Top Shelf Whiskey Allocated via Lottery System

[PaulO]

Back in the winter, I was in a store that has probably the best beer selection around. The owner told me he literally stocks everything available. Anyway, this lady asks the casher if they have any Pappy. I asked the casher if that has to be the running joke around here. The lady customer said she gets it sometimes when she asks. I wasn't sure if I believed her. Then the casher says they did get some, but a guy came and bought it all at once. Then he came back and wanted more, but there was no more. Even though I wasn't looking for PVW, it kind of peeved me. I suspect some one cleaned them out to flip. The store for it's part does so much business. I don't think they give any special attention to any one bottle (even PVW).

[BonVivant84]

Well one of the reason's my store gets a small Pappy and BTAC allocation every year is based up my sales of other BT & Sazerac Staples, in years past taking part in their single barrel program was also a big part of getting on that list. So I have a customer who comes in once every other week and buys 2-3 bottles of quality bourbon, usually stuff like BT, Weller, or Eagle Rare. He loves the Pappy stuff, and his everyday sales are a big part of the reason my store ends up getting what small amount it does. So making sure he gets a bottle is somehow corrupt? Without his and customers like that's business I wouldn't have it in the first place, why lottery it off to someone who isn't helping me get it. I should instead hold a lottery and have a ton of out of towners who don't spend a dime in my store all year coming up with 10 of their friends to try and get a bottle of pappy to flip on the internet for triple the cash?

Forgot where i heard the idea, but one i like to deter flippers is to have 2 prices. One marked close to what a flipper would try and sell it for, and the other MSRP (or whatever is reasonable) with the catch that you have to open the foil / seal on it in stores. Now ya it might suck if you were maybe planning to hold it for a special occasion, but if your a drinker and not flipper given how things are now i would consider it a small price to pay. Plus having a pour with your whiskey guy always puts you in good graces for next time.

[EagleRiver]

Forgot where i heard the idea, but one i like to deter flippers is to have 2 prices. One marked close to what a flipper would try and sell it for, and the other MSRP (or whatever is reasonable) with the catch that you have to open the foil / seal on it in stores. Now ya it might suck if you were maybe planning to hold it for a special occasion, but if your a drinker and not flipper given how things are now i would consider it a small price to pay. Plus having a pour with your whiskey guy always puts you in good graces for next time.

Fun idea, I would love a nice taste out of every good bourbon bottle I sell! The legality of it for my store would be very questionable however.

[BonVivant84]

Fun idea, I would love a nice taste out of every good bourbon bottle I sell! The legality of it for my store would be very questionable however.

Well nothing you can do if someone by accident trips with an open bottle and it "happens" to spill into a cup, which you then by "mistake" drink thinking it was your water :grin:

[squire]

I'm afraid he will need a bit better defense than that. I could think of one but it would be costly.

[MauiSon]

Well one of the reason's my store gets a small Pappy and BTAC allocation every year is based up my sales of other BT & Sazerac Staples, in years past taking part in their single barrel program was also a big part of getting on that list. So I have a customer who comes in once every other week and buys 2-3 bottles of quality bourbon, usually stuff like BT, Weller, or Eagle Rare. He loves the Pappy stuff, and his everyday sales are a big part of the reason my store ends up getting what small amount it does. So making sure he gets a bottle is somehow corrupt? Without his and customers like that's business I wouldn't have it in the first place, why lottery it off to someone who isn't helping me get it. I should instead hold a lottery and have a ton of out of towners who don't spend a dime in my store all year coming up with 10 of their friends to try and get a bottle of pappy to flip on the internet for triple the cash?

Okay, I'll bite once. A lottery doesn't have to be open to all, it can open to 'ticket' buyers only. A ticket may be 'bought' when someone buys a bottle, or two bottles or X number of bottles (or specific dollar amounts) throughout the year (or only during a special promotional period). You can set up the parameters however you wish. You might have cards that get punched for purchases and when completed go into the lottery bin. The concept is that choosing favorite customers is a biased activity, while setting up a lottery program with explicit rules is not.

Edited June 4, 2014 by MauiSon

[squire]

I would be a damn fool not to be biased toward my best customers.

[dSculptor]

While it is nice to find some of these in the wild and on a shelf, holding them for the stores regular patrons is the way to go,a rewards card without the plastic. I go out of my way to buy regularly from a store that will give me a call and say..Hey Don, I got something good here for you... Ok thanks I'll be right there!

[MauiSon]

[Erased] I think I'm done with this subject.

Edited June 4, 2014 by MauiSon

[HighInTheMtns]

I would be a damn fool not to be biased toward my best customers.

A thousand times this.

[MyOldKyDram]

[Erased] I think I'm done with this subject.

Probably for the best.

[kjbeggs]

I agree that faithful customers and bourbon drinkers should get preferred treatment over a bunch of bandwagon jumpers or flippers.

On the other hand, I do get kind of annoyed that I feel the need to make sure I seek out the "Bourbon Guy" at the big chain store and make sure I chat with him every time I stop in to just grab something.

[Ravensfire]

Okay, I'll bite once. A lottery doesn't have to be open to all, it can open to 'ticket' buyers only. A ticket may be 'bought' when someone buys a bottle, or two bottles or X number of bottles (or specific dollar amounts) throughout the year (or only during a special promotional period). You can set up the parameters however you wish. You might have cards that get punched for purchases and when completed go into the lottery bin. The concept is that choosing favorite customers is a biased activity, while setting up a lottery program with explicit rules is not.

A local chain last year did the Pappy/BTAC lottery as one free entry, plus an additional per specific product (mostly other sazerac products) purchased. They didn't have a system to track prior purchases, so it was only stuff bought from when the lottery started. So if I came in a month early and bought a case of BT, so sorry. To be honest, I'm glad I don't have to deal with stuff like this.