Should I feel guilty buying online and not local?

[Sir Humpsalot]

I have used three LHBSs. They were all great. I only have a motorcycle right now (with large sidecases), so purchases larger than 20lbs of DME are either online, or bargains with friends (get that malt to my doorstep and there's a growler of beer in it for you). That has been my "shipping cost" for awhile now.

You have to take personal differences into account too. Some shop owners don't want to harangue their customers. Others are very hands on. Some will eagerly offer suggestions while others will simply say, "Yes sir" if you don't explicitly ask for their assistance or input. It's all fine by me. To get the best service though, you need to be a little proactive and poke and prod a bit to find out how each LHBS operates and what the owner's vision is.

I do buy quite a bit online. Always have. But on things like 2-row, an LHBS ought to be able to smoke the prices of online stores. Shipping kills the savings. So maybe they are missing out on a few ounces of hops or the BK... But they can easily pocket $20+ on a sack of grain just by leveraging their shipping advantage. All they have to do is take it inside the store, grab a sharpie and write "Hold For Sir Humspalot". Twenty bucks profit for that? Not bad business... Especially if you get a few dozen guys like me who would run through a sack every month or so. And there will always be the last-minute brew day emergencies. Lets face it. On the common brew day necessities, we won't flinch at a 100% markup on little stuff when we need to brew TODAY. And I don't see that as gouging. It's just a convenience fee. Compare it to overnight shipping.

 

[mike20793]

Lucky for me, my LHBS is Rebel Brewer. I can place the order online and then drive over and pick it up or go in and get advice/tips and get whatever I need. I love them because they are super knowledgeable, super cheap, and their grain selection is unmatched.

 

[Gregwarro]

I would say I am bout 50/50/ I get grain and hops/yeast and this and that's from the LHBS and most of my equipment online. I did buy some of my equipment locally as well.

Here is my thing, this is a great hobby and had the LHBS shop not been there I might still not be doing it today. It was something that I wanted to try, but I had said that for years. Then on day a friend of mine was heading down to the LHBS to get some mead making supplies (for his first batch) I decided to tag along. Nearly two years later I am doing All grain and loving every minute of it. Had that LHBS not been there I would probably not be writing this right now.

 

[JasonToews]

I buy hops online by the pound for 14-18 dollars a pound, a local homebrew company can get me 50-55 lb sacks of base malt and some specialty malt for $35 a sack. The nearest homebrew "store" charges around 50-60 for the same sack of malt. So no i don't feel guilty.

 

[CBR250]

There are a lot of good opinions here. 1. I am happy I am about 2miles away from the store. 2. Like I said the info I get for the most part is on the net so I don't go soak them for info and then buy online. 3. I think for the small stuff it justifies the prices. Big orders go to the big online guys. 4. I really do appreciate all the input.

 

[DPBISME]

Last comment from me....

Hey: if you like the owner of your LHBS... you are helping out someone you know... so what if at the end of the year it cost you $50 bucks. You have helped a small business owner live their dream of being self sufficient...

BUT if the guy is a P%$*K! buy on line or from someone you like.

DPB

 

[swackattack]

As a local business owner I buy local.

Just some food for thought, got this stat from my local bni/chamber meeting.

If you purchase something, on average this % is what gets invested locally:

Small business-67%
National retailer-20%
Online retailer-7%

I want my community to actually have a business district and have a place to buy supplies at. Even if its a couple bucks more as that business owner may purchase something from me, i dont stand a chance at getting northern brewer or amazons business.

 

[pm5k00]

I buy bulk hops and some equipment online, but all my grain, yeast, and 3oz or less of hops are bought at my LHBS, and kegging stuff too.

 

[Stauffbier]

My LHBS has fair prices, and I try to support them. The main problem I have with them is that they don't carry enough variety for my needs. They're actually a bottle shop that decided to start selling some homebrewing stuff, but they stock a very limited supply. I'll buy from them when I can, but more often I have to order online to get the things I want.

 

[HopSpunge]

I usually buy from lhbs. However, I may start having sacks delivered to my door step instead from now on. The lhbs near me in buffalo is around 63.00 a sack. I don't mind donating a little, but a 50% mark up is a little extreme.....

 

[cdeme123]

Great points all around. I actually enjoy going to my LHBS. I get lots of great advice, enjoy talking about local craft beer and homebrew events with the guys who work there. I even bring in a few bottles of my finished beer to share with the guys and any customers who might be interested in giving it a taste. Feedback is encouraged.

I do buy online sometimes but a trip to the "brewshop" is always a great break in the routine and has become part of my brewing process.

 

[mikescooling]

I don't mind spending the extra cash at the LHBS (20 or 40 bucks). They know when I am brewing with friends and on some big orders ($250+) they will take 10% off. All the people who work there are cool, and helpfull. They have fresh good coffee and like to talk beer. In my travles, if I see a HBS, I go in, some are "maw and paw" that had so little stock it was not funny. Price for a lb of 2row was 2.75, If that was my LHBS i would order everything online.

 

[Slyko]

Here's my 2 cents.

YOU take care of YOU. Let the other guy take care of himself. You don't have to feel guilty about that.......................... ever. If the owner of the LHBS acted upon that simple idea, putting my needs 1st, I wouldn't go anywhere else.

I have 3 LHBS in my area. The ONLY reason I go to ANY of them is the customer service. nestar:

After brewing now for 9 months I've found. YOU guys on HBT blow doors around everybody. The knowledge I find here on HBT far surpasses everything I've experienced in the shop. I've joined a club for the camaraderie & support, but HBT has much more information & experience than these guys who profess to be gurus.

YOU guys ROCK!

 

[rifraf]

The first two local shops I went to were ok. More expensive than online and service was just ok. Imo the service is why I would shop local in the first place so I did most of my buying online.

Just recently a new shop opened and the owner is amazing. Super helpful, awesome service, and willing to go above and beyond. He's a little more expensive, but I don't mind paying extra as right now I can afford to and I've learned a lot. Same reason I bought a premium membership here. His equipment is a bit too expensive, so that I buy online, and I buy bulk DME through him. However my savings are basically reinvested right into his shop because my savings just mean I can brew more!

 

[McGarnigle]

In case this hasn't been mentioned in six pages, I think every online place is someone else's LHBS. Your LHBS may very well sell online.

If I only by from my LHBS, I'm hurting your LHBS.

 

[b-boy]

I buy a lot online, but I do go local for smaller purchases. The place I go to is good, but a little pricey.

My biggest problem is the hours. The place is open 10-5 T-F, closed Sunday and Monday, and has very limited hours on Saturday. I generally brew on Sundays, so getting any last minute items can be a problem. I try to go during my lunch hours, but getting there and back within an hour is pushing it.

 

[cdeme123]

In case this hasn't been mentioned in six pages, I think every online place is someone else's LHBS. Your LHBS may very well sell online.

If I only by from my LHBS, I'm hurting your LHBS.

Great point. My online shop is your LHBS. Love it.

 

[CBR250]

Okay, I kid you not. I plan a brew day tomorrow so I go to my HB store and ask about adding Chinook hops to my Cascade to bitter up my beer. So what does she do? She gets online and goes to HBT and searches my question. I tell her I am a member and she goes to a thread I had already seen. Yes, she is the owner and I like her as a person but she is pretty clueless in general. In her defense, she mostly makes wine, but she has quite a bit of beer stuff and not much knowledge. My 1 oz of Chinook cost 1.95 and my Safale us 05 3.99. Just thought it would fit in this thread. Oh if the pic comes through this is how I transport my hops!

 

[KeythL]

My conundrum is my LHBS is 1.5 miles from my house and my On-line Supplier is 5 miles from my house (and allows local pickup). There's also another LHBS 20 minutes away...I try to give em all patronage (getting kind of expensive, and what the heck am I supposed to do with all this beer ).

Keyth

 

[CBR250]

My conundrum is my LHBS is 1.5 miles from my house and my On-line Supplier is 5 miles from my house (and allows local pickup). There's also another LHBS 20 minutes away...I try to give em all patronage (getting kind of expensive, and what the heck am I supposed to do with all this beer ).

Keyth

Total loaded question you know! Let me answer for everyone. SEND IT TO ME!!!

 

[mbauer013]

I'm a lucky guy, I have two close LHBS's - Midwest Supplies and Northern Brewer, however even with those guys so close (MW is literally 4 blocks from my house) I don't buy most of my grain or hops from them. My club does bulk buys usually twice a year, so I buy my base malt and hops through that. What I get from the LHBS is specialty malt, small fittings, random hops that I'll never use a lb of, and yeast. I love to support MW, NB staff aren't as helpful so I don't really go there except for rare malts, but when I can get maris otter for 70 cents a lb, it's hard to buy local.

 

[Hernando]

My LHBS is about a 15 minute drive and even though they cost more than online prices I love going there. The LHBS is connected to Dry Dock brewery so I can go in and get a pint of beer and walk through the LHBS while enjoying said pint and get the stuff I need. The people that run the LHBS are the same people that help brew the beers for Dry Dock so their knowledge is extensive. I feel it is good to keep money flowing locally but if I am ever in a pinch and need to get something online then I wouldn't hesitate. Times are hard for a lot of us and sometimes you have to go sheaper to keep the passion going.