General LCBO Debate & Discussion Thread

[Blasphomet]

LOL!
$80+ for a case of Evil Twin Bikini Beer? Bikini Beer... more than $20 a six pack. Looooool! You can now consider me a person who has zero interest in using this complete shit service.

$3.33 a bottle for ET is that bad? I would look at a few things.

A) The cost of buying that Bikini Beer stateside & then bringing it back across with or without the added 30% border fees Ontario charges you as thanks for doing all the work for them. Not even factoring the border hit or the gas, taking just the exchange fees plus added taxes and deposit can bring it close to $20 CAD a six pack if not well beyond.
You might drink these beers more cheaply (and fresher) in Ontario using this ordering service if you actually do the research.

B) Some LC online things (like Oude Beersel Kriek for under ten bucks) are obviously a better price here. So then is it a terrible service, or does the pricing depend on the item with its particular add-up of costs?

If a bazillion Ontarians started buying Evil Twin Bikini reducing the price to buy it, would you really complain about that re-scaling of costs, based on the identical math principles?
And since we're talking about Evil Twin, tell me, when are guys like ET and Mikkeller ever all that cheap in Ontario to begin with, in the stores and bars? Perspective, dude...

You sound like you work for the LCBO.

I've never once seen even a six pack of US craft beer for $20, let alone more than $20, which this comes to. And yeah.... $3.33 is actually a joke to me for a 2.7% beer... especially when you are forced to buy 24. That's all it comes down to. If I wanted a Mikeller beer while they are here, I can buy one. Just one single bottle.

LCBO online shopping at this stage is completely laughable compared to what they do south of the boarder and elsewhere. It's not surprising, but I wanted to ask the details. I will never use the service ever. And I'm okay with that. But I can still LOL at what a complete joke it is.

[Blasphomet]

Full cases only, stock varies so you have to check. Evil twin has been around. Yes, there are online exclusives. The link is...www.lcbo.com.

This is the direct link to the online exclusives in the Ales category, which is where most stuff people around here will be interested in are:

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/catalog/ale/11 ... ttype=ajax

LOL!

$80+ for a case of Evil Twin Bikini Beer? Bikini Beer... more than $20 a six pack. Looooool! You can now consider me a person who has zero interest in using this complete shit service. Leave it to the LCBO to fuck up something that could be so great by demanding you purchase an entire case of a beer you've never had for upwards of $100 on the cheaper end... with no break in the prices like you'd get by buying a case of anything at the beer store.

I'm guessing you don't buy beer too often. This isn't the first time you've complained about a $20 six pack. I can get 6 different beers, and more often than not, it will be over $20.

Yeah that's right.... I don't buy beer very often. Lol. You guys can make excuses to justify yourselves using this completely shit online service all you want. But they got you by the nuts. Of course you can buy six beers and spend more than $20. But they would be six different and unique beers of your choosing, and more often than not, to reach that price, it would be either tall boys or bombers involved... but here, if you want to try the beer, you have no choice... it's BUY A 24 FOR $100 OR YOU ARE OUT OF LUCK BECAUSE WE ARE TERRIBLE AT DOING THIS! Don't act like they are doing us a favour here... it's their job to act that way.

That being said... you can do whatever you want and spend however much you want.. that's your prerogative... but I think it's a terrible, just awful system.

The LCBO online shopping is just as predictably terrible as I figured it would be.

[S. St. Jeb]

The LCBO online shopping is just as predictably terrible as I figured it would be.

Sometimes people see what they want to see.

[Blasphomet]

The LCBO online shopping is just as predictably terrible as I figured it would be.

Sometimes people see what they want to see.

Deep.

[Belgian]

You sound like you work for the LCBO.

I've never once seen even a six pack of US craft beer for $20, let alone more than $20, which this comes to. And yeah.... $3.33 is actually a joke to me for a 2.7% beer... especially when you are forced to buy 24. That's all it comes down to. If I wanted a Mikeller beer while they are here, I can buy one. Just one single bottle.

LCBO online shopping at this stage is completely laughable compared to what they do south of the boarder and elsewhere. It's not surprising, but I wanted to ask the details. I will never use the service ever. And I'm okay with that. But I can still LOL at what a complete joke it is.

You sound like you would not consider all sides of a discussion, and hey I'm OK with that maybe others will. I try to contribute solid discourse and avoid making silly accusations against fellow BT'ers.

Six-pack price? I posted a LINK for Bikini Beer selling far more than 3.33 Canadian at PG - actually $5.49 USD/single +tx +dep! No idea what the on-the-street six pack goes for, across all 50 states but I just googled for that one real price in case you (or others) wanted to consider some facts (or not.)

I have BOUGHT Ballast Point Sculpin IPA for $18-19 USD / six-pack around Elmwood Village, and even before the CAD-USD exchange bombed that was I think well over $20 CAD. More facts, sorry again. I've done a lot of buying in Buffalo and it doesn't seem to matter what the pesky ABV is, it's just the specific beer that's sometimes darned expensive.

There's no point conflating the flaws of the online private ordering with the flaws of an expensive beer's cost structure where the two are unrelated. It doesn't clarify anything.

The rest of the argument I've explained well enough - as a consumer not crazy about the LCBO but one interested in how to best USE the current situation. I'm a glass half full kind of guy, and there are some positives to this not entirely positive situation - one which nobody cares if we like it or not.

So are you going to make good and order a 24 of Bikini Beer & then return 23 bottles (as you're not 'forced to' keep them all), because you can let us know and we'll pick up a few there! Cheers.

[Blasphomet]

You sound like you work for the LCBO.

I've never once seen even a six pack of US craft beer for $20, let alone more than $20, which this comes to. And yeah.... $3.33 is actually a joke to me for a 2.7% beer... especially when you are forced to buy 24. That's all it comes down to. If I wanted a Mikeller beer while they are here, I can buy one. Just one single bottle.

LCBO online shopping at this stage is completely laughable compared to what they do south of the boarder and elsewhere. It's not surprising, but I wanted to ask the details. I will never use the service ever. And I'm okay with that. But I can still LOL at what a complete joke it is.

You sound like you would not consider all sides of a discussion, and hey I'm OK with that maybe others will. I try to contribute solid discourse and avoid making silly accusations against fellow BT'ers.

Six-pack price? I posted a LINK for Bikini Beer selling far more than 3.33 Canadian at PG - actually $5.49 USD/single +tx +dep! No idea what the on-the-street six pack goes for, across all 50 states but I just googled for that one real price in case you (or others) wanted to consider some facts (or not.)

I have BOUGHT Ballast Point Sculpin IPA for $18-19 USD / six-pack around Elmwood Village, and even before the CAD-USD exchange bombed that was I think well over $20 CAD. More facts, sorry again. I've done a lot of buying in Buffalo and it doesn't seem to matter what the pesky ABV is, it's just the specific beer that's sometimes darned expensive.

There's no point conflating the flaws of the online private ordering with the flaws of an expensive beer's cost structure where the two are unrelated. It doesn't clarify anything.

The rest of the argument I've explained well enough - as a consumer not crazy about the LCBO but one interested in how to best USE the current situation. I'm a glass half full kind of guy, and there are some positives to this not entirely positive situation - one which nobody cares if we like it or not.

So are you going to make good and order a 24 of Bikini Beer & then return 23 bottles (as you're not 'forced to' keep them all), because you can let us know and we'll pick up a few there! Cheers.

K.

[alsiem]

In the last 6 months I'm seeing that the LCBO is now doing discounts on products. They seem to be random and from store to store they are the individual and I'm not sure how long they last. They do not show up on the website in any search.

For example, secret LCBO store (I need to see if they have more stock), had Powers Gold Label Irish whiskey at something like $9 off a bottle so it was $30. It's good, I like it slightly better than Jamesons so for a unique to me product/good price point that's a lovely discount.

Why is this on discount? There seems to be plenty of stock in different stores but checking shows virtually all stock gone where the discount was available. Is this just manager's discretion, random criteria?

[Bobsy]

In the last 6 months I'm seeing that the LCBO is now doing discounts on products. They seem to be random and from store to store they are the individual and I'm not sure how long they last. They do not show up on the website in any search.

For example, secret LCBO store (I need to see if they have more stock), had Powers Gold Label Irish whiskey at something like $9 off a bottle so it was $30. It's good, I like it slightly better than Jamesons so for a unique to me product/good price point that's a lovely discount.

Why is this on discount? There seems to be plenty of stock in different stores but checking shows virtually all stock gone where the discount was available. Is this just manager's discretion, random criteria?

I've noticed the same thing. After being programmed to disregard all LCBO discounts as inconsequential, the last few bottles of wine I've bought have all been $6 or more off - making $20 bottles, far more affordable. Its great to see, because its opened up choice for me.

[portwood]

Why is this on discount? There seems to be plenty of stock in different stores but checking shows virtually all stock gone where the discount was available. Is this just manager's discretion, random criteria?

Yes, they are Manager Specials
- at discretion of manager, I believe to clear stock that may not be moving at a particular store.
- final sale: bar code (should be) marked so that it can't be returned at another store for reg price
- usually 20% off, but I've seen many examples at 30%
- more often seen in spirits and wine. Haven't seem much of this for beer
- less frequent in the last year than in the past

[Lukie]

In the last 6 months I'm seeing that the LCBO is now doing discounts on products. They seem to be random and from store to store they are the individual and I'm not sure how long they last. They do not show up on the website in any search.

For example, secret LCBO store (I need to see if they have more stock), had Powers Gold Label Irish whiskey at something like $9 off a bottle so it was $30. It's good, I like it slightly better than Jamesons so for a unique to me product/good price point that's a lovely discount.

Why is this on discount? There seems to be plenty of stock in different stores but checking shows virtually all stock gone where the discount was available. Is this just manager's discretion, random criteria?

Hmm, I wish LCBO had regular rotating discounts on beer like they do with wines (and often they are good wines including vintages) to highlight different breweries, styles etc. I also wish that the LCBO listed the sugar contents of different craft beers as they do with virtually all wines, as its handy information for regular buyers.

[portwood]

Hmm, I wish LCBO had regular rotating discounts on beer like they do with wines

They do have regular rotating sales on beer:
http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/catalog/ale/11 ... ttype=ajax

15 cents off isnt good enough for you to be excited about beer sales?

[Belgian]

Why is this on discount? There seems to be plenty of stock in different stores but checking shows virtually all stock gone where the discount was available. Is this just manager's discretion, random criteria?

Yes, they are Manager Specials
- at discretion of manager, I believe to clear stock that may not be moving at a particular store.
- final sale: bar code (should be) marked so that it can't be returned at another store for reg price
- usually 20% off, but I've seen many examples at 30%
- more often seen in spirits and wine. Haven't seem much of this for beer
- less frequent in the last year than in the past

But what about the LCBO's massively effective campaign to curb rampant alcohol abuse? Doesn't $9.00 off a Whiskey encourage people to immediately blow off work a week, to stay at home drinking causing a ruckus and generally being a menace to decent society?

I'm just trying to reconcile the 'minimum pricing' policy for OUR supposed benefit with the rather convenient random discounting whenever it's convenient for them. It undermines their guiding 'principle,' such as it is.
Ah well...

[portwood]

It undermines their guiding 'principle,' such as it is.
Ah well...

KGBO is one of, if not THE, biggest advertiser in the province (country).
Last time I checked the goal of advertising was to get people to buy more (and/or to build brand loyalty) ---- ahhhh if that doesn't go against their "guiding principle" nothing does.

and another thing .... why the F does a monopoly need to advertise to build brand loyalty in the first place, what other facking choice do we have?

[Belgian]

and another thing .... why the F does a monopoly need to advertise to build brand loyalty in the first place, what other facking choice do we have?

Only one other choice really - drinking less.

But then the Province would have to earn an honest income! They don't want THAT... so they advertise to make sure we buy enough products they can then shame, warn and over-tax us about alcohol.

Brand loyalty in mass-market product also works for them, so the less demanding the public the better the LCBO's margins with the least effort.

[Blasphomet]

I'm not sure there is a better Pale Ale than Redline's Clutch that is in stores right now. It better be a main stay... and they better never change it! And I hope when I see some of their other beer pop up in-store, it's of what in my opinion is superior quality. Just a juicy, delicious beer the likes of which are so rare in store.

From the picture I've seen though, the Bobcaygeon Brewing Common Loon APA looks damn nice too. Any thoughts or opinions?