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Growlers at TBS

This forum is for discussing everything beer retail: LCBO, Beer Store, Grocery Stores and Indie Stores.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

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Tapsucker
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Growlers at TBS

Post by Tapsucker »

I find this kind of funny. Especially the selection. Most of those beers should just be sold in bags like wine or milk.

http://www.thebeerstore.ca/growlers
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Fans are cash cows.
The herd will consume until consumed.

Quotashun
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Post by Quotashun »

Smh

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

1) very so-so establishment attempting to look respectable.

2) what is the cost or convenience (or any) advantage?

3) I would never pour or buy a growler in that environment, those store bottle return areas are utterly septic with rotting old beer container filth so I could hardly trust the sanitation standards of TBS.

Other than that sign me up.
In Beerum Veritas

beerstodiscover
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Post by beerstodiscover »

How is Detour $5+ more than all the others? How is Goose IPA cheaper than Coors Banquet? I can just imaging the looks on TBS staff' s faces when they learned of this initiative. This is truly laughable.

portwood
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Post by portwood »

Laughable but predictable.
Much slower than we would like but competition is creeping into Ontario alcohol sales. TBS will be hit the hardest for two reasons: (1) as the lowest ABV alcohol, the product they sell (beer) is the first to "go grocery", and (2) most of the shyte they sell is a commodity ideal for convenience/impulse sales at grocery/corner stores.

In a feeble attempt to stem the tide and appear relevant they are doing what most bad retailers do - rather than innovate and improve product offerings - they copy the competitors.
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portwood
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Post by portwood »

Belgian wrote:I would never pour or buy a growler in that environment, those store bottle return areas are utterly septic with rotting old beer container filth so I could hardly trust the sanitation standards of TBS.
This is the main reason I forgo the bottle deposits (blue box all my bottles & cans) and will never step into a TBS store again.

If they cared about the product and the customer (i.e. if they hadn't been operating as a monopoly for all these years) their stores wouldn't be filthy dumps - they would find ways of maintaining clean stores! Hell, for all their faults, the #KGBO has upped their image and done a great job at clean, well lit, reasonably well merchandised stores in the last few years - one of the reasons many people cite for not privatizing the 'Bo.
@markhamwhisky

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Craig
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Post by Craig »

portwood wrote:Laughable but predictable.
Much slower than we would like but competition is creeping into Ontario alcohol sales. TBS will be hit the hardest for two reasons: (1) as the lowest ABV alcohol, the product they sell (beer) is the first to "go grocery", and (2) most of the shyte they sell is a commodity ideal for convenience/impulse sales at grocery/corner stores.

In a feeble attempt to stem the tide and appear relevant they are doing what most bad retailers do - rather than innovate and improve product offerings - they copy the competitors.
I expect them to start offering delivery to your door pretty soon. Once they're sufficiently desperate.

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Napalm Frog
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Post by Napalm Frog »

Craig wrote:
portwood wrote:Laughable but predictable.
Much slower than we would like but competition is creeping into Ontario alcohol sales. TBS will be hit the hardest for two reasons: (1) as the lowest ABV alcohol, the product they sell (beer) is the first to "go grocery", and (2) most of the shyte they sell is a commodity ideal for convenience/impulse sales at grocery/corner stores.

In a feeble attempt to stem the tide and appear relevant they are doing what most bad retailers do - rather than innovate and improve product offerings - they copy the competitors.
I expect them to start offering delivery to your door pretty soon. Once they're sufficiently desperate.
They actually started that last month: http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2017/06 ... y-toronto/

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Craig
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Post by Craig »

Napalm Frog wrote:
Craig wrote:
portwood wrote:Laughable but predictable.
Much slower than we would like but competition is creeping into Ontario alcohol sales. TBS will be hit the hardest for two reasons: (1) as the lowest ABV alcohol, the product they sell (beer) is the first to "go grocery", and (2) most of the shyte they sell is a commodity ideal for convenience/impulse sales at grocery/corner stores.

In a feeble attempt to stem the tide and appear relevant they are doing what most bad retailers do - rather than innovate and improve product offerings - they copy the competitors.
I expect them to start offering delivery to your door pretty soon. Once they're sufficiently desperate.
They actually started that last month: http://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2017/06 ... y-toronto/
Didn't they abandon that pretty much right away?

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Tapsucker
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Post by Tapsucker »

Craig wrote:
I expect them to start offering delivery to your door pretty soon. Once they're sufficiently desperate.
I couldn't care less about delivery. If they really wanted to be relevant to me, come pick up my empties.

It's time to break the "recycling" monopoly and have return kiosks conveniently located all over the place. What do all those people living in dense downtown condos without cars do to claim their deposits? Take an uber? Automated kiosks are well proven in other parts of the world. All it takes is bar code regulation on all containers. Throw 'em in and the machines scans them and gives you your deposit back.

Another solution would be to stipulate that all retailers must take back and refund for containers they sell. That way the 'convenient' grocery store or LCBO you bought your beverage at is also the convenient place to return your empty.
Brands are for cattle.
Fans are cash cows.
The herd will consume until consumed.

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Belgian
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Post by Belgian »

portwood wrote:
Belgian wrote:store bottle return areas are utterly septic with rotting old beer container filth...
This is the main reason I forgo the bottle deposits (blue box all my bottles & cans) and will never step into a TBS store again.
Right. Up to you guys, but if you put LCBO empties on the curb somebody will usually take them back for you.
In Beerum Veritas

Ceecee
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Post by Ceecee »

I save them up for kids on bottle drives. It's nice to see their faces when I open the garage and they realize they won the lottery.

seangm
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Post by seangm »

beerstodiscover wrote:How is Detour $5+ more than all the others? How is Goose IPA cheaper than Coors Banquet? I can just imaging the looks on TBS staff' s faces when they learned of this initiative. This is truly laughable.
It's a complete joke, that's nearly $20 for a 6-pack equivalent of Detour (1.89 L fills I believe I read elsewhere). And who on earth is going to get a growler of Shock Top or Coors Banquet?! Who knows, maybe people will be attracted to the novelty of it, but I really don't think they did their research here. I can get a growler fill of Boneshaker for 11 bucks, I can't see this succeeding especially once people realize the pricing is such a rip-off.

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distr0
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Post by distr0 »

holy crap. you can get detour cheaper than that in some bars and restaurants!

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JerCraigs
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Post by JerCraigs »

Tapsucker wrote: It's time to break the "recycling" monopoly and have return kiosks conveniently located all over the place. What do all those people living in dense downtown condos without cars do to claim their deposits? Take an uber? Automated kiosks are well proven in other parts of the world. All it takes is bar code regulation on all containers. Throw 'em in and the machines scans them and gives you your deposit back.
I gave up taking mine back after I spent $50 on a massage to fix the pain from $3.50 in returns money :)

I suspect many buildings are like mine where a volunteer returns all of them and the money goes to a "social fund", or like my friend's place where they just leave them in the recycling room for whomever wants to return them.

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