How much extra would you pay to support a LHBS

[NitrogenWidget]

Yep. Society has degraded. Once it was FTF and a handshake. Now we hardly communicate other than text, email and voicemail, oh and pm. Society has little social skill anymore.

When I pick my kids up at their mom's and they are around the corner with neighborhood kids I don't mind waiting one bit at all.

I agree with you. the shop owner near me does everything right but he's stiff around people.
looks to be early 30's.
his dad is late 50's and very personable and will talk your ear off and is knowledgeable.
He did an internship at a local brewery and always asks what I got going on beer wise.

it's one of the reasons I go.

 

[Nate R]

Fwiw....
I have found that my little lhbs about 10 mins away has a small selection of liquid yeast... but very fresh yeast. Like 30 days or less fresh. I will happily pay them a good markup (10-25% or more!) to know the date before i buy. Plus factor in shipping and cool packs and it's sometimes a better deal! I did use them for "emergency" grain (bought their 2-row so i could mill it their) when i was getting my mill set up but it was very costly.

Now i will digress....

My favorite lhbs (before i moved) started way back in a guy's shed, behind his house. They promised fresh when all others sold stale. They expanded. They started welding their own kettles, conicals, and the like. They expanded again. They helped launch the careers of some home-brewers turned pro. They made kits with these people. They got the actual recipies from these brewers to provide exact home brew clones. They hired friendly people and gave great service. They started a catalouge and started shipping. They built a website with all kinds of free resources. They expanded again. They added a warehouse on the East coast to help get people fresh ingredients faster. All from some dudes who started a little lhbs in a shed in the backyard. Walk in their original showroom and it does not feel like a national company.

-Amazon is putting WalMart out of buisness
-walmart put Kmart out of buisness
-kmart put sears out of buisness
-sears, roebuck, and co mail order put the main st. general store out buisness
(I am sure i missed a few in between but you get the point).

I cannot wait to see what WILL put Amazon out of buisness. It WILL happen. 20 years, maybe a litrle more, maybe a little less.
God Bless Sam Walton, Sears and Roebuck, and even, yes, Bezos... for although each of these buisnesses shut down those before it (who, in turn, had shut down thoose before that), they all innovated a better mousetrap. Or a better way to sell the mousetraps at least.

Walmart employees a lot of people. So does Amazon. So too did Kmart and sears. So too will the next big craze. Distribution center workers, truck drivers, general managers, district managers, logostic coordinators, marketing, hr, legal... lots and lots and lots and lots of people get jobs from these companies.

As mentioned before in this thread, service will trump almost always. If a lhbs provides great service then it will win. (If you are ever up in NorCal Redding walk into NorCal Brewing and try not to talk to Jay!). Service is what made Morebeer so big. Service is what made NorthernBrewer so big.
When a company does something great, one of two things happens. It starts to scale, and eventually becomes a mega player- and all that comes with it too. Or it stays small and hyper focused on what it does very well. I do not see any issues with either choice.
Sometimes, often, the ones trying to scale fail. Sometimes the specialty ones fail too.
In the small town where i grew up my favorite local lumber yard/ hardware store closed a few years after home depot opened. Because the owner got divorced. He had to sell. (Oh, and this "local" guy had put the other, smaller, true value store under a few years before that).

I love shopping local whenever i can. I also work. Often i cant make it in by 6. If a local shop is open later, i go. Sometimes it seems like they do not want my buisness.

That's all. Soapbox put away.
Happy brewing all!!

 

[greywolf]

If the local has what I need , that's where I buy. I don't quibble over pennies.

 

[VTX1300]

I will gladly pay a little extra at my local shop. The staff are very knowledgeable and willing to take time and answer customer questions. The advice and service were very helpful to me when I was just starting out. I had no experience and nobody to teach me.
They have an excellent supply of everything needed for beer and wine. Ingredients and equipment. They have a grain room where I can weigh and grind my own grain of they will do it for their customers if they are not comfortable doing it themselves.
Yes, I will pay more for the level of customer service I get when I walk into their shop. Something that is seriously lacking in most retail businesses today.

 

[K_tile]

The LHBS I use typically is $0.20/lb cheaper on base malts; i.e. 2 row, M.O., Vienna but $0.20/lb higher on the specialty grains. Yeast and hops prices are similar.

 

[One Eye Ross]

it is 30 miles to the nearest LHBS going south, and 45 miles going north. I would love to shop at either location, but the cost of gas in a F250 just makes it cost prohibitive a lot of times. I have to co-ordinate my trips to the LHBS with other trips in those areas....so I shop on line a lot.

The LHBS south is a attached to a smokehouse/pub, so it is a great place to go....

 

[lump42]

I've been supporting the "local" LHBS that is 30 miles away. I usually time my purchase with work trips into the city. Or I place an order online with them and ask my wife to pick it up on her way home. For grains, I'm paying somewhere between 20-40% more per pound before shipping charges are applied from online stores. Yeast and other hardgoods are on par or 5-10% cheaper. It's hard to compare with shipping charges with online retailers offering flat rate or free shipping on larger orders. I don't always want to wait to build up an order large enough to get free shipping. The service at the LHBS store is great. I do have to plan ahead and let them know in advance if I'm looking for non-stock liquid yeast. In the last 6 years, we've had 3 stores open and 2 close. I'm willing to pay more for the convenience, to keep them open for myself & regional homebrewing community.

 

[Shwagger]

I went to buy grains last night on a east coast website, $21 in grains, $16 to ship. No thanks. Theres 4 LHBS in my county alone, and another half dozen across the Bay at least. I question the freshness of some products at some of them and knowledge at others, but overall its better than ordering online for me

 

[Nate R]

I've been supporting the "local" LHBS that is 30 miles away. I usually time my purchase with work trips into the city. Or I place an order online with them and ask my wife to pick it up on her way home. For grains, I'm paying somewhere between 20-40% more per pound before shipping charges are applied from online stores. Yeast and other hardgoods are on par or 5-10% cheaper. It's hard to compare with shipping charges with online retailers offering flat rate or free shipping on larger orders. I don't always want to wait to build up an order large enough to get free shipping. The service at the LHBS store is great. I do have to plan ahead and let them know in advance if I'm looking for non-stock liquid yeast. In the last 6 years, we've had 3 stores open and 2 close. I'm willing to pay more for the convenience, to keep them open for myself & regional homebrewing community.

Your post got me thinking... how many times have i loaded up my cart to qualify for "free" shipping when a trip to lhbs may have saved me money? Good point!

 

[lump42]

Your post got me thinking... how many times have i loaded up my cart to qualify for "free" shipping when a trip to lhbs may have saved me money? Good point!

Yeah if it's just ingredients for a batch or two, doesn't qualify for free shipping, and I'm paying actual or flat rate shipping, it's usually same price or cheaper to go to the LHBS.

 

[kh54s10]

For me it is 34 miles to my preferred LHBS. So 68 miles round trip. My car gets 28 on a trip like that so I would use 2.43 gallons of gas. $2.29/gal today - very low.. That is about $5.56 for gas, normal would be over $6. That doesn't include wear and tear on the car. That is not to far from most flat rate shipping charges.. It also doesn't cover the 3 hours that I could be doing something more fun... Like brewing... For me it is a toss up.

 

[bob1852]

Since I am a weirdo who uses organics instead of sprayed grain...

Surely you're aware that Organic farms can use pesticides, too?

 

[Obese Chess]

Generally speaking I am always willing to pay more to support local business. I don't do Amazon or Walmart for ethical reasons. I am fortunate to live in a large metropolitan area with a wide variety of small/local businesses that I can support. I don't know how things would change for me if I didn't.

 

[bobeer]

I have 2 in my area. I used to go to one of them until every grain cost $3 a lb which is just too expensive when there's so many options to pay much less. Now, my club is hosted at a brewery and we can get bulk buys easily for much less. The other shop was just run into the ground by owners that wanted to pursue other avenues within the beer industry.

I'll go to the lhbs if I need fresh yeast, or a little specialty grain for a recipe I'm brewing that day. I like the owners of the one I go to still but the prices are too rich for my blood.... Again, $3 a lb for base malt and everything else.

There used to be a shop, back when I first got into homebrewing, that was an 'over the river-through the woods' kind of trek to the place. At the time it felt right to have that kind of a drive to a homebrew shop but then they moved to a strip mall. They're still there but I have moved and now it makes no sense to go that far.

I get rent just keeps going up but shops do have to complete with online stores which I don't think is really doable; at least in my area. I love a good brick and mortar shop though. It's just hard to support it with a house, wife, and kids.

 

[brewbama]

Well, I just gave $6.50 to the local for a pack of 34/70.

 

[Robert65]

Well, I just gave $6.50 to the local for a pack of 34/70.

That's actually a good price, same as MoreBeer. Fermentis varieties are all priced differently starting from ~$2.50, and W34/70 is their most expensive. Currently $6.99 and $7.79 at the two shops around here. That's liquid yeast money.

 

[Bobby_M]

That's actually a good price, same as MoreBeer. Fermentis varieties are all priced differently starting from ~$2.50, and W34/70 is their most expensive. Currently $6.99 and $7.79 at the two shops around here. That's liquid yeast money.

S-189 is actually the most expensive but 34/70 is a close second. Given the compact storage size and long shelf life, I only take a dollar on dry yeast. 34/70 is $4.89. That is a good price.

 

[lump42]

Surely you're aware that Organic farms can use pesticides, too?

And usually more pesticides since the chemistries are less effective...

 

[passedpawn]

I rarely care about the price. The difference is a few bucks and at my burn rate with kids, colleges, cars, house, that doesn't even move the needle.

I buy all perishables at my local, and equipment online. But if my local disappears, I'm not too concerned. Online works too. It's actually more convenient for me to buy everything online, but I just have to plan ahead to do that.

 

[crazyjake19]

If we had a local shop I'd easily pay 10% above online costs, maybe even 15-20% more with great customer service. Unfortunately, our "local" shop is an hour away for me so I end up doing 98% of my shopping online. I do still go there for CO2 swaps just to chat and check out the new gear, and we usually go to the nearby mall or stop somewhere nice to eat. I could easily swap CO2 right in town but the guys at the local welding shops are jerks and I refuse to deal with them.

 

[hbhudy]

I almost always try to use my LHBS for everything (even though they are a bit higher on all products).. I have also asked what are the highest margin products and buy those when needed

 

[50calshooter]

Almost 20 years brewing and I've never bought any supplies on line except my refractometer and one no weld brew pot temp gauge. I don't like the idea of buying grain without seeing it or tasting a new one. Plus the info I get from my LHBS is invaluable. As far as price I have looked and compared. No different AND I'd have to pay extra for shipping. Buy local, brew local.

 

[kh54s10]

Almost 20 years brewing and I've never bought any supplies on line except my refractometer and one no weld brew pot temp gauge. I don't like the idea of buying grain without seeing it or tasting a new one. Plus the info I get from my LHBS is invaluable. As far as price I have looked and compared. No different AND I'd have to pay extra for shipping. Buy local, brew local.

All of that is true except for the second to last sentence. Unless you don't shop around it is unlikely that you could not buy the same online for less, even if there was shipping. That can also be worked around in a lot of cases by buying enough at one time.

I would say that I buy about 50 - 50 online to LHBS. My local LHBS is more of a wine place, and the other is pretty far. I haven't really taken a close look, but the grain selection at the better, farther store, is a little limited. I am not sure about their stock of hops and yeasts.

 

[kingmatt]

I buy my grain and yeast at my LHBS because I can confirm their freshness and I like to support them. I buy my hops online because I brew mostly IPAs and buying by the ounce from my LHBS would bankrupt me.

 

[dwhite60]

Two homebrew stores within 40 minutes. I try to support both. One does $8 shipping so it's cheaper to get it delivered than the time I spend going to get it. When I'm short on time, I order from them.

Other store is the one that got me started 30 years ago. Not the same owner. Employees are personable and helpful, prices are fair. I'm in their area fairly often so dropping in isn't a problem.

I buy local unless, it's something I cannot get easily locally or, it's an insane good deal. Locals do run specials every now and then I take advantage of.

All the Best,
D. White

 

[bleme]

My nearest LHBS is an hour away. I only go there if I am in the area to pick up odds and ends. A while back a local hookah shop dedicated a corner to homebrew supplies. I never visited because another club member told me that the staff was clueless and the yeast was old. They only lasted about a year.

If someone came in that actually provided something for their upcharge, I would probably give them some business.

Concerning the OT debate on markups, I worked for a national retail chain for 9 years. There were a few items that were only marked up 10% just to get people in the store. Most of the store had a 30% markup. The items that you could only buy from them (store brand) had a 50% markup. As our prices seemed to nearly always match competitors, I'd guess those are pretty standard brick-and-mortar markups. Craft/hobby/specialty stores might be a completely different world though.

 

[Nate R]

To go back to the OP point-
I think part of the problem is the scale of each buisness.
A typical "mom and pop" has a basic pricing strategy- i.e. mark up yeast by 20%, grain by 40%, etc. etc. The percantage may change but it is more or less a fixed margin pricing system.
Larger stores may focus more on lowering their costs, hence it drives their profit while keeping prices static.

I think maybe this intention was how much more vs. On-line would we be willing to pay at a lhbs. Doesn't really account for the profit margin % of the lhbs.

For me, i will pay a lot more on liquid yeast. I appreciate being able to see the date and not have to worry about ice packs and shipping damage.
For grains you just can't beat the bulk prices of on-line eveb with shipping. Plus i worry about how fast the lhbs goes through product.

 

[Robert65]

For grains you just can't beat the bulk prices of on-line eveb with shipping. Plus i worry about how fast the lhbs goes through product.

I know one samll, conscientious, shop that will pull and discard a sack from their inventory when it reaches the BB date. For this reason, I suppose, they no longer carry as broad a range as they initially did, and their prices are a bit higher than some other sources. I know another shop that, when a sack in the warehouse is approaching the BB date, it gets dumped in the bin to sell by the pound, so those of us who buy by the sack will see we are getting a sack in date, but those who buy by the pound will never know what they're getting. I tend to use premium or heirloom malts nobody stocks, so I end up special ordering sacks through LHBS and of course these are fresh. I could get about the same price with free delivery from some online retailers, but I'd rather give the local guy the business, and I'd rather pick up a sack or two in store than have to wrestle it in off my porch as 50-100 lbs in a crate.

 

[bleme]

For grains you just can't beat the bulk prices of on-line eveb with shipping. Plus i worry about how fast the lhbs goes through product.

I know the owners of 4 local micro-breweries that will all sell me full sacks at cost. The bigger guys are too busy to bother.

 

[50calshooter]

My LHBS lets me sample the grains and provides a valuable source of information. I'm not going to buy a bunch of grain to save on shipping when I can get what ever I need local for the same as the online price...and let the business worry about storing the grain. It's a 30 minute drive why pile it up at my house.