the giant BEER BOARD at the Beer Store

[Belgian]

Just what were they thinking I wonder. Is this any proper way to present and market products? The Big Board is just hard to look at, and stands ten feet over your head. It provides a false sense of diverse options by crowding a lot of tiny displays together in a confusing way.

I wonder if they just want to discourage too much looking around and comparing, so that you give up, order your Big Ten Beer and just get the f-ck out of the giant, empty front room.

It's hilarious isn't it?

We need a fully-cooled walk-in store with most or all boxes out on display. That would seem more capitalist in intention - you could examine date codes (and package dust levels) and read the descriptions, generally being a consumer looking thoughtfully at colourful boxes. Screw the extra work for them.

Instead at today's Beer Store I feel as if I'm in some really anal military supply depot or something. And it's weird to stand there in one spot straining to see those far-away beers while some well-meaning blue-collar who can't pronounce "St. Ambroise" asks you what you want. ("Well gee, what do you sell? Can I take a look back there?")

Get with it, Beer Store. Ontario doesn't need you, but you damn well need Ontario. I suggest all people with bad eyesight should complain of descriminatory access, and abolish the Big Board forever.

But maybe you guys like the Big Board. Everything always looks in stock.

[lister]

Some of The Beer Stores are fully-cooled walk-in stores. Three that I've visited are the one at Summerhill, the one at Kennedy & Dennison and the one up on Bayfield in Barrie. I do prefer them over the big board stores. I don't like looking up at the big board and I'm a tall guy too! I'd much rather browse around and get a chance to look at the packaging.

[joey_capps]

Considering that The Beer Store is a monopoly, the beer wall works very well. It effectively prevents the consumer from trying any of the lesser known brands. I'm sure more people don't even look at the wall, but then there are those people who might want to try something new and different. They try to look at the wall, are instantly overwhelmed, and simply fall back on what they know--"fuck it, I'll buy a Blue."

Another factor is that you are expected to buy something if you walk into the store. If you simply want to browse, you can look at the wall and feel like an idiot, or ask the clerk to fetch you some beer to look at. But, if you ask the clerk to get you something, you have to buy it, right?

Quite effective if you ask me.

Joe.

[Belgian]

Considering that The Beer Store is a monopoly, the beer wall works very well. It effectively prevents the consumer from trying any of the lesser known brands.Joe.

Exactlly what I meant. Psychological manipulation at its most contrived. "We're not hiding ANY beers, just look! OK done looking now?"

And all these lesser-known brands pay so much to get in the door, just to become lost & ignored in the bullying presentation.

Another factor is that you are expected to buy something if you walk into the store. If you simply want to browse, you can look at the wall and feel like an idiot, or ask the clerk to fetch you some beer to look at. But, if you ask the clerk to get you something, you have to buy it, right?

Quite effective if you ask me.

Joe.

Effective for THEM, sure... and yes, it is SO much hassle for them to go all the way back and get you a six-pack of Andechser Helles to see what year it expired... "well you'll still buy it, right?"

Beer Store planners must really study such a Machiavellian approach (ie. making their practices seem quite even-handed when they want to push the Big Ten.)

The ONLY way to stand up to it individually is to formally complain if they don't let you inspect and refuse as many products as you like, with a line of people standing behind you (ooh sales pressure!) If they can't psyche you out, playing on your good-natured yielding tendency, well then their little Machiavellian scheme doesn't work. All manipulation is based on unquestioning compliance (as is fascism.)

Of course enough voices together could eliminate the Big Board and make the Beer Store represent products they sell more effectively. This would be great for all these small brewers who are losing money selling their beers at the Beer Store.
___________

I have a suggestion: let us ask to see a few products BEFORE paying, not necessarily buying all or any of them, to gauge a reaction... then report back here! This could be fun.

[Philip1]

I'd never heard of this "big board" until GregClow mentioned it on another thread! I've been in half a dozen or so Beer Stores and all of them are fully-cooled walk-in stores. I assumed they were all like that! When I'm in Toronto I only go to LCBO stores so this is quite a revelation about the Beer store. It also helps explain why most people just stick with the same beer. Does this "big board" list all the beers along with the prices and the package sizes in which they are available? What about ABV and the brewing company name? I always read the small print on the package of any new beer I'm buying to make sure it's not made by Labatt's or Molson.

[lister]

Does this "big board" list all the beers along with the prices and the package sizes in which they are available? What about ABV and the brewing company name?

Each beers logo is there along with the sizes available and each price. I can't remember about the ABV. I seldom pay attention to that if it's indeed there.

[Belgian]

Does this "big board" list all the beers along with the prices and the package sizes in which they are available? What about ABV and the brewing company name?

Each beers logo is there along with the sizes available and each price. I can't remember about the ABV. I seldom pay attention to that if it's indeed there.

I think there are sizes/prices (all only theoretically in stock) printed small near a picture of the label. Brewing company names are missing.

Sometimes they have those bottles on the wall, you can examine / read the lower ones, gee wow thanks.

The packaging design / commercial description on a box you can't see has no chance to sell a beer. Today's sophisticated consumers expect way more service in retail than this, why should the Beer Store be such a slouch? They do a better job of displaying hats and bad glassware.

If we had real retail, you'd go to a shop that sells everything on display, try a lot of singles and then make informed decisions of how to spend your "liquid taxes." That's just not the BS way is it.

[Cass]

The beer board reminds me of archaic retail systems where it doesn't matter that the consumer sees anything. Some examples that come to mind (long since dead):

- The LCBO. I believe people had to ask at the front for booze and some guy got it from the back, very similar to the Beer Store today. I checked on their web site and it said the first self-serve LCBO was 1969.

- Consumers Distributing. Remember this chain? You had to fill out this form with tiny golf-course pencils and someone would go to the back and retrive your stuff.

The beer board to me proves that a "retail experience" means nothing to TBS.

[GregClow]

- The LCBO. I believe people had to ask at the front for booze and some guy got it from the back, very similar to the Beer Store today. I checked on their web site and it said the first self-serve LCBO was 1969.

Yes, I remember going to the LCBO in Angus in the mid-1970s with my parents, and it operated this way.

Much like Consumer's Distributing, there was a book listing the available items that you looked through to find what you wanted. You wrote the items on a slip of paper, handed it in at the counter, and the guy went into the back and returned with your purchase.

So every time you have a complaint about the LCBO, keep in mind that it used to be much, much worse.

[lister]

The ABV is listed on the each logo (in most cases) assuming you can actually read the small far away print. I was just at a Beer Store this afternoon.

[Belgian]

So every time you have a complaint about the LCBO, keep in mind that it used to be much, much worse.

Eastern Europe used to be much, much worse - under communism. Time to move forward.

[Gunny]

The beer board reminds me of archaic retail systems where it doesn't matter that the consumer sees anything. Some examples that come to mind (long since dead):

- The LCBO. I believe people had to ask at the front for booze and some guy got it from the back, very similar to the Beer Store today. I checked on their web site and it said the first self-serve LCBO was 1969.

- Consumers Distributing. Remember this chain? You had to fill out this form with tiny golf-course pencils and someone would go to the back and retrive your stuff.

The beer board to me proves that a "retail experience" means nothing to TBS.

I remember having to fill out a form ala Consumer's Distributing at the main LCBO store in Oshawa in around 1983. This may have been a Regional phenomenon, though.

Jeff

[PierreBiere]

I believe people had to ask at the front for booze and some guy got it from the back, very similar to the Beer Store today.

This goes back before my time, but I think my father-in-law once told me that the LCBO used to require customers to have a type of "permit", sort of like an age of majority card, to purchase alcohol. Any old-timers here to confirm that?
What also burns me about the Beer Boards is that many of the more interesting beers that appear on them are long out of stock, if they were ever in. Try asking for a Brick Bock some time - you'll probably get a blank look in response.

[Belgian]

burns me about the Beer Boards is that many of the more interesting beers that appear on them are long out of stock, if they were ever in.

Exactly - the purpose of the Big Board isn't to represent stock or promote the less-knowns, its purpose is to streamline puying patterns (while pretending this is not so.)

All these other labels are window-dressing. But, I guess it looks better than empty shelf spaces.

[Bobbyok]

The beer board reminds me of archaic retail systems where it doesn't matter that the consumer sees anything. Some examples that come to mind (long since dead):

- The LCBO. I believe people had to ask at the front for booze and some guy got it from the back, very similar to the Beer Store today. I checked on their web site and it said the first self-serve LCBO was 1969.

- Consumers Distributing. Remember this chain? You had to fill out this form with tiny golf-course pencils and someone would go to the back and retrive your stuff.

The beer board to me proves that a "retail experience" means nothing to TBS.

I remember having to fill out a form ala Consumer's Distributing at the main LCBO store in Oshawa in around 1983. This may have been a Regional phenomenon, though.

Jeff

The last of this type of store in Nova Scotia only closed about 5 years ago. My wife's family has a cottage nearby and I remember only going there once or twice because it was so annoying.