been a non issue for me

 

Nope and it would happen to me never. For so many reasons. I subscribe to the name and shame theory and so what if they get mad, the truth hurts.

Not to mention my review would be quite harsh. again just for me but it would remind me to never ever do business with them. I know lots love the little guy and all that jazz. whatever that is their biz,

and this is my 2 cents

If they want to sell the frigging beer put it on the shelf (or special display I don't care) with all the rest and let who ever get it that gets it. TW just did that with beer camp 2014. They had a stack of boxes and None hidden in the back BS. Though they used to do that but they never required you to buy anything with it, just ask.

To me 99% of the time if the beer is so rare, that its hidden its not a beer I am going to seek.
The psychology of this rare beer is so funny. its just beer. if its so great they make more.
its funny how many are getting sucked into this scam.

its my pipe dream but if folks stop playing this game, watch how fast it stops.

 

I've never experienced the tagged-on sale, but I've gotten into the habit of asking if there is anything new not on the shelves because there often is something in the back that I wouldn't mind drinking.

 

My Total Wine is limiting it to 2 bottles per person....got mine yesterday

 

I was once at a local grocery store back in March, and luckily for me they had a couple of bottles of Black Note. I assumed it was a 1-bottle limit, but when I went to the checkout counter, the clerk asked me kindly to not break up 4-packs. I explained to her that these were not on the shelves in 4-packs, but rather in the specialty section in singles. She rung me up $7, which I then paid. She went to the manager to make sure that was alright, and he explained to her that it was a very special beer, and she should only have let me buy it if I had also bought $100 of groceries (!). He let me have it since I had already paid.

Can you imagine...?

 

It happens here in the Metro Detroit area

 

I've seen it in Green Bay a few times. I remember stores doing with Ommegang's GoT beers, you had to buy 2 4packs of their standard beer to have the opportunity to buy the GoT beer. Not gonna do it if those are the rules.

If places make the liquor store buy more of a brewery's regular lineup that is the store's way of trying to get those extra beers sold. It's shitty across the board.

 

Haven't seen that here in and around Boston, but most places have 1 bottle, 4 pack, or 6 pack limits on rare beer and they usually rely on social media to let folks know that this special beer is in stock. First come, first served till stock is out.

 

I've heard of it second hand at a package store that I frequent. I mentioned they had KBS selling one per customer to another beer friend. They made him buy a 4 pack of another founders product to get the KBS. I agree with the practice to benefit the shoppers that make frequent purchases at that shop rather than the people that are just truck chasing for KBS and going to each store in the local area, only buying that beer and not coming around again until the next hard to get beer release happens.

 

I'm not a huge fan of the practice, but as a few people have already stated it certainly helps to dissuade 'truck chasers' from cleaning out a store.

From my understanding, allocations of these specialty beers are typically based on how many flagship beers a store purchases throughout the year. Its not at all different than becoming a regular at your favorite bottle shop, just at a different tier of the system. Better customers get better service.

It'd certainly be nice if everyone could get a cut, no different than the next person but that's already been given a go...its called communism.

 

Yes, it happens. No, you don't have to buy it or like it.

 

I haven't experienced this as a customer, but I know it happens all the time to the stores. Case in point, in order to get a BCBS allocation, GI wants the shops, big and small, to allocate shelf space to Matilda, Sofie, etc. I understand GI's thinking in this, but my local shop has a hell of a time selling 4 packs of Matilda when substitutes exist for her at lower prices...

In summary, I think the shops have it worse than any one consumer when it comes to this area.

 

Here's a weird one. A restaurant in Jackson, MS was having a sneak tasting of Southern Prohibition's Sinister Minster the weekend before it was released. The only way you could get a 6 ounce pour was if you purchased 3 pints of their 2014 IPA (which is tasty, but not that tasty). Needless to say, I got a (sneak) growler of Sinister Minister elsewhere.

 

I guess I consume enough beer that I wouldn't even think twice about being required to make a small purchase (that I would then get to enjoy) in order to have access to a beer I really wanted.

Obviously, it'd be dependent on what the target beer was--I don't think I'd be doing this for The Oracle--but I'd do it for Black Note in a heartbeat.

Now, I'd probably draw the line at being required to by $100 in groceries unless I happened to be at the store for the express purpose of getting groceries. I guess basically, as long as the requirement is reasonable, I have no problem with it. At least you're getting a desirable product out of the deal instead of just forking over an upcharge, right?

As some have argued on here in the past, most "rare" beers are absurdly underpriced, especially when compared to similar industries like wine or spirits. If they were priced more in line with demand, you wouldn't see the crazy lines, truck chasing/shadowing, and secondary market upcharging (via cash or trades) that we currently see.

 

Fuckin' horseshit, bro. Find another store.
I mean, I guess stores with limited supply have to figure out some way to share the wealth, but requiring a (relatively unrelated) purchase to do so? That's sucks.