hbhudy
Well-Known Member
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
How much extra would you pay to support a LHBS
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50calshooter
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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.
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
Well-Known Member
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
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
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.
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.
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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.
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
Major Obvious (recently promoted)
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.
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
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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.
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brewbama
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I had the local shop order me a sack of grain. The price was cheaper than any mainstream online shop I’ve found. And every online shop I found has actual shipping that adds on. The local price was cheaper plus no shipping.
hopkincr
Well-Known Member
Luckily, I have a LHBS within 10 mins of my house. I shop there exclusively, except, when I buy bulk hops (they rarely have bulk hops for sale). Otherwise, I like the interaction and don’t think it’s 5% more or less.
