So, it’s Christmas and you need one last gift for that beer lover on your list. The bad news is, it’s a COVID Christmas and nobody’s definition of social distancing includes hours of wandering around a mall searching for the perfect gift. The good news? There are plenty of great gifts for beer lovers available online and one of the most popular is a subscription to a Beer of the Month Club. But with so many choices, how do you pick a great one? Easy. Just be on the lookout for these three things.
Quality – It should go without saying that the best beer clubs ship the best beer. How can you be sure? Your first step should be visiting the different club websites and seeing if they list their previous selections. Any reputable beer club should take pride in the beers they’ve delivered to their members and not sharing that information on their website should be a red flag. You should also take note of any awards their selections might have received. The best beer clubs make a point of featuring beers that have been recognized with awards from beer festivals both here in the U.S. and around the world. Two of the most respected are the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup – seeing beers that have won these awards is a very good sign that you’re on the right track!
Customer Service – Now that you’ve identified a beer club with great quality beer, you want to make sure their customer service is just as great and the easiest way to do that is by reading their customer reviews. Nearly every beer club is going to show reviews from happy customers on their website, but can those reviews be trusted? One pro tip is to see if the company also shows reviews from unhappy customers and, if so, how they respond to any customer complaints. No company gets positive reviews 100% of the time and seeing how they respond to an unhappy customer can tell you a lot about their customer service. But even better than reviews on their own websites, reviews from third-party review websites can be the most valuable of all. Sites like Trustpilot.com have become valuable resources for shoppers looking for unbiased reviews and are probably your best bet for reviews you can trust.
Price – So, now you’ve found a beer club with great quality selections and excellent customer service. You’re ready to place your order but how do you know you’re getting the best price? Compare, compare, compare and watch out for any hidden costs like shipping and handling fees. Ideally, your chosen beer club is offering free shipping making cost comparisons easy and transparent. If that isn’t the case, you should proceed with caution. Shipping beer is expensive both due to the weight of the shipments and regulations on shipping alcoholic beverages. It isn’t unheard of for shipping costs to exceed the cost of the beer itself so double and triple check your final costs before entering your credit card if the club you’ve selected does not offer free shipping.
And that’s it: Quality, Customer Service and Price, the three most important aspects to any beer club membership and your personal roadmap to making sure your gift is the best gift ever.
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