Homebrew shops vs. Buying online

[Travisty]

I guess there are just that many people that would rather send their money out of state than keep it local...even if it means giving business to someone who is grumpy. I still think some of you are missing the big picture and taking what you have for granted. I hear of Aussies driving 2-3 hours to get ingredients. Should put a 45 minute drive to shame.

Hey I still do buy stuff from him if the other place doesn't have what I need, I'm just saying he doesn't help himself at all, and I'm surprised he's still in business.

[squirrelpirate]

I guess there are just that many people that would rather send their money out of state than keep it local...even if it means giving business to someone who is grumpy. I still think some of you are missing the big picture and taking what you have for granted. I hear of Aussies driving 2-3 hours to get ingredients. Should put a 45 minute drive to shame.

We have the ability to give our money to whomever we feel deserves it. The shops are providing a service and competing for business. I used to have a great local option 15 minutes from my house. It worked out really well for times when I needed a few items on short notice, as well as for the majority of my purchases. It also helped that the shop owner was knowledgable, helpful, and kept his shop well stocked with merchandise and in good condition.

If I had a homebrew shop next door, and it was in the condition that Mike described, I would not shop there. I think you can tell a lot about a person by how they conduct business. If everything else is equal except the price, that's fair. You can pay a little more to support the smaller, local business that is more convenient.

The drive to any of my three "local" homebrew shops is at least a 45 minute commute on the interstate. The best option is in a completely different metropolitan area. I don't care to use the second and third options, as they're in a more distant location and a small shop with an owner who has been extremely rude to one of my friends on numerous occasions, respectfully. Maybe the Aussies do not have a better option than to drive for 2-3 hours for their supplies, but I do.

I will not spend a 2-3 hour block of my Saturday in a car when I can order supplies on Monday, have them arrive on Wednesday, get a starter going on Thursday, and brew on Saturday, all with GREAT service and flat rate shipping. That's extraordinary... in the true definition of the word. That and their BN sponsorship is why they get my business.

[Dirk McLargeHuge]

I don't have a LHBS. I do have a shop in San Antonio and Austin. Neither are particularly convenient--on my side of town. Austin Homebrew Supply does online orders and can get my stuff to me in a day. So I use them most of the time. Whenever I need specialty malt I can't get at AHS, I use Northern Brewer. I haven't had good luck with product availability when I use B3 (I am usually ordering pretty close to the day I want to brew and can't wait for them to restock), but I use them once in a while, expecially for equipment.

[mikebiewer]

Agreed.

I would have no problem shopping local if when I walked in there I didn't feel as if I was going to get murdered or step on a rusty nail.

In fact, I've got no problem with the price if I know the business is active in the homebrew club and knows their stuff. There is something about getting "good" advice on the spot that something like google can't do yet. Even if I ask here, I've got to wait for someone to respond. If I can get that advice, right when I'm making or thinking about the purchase, it is worth the extra $$$. Within reason that is.

One thing I can see becoming more and more of a trend is a live chat feature on these homebrew sites. I think there is a huge opportunity for any electronic supply store to be readily available with a knowledgeable staff member that can direct people with questions to places with good answers or answers from themselves. That could just be my marketing and search engine background coming through, but it makes sense to me. If I've got a question about one of your products or techniques, how cool would it be to ask, in real time, and someone answers your question or points you right at a "good" resource to get you going?

Just my two cents, as that might bridge the gap...

[Spelt]

I have a hard time waxing poetic over a special loyalty to a LHBS. Although it has become an American standard to support businesses that suck at what they do (see AIG and Citibank), I believe that whoever works the hardest to earn my business deserves to get the biggest chunk of my cash. If Northern Brewer or More Beer invest the effort in meeting my brewing needs they get the $$$. If the little dusty shop in Pembroke or Littleton, NH make the effort (and they often do) then I'm happy to drop cash there. In this neck of the woods, the local ACE hardware still competes well with Lowes and Home Depot. Good business, gets business.

[TheDarkSide]

I have a hard time waxing poetic over a special loyalty to a LHBS. Although it has become an American standard to support businesses that suck at what they do (see AIG and Citibank), I believe that whoever works the hardest to earn my business deserves to get the biggest chunk of my cash. If Northern Brewer or More Beer invest the effort in meeting my brewing needs they get the $$$. If the little dusty shop in Pembroke or Littleton, NH make the effort (and they often do) then I'm happy to drop cash there. In this neck of the woods, the local ACE hardware still competes well with Lowes and Home Depot. Good business, gets business.

If you're ever in Nashua, you should check out Jasper's. It's a little shop but Jeff is a great guy and will talk for hours about homebrewing.

[Spelt]

I've thought about taking the trip over to Jasper's but haven't had a reason to head in that direction yet. Appreciate the tip, I'll be driving up to Littleton for the annual homebrew competition there this weekend and thought I'd stop in Kettle to Keg in Pembroke and Fermentation Station in Meredith on the way up. Guess I need to plan a trip to Nashua too.

[Guido]

I'd love to buy from my local homebrew store, but he's an ill-tempered ass who stocks what he wants, not what the customer wants. For example, for our convenience he doesn't stock liquid yeast (his stock was always old and people always complained), glass carboys (they're expensive, no one wants them), and only a few brewing grains. You'd go there to make one recipe and come back with the ingredients to make another. My club refuses to patronize him, and he still hasn't figured out why.