What do you Look for in a LHBS?

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FishinDave07

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The deal is that the nearest HBS doesn't have the greatest prices/selection so i find myself ordering online (The second closest HBS is 4 hours away...) Some things that i look for in a HBS is a good website (i hate sites that are crappy and full of dead luniks or were last update 3/12/97 :mad: ), reasonable prices, knowledgable staff, and good selection. What are some of the "perks" your LHBS offer? What makes them better than the rest?

Dave
 
This may be a bit crass, but my answer to your question is that I don't look at all.

I made a few trips to the LHBS, but I got tired of them not having something I wanted, the long lines, the terrible parking and the high prices. I order everything online and don't feel the least bit guilty about it.

I have a 40 minute drive each way to the LHBS. In my vehicle that's about 5 gallons of gas plus my time.

$6.99 flat shipping right to my door > $15 in gas + 1 hr 20 min driving everyday of the week and twice on Sundays.

The LHBS was in business before I started brewing, and unless some of their loyal customers take my route I'm sure that they will be just fine without me.
 
Well, there is a LHBS a half-hour away from where I live. And I'm about to move ten minutes away from it. So, I've never been tempted to order online. I guess that means, to me, geographical convenience is the key factor for a LHBS. If it's too far away, it's not worth it.

Prices aren't a dealbreaker with me, since I only brew once every six weeks or so (when I'm not packing up and moving), and an extra five bucks on my ticket won't make me blink.

What I really love about my LHBS is that, unless they're in the middle of a BOP or class, you're almost always guaranteed a good conversation with people who know what the hell you're trying to do. Thus, I'd say that my second key factor would be to have employees who are 1) friendly, and 2) knowledgeable.

The social component of visiting the LHBS is really more than half the reason I go! :mug:
 
Online: Well designed website, ease of ordering/cart management, the ability to not have to create an account to buy.

In store: Friendly help, knowledgeable help, etc. I don't care about prices - I'll gladly pay a bit more to support a great local shop that I can go swap beers and chit chat for an hour or two with staff members who are cool. I've stopped off without the intent to purchase anything - just to share some brews and talk potential recipe ideas. An hour and a few beers later, I spent money that I didn't expect to. Moral of the story - you can pry money out of me with friendly service and a six-pack.
 
More than anything, I like to see, touch and taste what my money is buying. I do not like buying online and there is so much local competition in my area that I do not get gouged. I can look and compare prices online and go where gives me the best value for material - if I am just buying 1 or 2 things its always the closest.

Also - I hate waiting for deliveries.

Also - I hate delivery services. See "I hate FedEx/UPS" style rants.

Also - I hate not getting the right thing.

Also - I hate impersonal service.

Also - I hate not hearing about a new product that they recently started carrying.

Also - I hate not being able to trouble-shoot a through a blank spot of their stock with a staff member that knows the stock.

Also... I just like going somewhere and buying in a store - it is a much more satisfying feeling than clicking "add to basket."
 
ohiobrewtus said:
$6.99 flat shipping right to my door

mmm...Austin Homebrew :rockin:

jpsloan said:
you're almost always guaranteed a good conversation with people who know what the hell you're trying to do

Yeah, i've heard some ridiculous sh#% about customer service at a HBS (the one 4 hours away from me)

jezter6 said:
the ability to not have to create an account to buy

I guess you have to look at it from the HBS side of it. communications via e-mail for promotions, new products, etc.

NWernBrewer said:
see, touch and taste what my money is buying

I remember when i bought my first ingredient kit, i had no freakn' clue of what specialty grains i was getting, what hops, pellet or leaf, etc.
 
Got 3 of them within a 1/2 hour drive (and another that's about 45 min). 2 of the three have knowledgeable staff, 2 of the three have extensive ingredient selections, one has a fab shop, one is a Blichmann retailer... it all depends on where I'm coming from (home or work) and what I need (hardware or ingredients). Gotta say, I'm feeling pretty spoiled.
 
FishinDave07 said:
I guess you have to look at it from the HBS side of it. communications via e-mail for promotions, new products, etc.
Maybe - but I (like many people here I would suspect) end up opting out of such communications - or complaining about all the damn spam you get because they don't have an opt out/make it difficult to opt out.

To me, it's like going job searching. I know it's a pain in the arse and I send out tons of resumes a week via email - but the last thing I want to do is go through a long sign up procedure where I re-copy my entire resume to the site profile only to not only NOT get called for an interview, but get spammed about company crap from a place that didn't even bother to call me.

I purchase online the same way. If I have to give my email address out again, wait for a verification email, respond to the verification - just to order something...I'm more likely to go somewhere else. The internet is about INSTANT gratification, and we as a society are also all about instant gratification. If you're going to make me go through hoops to sign up, I'll take my business somewhere else. You don't need my email address so you can sell it to a spam company.

Sorry, but my theory is - if I don't expressly want you to contat me (ie: sign up for your newsletter voluntarily) then I shouldn't have to give it to you. I shouldn't need to add it to some sort of account profile if I've asked you not to contact me and your privacy policy says you're not going to sell it. What else is it needed for? The answer is STILL spam.

I had to give my email address to one online store and the owner spams me for limted edition wine kit orders and I can't figure out how to get off the list. Luckily, I have a good spam block and blacklisted him instead.
 
FishinDave07 said:
I remember when i bought my first ingredient kit, i had no freakn' clue of what specialty grains i was getting, what hops, pellet or leaf, etc.

Good point - but for us who know what we are looking for or are looking at new ingredients there is almost no virtual alternative that holds a candle to physically holding something in your hand. If is also difficult to make value decisions blindly - if you know the manufacturer sells consistantly good product or know a person with a like item, well, that's different.

I am not opposed to internet sales - I just hate sticking my neck out there. Maybe I just need to pop my internet sales cherry and buy something small from a good dealer and feel better about it. I would pay for the shipping to not worry.

But, going to somebody who treats you well - priceless. I just don't want to give up some human interaction things in this age of faceless nameless consumer trade - and I enjoy going to my LHBSs (plural.)
 
i'm lucky. my LHBS gets me everything i need. very informative, very helpful, low prices, the whole works.

occasionally i'll go somewhere else if i need a weird grain (pale chocolate, chocolate rye, or something crazy) but in general, there is NOWHERE else i would rather be than at my LHBS.

BUT...if they were anything like some of the other places i've visited, then i would drop them immediately for some of the great online stores. i'm all about supporting local, but that's because local is usually better around here.
 
i'd rather deal with the local brew on site. they'll sell sacks of two row in it's various forms for a lot less than what the lhbs will. and they are ten minutes from me, with minimal traffic lights and police patrols.

the lhbs has really switched over to being more of an online store, and one not as focused on beer as it was. i don't fault the owners, but they're moving away from what i want. yeast is 7.99 a vial last time i was there., and i listened to the owner dude tell me the pacific gem hops i bought were really strong, so i just had to waive them over the kettle, as he tried to charge me two bucks more than what they had them tagged for...
 
I have three in the area - the one I frequent, one I try not to go to, and one I've never been to. All I've ordered online are hops and gear. The LHBS I go to is friendly and knowledgable - they've been in business for 30+ years. They are wine oriented (they do in house wine and bottling for those that don't want to be hassled with actually making thier own) but maintain an excellent selection of beer making supplies and are very forthcoming with answers and ideas. They also happen to be less than 5 minutes from my office.
The one I try to avoid I really don't know how they stay open. I think it's a front for something else. The last time I went there they were out of two-row. Nuff said.
The one I haven't been to yet I'd like to check out but their hours are mighty inconvenient to my schedule. So for now I'll stick with the one I go to and like.
 
For me, I've found that making my way in the world today takes everything I've got.


Taking a break from all my worries, sure would help a lot.


Wouldn't you like to get away?

Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came,
You wanna be where you can see,
The troubles are all the same,
You wanna be where everybody knows your name!
 
I'm thinking about starting to order online, but haven't really given my LHBS enough of a chance. I was under the impression that they didn't have much of a Wyeast selection but checking out their website just now I found that they seem to have quite a bit, but it's divided into 'Ale,' 'Lager,' Seasonal,' etc so it's easier to have something be buried. Their website leaves much to be desired but that's not a big deal.

I haven't really gone in there needing A, B and C so the selection is probably fine. I haven't had many conversations about brewing but that's because I'm a quiet guy; whenever I've had questions they've been more than helpful.

So during the course of this reply I went from 'I'll probably be switching to online' to 'I probably won't be switching to online.' Heh.
 
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