Beer stores that don't keep their stock fresh

I was recently at a beer store in which I saw a Deschutes Mirror Pond Pale Ale with the best by date of September 2008 on it. It wasn't in back or hidden, it was the first one in line. I've noticed this becoming a big problem at beer stores now, especially in these economic times. You might've thought that Pliny or Blind Pig would just fly off shelves in So Cal, but I've seen multiple 5-6 month old cases sitting there with no signs of being bought anytime soon. I love these two beers but maybe they are examples of when hype doesn't make up for poor economy and increased prices of beer.

It sucks that even the best beer stores in the area don't treat their beer with as much care as a grocery store does its food. Disregarding those few beers that can tolerate a bit of age (ie Russian Imperial Stout, Belgians, etc), many of these beers will get stale or lose most of their flavor in a certain time, and these stores are keeping them on the shelves way past that time. This is the reason why I will almost never buy a pale ale or IPA-type beer anymore unless I can see a bottling date either on the case it came from or on the bottle itself. The chances are too high that you are going to a pay a pretty penny (as beer prices have skyrocketed in the last couple years) for something that's not worth drinking.