As restaurants and stores begin to reopen after months of closure, liquor store employees and owners are wondering what the new normal will be and whether reopening efforts will bolster business.
Liquor stores have largely remained open throughout the pandemic, qualifying as essential businesses under most state guidance.
While much of the country stayed at home, liquor store owners and employees continued to run these businesses, but with fewer resources. Staffers have had to respond to high-stress incidents more frequently, often the result of people who were frustrated with staying indoors most of the time. Multiple shop owners and employees told CNBC about the challenges of running a liquor store during a pandemic, including fears about tension with customers and concerns about demand returning to pre-virus levels. Here is what they had to say.In New York, Park Avenue Liquor Shop, which normally caters to residents in the area, saw many of its usual customers flee the city once the coronavirus struck, said the business's vice president, Jonathan Goldstein.
"Being open and with people working from home, we are seeing people we're not used to seeing during the day, whether it be professionals who are usually in the office or teachers who are usually in the classroom," said Le of Houston-based Nasa Liquors. Le brought on an extra employee to help with inventory and cashier duties and respond to the influx of people entering the store.
Some liquor shops have also struggled with replenishing supply or selling smaller brands, which have lost ground to the more familiar ones that usually sell out in stores. Pat ODonnell, 34, buys a 1.75 liter bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey at Supreme Liquor in Cambridge, MA on April 28, 2020.Some customers are reluctant to wear personal protective equipment or ignore personal space when in stores, agitations that shop owners and workers fear will become routine throughout the reopening process.
At Park Avenue Liquor Shop, Goldstein took limiting in-store capacity to another level. Instead of allowing people to browse the store's liquor contents, Goldstein and his employees make suggestions and transactions at the door.
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