During a recent visit to the Heavy Seas Brewery, Tristan Gilbert, their master-at-arms multimedia specialist, introduced me to the idea of “billboarding” when describing their new line of canned beers. He explained that while canning provides some practical advantages over bottling (portability, cost), it also gives the beer another spot on the shelves (usually in a different part of the store), and in effect, doubles the chance of being seen by a prospective buyer.
It’s an obvious principle, but one that probably hides in the dark corners of the subconscious, not totally recognized until someone explicitly points it out. It explains why you can get Miller Lite as 6, 12, or 24 bottles, or 12, 18, or 30 cans. It’s why you have massive obelisks of macro taking up enough floor space to make the ancient Egyptians envy the design. All those options mean more packages to display, meaning a larger presence in the store, and in theory, more sales.
Armed with that knowledge and encouraged by Stan Heironymous’s post about craft beer at Walmart, I went on an after-work sociology adventure to see how different stores display their beer, if the layout and presentation seems to make much difference to the buyers, or if it’s just a bunch of marketing nonsense.
I live in Maryland; home of confusingly draconian alcohol laws. My Walmart doesn’t sell beer, and only certain grocery stores that have been grandfathered into old laws can sell beer and wine. Liquor is relegated to smaller independent stores, for reasons I have divine from reading the hop leaves. I chose three stores to form a basis of comparison (a grocery store, a beer-specific store, and a local liquor shop), asked the owner/manager how and why the beer was organized, and then asked some random people buying beer if the layout had any impact on their final decision.
Store #1: Shopper’s Food Warehouse (the grocery store)
I used to frequent this Shopper’s Food (owned by parent company SuperValu) in my undergrad days because it was cheap. Short of the Beer Barn on University Boulevard (literally a giant red barn full of beer) it was the best place to score affordable 30-packs of crappy beer of questionable freshness.
They’ve since upgraded, now housing a rather impressive selection of craft in the flat light of the massive linoleum covered sprawl. The beer and wine section is tucked in the very back of the store – the farthest possible distance from the front door – which either means something or doesn’t mean anything, depending on how philosophical you want to get about a place that voluntarily calls itself a “food warehouse.”
I analyzed this wall-o-suds for a while, but couldn’t find any rhyme or reason to how the beers were displayed. It seemed like someone just randomly threw them up there, hoping the beer would gain sentience and sort itself out in the middle of the night.
The manager I spoke to said that the distributors often arrange their products themselves, but noted that some of their staff will often rearrange the displays to fill gaps. She admitted that while she didn’t make the ultimate decisions, she was pretty sure there was “no real plan” and that they just put the beer where the price label said it should be.
The craft and psuedo-craft were all sort of dumped in the same place with no clear distinction. A nearby beer-buyer said that he “wished it was at least alphabetical” and it took him a while to find the six pack he wanted on one of the top shelves. Clearly, whoever organized this didn’t think much about the status of the beers in terms of craft, sort-of-craft, totally-not-craft, and not-even-beer.
I think this picture sums up how this big-box store feels about organizing its beer:
Store #2: Old Line Fine Wine and Spirits (the fancy beer store)
I love this place not only because it’s the only craft-focused bottle-shop on my way home from work, but also because it lives in the skeleton of an old Circuit City. The rum is where the DVDs and CDs used to line the walls. The checkout lanes are in the same spot I used to play with car stereos. Old Line is a drunken phoenix rising from the ashes of some overpriced electronics and it’s totally awesome.
Unlike Shopper’s, this store has a focus on craft beer. The main aisle down the center of the store includes seasonal fare (currently the menagerie of pumpkin monstrosities), 4 shelves of 22oz bombers, and then craft beer by state (with MD beer having the primest of locations). The very little macro stuff to be found is on a few sad wire shelves near the back of the store.
The beer guys here clearly draw lines between craft and craftsqueraders like Blue Moon and Shock Top. The entire main row of beers (and the supplemental row containing the spill over beer) is all from well established craft breweries with nary a MillerCoors product in sight.
A shopper near me commented on the selection and the organization, saying, “it’s really nice to be able to come in, grab some bombers and maybe a six-pack without having to dig around for it.” When I asked him if the variety encouraged him to try new beers he said, “yea, definitely, but I really feel overwhelmed having so many options sometimes.”
They are still a business though, and offer the middle of the road stuff, it’s just not given prominent shelf space. Most can be found in the coolers that line the back wall (where the big-screen TVs used to be).
This store obviously caters to the craft fans more than the macro beer fans, but they don’t seem to be hurting financially. The displays and proper categorization make it easier for buyers to find the beer they’re specifically looking for, but also find new beers of similar style and quality.
Store #3: Laurel Lakes Liquors (the everyday liquor store)
This store, run by a lovely couple who know me as that “weird homebrewer guy” is within walking distance of my house. The sub-1000 square foot shop has everything from giant sticks of incense to vodka, from Keno to craft beer, making it a perfect microcosmic slice of the local, independent American booze shop. The owner proudly announces that he makes all of his own purchasing and layout decisions with minimal input from the distributors.
The prices here tend to be a bit higher, but not so high that I’d go out of my way to shop somewhere else. He will also almost always stock a beer I ask for, if it’s on his master beer list.
The store is tiny compared to the other two I visited, and the beer has to fight for shelf supremacy against liquor, wine, and non-alcoholic drinks. This relegates it to a few coolers in the back of the store with a small display of seasonals in front:
The owner explains that he’s not much of a beer guy, but understands the difference between the ABInBev/MillerCoors stuff, and the stuff he gets from the local distributors like Flying Dog and Evolution Brewing. He initially arranges them how the distributors suggest, but will often move things around if one beer is selling better than another. He didn’t seem to care that Blue Moon was owned by Coors, he only cared that it sold pretty well.
He also had the issue of only having so much space. He claimed that “he’d love to keep the craft beer together” but given that he only have 8 coolers to work with, he had to put some next to “less appealing” beer.
Interestingly enough, I was the only one looking at craft beer during my time in the store. Three men and one woman came and bought Corona, Bud Light, more Corona, and some Yuengling (respectively) but not one of them even looked at the craft beer cooler.
Pretty pictures, but what does it all mean?
Based on the reactions of various people actually buying the beer, most seemed to appreciate some semblance of organization to help them find what they wanted quickly. Keeping all of the craft together also seems to encourage people to try new things, but only in people who came to browse, not those who had a specific beer in mind.
Interestingly enough, most people didn’t browse. They didn’t seem to care or notice that things weren’t in order or grouped because, by my counts (I didn’t dwell too long because I didn’t want to get kicked out) a majority (~ 80% of my woefully too small sample size) either walked straight past the craft aisle to the large cases of macro, or bee-lined directly for the six pack they wanted without looking at much else.
This suggests, to me, that people go into a store with the beer they want already in mind, and won’t really stray from that unless something really catches their eye. Most of the purchasing decisions are happening well before anyone is even looking at the beer on the shelf. It seemed that the level of order and grouping in Old Line encouraged people to look at, pick up, and even read about different beers, but the nature of that particular store suggests that those people were already interested in craft.
Tagged: advertising, beer, buying beer, craft beer, display, marketing, organization, packaging, photograph, photos, stores
I would like to know what kind of beer drinker buys pumpkin beers. Does one buy pumpkin beer out of curiosity/novelty? Is it typically purchased once, then never again? Are there folks out there that stock up on pumpkin ales?
I can only speak for myself and my experience, but I know plenty of guys who look forward to pumpkin beer every year. It’s a once-in-a-while novelty, and I’ll admit that some of them taste pretty damn good.
Given how quickly they fly off the shelves and how many breweries are making them now, they must sell very, very well. I personally like a few per season, but get pretty sick of the spiced ales by the time November rolls around.
I’ll see if I can crowd source a little more information for you, so it’s not just me and my random opinions 🙂
Recommendations for a “pretty damn good” pumpkin ale?
You may have some trouble finding these as (oddly enough) these may be out of season already. The pumpkin seasons comes, and leaves, too early for me:
Southern Tier Pumpking
Heavy Seas Great’er Pumpkin
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale
Shipyard Mashed Pumpkin
Avery Rumpkin
There are tons of others, too, but those are my top 5.
I don’t stock up year round because it’s not going to keep forever, but I do love Pumpkin Ales. They are perfect for the chilly weather – not to be enjoyed while it is still above 60 degrees. I went to Total Wine last weekend (a great value and variety liquor/wine/beer store around the PA/DE/MD area) and made two of my own 6-packs, comprised of only Pumpkin ales. I like trying new, and also contrasting them to my Pumpkin mainstays.
Here’s what I’ve got in the fridge:
Southern Tier Pumking – this is my benchmark pumpkin beer and the bar is set very high, it’s delicious and will be hard to find something better.
Dogfish Head Punkin – people love it, I like it, but better than most others
Harpoon UFO Pumpkin – this is delicious, Harpoon anything is excellent
Shipyard Pumpkinhead – Never had it, looking forward to benchmarking it
Brooklyn Post Road – Light and refreshing pumpkin, not intense (I like more intense pumpkin flavor)
Uinta Punk’n Harvest – Looking forward to trying
Elysian Night Owl Pumpkin – love the brewery, looking forward to trying the pumpkin ale
RJ Rockers Gruntled Pumpkin – I’m a sucker for silly bottling/labeling and the name made me laugh so I bought a 6 pack and gave it a whirl. At 7%, it’s got a bite and amazing flavor, giving Pumking a run for it’s money. Will get this one again
Southern Tier Warlock Imperial Pumpkin Stout – this just sounds awesome. can’t wait to get sloshed on this.
Saranac Pumpkin – taste testing this one as well
I’ve tried all of these. The only let down was Shipyard Pumpkinhead. Pretty thin and a little sour. Shipyard’s Mashed Pumpkin is definitely their better offering.
Punkin is always a classic. I think Pumking is my favorite of this list, but one you’re missing (because of very limited distribution) is Heavy Seas Great’er Pumpkin. It’s got everything I want: sweetness, spice, 8% ABV.
Warlock is pretty solid though. It’s like a roasted Pumking.
I am a new convert! The Southern Tier Warlock Imperial Pumpkin Stout did NOT disappoint. S.T. Pumpking is divine.
Here’s a fun observation I came across after hanging out at my local bottle shop the past two Fridays after work… It’s situated between a college campus and “downtown,” so you’ll get everyone from frat bros to white collar workers grabbing something for the weekend.
College students (understandably) often would go straight to 30-racks of Natural Ice, Keystone, etc. That’s it.
It appeared that many people older than college age would grab a 12-pack of Big Beer (some Bud variation, most often) but they would nearly always also grab a six-pack of craft. Being a craft haven like NC, there are plenty of local options, but it really was across the board.
Part of the reason I think this happens is because the layout of the store is one that almost forces perusing the aisles. Turnover is high and it wasn’t until recently that specific breweries had specific spaces you could find them every time. It simply lends itself to walking around, whether you think you know where things are or not.
Maybe that’s a key – keep ’em guessing.
Pretty cool to see the transition from Natty Ice to at least a six of craft. I can’t remember the haze of my transition very well, but I’m thinking that how I became a crafty, too.
I’m going to do some more research on the sociological impact of marketing and shelf-positioning, then try to do a more scientific review. This was surprisingly fun, which I think just shows how much of a data masochist I really am.
I would agree with your final assessment, especially at the general liquor stores and supermarkets in my area. Most folks go in knowing what they want.
There are some liquor “superstores” nearby such as BevMo and Total Wine & More where I, among others, often browse and study the labels that contain flavor profiles and “If you like Beer X, give this one a try.” The organization is fantastic too. They have the same beer in multiple areas, so you can find it either by country of origin or type (lager, stout, etc.). Ironically, the Total Wine & More near me used to be a Circuit City.
Nice article and interesting bit of study on beer buying habits.
I’ve seen those little recommendation tags at my Total Wine too, but admittedly don’t pay much attention to them. I’ve had some exchanges with the staff who seemed to know a lot about wine but almost nothing about beer.
I will say that their organization is awesome though. They do it by style, and then alphabetize within the style. Makes finding a specific brew really easy.
I buy some Pumpkin Beer every year, but I am always turned off by the ones that hit the shelves in Late July or Early August. And I prefer the spiced beer once the weather turns a bit more chilly, but by then all the pumpkin beers are gone, and the Christmas beers dominate. I hate holiday creep, no matter what industry.
As for beer organization in stores. I also live in Maryland, but in Carroll County. We seem to have beer stores that try to care about craft beer, but don’t really know what they are doing. The craft beer area is so poorly organized, it appears to be organized by a 16 year old that is being punished. Everything is hap hazard. It’s not organized alphabetically, or by style, or by region. It’s horrible. And at the same time they have monuments erected to Bud Light or Coors Light or which ever distributor decided to make a 10 foot high pyramid or 8 foot wide armchair. I heard with the store I am describing that one of the better craft distributors offered to help reorganize their craft area, and they got offended and kicked him out.
I’m with you. I’d prefer the pumpkin beer in October/November, as the weather really starts to turn. I’d buy it and save it for a few months, but very few of these beers age well, if at all.
Yea, the lack of confusion is weird. And refusing help is even weirder. Maybe as craft gets more popular, the stores will catch on. A boy can dream 🙂
i love this stuff and there truly is a science to it all. my old career was in advertising/promotion and placement and emotional response is everything. great piece and i love how you personally did the field work/research on this one. beth
Beth! I’d love to chat with you about your experience with promotions and stuff. I’m fascinated with the psychology/sociology behind it!
Send me an email at literatureandlibation@gmail.com if you’re interested in talking some more.
sent you an email to you gmail )