Anheuser-Busch To Intimidate For Sales?

This should leave some sour tastes in peoples mouths.  The beer giant Anheuser-Busch might just have a new method to increase shipments and sales. (Which both have been falling for sometime now.)

Instead of changing with the tastebuds of the consumer, or even just accepting some loss due to a booming market and a wide range of choices, AB is taking the low road as it were.  Forcing wholesalers to pick sides.  A form of intimidate as it were.    The low road is two fold.  First – Ship 19 new brands this year – like Shock Top Shandy and Bud Light Platinum.  Secondly, urging wholesalers NOT to carry rival products.

…Bud has urged 500 wholesalers to distribute fewer rival beers, warning that it will act against those who don’t. An unapologetic Edmond says wholesalers must pick sides, and show “loyalty” to InBev.

Your immediate reaction to this is probably pretty predictable.  Deceitful. Underhanded, etc.  Beer giants like InBev have a “big beer” stigma attached to them.  They have been called evil before and it would be easy to call them evil now.  A question to you  – would you happier if it was  smaller brewery doing the same thing?  Is it just business and competition? [Newser]