Mississippi is seeing ‘record numbers’ of alcohol sales amid coronavirus, ABC says
Americans spent less and saved more during the coronavirus shutdown, but reports show they were willing to part with their money for entertainment and stress relief.
In Mississippi, some stress relief apparently came in liquid form, as sales of wine and liquor shot to record levels.
“Since March 16, we have shipped 932,120 cases, which represents an increase of 140,785 cases over last year,” Mississippi Alcoholic Beverage Control, better known as ABC, said in a social media post this week.
“The ABC is experiencing record numbers of orders at levels we have not previously seen.”
Despite casinos being closed for more than two months and restaurants limited to takeout orders, sales are booming.
The numbers reported by ABC include sales to some casinos and restaurants, said Jacob Manley, communications specialist for Mississippi Department of Revenue that oversees the ABC.
Most of the increase is sales at liquor stores, he said.
Like toilet paper, there was a run on wine, whiskey and other spirits when Gov. Tate Reeves ordered the state to shutdown in mid-March.
“There were a lot of people worried we were going to close,” said Danielle Yelle, who handles information technology and sales at Shawn’s Petit Bois Liquor Store in Biloxi. He said they assured their customers they would stay open as an essential business.
Some people in the state questioned how liquor stores could be deemed “essential” during coronavirus restrictions on businesses. Two months of families together 24/7, kids out of school but unable to play with their friends, and parents homeschooling their kids and working at home made a glass of wine or an after-dinner drink more attractive.
“The sales slacked off a little bit since restaurants and casinos reopened,” Yelle said, but are still strong.
“We are shipping at capacity every night,” ABC said. Crews at the state warehouse that supplies wine and alcohol for liquor stores, restaurants and casinos will be working the next two Fridays in an attempt to reduce the backlog, the post said.
“It will take longer than usual to receive your order,” ABC said. “We ask for your patience as we work to get your orders out.”
Across the U.S. consumer spending was down 6.9% in March as Mississippi and other states began the coronavirus shutdown and fell to 13.6% in April, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
“The most common type of non-essential purchase people make is entertainment, closely followed by alcohol, which might make sense since both are ways to take people’s minds off of the crisis,” said Jill Gonzalez, a WalletHub analyst.
A survey by WalletHub on shopping patterns during the coronavirus shows 29% of those surveyed spent more on entertainment and 23% splurged on alcohol.
