RAPID

ALLOCATED WHISKEYS Another common challenge faced by Wine , Beer , and Spirits is handling allocated whiskeys .

“ There was a time when we were first opening and I had a million other things going on and I did not see this issue coming ,” Heiliger recalls . “ I was sharing my Facebook messengers with the public ; I would get hundreds of requests for these bottles , each day .”

“ It was a huge learning curve ,” he adds . “ We ’ re now in good standing across all three stores , but it ’ s getting tougher and tougher these days , when something like Old Forester doesn ’ t stay on the shelves .”

Wine , Beer , and Spirits handles rare bottles with multiple strategies .

“ The majority of the product goes to our bars for single-dram pours ,” Heiliger says . “ It ’ s competitively priced . We didn ’ t want to price it with the cocktail bars . Customers can buy a pour and walk around the store with a plastic cup . Instead of trying to track down one of the 12 bottles of Russel ’ s Reserve 13 allocated to the state , now they can just try it in the store .”

The stores host regular after-hour events , including a Buffalo Trace tasting that explored through the distillery ’ s popular brands . All 50 attendees received one raffle ticket as part of the entry price . At the end , customers could by one allocated bottle in the order of their numbers drawn . ( Notably , the person chosen first turned down a Pappy for a Rock Hill Farms , preferring to pick his favorite pour of the night .)

Wine , Beer , and Spirits also keeps some allocated bottles in the backroom to reward good customers .

“ If I ’ m chatting with a customer , and he has eight bottles of wine in his cart already , and then asks about bourbon because he wants to get his nephew something special as a college graduation gift , I ’ d much rather grab that guy a bottle of Blanton ’ s from the backroom , then have it go to the same ten guys who follow around the distributor truck and ask what comes off it every week ,” Konen says .

Staff will also occasionally sneak a few sought-after SKUs onto the shelf to promote excitement and discovery .

Heiliger says . “ Customers increasingly want to support locally owned businesses .” Including Oso Mix Michelada , out of Omaha . “ It ’ s a great product from a great family ,” Heiliger says . “ The husband and wife are in our stores every Friday to sample the product .” At any time , Wine , Beer , and Spirits has seven to eleven different products being sampled on the floor .

SUSTAINABILITY AND THE FUTURE Going green has generated cost-savings for the company . Solar panels on the roof of the Omaha location provide most of the store ’ s electricity .

“ I believe that sustainability can be a financial advantage for us ,” says Konen , CFO . Other stores will soon receive solar panels , along with a bailer , plus a plastics and recycling program . Moreover , like Costco , Wine , Beer , and Spirits reuses 90 % of their cardboard , having customers carry out purchases in these boxes .

“ This also provides us with good will from the customers ,” Konen says . “ That ’ s hard to quantify , but it ’ s important .”

It ’ s all part of a successful , new beverage alcohol retail chain with a vision for continued expansion .

“ The concept is working in our markets , so we continue to look elsewhere for the right opportunities ,” Konen says . “ Omaha has a metro population of almost one million people , so there ’ s room here for more stores ."

“ We are on the lookout for vacant retail for additional expansion ,” he adds . “ We are also evaluating land purchases where we can build up the way we want to . Other adjacent states are also underserved . It ’ s a big endeavor that we don ’ t take lightly , but if the right opportunity presents itself , we will capitalize on it .” BD

16 Beverage Dynamics • September / October 2022 www . beveragedynamics . com