Coopers on special at Woolies

[Classic Brewing Co]

1 hour ago, Coopers DIY Beer Team said:

Thanks for letting us know Jim. We've passed this on to the National Sales Manager. 

I have just got back from Woolworths/Big W ( next door to each other ) at Cumberland Park, all traces of Home Brew stocks are gone, absolutely nothing left.

However Big W have a very healthy range including Kits, accessories even a few hops so I will continue to go there for basics.

[Coopers DIY Beer Team]

Thanks Classic. Lucky you've got Big Dubs next door! 

[Classic Brewing Co]

3 minutes ago, Coopers DIY Beer Team said:

Thanks Classic. Lucky you've got Big Dubs next door! 

Too Right & it's only 5km away. Cheers. 

[Thirsty Jim]

50kms for me .   

Woolies has a monopoly on my town.  They own the supermarket, the petrol station/convenience store, and the bottle shop (sort of).  It is a 10km drive to the next supermarket which is ... another Woolies.  But at least that one has competition from the usual suspects.  I have to drive 40km to reach a Dan's and 50kms to a Big W.  There are plenty of rural folks who would laugh at that but I was in the suburbs where I had choice upon choice and living on the fringe takes some getting used to.  I have already worked out that I am better off coming back to the suburbs once a week to shop - and just using the town Woolies just as a convenience store.  I just have to get organized and where possible buy in bulk.  I have lots of farm gates locally where I can buy fresh veg (and I grow a lot of my own) and eggs.   

That Woolies has dropped homebrew supplies from their stores is just another reason not to go there to shop.  

[Classic Brewing Co]

10 minutes ago, Thirsty Jim said:

50kms for me .   

Woolies has a monopoly on my town.  They own the supermarket, the petrol station/convenience store, and the bottle shop (sort of).  It is a 10km drive to the next supermarket which is ... another Woolies.  But at least that one has competition from the usual suspects.  I have to drive 40km to reach a Dan's and 50kms to a Big W.  There are plenty of rural folks who would laugh at that but I was in the suburbs where I had choice upon choice and living on the fringe takes some getting used to.  I have already worked out that I am better off coming back to the suburbs once a week to shop - and just using the town Woolies just as a convenience store.  I just have to get organized and where possible buy in bulk.  I have lots of farm gates locally where I can buy fresh veg (and I grow a lot of my own) and eggs.   

That Woolies has dropped homebrew supplies from their stores is just another reason not to go there to shop.  

I don't blame you, I have no reason to go there now but BIG W yes as they have a great range, we have Drakes Supermarkets here in SA & they have stores in QLD as well so HB supplies are plentiful as well as Dan Murphy's not to mention all of the LHBS.

 

[DavidM]

7 hours ago, Bribie G said:

Popping into Big W tomorrow to pick up a printer, I'll make sure I swing past the Coopers section and see if there's anything happening.

Make sure that printer is a "Mono Laser" unless you Need colour... (i'll recommend one if you want)

All others Chew "consumables" ink

[Pickles Jones]

2 hours ago, DavidM said:

All others Chew "consumables" ink

How right you are.  When the black gets a bit low in an Inkjet printer it starts to make black out of the other colours.

[DavidM]

10 hours ago, Pickles Jones said:

How right you are.  When the black gets a bit low in an Inkjet printer it starts to make black out of the other colours.

Or the one's that have a "Separate large black Cartridge" but never use it!!

[Journeyman]

18 hours ago, Thirsty Jim said:

That Woolies has dropped homebrew supplies from their stores is just another reason not to go there to shop

Go on site, find their email and tell them. (it might be earlier in this thread as well) If enough HB'ers tell them they no longer have a reason to go to Woolies they may change their minds.

And it IS something they care about - recently they had a Rewards promo where instead of the usual "Spend $X to get X,000 points)" it was shop once a week (any amount) for 8 weeks for 2000 points each time. i.e. they are trying to get people in the door because they know once in, most will buy extra PLUS it develops a habit.

So if enough of us tell them they've just removed a reason we'd go to Woolies, there's a fair-to-middling chance they will review it, because 1 person who writes in = maybe 50 or more who CBF'd!

Here it is from my Sent folder - customer_service@woolworths.com.au

Edited November 1, 2021 by Journeyman

[Classic Brewing Co]

In my experience with printers I have found top quality brand name models will serve you better than a cheap printer from the Post Office or somewhere. There is an old saying, you get what you pay for.

I have always run with HP/Brother/Canon etc. I have used & owned Inkjet, Laser up to A3 & A2, most of the printing I did was for promos, price lists, mail outs & customer prints & I always had top quality results with all of them. There are so many cheap crappy printers available now & usually the replacement inks are more expensive than the printer. We live in a throw-away world.

The Printers used these days in my world are sublimation which are used for Stubby Holders/Bar Mats/Caps/T-shirts & so on. These days I just layout the Artwork & email it to the printer & they send to the client direct.

I still have an Inkjet HP in the office from Harvey Norman which is just fine, the amount of printing done these days is minimal.

Edited November 1, 2021 by Classic Brewing Co

[Coopers DIY Beer Team]

19 hours ago, Thirsty Jim said:

That Woolies has dropped homebrew supplies from their stores is just another reason not to go there to shop.  

Make sure you tell them Jim! Here are their customer service contact details:

customer_service@woolworths.com.au

1300 767 969

Cheers, the DIY Beer Team. 

 

[Classic Brewing Co]

4 minutes ago, Coopers DIY Beer Team said:

Make sure you tell them Jim! Here are their customer service contact details:

customer_service@woolworths.com.au

1300 767 969

Cheers, the DIY Beer Team. 

 

Yes I will do the same, why not, the space they allotted for Coopers HB supplies at Woolworths near me is now full of sweet biscuits/ chocolates & stuff - besides beer is better for you !!  

[Classic Brewing Co]

OK here is my letter just sent, obviously with name/address etc.   Now let's see yours.

 

To whom it may concern.

 Customer Service Woolworths

I am writing to express my disappointment in your decision to reduce/remove Coopers DIY Beer products from your stores.

I have been a Home Brewer for many years and visited Woolworths many times to obtain supplies only to find the store that I have been using has cleared all stocks from the shelves.

 This decision has not given me any reason to return to the store ( Cumberland Park SA ) and purchase groceries or anything else.

 I am fortunate that the BIG W adjacent stocks an impressive range of Coopers products which I will still patronise.

There are others who are not so fortunate, particularly in rural/remote areas where your stores are the only major shop in town.

 There are many Home Brewers who rely on your Supermarkets across Australia to buy these products to make their own beer.

 I speak for myself and on behalf of other home brewers whom have been greatly inconvenienced by this move.

 I trust the matter will be reviewed and I look forward to hearing the outcome.

 Kind Regards

Phil Jury

 

[Journeyman]

33 minutes ago, Classic Brewing Co said:

OK here is my letter just sent, obviously with name/address etc.   Now let's see yours.

Mine, sent 13/10  

Hi Woolworths,

I have just found out you are removing Coopers Real Ale and Dark Ale
from your shelves.

This is disappointing as the main reason I swapped from shopping at
Coles to shopping at Woolies was because I could pick up cans of
Coopers home brew extract at a good price.

Please reconsider - Murray Bridge is a long way from any other
reasonably priced home brew shops.
 

[Thirsty Jim]

Great stuff gents.  It was me who started the cage rattling on the 'Cheap Coopers where do ya get it ?' thread.  This is a repeat of my email from 13 October...

 

Dear Woolies,

You have a great special on Cooper's Real Ale and Dark Ale home brew kits at the moment  but I am concerned that they are marked 'Clearance' and you will not stock them any more once they are gone.  That would be a real shame because it is only because of the availability of Coopers Home Brew kits that I shop at Woolies rather than the other supermarkets.  If it is your intention not to carry these lines in future I hope you reconsider and we can still be friends.

Yours

Thirsty Jim (real name supplied)

 

 

 

 

[BenP13]

I bought a dark ale from Woolies about two weeks ago, it was on 'clearance' but only $2 off. Very stingey.. but interested to try it so got one.

The problem I am having is that almost NO Woolworths stores around me carry homebrew supplies at all! They have shelves chock full with overpriced, trendy alcohol free canned/bottle drinks but not a single can of extract or bag of dextrose to be seen. Just ridiculous. It's almost making me give up on homebrewing as it is too hard to find ingredients and shops are overpriced. Even my local homebrew shop charged $15 for 1kg of LDME. Big W is bloody overpriced for homebrew and not the most convenient to get to. Dan's is OK and I get an extra $1 off by price matching, but stock levels vary and they don't have the full range.

I have contacted Woolworths asking if they would expand their homebrew range and ensure that all stores stock it, but got no response. The 5 nearest Woolies to me have nothing at all. So I have to drive about 25 minutes to another Woolies, and they only stock draught and lager. I'm interested to try some of the specialty range like the Coopers IPA extract but it's $24 at Big W - rip off. Hope Woolies think about their decision and decide to bring the homebrew back soon.. I don't see these alcohol free things being big sellers at all. 

 

Edited November 3, 2021 by BenP13

[Journeyman]

12 minutes ago, BenP13 said:

I have contacted Woolworths asking if they would expand their homebrew range and ensure that all stores stock it, but got no response. As it is I have to drive about 20 minutes to another Woolies, and they only stock draught and lager. I'm interested to try some of the specialty range like the Coopers IPA extract but it's $24 at Big W - rip off.

Yeah I got zero response from them as well. Apparently PR is not their strong suit.

Where do you live? I get LDME, yeast and hops from (mostly) beerbelly.com.au as they ship from Adelaide to me in Murray Bridge for $8.50 for up to 25kg of stuff. LDME from BB is $44.50 for 5kg and it's the 'instant dissolve' version

Each month I wait for the ROTM (Recipe Of The Month) from Coopers - join up on the diybeer.com.au site and they email you when it's on. When the ROTM drops they also do a free shipping deal for about a week so I stock up on cans then. Members prices are usually well below what the stores offer, and in my town FAR below what the LHBS wants. Deal seems to alternate from month to month, $100 for free shipping then the next month is $80 for free shipping.

I also check Kegland, Keg-king, Cheekypeakbrewery and a few others for odds and sods - KL & KK seem to have the best hardware prices for example.

Look around - you will find cheaper sources for almost everything you want.

[terminal2k]

4 hours ago, BenP13 said:

The problem I am having is that almost NO Woolworths stores around me carry homebrew supplies at all!

A few around here carry bottle caps. nothing else. I have to get my stuff home delivered

 

4 hours ago, Journeyman said:

Members prices are usually well below what the stores offer,

From last time I did a comparison, the cans were cheaper from coopers direct, but there was something else (I think it might have been carb drops) that were actually cheaper to get from woolies. Once the LHBS comes into it, it can become even harder to compare as they tend to stock other brands than coopers for the brewing ingredients and accessories. I know my closest LHBS is not cheap for anything, but I don't have to wait for stuff to be delivered, so when I've run out of sanitiser or something, I'll pay the extra money so I can brew today.

[Journeyman]

23 minutes ago, terminal2k said:

I know my closest LHBS is not cheap for anything, but I don't have to wait for stuff to be delivered, so when I've run out of sanitiser or something, I'll pay the extra money so I can brew today.

How do you run out of sanitiser? I got a bottle (500ml) of stellarsan from CPB and after more than 2 years I'm about 1/3 way through.

I stopped using carb drops after the 1st packet ran out - for the price of 1 pkt you can buy like 2kg of sugar!

Buying pre-packs from LHBS or anywhere is expensive; get LDME in bulk and substitute sugar for dex. The LDME means you don't need maltodextrine for head and mouth feel.

[Stickers]

On 11/2/2021 at 8:38 AM, DavidM said:

Or the one's that have a "Separate large black Cartridge" but never use it!!

we've got this cartoon sticky taped on one of the wide format inkjets at my work

[Thirsty Jim]

Petrol is $1.67 a litre at present.  My car does 10km to the litre. The nearest Cooper's supplier (or any home brew for that matter ) is 35km away, a 70km round trip.  It costs me $11.70 to make it.  The retailer (Dan's) charges $18.00 per can of extract (international series) and I buy 5 at a time.  So $90 in extract and $11.70 in petrol and at least an hour of my time.

OR

I go on line and order 5 cans from Coopers on line and as a club member I only pay $16.20 a can or $81.00 for five.  Flat rate shipping is $15.00.  So $81.00 in extract and $15.00 delivery and 5 minutes of my time tops.   So $101.70 to go get them myself and an hour of my life I wont get back or $96.00  and 5 minutes on the internet, and they are delivered to my door.  Or just $81.00 if I get in on the free shipping.   No brainer.

Even if I do make the trip to Dan's I pass a couple of Coles and an Aldi or three along the way... and again on the way back.  So why would I continue to shop at Woolworth's.  They don't have what I want, and they aren't cheap.

 

[Bribie G]

Jim that's a good point about online shopping. For example I lived in Kyogle NSW which is an hour and a half round trip from the big smoke, Lismore where the likes of BigW, Officeworks, Kmart etc. reside. So as an example, say 40 locals drive there, find that BigW don't have their clothes size, Officeworks have run out of that computer monitor and you can't get a park at Kmart.

On the other hand you can just sit on your date, order and it arrives two days later. The website says whether it is in stock, and usually its free delivery over a certain $$

The big advantage for the planet was that I could time my watch on the Fastway guy or the Startrack guy wheeling round the corner every day in front of my study window, making one only trip to save dozens of people burning fuel to go shopping.

[Journeyman]

On 11/2/2021 at 8:08 AM, DavidM said:

Or the one's that have a "Separate large black Cartridge" but never use it!!

Those usually require you to go into Printer Settings and choose Monochrome (or greyscale) to get them to use the Black. They defalt to Colour and that makes black using all the colours.

[Classic Brewing Co]

On 11/2/2021 at 11:19 AM, Classic Brewing Co said:

OK here is my letter just sent, obviously with name/address etc.   Now let's see yours.

 

To whom it may concern.

 Customer Service Woolworths

I am writing to express my disappointment in your decision to reduce/remove Coopers DIY Beer products from your stores.

I have been a Home Brewer for many years and visited Woolworths many times to obtain supplies only to find the store that I have been using has cleared all stocks from the shelves.

 This decision has not given me any reason to return to the store ( Cumberland Park SA ) and purchase groceries or anything else.

 I am fortunate that the BIG W adjacent stocks an impressive range of Coopers products which I will still patronise.

There are others who are not so fortunate, particularly in rural/remote areas where your stores are the only major shop in town.

 There are many Home Brewers who rely on your Supermarkets across Australia to buy these products to make their own beer.

 I speak for myself and on behalf of other home brewers whom have been greatly inconvenienced by this move.

 I trust the matter will be reviewed and I look forward to hearing the outcome.

 Kind Regards

Phil Jury

 

Follow up on the emails sent by some of us, as I didn't receive a reply I decided to ring the number supplied by  @Coopers DIY Beer Team 

I did not get through to service difficulties & faults ....... so I rang Head Office & spoke to someone & was given another email address   'shdcccadmin@woolworths.com.au'

to forward the email & was told to expect a reply within 24-72 hours.  So let's see.

[Thirsty Jim]

I love Daffy.   I did get a reply to mine and fairly promptly too back on 13/10/21.  Here it is...

 

Dear James, 

Thank you for contacting Woolworths regarding the availability of the Coopers brew in our stores.

It is always a nice to hear from our customers about the products they would like to see on our shelves. We endeavour to provide our shoppers with a variety of quality products and services across our stores, and regularly review the needs and wants of the communities across Australia. 

Unfortunately those products are End of stock. Space restrictions and the buying attitudes of our customers sometimes means that not all products are available in our stores. 

Please be assured that your request has been brought to the attention of the relevant team for their consideration. 

James, we listen and learn at Woolworths. You may be selected to receive a survey within 24 hours to provide feedback on the service you have received from myself. Please be assured that this is an optional survey and we welcome your honest feedback.

Kind regards

Lee

 

I am kind of encouraged that they haven't replied to you.  Maybe this has become a problem for them.  Maybe the relevant team is considering it.

Maybe I am an optimist.