While these special bottles can certainly bring in additional revenue , both panelists agreed that they can also be a headache .
“ It ' s 2 % of my business and about 30 % of my time , but it ’ s worth it because I like people coming into the store ,” said Graff . “ We think it ’ s a blessing and a curse at the same time . When customers can get the product , it makes them extremely happy . And when they don ' t get it , it makes them extremely angry , and the angry ones are more vocal .”
The secondary market also brings a lot of headaches . Conti noted that the market is rampant , with certain products getting on and off the shelves in the same day .
“ Even with our loyalty program , it ’ s still the same 20 to 40 people in the store every single day who walk the shelves looking for Buffalo Trace ,” he said . “ The secondary market is a funny thing , but I have no issues with it at all . We ' ll make a couple of extra points in margin , like 30 % on some of those allocated products , but that ' s the extent of it . When people are tired of paying secondary prices , the market will go away .”
Later that evening , attendees visited a Garfield ’ s Beverage Warehouse location in Palatine , Illinois where they met with ownership and staff and saw the operation firsthand . Sponsors Campari , Bushwacker and Broken Shed provided product samples , and Don Q ’ s John Meisler cooked Bananas Foster to showcase a unique in-store demonstration opportunity sure to attract customers .
THE NEXT DAY
Highlights from BARC ’ s second full day included the 2nd-annual Women ’ s Leadership Breakfast , distributor panel and Beverage Incubator live presentations , capped off by the Top 100 Retailers award banquet in the evening .
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS !
As always , a huge thank you to our amazing sponsors , without whom Beverage Week would not have been possible . That included platinum sponsors Campari Group and Uncle Nearest , as well as City Hive , Don Q , Osprey Retail , Block Scores , BlueOco , Bushwacker Spirits and Vusion Group .
Platinum Sponsors :
Gold Sponsors :
Silver Sponsors :
The third-annual Women ’ s Leadership Breakfast and first-ever Beverage Incubator live competition were highlights from day two of a packed conference schedule for both on-premise and off-premise attendees .
www . beveragedynamics . com 2024 Top 100 Issue • Beverage Dynamics 25