Yes, liquor stores are ‘essential’ and open in Mecklenburg County during coronavirus
Charlotte residents heading out to buy a bottle of spirits will find some changes at local ABC stores during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The 29 ABC stores, (one on North Graham Street is closed for renovations) are deemed as “essential business” under Mecklenburg County’s stay-at-home order that began Thursday. The order directs residents to shelter at home and limit movements outside beyond essential needs.
This order is valid through April 16 and includes a ban on private or public gatherings of 10 or more people.
County Alcoholic Beverage Control CEO Jason Hughes said Thursday there are a couple of changes to be aware of. Stores are closing two hours earlier than usual. Hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
And, in order to maintain 6 feet of social distancing as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ABC store workers may take orders outside and go in to fill them.
That way, Hughes said, the store completes one transaction inside at a time.
“One person goes in and pays, then the next person goes in,” Hughes said. “It keeps people from milling around or having lines stretched around the store.”
Hughes said the 135 full-time and 220 part-time ABC store staff are efficient.
“I think people are very understanding,” he said. “It’s gone incredibly smooth because people understand this is a unique time and we need to work together.”
Run on Everclear
Hughes said customers have been stocking up, buying more bottles at a time and grabbing larger sizes, There have been no supply issues.
“We’ve got enough to serve everyone and are getting additional shipments of those larger bottles,” Hughes said.
The only time there appeared to be a run on a particular brand this month was on Everclear, a neutral grain spirit that Hughes said is 150 proof, or over 70% alcohol.
“I think people were trying to make hand sanitizers,” he said.
Store sales vs. bar revenue loss
Hughes said while store sales have been swift, the loss of alcohol sales from restaurants and bars since Gov. Roy Cooper ordered dine-in to close March 17, on St. Patrick’s Day, has been nothing.
“It’s been a drastically different format than it normally is,” Hughes said. Restaurant and bar sales have “trickled to almost nothing.”
However, he said with the leap in store sales, the county ABC still expects to be on budget. Hughes said he’ll know more when the numbers are in next week.
Mecklenburg County ABC Board indicated March 17 retail sales are were up 27.4% for the month to date, Jeff Strickland, spokesman for the North Carolina ABC Commission said last week, “and I would imagine it’s gone up since then.”
Strickland said warehouse distribution processes, which serves all 170 local ABC Boards in the state, have been running at max capacity to meet the needs of the boards and public demand.
NC permits
Strickland said ABC Commission Chairman Zander Guy has authorized a grace period for all permit registrations and renewals through June 30. Payments are normally due by April 30.
Also, for events that have been or will be canceled during the state of emergency, the commission is allowing permit holders to reschedule events without having to submit a new application.
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The ABC Commission also approved requests from several distilleries across the state to distill and donate hand sanitization solution.
“We also continue to communicate with restaurants, bars, and other ABC permit holders to help them understand what options they have when it comes to off-premise (or to-go) sales and delivery of beer and wine,” Strickland said.
Coronavirus cases
Click or touch the map to see cases in the North Carolina area. Pan the map to see cases elsewhere in the world. The data for the map is maintained by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at the Johns Hopkins University and automated by the Esri Living Atlas team. Data sources are WHO, US CDC, China NHC, ECDC, and DXY. Data is updated every hour. Note: Some cases from the Diamond Princess cruise ship are grouped in Japan on this map and do not show up in the US.
