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Originally Posted by Dakota
Which I have no problem with. I would point out, however, that both the large brewers and Wal-Mart/K-Mart/Target (WKT contigent?) are merely offering the consumer what they believe the consumer wants. Heck, every coffee seller from Folgers to 7-11 is now responding to Starbucks, while Starbucks has long since made the transition from a local charming business to a cut-throat national chain.
Life, and commerce, marches on.
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Talk about a major thread hijack.....
I would disagree with you on the mega giants of commerce "merely offering the consumer what they believe the consumer wants," and tell you that they are in fact trying to shape what the consumer wants by limiting selection and molding American and global tastes to fit what is best for their own commercial interest.
Consider the way that Wal-Mart, as part of their marketing plan, when they first open a store in a given area, offers "regional" choices, until they have eliminated the majority of the competition. They then shift the store's stock to what you will see in 95% of the other Wal-Marts.
Consider the fact that prior to prohibition, Budweiser was allegedly a full bodied, globally sought after pilsner. After prohibition (during the depression may I remind you), AB made the decision to change the recipe to using rice in the process, as rice was, and still is, a much cheaper alternative than using all malted barley. They felt that Americans would simply be glad to be able to legally have a beer, and also felt that brand loyalty would be with them. They were, and are correct. Even though the quality of the product suffered, they soon had greater than a 50% share of the beer market in America, on that one brand alone. So, people went, in a very short span of time, from drinking a quality pilsner to drinking swill, all in the name of brand loyalty. They have used their money and influence to effectively quash all comers in the 70+ years since. Such tactics as introducing Ziegenbock in Texas, and only in Texas, over a decade ago to fight the regional success that Shiner Bock was having. (And let me state, for the record, I am no big fan of Shiner as it is really, at best, a pedestrian, stepping stone style beer.) AB has also sued, with some success, competitors who challenge their market. They even sued the makers of Budvar, who had been brewing since the early 1870's.
Need I go on?