Bit of a conundrum

[greenacarina]

So, generally speaking, I am an advocate of supporting the local brick and mortar store versus buying everything online (although I do buy a ton of stuff online...often things not found at local business).
The LHBS is the prime example of this. My introduction to homebrewing, sometime in the early 90's, was through the local brew store in my old neighborhood.
The guys that owned it were passionate about brewing and very helpful and supportive in getting me set up with the right stuff, answering technical questions, diagnosing problems, etc...
Fast-forward to the current century...I live in an area that, thankfully, has a LHBS. I have been in there a number of times, bought many ingredients, pieces of equipment, etc... but there has always been a general lack of enthusiasm.
Now, just to clarify, I don't have "high expectations" of any retail establishment...just some level of common courtesy..."Hi, how's it going", "Help you find anything", "Have any questions", that kind of thing.
The ability to answer beginner-to-intermediate type questions.
Generally I have had a pretty solid idea of exactly what I want when I go in (because I know I'm not going to get any guidance from the staff).
Having not brewed for a couple years, I am now getting back into it and stopped by the LHBS on a whim one day to pick up the ingredients for a basic brown ale.
Almost instantly had the "Oh yeah! That's right" moment realizing that nobody gave a damn that I was in the store or wanted to buy anything and further realized that I was done with this crap.
SO....here is my conundrum.
There are a couple other LHBS in my general area, but they would be a bit of a drive.
I haven't bought any homebrewing ingredients online before, so I don't know how well that would work for shipping costs on grain (for example).
Are there any recommended online suppliers?
Should I just drive the extra miles to a different LHBS?

What do you guys think?

Thanks
Chris

 

[unionrdr]

Well, if you study recipes for the one that looks good to you, just go to the closest one to get the ingredients. Otherwise, search out the online suppliers for who might have good deals & prices. But wildfires & demand have seemed to drive up prices lately.

 

[cooper]

I agree with unionrdr, if they're not all that suportive when you go in there then just show up with a list of what you need and move on.

My LHBS is pretty cool in the fact that they DO want your business and have requested me to do price comparisons of stuff I find online. They'd like to get my business so if they can price match they will; which is really cool of them. Most of the time if I find a recipe I like I'll just shoot an email to them and they'll have it bagged up to my specifications and ready for me to pick up on the way home from work. Could I get better price deals from places like NB? Sometimes, but if it's only a couple bucks I'll support my local guys.

I usually buy my base grain at the local place as most online places charge a lot in shipping. Most of my bulk hops buys are online as well since the local place can't compete.

 

[RM-MN]

Call the next couple nearest LHBS and ask if they stock base malts in bulk bags and what the cost for a bag would be. That might let you know if you want to do business with them and if it would be worth the drive.

What passes for an LHBS in this town has base malts in 1 pound bags only but if I arrive when the right employee is working I can special order bags of base malt with no shipping charge, but only from Briess, not Rahr which is 2/3 the cost. My next closest LHBS is 90 miles away and does stock at least one 55 pound sack of base malt and more varieties of specialty malts and yeasts, but I only go there if I have other business in that area.

 

[m00ps]

I like to use farmhousebrewing supply for most of my stuff. They have the loest prices on hops hands down that Ive ever seen (unless you are buying several pounds maybe). Their prices are literally half the cost of many other sites

 

[Sammy86]

I prefer going to my LHBS for the following reasons: 1. They know who I am by name are always available to answer questions...i.e. If I have a question on brew day I can call or if it's after business hours I can shoot them an e-mail and the owners get back to me. 2. I'd rather support local business in my area. 3. When buying yeast I know the temperature won't fluctuate that much and I won't have to worry about viability because I make starters. Lastly, my LHBS does a discount on grain mixes...so for example Maris Otter is 2.00/pound when I do a grain mix I get all the grain for 1.60/pound so I can use the more expensive malts at a discounted price.

Just my .02

 

[brewcat]

I'd check out the other two places.

 

[greenacarina]

Thanks guys!
I don't mind spending a few extra bucks to support my local store, or even to go a little out of my way.
Seems like most retail stores and restaurants these days are completely lacking in even the most basic level of customer service
It often comes as a shock to me when I do happen upon a place that has truly GOOD customer service...seems like a rare and wonderful thing!
I will go check out the slightly less-local brew shops and see what they're all about. I owe it to myself, and them, to at least see what's there.

Thanks
Chris

 

[Teromous]

I know you've already pretty much closed out this thread but I wanted to toss in the recommendation to be flexible. I've moved to and from local and online stores over the years for a number of reasons. You really have to shop around to get the best deals. Sometimes newer stores will offer better prices because they're trying to draw in customers. Sometimes your old tried-and-true stores will start making small changes that end up screwing you over. Sometimes the popularity of a store will drive down their customer service. Sometimes a store will have a security breach and people will start having their credit cards charged. Some stores have sales, other stores will be sneaky and make changes to a recipe but keep the same price, while other smaller shops will seemingly out of the blue have better selection than you've seen anywhere. Keep an eye out in the reviews section as well as the general thread. Subscribe to mailing lists for the online retailers and they'll drop you some really good coupons. There are some sites out there that track deals like HomebrewFinds. While you can often times find good deals online one of the benefits to brick and mortar stores is face-to-face networking. I've found out about all kinds of things just from talking to people in beer and homebrew stores. Just a few things to consider.

 

[greenacarina]

I know you've already pretty much closed out this thread but I wanted to toss in the recommendation to be flexible. I've moved to and from local and online stores over the years for a number of reasons. You really have to shop around to get the best deals. Sometimes newer stores will offer better prices because they're trying to draw in customers. Sometimes your old tried-and-true stores will start making small changes that end up screwing you over. Sometimes the popularity of a store will drive down their customer service. Sometimes a store will have a security breach and people will start having their credit cards charged. Some stores have sales, other stores will be sneaky and make changes to a recipe but keep the same price, while other smaller shops will seemingly out of the blue have better selection than you've seen anywhere. Keep an eye out in the reviews section as well as the general thread. Subscribe to mailing lists for the online retailers and they'll drop you some really good coupons. There are some sites out there that track deals like HomebrewFinds. While you can often times find good deals online one of the benefits to brick and mortar stores is face-to-face networking. I've found out about all kinds of things just from talking to people in beer and homebrew stores. Just a few things to consider.

Good info!
I am amazed at how many homebrewing related websites are out there!
As much as I would prefer a local store, I am certainly open to buying some stuff online. I'm sure I will eventually find a good balance...and hoping a local shop is a part of that.
So far I am having a lot of fun learning new stuff and better understanding the brewing process, thanks in large part to this forum!
I have been acquiring more gear (fridge to ferment in, grain mill, looking for a keezer candidate, considering a ph meter) in anticipation of making better beers by getting tighter control of my brew.

Thanks everyone!
Chris

 

[NewJersey]

Didn't read whole thread, but in the end all a business really wants is your money. All the employees want is their pay.
If that hurts your feelings, it's not on the store.
I'll buy from lhbs if they have the item IN STOCK and within 10% of the normal price I see online. If they have to order it..... Well, I can just do that myself.
Having a store 2 minutes from my house to grab whirfloc or another hydrometer mid brew is invaluable to me.
Whether or not they give a **** (they happen to be on the friendlier side) is not relevant to me.

 

[greenacarina]

Didn't read whole thread, but in the end all a business really wants is your money. All the employees want is their pay.
If that hurts your feelings, it's not on the store.
I'll buy from lhbs if they have the item IN STOCK and within 10% of the normal price I see online. If they have to order it..... Well, I can just do that myself.
Having a store 2 minutes from my house to grab whirfloc or another hydrometer mid brew is invaluable to me.
Whether or not they give a **** (they happen to be on the friendlier side) is not relevant to me.

So, just to clarify....I'm not looking for someone to hold my hand or stroke my ego. I just don't want to be ignored and/or treated like an a-hole.
Maybe I am coming across like a whiner or a high-maintenance customer...but believe me, that's far from who I am.
The fact is in this age of internet based shopping you have people with virtually no overhead that can sell things for less than a brick and mortar store.
The only customer service factor with an online business is how fast they can ship your stuff.
Brick and mortar stores can only survive these days on convenience and good customer service...because they can't compete on price.
If I want to go somewhere to be treated like crap, I can come into my own workplace where they pay me to be there.
If I am handing my money over to someone else, there should at least be a little common courtesy.
With a little luck I will find another LHBS that will, at the very least, have someone attending to the cash register to take my money.

Thanks
Chris

 

[brick_haus]

I travel 30 miles to our LHBS, not because I get exceptional service, but because I like to give the clerk one of my beers. Every time I go back I we get to talk a little about how he liked my last "gift". He is a BJCP judge and gives me good honest feedback. Plus, they have pallets of bulk grain and virtually everything else that I might need.
Worth the trip to me, but I do buy all of my big ticket items online if I can save a buck, but for ingredients it's the LHBS.

 

[greenacarina]

I travel 30 miles to our LHBS, not because I get exceptional service, but because I like to give the clerk one of my beers. Every time I go back I we get to talk a little about how he liked my last "gift". He is a BJCP judge and gives me good honest feedback. Plus, they have pallets of bulk grain and virtually everything else that I might need.
Worth the trip to me, but I do buy all of my big ticket items online if I can save a buck, but for ingredients it's the LHBS.

That's about how far the closest one is to me, as well. I live a ways out in BFE, so pretty much anything is a journey.
Your LHBS sounds very much like mine was "back in the day". Owners were brewers as well...enthusiastic about it. Would bring samples of my beers in and have some discussion...and sometimes some troubleshooting
That shop still exists, but would be an extra 30 miles drive.
Honestly, I should be thankful to have the option of a couple other LHBS in my general area! Will be checking them out.

Chris