Still don't understand why you would want to go to a "local" brew shop....when most of the local mom and pop shops up north cant even touch the pricing and materials available on the internet. For example I picked up a 7.3 gal Stainless Steel conical fermenter with temp gauge and steel legs plus trilock and valves on eBay for $280 shipped...its gone up a little bit...Closest I could find same high end quality was $500-600. I think I'm gonna stick with "Net" for getting supplies.....I'm in Miami.....BTW.....I'm growing my own Cascade and Centennial rhizomes from freshops.com I'll keep you posted through a new thread on So Fla Hop Growing....
Here's the ebay link for the conical...
http://cgi.ebay.com/CONICAL-FERMENT...329?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item45f93f6ec1
Picazzo-
I don't know if I'm ressurecting a dead thread or not... but this kind of caught me off guard.
Being that I work at a homebrew shop, I see this argument a lot. Yes, we will never offer prices even close to online, and our standing stock might not be as diverse as online warehouse stores.
So why would you shop at a local store? Customer service, seeing your product in person to guarantee freshness, prices sometimes compare to the big dogs after shipping is removed, and you get to meet and speak to other local brewers.
Those are reasons for customers, but my very biased opinion on local vs online is this. LHBS pays a lot of overhead to stay in business. We can't order in warehouse quantities. But we are ALWAYS available for last minute purchases. We also tend to be involved with the local homebrew community, and support it via clubs and brewing educational events, and sponsoring group brews. We are also another testament to the wallmart vs local grocer argument. When you order from wally-world online, you save some money, but your local businesses may struggle due to loss of sales, and ultimately shut down- forcing you to 'only' order online even in emergencies. It also does a little damage to local economy. Though this isn't important to everybody by any means.
To me, it is always a little upsetting to see this argument knowing this could be the customer who will spend an hour of my time pricing every single grain and airlock they need for an emergency $15.00 purchase, and complain about the price difference from online, though I'm not saying you are- I've just had a lot run-ins with..
.(MY YEAST ARRIVED DEAD FROM UPS, I NEED THE LAST OF YOUR WYEAST 1272, and HOW DARE YOU CHARGE ME 2 DOLLARS MORE THAN NB).
The dollar is all powerful, but being that I work for a small business that strives to serve our customers as best as possible, I like to keep my money local. When I buy fruits and produce, I shop organic and local and look for quality, when I purchase meats I go to my local butcher and pay the extra $3.00.
This is just my perspective on things, I'm not a business owner, just a hourly part timer. I feel like supporting local businesses is a choice we all have to weigh out a little more carefully than 'oh I can say a few bucks by going online'. My customers all know our prices aren't king, but we do the best we can do to accommodate them via bulk orders and customer rewards; and I guarantee any local business respects and greatly appreciates loyal customers more than any large-scale company ever will.
Hopefully I don't sound like I'm preaching here, and I'm sorry if I do. Just keep us small guys in mind the next time you do an order, we are here for you when you have a last minute yeast starter or need emergency advice, in our rough economy we appreciate those of you who support us as well!
Also, seeing that you are in Miami, and knowing how sparse things are in South Florida... I can't really blame you. Hopefully we can expand our presence one day and change your mind.
