Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Author Topic: ANBL Growlers = Tax Waste  (Read 15546 times)

Offline blisster

  • Executive
  • Senior Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 848
  • Got Hops?
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 484
ANBL Growlers = Tax Waste
« on: March 04, 2015, 05:10:14 PM »
ANBL was (rightfully) nominated for biggest tax wast award for their growlers  :pal:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-liquor-growler-purchase-earns-taxpayer-waste-award-nomination-1.2981260

40,000 growlers, for a 3-store pilot?  Perfect example why beer/wine/mead/cider sales would be better off in the private sector.
Give a man a beer and he'll waste an hour, teach him how to brew beer and he'll waste a lifetime.

Offline feldmann

  • NBCBA
  • Senior Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 737
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 230
Re: ANBL Growlers = Tax Waste
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2015, 09:18:22 PM »
Quote
NB Liquor said it was planning to organize promotional activities, where the corporation's growlers will be given away.

I wonder if I could bottle an entire batch with just growlers...

Offline pliny

  • NBCBA
  • Senior Poster
  • ***
  • Posts: 799
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 250
Re: ANBL Growlers = Tax Waste
« Reply #2 on: March 05, 2015, 09:02:18 AM »
This is pretty obvious but if they expand the program to more than 4 stores they could unload a whole bunch more growlers.
But that would take a bit of thinking, planning and organizational skills...

They don't want to compete against the micros that are doing growler fills in their towns, fine. But there are other stores like Woodstock, Grand Falls, Bathurst, Miramichi and other ones in the bigger cities and all four corners of the province. There's like 50 stores not counting the agency stores. Yes, it would be a logistical challenge and not all areas would take to this. I'm no expert but if they add like an average of one store per month and see how it goes.

The program can't be hailed as a success, and alot more can be done. But the selection of growler fills are interesting on certain weeks - especially recently. I've seen some Rogue, Lost Coast, Trou du diable, Muskoka, Unibroue, Shipyard, Sam, Les trois mousquetaires, Brooklyn and many others.
And this week it's really fun - all local. I sure hope they don't terminate the program just yet.

I guess they have to figure out if they're making money with this. After buying the kegerators and the co2 and everything else. Is the goal to sell beer? Or is their goal to unload the growlers to look better in the eye of the public? There's a bit of a strategy and vision thinking.


In all fairness, 125k is not much of a boondoggle. The healthcare system costs more than $4,000 per minute; now health is important but there is waste somewhere in there for sure.
« Last Edit: March 05, 2015, 01:44:00 PM by pliny »

Offline Scott

  • NBCBA
  • Junior Poster
  • **
  • Posts: 208
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 210
Re: ANBL Growlers = Tax Waste
« Reply #3 on: March 05, 2015, 10:05:47 AM »
The article said they might start giving the growlers away for promotion, why not sell them at a reduced cost, say $5- they would still make a couple of dollars....or just dump them at cost.

Offline Jake

  • President
  • Forum Hero
  • ****
  • Posts: 1743
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 182
Re: ANBL Growlers = Tax Waste
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2015, 01:36:52 PM »
Yea at the end of day, they're still worth something ... while it is a sunk cost right now at this point, I'm pretty sure they could probably recover their cost on these things. At that large of a volume, I wouldn't think they would have more than a couple bucks into each growler. I'd probably get a new growler each and every time if it was an extra 2 or 3 bucks ... can never have too many growlers!
President of the NBCBA

Offline Evil Jalapeno

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Posts: 48
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 0
Re: ANBL Growlers = Tax Waste
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2015, 04:59:49 PM »
They may have only sold about 3000 growlers so far, but at $10 a piece, that's $30,000, which is already 20% of their investment. Considering that glass isn't really known for going bad, if the program expands to other stores, especially in the north where the beer selection isn't always great, I'm sure they'll recoup most of that money within a year or so.

I'm in Moncton, where I can finally get my growlers refilled, and I can tell you that most of the time, when I get to the liquor store, there's a line-up in front of the kegerator. If the program isn't doing great in Fredericton, the situation seems to be much different over here!


Offline Two Wheeler

  • Executive
  • Forum Hero
  • ****
  • Posts: 1443
  • NBCBA VP
  • Liked:
  • Likes Given: 864
Re: ANBL Growlers = Tax Waste
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2015, 06:23:48 PM »
That's great to hear. We are spoiled here in Freddy with a couple growler options and forget that not every part of the province has access.
Jordan Harris
BIAB'er