Unmarked Prices, Argh!

My Whole Foods has terrible price marking. I'd venture to say at least 30% of their selection is unmarked. Is it really difficult to print out a shelf label when you get a new beer? There have definitely been times where I didn't buy something because I had no idea what the price was and it was too much of a hassle to find someone who had a clue. I'm frankly still annoyed I paid $12.99 for Black Butte last week. Granted it's a good beer but for $3 less I would have gotten Founders Porter, SN Porter, or Edmund Fitzgerald.

 

I only visit stores like that once. If I am really in a jam, I may go looking for two or three beers and just ask the price. But stores like that do not earn my continual business.

 

I don't see this practice much where I shop. But maybe that's because I don't shop anywhere that I see this practice.
As far as why stores do this, according to several responses to this thread, I'd say they do it because people will buy beer from these places anyway.

 

Is it entitlement to want to know the price of goods one is purchasing? I am sure you store workers would really appreciate someone coming up to you (or screaming across the room) every 20 seconds asking "How much is this one? What about this one? How bout this one?"

There is also a stigma attached to the query itself. Lets say you are shopping for cars at a Lexus (craft beer) dealership with no price tags. Are going to ask how much every car costs? It makes you seem cheap (If you have to ask, you can't afford it). Lets say you are shopping for Ford Fiestas (BMC). Do you really need the price information? Probably not. You have an idea based on availability from 50 other locations, plus you don't really care because you know it is relatively cheap.

 

Perhaps you've noticed that literally every problem discussed on BeerAdvocate is a First World problem.

 

Sadly, yes, that is normal. Only bought 2 of their beers. Fathead was SO not worth it. Menage a Trois is worth it, but I only bought that one because the wife and I had it on tap and both loved it.

 

Mari's 6 Pac N' Mor in Reading, PA is notorious for this. I was browsing around there once and picked up a little bottle of Lost Abbey Red Poppy Ale... imagine my surprise when I found out it was $25. I still bought it, and thoroughly enjoyed the beer. But, it certainly made a poor impression because a large portion of their product is not marked.

As for the gentleman that previously said "all you have to do is ask". Sure... it strikes me as a great business practice to inconvenience the customer, while also potentially risking that some employee will get annoyed about being constantly asked and handle the situation in a less than professional manner. But you save time by not putting up that sticker! And that is what counts!

 

I've encountered this once before & it definitely discouraged me from shopping there. I don't want to have to ask an employee to check on the price for every bottle I'm interested in. Nor do I want to just take them to the counter & watch the register like a hawk to see if the price is fair while each one is scanned & then have to ask them to remove individual bottles or decide that I don't want any.

Pricing label guns aren't that expensive & it doesn't take as much time to just label bottles as it does for employees to go back & forth checking prices on individual bottles. Makes no sense to me.

 

The shop with one of the most wicked selections when I was living in Miami also happened to be a convenience store so they were inconsistent with their price tags. Found 4 loose Hopslams with no price and had to pay $5/12 oz. It also happens at the Whole Foods here in NOLA because half their digital price tags are blank (makes me see the flaw in that idea).

 

I agree 100%. The sense of entitlement that you display in believing that customers will and should buy your products even if they're not labeled properly is staggering.

 

I hate to say it but I ran into the bait and switch at these places, they charge 1 person 1 price and you another. No posted prices I not buying anything, same for bars....is Totally unacceptable to me.

Even saw this in Atlanta once at green's so sad, but I just left the whole pile at the register, since then they got prices....years ago

 

Yes, this same type of thing happened to me at stein's but it was with two different bottles of Evil Twin, Lil' B (22 oz) and Disco Beer (11.2 oz). Neither had prices. I decided to take them to the counter and buy whichever one was a better price per oz. Thank God it was the Lil' B cuz that shit was delicious!

 

It happens everywhere, and it's annoying as hell.

 

From working at a WF:
It's kind of a PITA to print tags there and to be honest I think a lot of people (that I work with) think it's low priority because so many people are gonna buy it regardless. One the weekend it's hard enough to keep a cooler full.

FWIW I usually try to do tags once a day for beer+wine as I feel exactly the same way you do. Wine that doesn't have a price doesn't move (and the wine buyer does tags every time new stuff comes in)... beer on the other hand, often it doesn't matter (for 6 packs at least, where most volume is) and that's why you've had your experience, unfortunately.

 

I have a craft bar here that doesn't list prices so you order a pint of something nice and it's $9 a pint.....

 

Teach 'em a lesson. Haul a buncha shit to the register and ask how much each bottle is then say "Thanks" and leave.

 

I know these stores, and I know your pain. I just don't shop there anymore. The one on 86th wanted $30 for 4 calling birds.

 

This practice annoys the shit out of me probably more than it should. There is one store near me that prices maybe half their stuff and I have sworn off shopping there until they change. Their prices are higher than most places butnitsbsuch a pain in the hind end to walk to the front, scan for the price, tell him he's out of his damn mind then leave. Just price your freaking bottles.

 

Agreed. I work at a craft beer specialty store and I would list price tags as one of my top priorities.

I find BigJim5021's post perplexing to say the least, especially the bit about "those in charge of printing price tags never got any to us in the first place". At my store, "that's someone else's job doesn't fly as an answer for why something hasn't got done."