When a H.B. Shop should say "Kits and Bits" only!

[Spiesy]

No. Not always. Plenty of situations where you buy something from a shop and they dont always know how it should be used

I have walked into plenty of trade supply places ( selling big $$ equipment ) and they always point you towards the manufacturer

I can nearly bet my balls and anyone's balls than if you walked in to buy a $1500 mig welder that the bloke behind the counter has never struck an arc in his life. But he can read the leaflet.

Same as the wholesaler I deal with. The guy behind the counter knows SFA about electricity, can not say how to use the product, but can recite the whole catalog verbatim.

Does the retailer need to know everything about every product..... No they dont.

I'm not saying they need to know everything about a product, but they should know the very basics, particularly manufacturers recommendations.

Homebrew is a specialist interest - if the retailer doesn't know anything about homebrew, they probably shouldn't be selling it - or at the very least, I probably wouldn't be shopping there.
This would be akin to you purchasing your MIG welder from a store that specialises in MIG welding. You would hope that they had some basic product knowledge.

Wholesale is different to retail.

 

[Nullnvoid]

I'm not saying they need to know everything about a product, but they should know the very basics, particularly manufacturers recommendations.

Homebrew is a specialist interest - if the retailer doesn't know anything about homebrew, they probably shouldn't be selling it - or at the very least, I probably wouldn't be shopping there.
This would be akin to you purchasing your MIG welder from a store that specialises in MIG welding. You would hope that they had some basic product knowledge.

Wholesale is different to retail.

That's what I was thinking as I was reading along. But you put it better than I was going too.

 

[SJW]

I'm surprised about the comments regarding Craftbrewer and the service. Is this Ross's Craftbrewer? I met Ross once at his house in QLD, just before he moved to the shop and I found him very nice to deal with and very knowledgeable. Anytime I need a special item or whatever I ring Ross and always get fast service. Like when my element recently blew on my BM. 1 phone call to Ross and it was ordered that day. Is there more than one Craftbrewer these days?

Steve

 

[Bribie G]

Craftbrewer at Capalaba was in one shed, with the shop out front where Ross and Anthony would hold court and the brewery behind there / along the side.

Then the shop area was remodelled into a beer bar :chug: and the retail /online operation moved to another shed in the complex.

So unless Anthony has been replaced with Basil Fawlty I don't know what might have happened there. Always get superb service online and have had brilliant service at the store itself over the years although it could get a bit hectic on a Saturday morning with a fair mob crowding in to buy.

 

[Leviathan]

Never realised how lucky i am to have Pat so close, ive shopped there since i first got into brewing so advice has been A1 from the get go.

 

[pcmfisher]

Sounds very familiar. I dropped in there (Capalaba) in early July to have a look around, see the range, grab a SS temp gauge and thermowell, plate chiller, several metres of good silicon tube, and several other bits and bobs. It's nice to know who you're dealing with on the phone IMHO. (Not a Qld native, but spending about a third of the time there the last few years for several reasons). I guess it was a 45 min drive each way from Chapel Hill.

For most of the stuff I had a really nice young guy (perhaps with a slight stutter) who served me. He was more than willing to help as much as he possibly could, but he didn't appear dreadfully knowlegeable or maybe he was a bit new to the game. Yet I really liked him for his attitude and willingness to assist. At the end, I asked what washer he recommended for the thermowell, and he said he wasn't certain but would get someone who'd know (and no-one can criticise him for honesty and openess). He got "the boss"!

The sergeant-major came out, looked me up and down, and seemed to size me up as a blithering half-wit. Perhaps he's very perceptive! But the upshot of his lecturing was I had to use particular silicone washers, and he marched them over to the young guy totalling the bill, then went back to his computer in the glassed office behind the counter without further ado. IIRC, the cost was $207 or very close. I jokingly said "let's call it $200" and was grabbing 4 X $50 to put down. This is often accepted at many places but in no way is a deal breaker.Well, the young guy got a look horror on his face and said he'd go and ask.

Sure enough, the sergeant major came back out and I said the same thing to him. He looked at the cash register screen looked at me with derision, and told me "it's not that you're buying 10 of everything! If you insist, I'll give you one of the washers for free!", and stormed off. I was gobsmacked. I was also really pissed off at his tone and the way I was treated. All I could do was to genuinely apologise to the nice guy and thank him for all his help, tell him I'd get it elsewhere when I got home, and walk out stunned. He also was very embarassed by the look of it. So unfortunately, no Craft Brewer for me.

PS. At least it wasn't a totally wasted drive. I did the grocery shopping at the Capalaba shopping centre on the way home. And it is absolutely huuuuuge.

I think his reply to you asking for discount as a first time shopper could have been - "Let's round it up to $210".
That would have been more satisfying for him.

 

[earle]

I think his reply to you asking for discount as a first time shopper could have been - "Let's round it up to $210".
That would have been more satisfying for him.

Or he could have politely explained that items were already competitively priced and only offered a small margin for the retailer and no room for further discount (if this is the case) - resulting in satisfaction for both the customer and the retailer

 

[SJW]

Or he could have politely explained that items were already competitively priced and only offered a small margin for the retailer and no room for further discount (if this is the case) - resulting in satisfaction for both the customer and the retailer

I would expect to pay the marked price of any item in a shop no matter how much im buying. If the proprietor is inclined to give me a discount of any sort I would consider myself very fortunate. I can speak from experience here in Newcastle, after Marks Homebrew shut up shop I often think was it all those free bees and discounts he used to give everyone that contributed to the shops demise? We are lucky that Steve "Brewman" bought the business and is doing such a great job running it from his house.

Steve

 

[technobabble66]

I think his reply to you asking for discount as a first time shopper could have been - "Let's round it up to $210".
That would have been more satisfying for him.

Not to in any way excuse poor attitude, but i think most (business-owning) retailers find the asking of a discount most annoying. Especially from first-timers who aren't really buying that much.
Don't get me wrong - $200 is a fair chunk of dough; but the margins that they typically operate at means that from their end it's pretty small unless you're looking at $1000+. I'm sure there's some sectors that have big margins, but most small businesses in retail don't.
That's probably where the problem lies: to the customer, it feels like he's handing over a hefty $200 of his hard-earned cash. To the retailer, that might be more like handing over $30-50 (as representative of the profit). So what looks like a pissy $10 (5%) discount might be more like a 20-30% discount to the retailer's pocket

Or he could have politely explained that items were already competitively priced and only offered a small margin for the retailer and no room for further discount (if this is the case) - resulting in satisfaction for both the customer and the retailer

Agree - this would've been the appropriate response.

Quick anecdote: A few years back my wife had a woman (wealthy-appearing, fwiw, lots of carats on the fingers, etc) come into her shop, look around for 20-30mins asking lots of inane questions about her stock (women's small-production clothing & jewellery). She finally selected only a $10 plate and had the audacity to ask for a discount. While SWMBO felt like diving across the counter and slapping her, she instead said something like what earle mentions above.
Similarly, when she asked for it to be gift-wrapped as a wedding present (!!!), SWMBO politely mentioned they only gift-wrap for purchases over $25 (as it can take a few minutes to do their fancy gift wrapping).

Not saying the OP/Antphile's experiences were like this silly prat, but you can see that asking for a discount can gradually become a sensitive thing for a retailer. Sometimes it's better to think of whether you deserve the few extra bucks or if maybe the retailer does for all their efforts (i.e.: judging on their attitude before you ask for the discount).
Again, though, there's not really any excuse for poor attitude towards a customer.
2c

 

[MHB]

Asking for a discount is like you being asked to take a cut in your wages - it's exactly that. Remember that you probably weren't the first person that day to ask for a discount or freebee.
If every time you went to work you employer was telling you you weren't worth what you were being paid - well it wears thin pretty fast.

Steve
Main reason I shut down was that I did my back in, got to the point where without pretty serious painkillers I couldn't work - with the painkillers I couldn't work...
Meet a lot of great people during the 20 years in the game, but the one thing that used to really shit me was the constant whinging about "The Price", usually without any qualification as to quality, people bitching about Muntons DME being dearer than the cheapest crap on the market - without asking if it was the same; yep I'm well over putting up with that.

Mark

 

[Mothballs]

Hi folks, I assume that I am the Sgt Major in question in Antiphiles post. My name is Anthony and I am the manager at Craftbrewer. Antiphile, I apologise if I caused any offence to you during your visit to our store. My recollection of the day is somewhat different but perhaps I am looking through rose coloured glasses and will take this on board. Perhaps my demeanor comes across as grumpy however this is not my intention and I honestly believe that I try to offer the best advice I can to every customer that walks into our store. If a customer asks a question on an ingredient/ equipment/process I will give my honest opinion as to what I believe will best suit their application. Maybe I am a bit guilty of rattling on about a subject but I am passionate about making great beer and really enjoy helping brewers make great beer themselves. I have worked for Ross for around 7 years now and previously for Brewers Choice for 4 years and I can say that these have been the best jobs I have ever had and I really enjoy the interaction with customers and hope to continue this for many years ahead.

Cheers
Anthony

 

[Weizguy]

..., people bitching about Muntons DME being dearer than the cheapest crap on the market - without asking if it was the same; yep I'm well over putting up with that.

Mark

Ha ha, Mark. Maybe that's why I bought my Muntons DME and wheat DME by the box, to get a better price. A much better bulk price, I recall.

 

[Spohaw]

I've never asked for money off or free things at any homebrew joint

I will now ....... Thanks for the idea guys !

 

[Barge]

Had a good experience today at craftbrewer. I had a few questions about products and was helped out with no worries at all.

 

[Bribie G]

Well that's cleared that up.

I first met Anthony at the old Logan City store before the move to Capalaba, and the general consensus among customers was that he might as well just take over the running of the place and give Ross a break to concentrate on development work, as his customer service, advice and knowledge was great. So becoming the actual manager of the premises since the brewery and the retail outlet "split" is excellent news and well deserved.

Also he's won more than a few gongs in competitions, but you'd never know because he doesn't put it around and that's the style of the guy.

 

[Red Baron]

Apologies for the OT, but this is another plug for Anthony.
I showed up about 5min after the shop shut one day to find him walking through the door as he was locking it. I was unable to come back when the shop would be open, as I was on the way to the airport to go back home to Townsville. I explained this to him, he unlocked the door and I bought my sack of grain.

And this was on a Friday afternoon too!

Cheers,
RB

 

[SJW]

Ya gotta love the Internet

 

[HBHB]

Hi folks, I assume that I am the Sgt Major in question in Antiphiles post. My name is Anthony and I am the manager at Craftbrewer. Antiphile, I apologise if I caused any offence to you during your visit to our store. My recollection of the day is somewhat different but perhaps I am looking through rose coloured glasses and will take this on board. Perhaps my demeanor comes across as grumpy however this is not my intention and I honestly believe that I try to offer the best advice I can to every customer that walks into our store. If a customer asks a question on an ingredient/ equipment/process I will give my honest opinion as to what I believe will best suit their application. Maybe I am a bit guilty of rattling on about a subject but I am passionate about making great beer and really enjoy helping brewers make great beer themselves. I have worked for Ross for around 7 years now and previously for Brewers Choice for 4 years and I can say that these have been the best jobs I have ever had and I really enjoy the interaction with customers and hope to continue this for many years ahead.

Cheers
Anthony

And you're a credit to the store. Nobody could ask more.

 

[manticle]

Nothing wrong with asking for a discount as long as you're prepared to hear the answer 'no'. I prefer to wait to be offered.
My online, phone and instore experiences with various retailer/sponsors have so far been excellent. Have dealt extensively with grain and grape, a bit with gryphon/online brewing supplies and online and phone with craftbrewer (both Ross and Anthony). Others including Dave at Greensborough have also been great.

Hop dealz and full pint also.

 

[Ducatiboy stu]

I'm not saying they need to know everything about a product, but they should know the very basics, particularly manufacturers recommendations.

Homebrew is a specialist interest - if the retailer doesn't know anything about homebrew, they probably shouldn't be selling it - or at the very least, I probably wouldn't be shopping there.
This would be akin to you purchasing your MIG welder from a store that specialises in MIG welding. You would hope that they had some basic product knowledge.

Wholesale is different to retail.

Lots of HBS do and know SFA about the product

Dont always assume they do.

And dont whinge when they dont know everything about every product.

It may be a special interest to US, but the retailer may not give two squirts of rocking horse shit. He is out to sell a product and make a few $$

Sure, if you dont like the retailer, dont buy from him. But dont automatically think that the person behind the counter will know everything.

Even the stores who are " Specialist" dont know everything and even give the wrong advice

Caveat Emptor.