"No single bottles of Rogue Dead Guy for you, buddy

[zane9]

I started this topic, as I wanted to keep the King and Spadina Update thread for its original purpose: occasional updates on micro beer product at that store.

You may remember that the K&S thread evolved into a discussion on the problem of buying single bottles of Rogue Dead Guy IPA. After attempting to buy singles at a couple of LCBO stores, I was about to give up. Steelbackguy stepped up and pointed out that open-concept boxes (open, rather than closed 6-packs) can have their contents sold as single bottles. He advised me to call the store manager when CSRs could not figure out how to sell them to me.

I did. Today I called on the King and Spadina Manager to sort out how to scan the 2 bottles I brought to the cash. It went like this:

CSR: "Sir, these bottles will not scan."
Me:"Please call the Manager."

Manager arrives.

Me: "Please show the cashier how to scan the bottles."
Manager: "Sorry sir, we can't sell you singles of this product".
Me: "Why not? When I took these 2 bottles from the box, there were only 4 there to begin with. Someone else must have bought 2."
Manager: "No. Those missing bottles were not sold as singles. They must be here somewhere".
Me: "Again, why can't you sell me these 2 bottles?"
Manager: "Sorry sir. We can't sell you them, even as 'breaker bottles'."
Me: "Why not?"
Manager: "It has to do with how the product came into the system in the first place. These bottles can only be sold as a six-pack. Would you like the number of LCBO Customer Service?"
Me: "No thanks. I give up."

So that's the story. Steelbackguy, if you have Rogue Dead Guy IPA in your store and if you can successfully scan a single bottle, please post the instructions here and I will take them to the store. On the other hand, if you have the same scanning problem as the other stores, it would be very informative to read what you find out as to the reasons why this product can't be sold in single-bottle format. Please post!

Thanks.

[cannondale]

I had a very similar experience recently at a Loblaw's store, only in this case it was eggs. I took 2 eggs from a carton and went to the checkout to try to purchase them. No dice. After speaking to several staff members, including a manager, nobody could give me a reasonable explanation as to why they couldn't sell me the 2 eggs, all they would give me was some BS about "we sell these eggs in units of 12". Suffice to say, I left in a rage.

[SteelbackGuy]

I don't have instructions, really. We have a domestic and an import breaker code that we can charge people for in cases like this. We are usually urged not to do this for inventory sake, but WE ARE ALLOWED, TRUST ME.

896571 is the domestic beer breaker code. It will ring up as $2.00. Then, they can according modify the price for each single which will be price of 6 pack divided by 6. So in this case, it may be $2.75 or something like that. I DO THIS WEEK IN, WEEK OUT, and I have never, ever been approached by my manager about wrong doing. And trust me, he is a stickler for policy.

The only reason they are giving you a hard time is because they are lazy and not service oriented. They are also trying to create less work for themselves at inventory time. Tough for them.

Tell you what, print this out and take it to them. See what they say. If they refuse to sell them to you, I can give you the name of that managers district manager, and then I can go from there. These managers are paid in upwards of $80-$100,000 with their bonuses to serve. Not to be obtuse and difficult.

I'll get you you're Rogue in singles one way or another.

Not that it is worth it.......but I'll leave that uip to you to decide.

[SteelbackGuy]

I had a very similar experience recently at a Loblaw's store, only in this case it was eggs. I took 2 eggs from a carton and went to the checkout to try to purchase them. No dice. After speaking to several staff members, including a manager, nobody could give me a reasonable explanation as to why they couldn't sell me the 2 eggs, all they would give me was some BS about "we sell these eggs in units of 12". Suffice to say, I left in a rage.

Well played, Nigel. I happen to agree BTW, but I am still trying to be helpful.

[Ale's What Cures Ya]

I started this topic, as I wanted to keep the King and Spadina Update thread for its original purpose: occasional updates on micro beer product at that store.

You may remember that the K&S thread evolved into a discussion on the problem of buying single bottles of Rogue Dead Guy IPA. After attempting to buy singles at a couple of LCBO stores, I was about to give up. Steelbackguy stepped up and pointed out that open-concept boxes (open, rather than closed 6-packs) can have their contents sold as single bottles. He advised me to call the store manager when CSRs could not figure out how to sell them to me.

I did. Today I called on the King and Spadina Manager to sort out how to scan the 2 bottles I brought to the cash. It went like this:

CSR: "Sir, these bottles will not scan."
Me:"Please call the Manager."

Manager arrives.

Me: "Please show the cashier how to scan the bottles."
Manager: "Sorry sir, we can't sell you singles of this product".
Me: "Why not? When I took these 2 bottles from the box, there were only 4 there to begin with. Someone else must have bought 2."
Manager: "No. Those missing bottles were not sold as singles. They must be here somewhere".
Me: "Again, why can't you sell me these 2 bottles?"
Manager: "Sorry sir. We can't sell you them, even as 'breaker bottles'."
Me: "Why not?"
Manager: "It has to do with how the product came into the system in the first place. These bottles can only be sold as a six-pack. Would you like the number of LCBO Customer Service?"
Me: "No thanks. I give up."

So that's the story. Steelbackguy, if you have Rogue Dead Guy IPA in your store and if you can successfully scan a single bottle, please post the instructions here and I will take them to the store. On the other hand, if you have the same scanning problem as the other stores, it would be very informative to read what you find out as to the reasons why this product can't be sold in single-bottle format. Please post!

Thanks.

Good thing you were able to go down the street to a privately owned store and get some real service.

Oh wait...

Cannondale: That is not an apt comparison.

[zane9]

I had a very similar experience recently at a Loblaw's store, only in this case it was eggs. I took 2 eggs from a carton and went to the checkout to try to purchase them. No dice. After speaking to several staff members, including a manager, nobody could give me a reasonable explanation as to why they couldn't sell me the 2 eggs, all they would give me was some BS about "we sell these eggs in units of 12". Suffice to say, I left in a rage.

Not really a fair parody. LCBO says that beer sold in open cases can be sold as singles. On my last visit to Farmer Brown's place, he let me go into the henhouse to grab a few eggs. The hen was not pleased.

This melodrama is getting kind of scrambled. The LCBO is too hard-boiled about it, and I'm feeling rather poached.

[PeenSteen]

The single bottles of this have its own code, they ring in as 2.60 each, all the cashier has to do is do a lookup on their cash register and it shows up. The only things that do not have their own code are St.Ambroise Pale, Sam Adams Seasonals and Mad Tom (yet)

[thedude99]

I have bought singles of the Rogue Dead Guy at this LCBO in the past once or twice and never had a problem with it.

A couple of weeks ago, at the same LCBO, I took a single of Mad Tom IP to the cashier, it didn't come up and she said she couldn't sell me a single because it didn't scan.

I mentioned that it came from an open top six pack, and that they are supposed to sell those separately. She said OK, punched in a code and sold it to me.

[mintjellie]

If you lived in Buffalo and were treated this way at, say, Consumers Beverage - you would just go to Premier from now on, right?

Here in Ontario, you can have your "choice" of poor, uninformed, lazy, and uncaring service from the LCBO or Brewers Retail.

The system works!

[zane9]

Success!! Details to follow, including code used at cash.

[zane9]

I decided to take one last try at getting some single bottles. It seemed like a point of principle, especially given Steelbackguy's comments in this thread.

I talked to the asst. manager, and showed him Peensteen's post. I was saving SBG's latest post as the heavy artillery, if needed.

He disappeared into the office for about 10 minutes, came out and handed a slip of paper to a cashier. Cashier punched in the code, and I left with 2 bottles.

If I like it, I'll be back for 6-packs.

Thanks to everyone who helped me. Without the information coming from Bar Towelers, I would have given up after round 1.

The code for single bottles is 00617100. $2.60/ea.

[SteelbackGuy]

I decided to take one last try at getting some single bottles. It seemed like a point of principle, especially given Steelbackguy's comments in this thread.

I talked to the asst. manager, and showed him Peensteen's post. I was saving SBG's latest post as the heavy artillery, if needed.

He disappeared into the office for about 10 minutes, came out and handed a slip of paper to a cashier. Cashier punched in the code, and I left with 2 bottles.

If I like it, I'll be back for 6-packs.

Thanks to everyone who helped me. Without the information coming from Bar Towelers, I would have given up after round 1.

The code for single bottles is 00617100. $2.60/ea.

There are some LCBO employees that ACTUALLY WANT TO HELP, believe it or not!

[rejtable]

There are some LCBO employees that ACTUALLY WANT TO HELP, believe it or not!

Well, "one" anyway.


I was into a few LCBOs months ago trying to buy singles of Dead Guy and something else (forget). On two different occasions when I asked an employee walking the floor - no word of lie - they both turned away, mumbled something unintelligible and walked away. I had no idea if they said yes or no. Both times took singles to the front and the cashier told me they wouldn't do it.

Emboldened by a discussion about this on here at the time, I returned a third time, grabbed my singles, walked to the front like I knew what I was doing, I expected to be told a third time it was not possible. Instead, the CSR ringed up the order and processed the bottles no issues.

I felt like I used to feel when trying to buy alcohol underage, like I got away with something!

It's great that you offer insight on how things work on the inside, it's just too bad that more of your confreres are not like you. Many are, many aren't.

[zaireeka]

After a couple trips to the store what you saved in beer was made up for with gas....

[zane9]

After a couple trips to the store what you saved in beer was made up for with gas....

All my visits to the store were on foot. All I burned was calories.