I think as long as there are enough people who want good beer, there will be good beer on the shelf.
Think of it this way. Stores stock things they don't even make money on routinely, or put something on sale that they don't make money on.
Why do they do it? To get you in the door.
If one store stopped carrying good beer, many people would go to another store that stocks what they want. While they are there they pick up a couple steaks, bread, milk and whatever else they need.
The only way I see them blocking good beers if they actually made comparable beer at a cheaper price, or if they could control the market for key ingredients.
Since the ingredients are grain, water, yeast and hops, they would pretty much have to buy up the major hop farms to block the craft breweries.
I don't see it happening. Craft beer might not be a big money maker for the stores, but I know that if I need to buy beer, I go shopping at a store that is most likely to have beer I want.
Let's face it, they all have milk, bread, hamburger and whatever else in on my shopping list.
Favorite line from the article though..... "A third of the country does not drink".
Who is this third and where do they live?? I don't know many people at all who don't drink.
Some drink a lot, some only drink a little but not drinking at all??
I thought only that nut job from Portland that loves to make beer and doesn't drink fell into that category!
EnjoyGoodBeer... I'm with you. I don't step into a wally world for anything. I avoid the big box stores and all the same places that you avoid. I can't completely avoid them because they've eliminated some of the competition but I avoid them.
I also shop local whenever I can.
Thank You. 
