Posted on 04/01/2020 12:44:26 PM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
U.S. sales of beer, wine and alcohol have increased during the coronavirus pandemic, as states relax laws on purchases to help ailing industries.
Total alcohol retail sales, which do not include alcoholic drinks sold in bars and restaurants, increased significantly in the week ending March 20, over the same period in 2019. Research firm Nielsen Corp. reported a 27.6 percent increase in wine sales, a 14 percent increase in sales of beer and related products and a 26.4 percent increase in sales of spirits. The Nielsen data suggest that consumers are stockpiling their purchases, with 3-liter boxed wine sales up 53 percent from one year ago, wines sold in cans up 95 percent and beer sold in 24-packs up by 24 percent. Online sales of beer, wine and alcohol for home delivery have also increased.
While many businesses are shut down amid the pandemic by state government orders, many states regard liquor stores as essential businesses. New York, California, Vermont, Colorado and Kentucky relaxed rules permitting beer, wine and alcohol sales to accompany restaurant meals for takeout and delivery. While the rule changes are temporary, the U.S. alcohol industry sees them as fulfillment of decades-long push to ease sales restrictions and unify laws across state lines.
"It's definitely a step forward towards liberalizing a lot of these laws," Jarrett Dieterle of nonpartisan public policy research group R Street said. "The more interconnected we get and our marketplaces get, the more people will want their state to be part of that alcohol market."
(Excerpt) Read more at upi.com ...
I have been drinking at a “beach vacation pace” for the last three weeks.
Bars, Restaurants, taprooms, and any other place that actually serves alcohol sales are down, servers out of work, bartenders out of work, owners not getting any income...everything is A-OK! /sarc
Yeah Buddy!
Not here in PA. Our jackass governor Wolfe (D) closed all wine and spirit stores 2 weeks ago.
They are state run, so of course he could easily do this.
Beer distributors are open, and some grocery stores sell small quantities of beer and wine.
But there’s no way to legally buy booze in PA right now.
I had no idea they even knew who I am!
My daughter works at ABC Liquor and they just OK’d overtime for all employees, they’re that busy...
Stuck here in backward Pennsylvania unless you are near the border you are out of luck. We can buy wine in select supermarkets and beer. I can buy a bottle of wine at a near by supermarket but can’t walk across the parking lot to bu a bottle of bourbon at the state owned liquor store. Go figure.
Now is not a good time to develop an addiction to anything, because you may find yourself unable to get what you need.
I been there before. It’s bad.
Interesting that Gov. Wolf of Pa. Owns a cabinet making factory that is still operating. I have lived in Pa. my whole life so it doesn’t surprise me , but the hypocrisy is astounding.
It could be informative to know that the Soviet Union would do the same whenever one purge or another took place or during times of crisis.
This may be both.
My opinion (which causes amusing knee jerk reactions every time) is that they should drop the legal age back to 18. At the very least.
88,000 Americans die of alcohol-related causes each year. Do we think CV deaths will be above or below that number?
Two thumbs up...my wife and I too! About 3pm we sit on our pool deck in two comfy chairs listening to Pandora favorites with WiFi speaker...all the flowers are out, music up, two bottles of bubbly daily. We count our blessings every day, knowing we are fortunate...but like you said we’re putting ourselves in vacation mode. 6pm bbq is on and we’re eating better than pre virus. 7:30 a movie nearly every night. Hope many others are doing the same.
I’d be doing the same if it was beers by the mobile home having hot dogs at night. Mindset.
What about alcoholics who will die without alcohol? That guy sounds like a totally uniformed jackass who never watched Dr. Drew. Even the Diamond Princess supplied alcohol to their passengers, just in case.
surprised there has not been a run on gin/tonic and limes.
cures what ails ya.
Of course I stocked up on ‘beverages’ as part of my final prepping for Coronavirus - for wine, it was 12 cases, and I’m still debating another run.
Just another dem governor who wants to maximize the suffering and blame it all on Trump.
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