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Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!
Craft Beer Prices in US vs LCBO
Craft Beer Prices in US vs LCBO
I find it hard to get prices from some US Craft Beer store web-sites, but when I do a lot of the bigger bottles of beer are cheaper here from the LCBO. I have seen the 30 cans of Coors light etc. for $15.99, but the real beer in single bottles that are in bigger sizes like 600 ml or larger are cheaper here. I don't get it. What gives?
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I can give a few, all with bottles from overseas. The chimay anniversary that came out here was at least 10 dollars cheaper in the lcbo than the states. The 8 wired bottle that was here was a couple dollars cheaper. Tehe schneider nelson sauvin was about 6 dollars cheaper at the lcbo than places i saw it in the states.
"A good light beer is one that doesn't taste like piss!" - Frank d'Angelo
The one cool thing about beer prices in the States is that there's no minimum price, so if product doesn't sell then stores can clear out stock for whatever they want.
For instance I didn't feel like stopping at the LCBO yesterday so I cracked a bomber of Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale that my folks picked up for me in Florida.
The beer was probably past it's prime, but didn't seem to have any off flavours and was definitely worth the $0.99 price tag . I've seen older stuff for sale on the LCBO shelves still listed at full price!
For instance I didn't feel like stopping at the LCBO yesterday so I cracked a bomber of Shipyard Longfellow Winter Ale that my folks picked up for me in Florida.
The beer was probably past it's prime, but didn't seem to have any off flavours and was definitely worth the $0.99 price tag . I've seen older stuff for sale on the LCBO shelves still listed at full price!
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That's why I asked. I assume he was talking about overseas bottles...sprague11 wrote:I can give a few, all with bottles from overseas. The chimay anniversary that came out here was at least 10 dollars cheaper in the lcbo than the states. The 8 wired bottle that was here was a couple dollars cheaper. Tehe schneider nelson sauvin was about 6 dollars cheaper at the lcbo than places i saw it in the states.
They often don't bother to negotiate a bulk discount. On occasion, they reject products for being too cheap!
I think the main reason why some stuff is cheaper in the LCBO is their fixed mark-up. In the states, whoever is selling you a Westvletern gift pack is going to mark it up aggressively, because they know they can get away with it. The LCBO puts the same mark-up on Westy as it does on Carlsberg.
I think the main reason why some stuff is cheaper in the LCBO is their fixed mark-up. In the states, whoever is selling you a Westvletern gift pack is going to mark it up aggressively, because they know they can get away with it. The LCBO puts the same mark-up on Westy as it does on Carlsberg.
- markaberrant
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Ok, so now we are talking about overseas imports, which should be somewhat of a level playing field for US or CAN.sprague11 wrote:I can give a few, all with bottles from overseas. The chimay anniversary that came out here was at least 10 dollars cheaper in the lcbo than the states. The 8 wired bottle that was here was a couple dollars cheaper. Tehe schneider nelson sauvin was about 6 dollars cheaper at the lcbo than places i saw it in the states.
LCBO has huge buying power and fixed mark up, hence the lower prices. Ontario is pretty much the cheapest place in North America to buy imports. The prices everywhere else in the US and CAN are pretty comparable based on the places I've been.
Pretty much the same applies for overseas booze (ie; scotch), it typically aint any cheaper in the US.
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The USA stores can price to 'what the market will bear' at the high end, whereas the LCBO seems much more motivated to move out seasonal or 'featured' extra-premium products and get rid of them (cycle them through) quickly.
At the low end, the USA stores can volume order and try to dominate local sales with the best price. So those stores may rely on very different margins for different reasons (some products could be almost loss leaders or 'volume sellers' they need to move a lot of to make money, while other smaller orders are specialty items people would buy anyway that they need to mark up to make up some extra profit for the overall bottom line of the store.)
The American stores might have a more 'composite' markup strategy, in other words, whereas the LCBO can afford to be much more linear and dump Sam Adams Utopias for half its possible market price.
At the low end, the USA stores can volume order and try to dominate local sales with the best price. So those stores may rely on very different margins for different reasons (some products could be almost loss leaders or 'volume sellers' they need to move a lot of to make money, while other smaller orders are specialty items people would buy anyway that they need to mark up to make up some extra profit for the overall bottom line of the store.)
The American stores might have a more 'composite' markup strategy, in other words, whereas the LCBO can afford to be much more linear and dump Sam Adams Utopias for half its possible market price.
In Beerum Veritas
- markaberrant
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