LHBS Dilema

Looking for opinions here. I firmly believe in supporting your LHBS but my 1.5 stores are very small. The larger one has canned kits, Brewers Best kits, seperate LME, DME and hops, 2row barley and Wheat for ingredients. The closer and smaller one only has Brewesr Best kits, although she will order what I want, but I can do that online. Here is my problem I want to support these stores but I also want more ingredients on hand. If I keep buying there (along with others) maybe they will get more stuff. I guess if i want to go all the way I either have to let them order it and wait or just order it myself and wait. Just looking for opinions?? In the mean-time I'll just sit back and enjoy some homebrew.

Buzz

Reply to
Lennybuzz
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Is it more expensive to order through your LHBS than directly online? It usually is but not always. If you get good service there (like they suggest solutions to problems or help in other ways) I would suggest ordering through them. Nothing in my experience beats customer service.

On the other hand, if they're rude and treat you like there's no other place to go, order online.

Dave

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Reply to
Homebrew Exchange

I agree with Dave.

I'm in a similar situation to you. However, the LHBS where I live are more focused on wine making than beer making. For them, homebrewing is only a sideline to winemaking and I don't get very good service from them. When I ask for something specific for my brew and they don't have it in store, I may get answer like "Why do you want this ? Just take a kit and stop bothering". As a result, I order most of my ingredients online and only go to the LHBS as a last option for urgent needs or for things too big to be ship conveniently by mail.

Reply to
CarlJF

I would suggest talking to them about your issues. Maybe they will improve. If you don't tell them your problems, they won't know there are problems.

Bob

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Reply to
Bob

I too belong to the "Support your LHBS" gang. But they are not going to have everything you want or need. My LHBS is Maryland HomeBrew and I'd give them a 10 for service.

For supplies, they are excellent for beer and wine. But I'm a mead guy who brews beer and could care less about wine. Their honey prices ($30 per gallon) are too high for me and they don't carry Fermax. Their website does not show all of their inventory. So I buy honey in bulk from DutchGold, Fermax from Grapestompers, and I periodically point out what is not on thier website. I ocassionally price shop with Austin Homebrew, Listerman, and Midwest Supplies AND if the price difference is really large, I tell them.

In your case, you might talk about this at a meeting of your LHBC (Local Homebrew Club). IMRHO the key to financial success of a LHBS is its affiliation with LHBC's. If I were to open a LHBS, one location consideration would be immediate proximity to a restaurant or a saloon where LHBC's could hold meetings or enough space to hold those meetings at my store (definitely too costly at start-up time). Maryland Homebrew gives a 10% discount to brew club members as well as the military. I doubt this was an original idea to them.

Dick

Reply to
Dick Adams

Well thanks everyone. I guess I will have to try to work with them. The hard part for me is I never know what I wnat until Im walking out of the store with it. There really is no LHBC here. The only one has ties to the LHBS and they havnt met in a long time. I talket to there contact and he said he would let me know when they meet again. Again thanks for the opinions.

Buzz

Reply to
Lennybuzz

Chalk up another one. I don't see it as much of a dilemma.

I'm in the same boat, but my shop is even worse than yours. However, more recently a big liquor store has been trying to stock a decent breadth of homebrewing supplies, so I do pick something up there every time I go in. Unfortunately, they seem to have more enthusiasm than anything else, as they can be out of stock on some items for over a month at a time. The bottom line is that I buy from whatever source is best (for any personal definition of "best") with no regrets or hand-wringing.

Reply to
Joel

The owner/operator of my LHBS is very helpful and knowledgeable which is important, as I've only been involved in this hobby for less than a year. That said, he doesn't always have what I want, mainly in grains I want to test out.

The cost of shipping LME prohibits me from buying it online. I get all my LME/DME from my LHBS and I also order hops in bulk from him (by the pound) as he doesn't always have ozs of leaves on hand. I order specialty grains and anything else I can't find or that is overpriced (at the LHBS) online . That way I support my LHBS and get everything else online.

I'm thinking of moving to 33 lb LME containers, which my LHBS has for $62. Shipping those would be a nightmare of cost.

-------------------------------------------- John Bleichert - snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net The heat from below can burn your eyes out!

Reply to
John Bleichert

Gah!! I just noticed this was cross-posted - I *hate* that. I need to figure out how to tell tin to *only* follow-up to the "current working newsgroup"...

-------------------------------------------- John Bleichert - snipped-for-privacy@earthlink.net The heat from below can burn your eyes out!

Reply to
John Bleichert

You're way ahead of me. My LHBS is closed on Mondays & Tuesdays so I never know what what I really needed until 5pm on Sunday. AND unfortunately that is the truth.

The non-existance of a LHBC is a burden I would not wish upon anyone

- not even my first wife. Where do you live? Maybe someone here can help you.

Running a LHBC is a leadership problem. The only leadership I am willing to provide is to bring a church key with me.

Dick

Reply to
Dick Adams

I was too until they recently jacked up prices on malt extracts from other countries.. I was paying $11.75 for a 3.3# can of Cooper's light, and its now $13.50. I found a place about 2 1/2 hours away that is selling 6# of LME for $5.5, and hop pellets for $.095/oz. Their shipping will be cheap, since its not that far away..

Reply to
Dan Logcher

I just recently opened up my own homebrewing store.

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And although I don't have everything that the big guys have, I've tried really hard to meet my customers needs. I sell both beer and wine supplies and I tell my customers that I'm here to grow with them and I tell them i can usually get things in in about a week. If you aren't getting the customer service side of it then you may want to talk to them about it. I also try to compete with on-line businesses, but it's difficult when you are just started out. Good luck. I hope all works out for you.

Reply to
knoerdel

I guess I'm lucky.. Beer-wine.com is very helpful when I go to t he store. They are quick to ask if I need any help looking for things or ideas. They do both beer and wine, but do not have any preference when dealing with customers.

I think more beer brewers seem to come in the store, at least when I'm there. The other place, modernbrewer.com is less helpful, but still make an effort. My only issue now is price.. since the local places jacked the foreign LME prices due to fuel increases.

Reply to
Dan Logcher

So, Ben, where is your LHBS located? Maybe some people here would be near enough to become your customers.

I wish you the best. And if you ever have overstocks, Steveb and I would appreciate the opportunity to buy at a steep discount since our wifes' incomes only go so far. :)

Dick

Reply to
Dick Adams

I'll keep the overstocks in mind for you. I'm located about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh in a small town called Tarentum. I'm about 2 miles away from a huge mall called Pittsburgh Mills.

I hit groups up for advice because I would like to inform my customers as well as I can if they have an issue. I've learned a lot from this group. Thanks.

Where are you guys located? I'm planning on opening up and on-line store but I don't think i'll be able to do that for another year. It will get there.

Reply to
knoerdel

I was talking to my LHBS one day about this. They're of the impression that if they hadn't begun selling winemaking equipment and kits, it would have been very difficult to stay in business. Any hobby, they noted, has its peaks and lows, and I guess homebrewing beer is in somewhat of a decline...at least in numbers of people doing it now.

Dave

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Reply to
Homebrew Exchange

Really? Yea think so? I thought it was on the rise.

Reply to
Dan Logcher

Problem is that many homebrewers are turning to the internet for purchasing. They'll still go to the LHBS for advice or questions, but they'll by online to save a few bucks.

Phil =====visit the New York City Homebrewers Guild website:

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Reply to
Phil

Phil cuts to the chase with:

Alas the secret to marketing success is lowest prices, best services, and best inventory. An LHBS can alsways engage in the marketing strategy of incorporating and selling shares to thir customers aka a coop store.

Dick

Reply to
Dick Adams

Exactally. If I can get everything I need online, cheaper.. the local shop isn't offering me much other than the quick fix for those last minute items.

My LHBS does quite a bit of online sales, yet their prices are considerably higher than most other online stores. Its nice to walk around in the store and look for items I may need, but I don't think its worth the price increase.

Reply to
Dan Logcher

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