WE’RE STILL BUYING BOOZE

When Americans raced to grocery and drugstores on March 13—during the Extreme Buying stage of the COVID-19 pandemic—they didn’t pass up the opportunity to fill their carts with other priority products to weather out the storm: beer, wine, and liquor.

Alcohol sales at grocery and drugstore channels increased 50% year-over-year on this date compared to levels one year ago. Liquor laws vary by state, but the majority of U.S. states allow for the sale of beer and wine in grocery and drug stores, and liquor is sold in these channels in more than 20 states. All three alcohol categories saw increased sales at grocery and drugstores: beer sales increased 51% year-over-year, wine 55%, and liquor 35%.

So as consumers stock up on food and household supplies for the pandemic, they’re also bulking up on booze. We’ll continue to track these trends as we enter a more leveled-out period of Confined Shopping, as consumers adjust to this new normal (for now, at least).