Beverage Dynamics Winter 2024 | Page 15

Handling allocated whiskeys remains a tricky task . One way Chilly ’ s moves these bottles out of the backroom , while angering the fewest number of people , is through several local charity events . These include raffles and silent auctions for coveted releases , as well as whiskey tastings . Even people who missed out on Pappy cannot feel too mad when they had equal opportunity to snag the bottle , while money raised from the events benefits Meals on Wheels and the local VFW .
“ I used to list how many of what bottles were available at these events , but smaller accounts started to get jealous of our allocations ,” Coram says . “ Now I just list what brands could be available ,” without giving numbers .
Tequila has also ticked up at Chilly ’ s , matching overall U . S . trends . As for craft beer , which has seen better days nationally , “ it ’ s still doing well here ,” Coram says . “ These days there are winners and losers , but the strong brands are doing well .”
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Any decent independent beverage alcohol retailer knows that customer service is key . “ We ’ re never going to beat Total or grocery on price ,” Coram says . “ We got to beat them on customer service .”
“ That ’ s why we walk stuff out to

“ We ’ re never going to beat Total or grocery on price , we got to beat them on customer service .”

- Steve Coram , founder and owner of Chilly ' s Discount Liquor
cars ,” he adds . “ It ’ s why we hand sell things , and do charity events . People want human interactions .”
“ There ’ s no human interactions at these bigger places ,” Coram continues . “ You can ’ t sustain grown based on process when you ’ re competing with these places . You ’ ve got to provide something that they don ’ t .” •
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www . beveragedynamics . com Winter 2024 • Beverage Dynamics 15