Hey All,
I've been brewing for a couple of years and can say that from a customer service and supply perspective, homebrew shops in general that I've worked with are second to none than in any industry I've ever purchased from--every company wanting to help and support and always there when I need them or things don't go as planned in terms of quality of product, dissatisfaction, and so forth. I've purchased from places like Northern Brewer, Midwest Supply, Morebeer.com, Brewhardware.com, AIH.com, and some other regional shops (we don't have a comprehensive local shop anymore where I live, but we do have some small shops where I try to keep my business to support the local economy as much as possible...).
That said, I've noticed that places like Northern Brewer are continually marketing to the point that the cost is being passed on to the consumer at absolutely ridiculous prices. While Northern Brewer offers some of the best customer service and support options I've experienced, I'm seeing kits selling for $60 - $70 dollars in their latest catalog (say what???), which absolutely blows my mind, and kills the spirit of homebrewing--especially when I can piece together a similar recipe locally/regionally for $40-$50. Of course if you "play the game" and participate in the marketing and sales, you can get "discounts" but really, the discount is on an inflated price that simply brings it to a normal price and makes you think that you are getting a good deal, but really, you are just paying normal pricing. I'm beginning to be offended by this type of marketing and moving away from spending my hard earned dollar at places like this--I don't have time to play games and wait for "trick" sales and all that. So many times, companies spend money on marketing only to pass it on to the consumer, which is dishonest, and unfair. That said, there are many companies keeping it real with slight inflation around the economy, but I"m curious what others think.
I do recognize that many of the companies that play in this space support HBT, so I'm not trying to be disrespectful of those trying to grow the community, but in many ways these tactics change the spirit of what has drawn me to the homebrewing community to begin with. I recognize I have a choice where I spend my money, so at the end of the day, it's not a big deal, but just wanted to socialize this a bit...
What do others think?
Cheers,
Bugsy
I've been brewing for a couple of years and can say that from a customer service and supply perspective, homebrew shops in general that I've worked with are second to none than in any industry I've ever purchased from--every company wanting to help and support and always there when I need them or things don't go as planned in terms of quality of product, dissatisfaction, and so forth. I've purchased from places like Northern Brewer, Midwest Supply, Morebeer.com, Brewhardware.com, AIH.com, and some other regional shops (we don't have a comprehensive local shop anymore where I live, but we do have some small shops where I try to keep my business to support the local economy as much as possible...).
That said, I've noticed that places like Northern Brewer are continually marketing to the point that the cost is being passed on to the consumer at absolutely ridiculous prices. While Northern Brewer offers some of the best customer service and support options I've experienced, I'm seeing kits selling for $60 - $70 dollars in their latest catalog (say what???), which absolutely blows my mind, and kills the spirit of homebrewing--especially when I can piece together a similar recipe locally/regionally for $40-$50. Of course if you "play the game" and participate in the marketing and sales, you can get "discounts" but really, the discount is on an inflated price that simply brings it to a normal price and makes you think that you are getting a good deal, but really, you are just paying normal pricing. I'm beginning to be offended by this type of marketing and moving away from spending my hard earned dollar at places like this--I don't have time to play games and wait for "trick" sales and all that. So many times, companies spend money on marketing only to pass it on to the consumer, which is dishonest, and unfair. That said, there are many companies keeping it real with slight inflation around the economy, but I"m curious what others think.
I do recognize that many of the companies that play in this space support HBT, so I'm not trying to be disrespectful of those trying to grow the community, but in many ways these tactics change the spirit of what has drawn me to the homebrewing community to begin with. I recognize I have a choice where I spend my money, so at the end of the day, it's not a big deal, but just wanted to socialize this a bit...
What do others think?
Cheers,
Bugsy
. But I will say, NB ingredients are typically packed excellent and their flat rate shipping on most items is great. I recently purchased three of their kits on sale for $60 + $7.99 shipped. One of the kits I would have been hard pressed to get the hops alone for $20. And a penny under 8 bucks for shipping over 60 lbs of goods isn't too shabby in my book.
