Dear LHBS Owner (venting) - Page 3

Brewin_CRAZY · 07-02-2009, 05:27 PM

WOW, im so happy to have my LHBS, didnt know some were so bad. Usually people that open up HBS do it because they want to, not because they have to. There are few times that I have been into my LHBS when the owner (and VERY knowledgeable man about brewing) has not been there. I hope your note gets to the place it needs to go because having a resource like that can be soooo helpful. I definitely think you should mail it to him.

On another note, if you need advice on home brewing thats what HBT is for,

. Hope your LHBS gets betting with the coming months.

smizak · 07-02-2009, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skeeordye11

When I read this, it reminded me of Niagara Tradition. Then I looked and saw the post came from Buffalo. That was a great store, and I miss it very much. There are some good stores here in NC, but nowhere near as good as NT. A good LHBS is a great thing to have, and sometimes hard to find. Hopefully the OP makes some headway with his. Good luck!

I take every opportunity I can to pimp Niagara Tradition. I'm beginning to realize how spoiled and lucky I am to be five minutes away from that store. Awesome people.

Bartman · 07-02-2009, 05:33 PM

I was just reading thru this tread thinking how nice great my LHBS is. Good selection and prices and the owner is always there. Only improvement would be open more hours.
As I am sitting here an email came in from that shop, and although quite lengthy like this post is getting I thought I would share...

Hey Yall Awesome Folks,
Here's a shout concerning the Fest this year.
Weve got lots of goodies in store for everyone on the Tenth
Anniversary of Liberty Fest (henceforth known as LFX)
First lets start with the near and dear to me, the brew;
There's an IPA for the hopheads out there, A mild Dunkelwiss and
some other locally brewed guest taps. Also the Beer Engine will be in
effect for the cask traditionalists out there. Many kegs are on the
ready so there should be no shortage.
In addition to the boozy bubbly, What Cheer Root Beer will be
manning the soda jerk . Pouring good ol floats for the young'ns and
young at hearts.
On to the vittles, LFX has gone whole hog, Or should I say whole
hogs. Thats right we'll be spit roasting TWO pigs AND a goat! Not to
worry veggie peeps, plenty of noncarnivours fare will be available.
And now to the star of the show, the bands,
The Line up looks like this ( in no order)
Valu-Pak
Vibe Police
The Blizzard of 78
DEM
Triangle Forest
The Butchering
White Mice
Slave
Orb Melon (CT)
Caroline Hecht
Chris Rosenquest
Brokedown Serenade
Brown Bird Rudy Relic (NYC)
Pet Set (PA)
Industrial Sonic Echo
The Atlantic Thrills
Idiot Vehicle
Glass and Steel
Chris Hansen
Llove
The Viennagram
The Stress
Midnite Mongo Sound System will be turning out the jams, so bring yr
dancin' shoes.
About the stages, one is an acoustic stage in the alaskan lean-to, So
bring yr hollow axe, zoob tube, rain-sticks, whatever it takes to get
your jam on.
Topping things off there will be a moon bounce, face painting, barley
balls (an east cost take on corn hole) and other super fun ways of
expressing our community sovereignty.
Sounds like good times, eh?
As always the fest is a totally free event, but the beer and pigs
dont make themselves, well I guess the pigs do, but you get what Im
saying. Potluck and donations are hardily appreciated.
Also this is a DAY event running Noon-10pm. So unless your a VIP,
aka. cleanup crew, 10 pm is time to get yr after party in effect.
LFX is located in the Beer Garden behind Basement BrewHaus

***DUE TO THE PARTYING NATURE OF LFX, BASEMENT BREWHAUS WILL BE
CLOSED FOR BUSINESS***

carl spakler · 07-02-2009, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by homebeerbrewer

Which ones?

Modern Homebrew in Cambridge
Beer-Wine in Woburn

Both would be well served by 100% staff/ownership turnover.

Zenman · 07-02-2009, 08:07 PM

wow, that stinks. And to think i get annoyed at my LHBS because they are to nice, knowledgable and helpful to almost overkill. What I mean by this is this:

I need corn sugar, or maybe just a vial of yeast becuase i forgot it last trip, so I will 'pop in real quick' and grab them and be on my way. Problem is the 2 guys working the store will ignore you standing at the register while they go on lengthy 20 min discources on this or that grain with someone they were helping when you walked in 10 min ago, or how to choose a yeast or what ever while you just stand there. They are super helpful, but there are times i get fed up and just leave my stuff there and go.

Now I can appreciate giving all your attention to the customer your helping, but to just ignore other customers piling up at the register is annoying, especially when they are just holding one small item... This isn't a one time thing, and more than once when i walked out the person behind me did as well, both of us grumbling about waiting forever for something simple and how it happens more than it should.

So i have started to order more and more online, i just don't have time to waste an hour to pick up bottle caps, or some other random stuff. It is hard to say that because the 2 guys there do rock once you have their attention or your the only person in the store, they just need to learn to be more efficient at chekcing out people that standing at the register instead of explaining every last nuance to blow tubes to someone who is going to brew wine for the first time anyway...

Guess that isn't much to complain about, staff is too helpful and attentive. Other than that sometimes the variety isn't there, as they don't stock everything, but they are good at finding substitutes, the place is clean (spotless actually) and ingredients are always fresh. Heck if you buy a brew kit, they cut it open and give you fresher, better dry yeast to ensure you get a good result, now that is nice service. Oh the store is What Ale's Ya in Glendale, AZ if your curious.

**homebeerbrewer** · 07-02-2009, 08:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carl spakler

Modern Homebrew in Cambridge
Beer-Wine in Woburn

Both would be well served by 100% staff/ownership turnover.

I've been to Modern Homebrew a few times. It's a PIA to get there for me, and the times that I've gone there, only once the person working knew what I was talking about. I won't be going back.

I've never been to Beer-Wine, so I can't say anything about them.

**EdWort** · 07-02-2009, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zenman

I need corn sugar, or maybe just a vial of yeast becuase i forgot it last trip, so I will 'pop in real quick' and grab them and be on my way. Problem is the 2 guys working the store will ignore you standing at the register while they go on lengthy 20 min discources on this or that grain with someone they were helping when you walked in 10 min ago, or how to choose a yeast or what ever while you just stand there. They are super helpful, but there are times i get fed up and just leave my stuff there and go.

I feel your pain. It is a royal pain to drive 30 minutes to get a vial of yeast only to wait 20 minutes to pay for. Next time, I'll have 7 dollars exact change so I can leave it on the counter and walk out.

I think a fast checkout (as in pay and go, no questions) is necessary during peak hours, like lunch time.

grayburn · 07-02-2009, 09:20 PM

My LHBS closed up 2 days after I bought my first stuff from him...the guy mentioned nothing about closing (if he would have I probably would have purchased more) and was kind of an asshole all around. I'm glad there are so many fine retailers online, otherwise I would be SOL.

**rico567** · 07-02-2009, 09:52 PM

Don't know what it's like to have a local homebrew store. The closest thing we have is shelves & racks of ingredients in the corner of a big liquor superstore. No telling how old any of the stuff is.....but it's nice to have there in a pinch, when you've forgotten to order hops online. Given our situation, I'm just grateful for places like Midwest and Austin.

**KillerKellers** · 07-02-2009, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zenman

wow, that stinks. And to think i get annoyed at my LHBS because they are to nice, knowledgable and helpful to almost overkill. What I mean by this is this:

I need corn sugar, or maybe just a vial of yeast becuase i forgot it last trip, so I will 'pop in real quick' and grab them and be on my way. Problem is the 2 guys working the store will ignore you standing at the register while they go on lengthy 20 min discources on this or that grain with someone they were helping when you walked in 10 min ago, or how to choose a yeast or what ever while you just stand there. They are super helpful, but there are times i get fed up and just leave my stuff there and go.

Now I can appreciate giving all your attention to the customer your helping, but to just ignore other customers piling up at the register is annoying, especially when they are just holding one small item... This isn't a one time thing, and more than once when i walked out the person behind me did as well, both of us grumbling about waiting forever for something simple and how it happens more than it should.

So i have started to order more and more online, i just don't have time to waste an hour to pick up bottle caps, or some other random stuff. It is hard to say that because the 2 guys there do rock once you have their attention or your the only person in the store, they just need to learn to be more efficient at chekcing out people that standing at the register instead of explaining every last nuance to blow tubes to someone who is going to brew wine for the first time anyway...

Guess that isn't much to complain about, staff is too helpful and attentive. Other than that sometimes the variety isn't there, as they don't stock everything, but they are good at finding substitutes, the place is clean (spotless actually) and ingredients are always fresh. Heck if you buy a brew kit, they cut it open and give you fresher, better dry yeast to ensure you get a good result, now that is nice service. Oh the store is What Ale's Ya in Glendale, AZ if your curious.

I usually order online, but I go to the same place when I need something small... I usually go late in the day, and the only one ever there is the owner. He is nice, very knowledgeable, but I could see how you could end up stuck waiting. I think most people go to these small shops to chat, get advice, etc... not just pick up something and run.

I think part of this comes down to the customer.. they should have enough sense to say "hey, ring this guy up since we are just bull****ting over here"!