Liquor stores report increase in sales amid pandemic
Alcohol sales are on the rise because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has left most liquor stores reaping substantial benefits, according to the top official of the Oklahoma Retail Liquor Association.
It’s unclear if the pandemic and its isolation effects are driving non-drinkers to drink or if regular consumers of Jack Daniel’s, Southern
Comfort and assorted wines are beefing up their alcohol intake.
“Liquor stores have definitely seen an uptick in the number of people and the average amount per sale,” said Bryan Kerr, president of the retail liquor association. “There’s a lot of people not going out to bars anymore so we’re getting some of those customers. But we’ve definitely seen an increase in purchases.”
Kerr stops short of saying the pandemic has driven people to drink. Rather, the longtime owner of the Moore Liquor Store in Moore believes people working remotely has increased alcohol consumption.
“My guess is people are generally drinking more because they are working from home. They can have a drink or a beer and not get in trouble from their employer,” he said. “It’s probably a matter of opportunity and convenience for them to drink. I don’t think people are saying, ‘I can’t take it anymore and I’m going to drink.’”
Although liquor stores are prospering more, Kerr said he would prefer a solution to the COVID pandemic instead of increased profits.
“I hate to take joy in something so terrible,” he said. “I’m hoping for a workable vaccine to go with stable liquor sales.”
Mike O’Malley, owner of Cache Road Liquor Store in Lawton, acknowledged his sales figures have increased since the pandemic began taking its toll in March.
“Whether it’s because the bars are closed or the restaurants are closed, people are staying home and that’s causing an increase in our sales,” he said. “We’ve seen a solid double-digit increase. I think when people were having one or two drinks before COVID, now they’re having more.”
Weekend sales at Cache Road Liquor used to be big, but those sales are now spread throughout the week, O’Malley said. In Duncan, Murphree Wine & Spirits co-owner Teresa Murphree echoed the comments of O’Malley and Kerr.
“The limitations set on people have a lot to do with the increased sales,” she said.
At the same time, Murphree said new customers have found their way to her store because of a mask mandate that left people feeling safer at her establishment. Murphree’s Wine & Spirits also has the store sanitized once a month by a Duncan company.
In another effort to protect their customers, Murphree’s has instituted a 10-customer limit immediately through the end of the year.
ALCOHOL’S EFFECTS ON COVID-19
Meanwhile, the University of Oklahoma’s chief COVID officer Dr. Dale Bratzler, a national leading expert in infectious diseases and public health, said “numerous articles” show alcohol consumption has increased since the coronavirus hit. Some of the alcohol use is related to depression and mental health issues, he said.
“People have been self-medicating,” Bratzler said. “They have been addressing their isolation and boredom (with alcohol) because of the lack of activities outside the home.”
Like many other vices, Bratzler said alcohol should be consumed in moderation, especially for people who have medical issues related to high blood pressure, the liver and weight gain which often stems from the high number of calories in alcohol.
Bratzler stressed that alcohol consumption, even used moderately, can affect the immune system which could be detrimental to COVID patients as well as those who have exposed to the virus.
People should not allow alcohol to become their “crutch” while battling the isolation and quarantining demanded by federal and state officials, Bratzler warned.
An article published in Yalemedicine.org showed data from Nielsen indicated people are drinking more. For the week that ended on May 2, total alcohol sales in the U.S. were up by more than 32% compared to the same week in 2019.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) have issued communications warning people to avoid excessive drinking, saying it may increase COVID-19 susceptibility and severity, according to the Yale Medicine article.
Moderate drinking is up to one drink (about 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of distilled spirits) per day for women and two drinks for men.
High-risk drinking for women is the consumption of four or more drinks on any day or eight or more drinks per week. For men, it is five or more drinks on any day or 15 or more drinks per week.
Binge drinking is defined as women consuming four or more drinks in about two hours, or five or more drinks for men, according to the Yale Medicine article.
Typically, women metabolize alcohol less efficiently than men, meaning they have higher concentrations of it in their blood when they drink the same amount.