One LHBS that I shop said that the White Labs rep ensures that the stock is maintained fresh. In other words, the rep comes into the store, takes out the old product, and replaces it with new at no- or little cost to the store. They complained that they didn't get the same service from Wyeast, and so they stopped carrying Wyeast brand. Unfortunately, I've received some old Wyeast packets from stores that I ordered from online. And not-so-surprisingly, the fermentation from starter to final batch was less than desirable. Had I known I would be shipped a packet of yeast that was 10 months old, I would have ordered elsewhere. And once this happens to you once, that's enough to make you switch. So is this the fault of Wyeast or the retailer? I would argue both. The retailer shouldn't carry product that is sub-par, and Wyeast should make it as convenient as possible for the retailers to sell good product to maintain their own reputation.
That said, I still use both White Labs and Wyeast because of their strain differences. I can easily go to the LHBS and expect to find current fresh stock of White Labs. But I ONLY purchase Wyeast from online stores with high turnover of stock, like Northern Brewer or William's Brewing.
