Coronavirus: Asheville Liquor sales booming, but stores will curtail hours

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ARDEN — At area liquor stores, it feels like New Year's Eve.

"Today it's settled down some, but it's been holiday-ish," Kelly Brockwell, store manager of the ABC store on Sweeten Creek Road in Arden, said of their sales pace on March 18. "Up until today, we've had huge amounts of crowds in here."

Over the past few days, sales have been up about $5,000 higher than a normal day, Brockwell said. Last week they actually sold out of Everclear, a grain alcohol that some people were buying to make their own hand sanitizer, but liquor for drinking has also been flying off the shelves.

Topping $300,000 in one day

Mark Combs, general manager of the Asheville ABC Board, said the nine stores under their umbrella saw sales on Monday, March 16, that compare to New Year's Eve.

"For example, on Monday we did $313,000," Combs said. "On Dec. 31, which is the mother of all sales days for us, it was $346,000."

The gargantuan sales have been driven in part by rumors that ABC stores may close because of the coronavirus pandemic, but Combs stressed that is not the case locally.

"That’s what I want to emphasize — there are 170 individual ABC boards in North Carolina, and the state ABC Commission has given each board the authority to close or stay open," Combs said. "Here in Asheville, we're not going to close unless we're compelled to by order of the governor or the ABC Commission."

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Gov. Roy Cooper has ordered that all restaurants and bars in North Carolina must limit operations to take-out and delivery only.

Shorter store hours coming

The Asheville stores are curtailing hours, though, starting Friday, March 20. Currently, stores are open 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Monday-Saturday, but starting March 20 that will change to 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday-Saturday.

"If the health of our employees or the public may be compromised under our current service model, we will look at ways to modify it to ensure the health of our staff and the public," Combs said.

The reduced hours are in line with what other larger systems, such as Charlotte and Greensboro are doing, Combs said.

In Asheville, staff will still come in at 10 a.m., but they'll spend the first hour intensely cleaning the stores, Combs said. The reduced hours also limit overall exposure of employees, Combs said.

More cleaning, more wipes coming

In Arden on March 18, Brockwell and the other employees kept wipes handy and cleaned the debit card keyboards and screens after each use.

"With the cleaning, we want to make sure we're doing the best we can for our employees and our customers, because we want to stay open," Brockwell said.

The store had plenty of inventory on the shelves, and Brockwell and Combs said the local ABC system has a surplus of supplies.

Shopper Ronnie Waldrup was buying a bottle of scotch March 18, but not out of concern the stores would close. He took a fatalistic approach to coronavirus.

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"I figure if we're going to get it, we're going to get it," Waldrup said. "If it's going to take us out, it's going to take us out."

Another customer suggested the alcohol was "medicine" to fight the coronavirus.

Combs said they realize some customers have to have their product, and he considers the stores to be like a grocery chain for those customers — providing a necessity for some people.

System has 78 employees

The Asheville ABC system employs 48 full-time workers and 30 part-timers. The local ABC has authorized an emergency payment plan, if the stores are ordered to close, that would pay employees' salaries for up to 30 days, Combs said.

But they prefer to stay open.

Health experts are recommending that people stay home as much as possible to limit interaction and possible spread of the virus. It is passed through "droplets," meaning sneezes, coughs or saliva, and it can stay on surfaces and be passed to others.

The stores are supplied with wipes, and hand sanitizer dispensers should arrive this week. Protective gloves have been harder to find, Combs said, but suppliers have promised a delivery this week.

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On Wednesday, at the back of the Arden store, employee Kimberly Alfieri Watson stocked shelves and talked about how much she enjoys their customers. She's part-time but had to put in 40 hours last week because they were so busy.

"They've been buying half-gallons," Watson said with a smile. "I just hope they don't drink all of it at once."

She joked that when she checks customers out she gives them a paper bag and says they can use it as toilet paper if things get real rough. While she added some levity to the serious situation, Watson said they're determined to keep the store open — and as clean as possible.

"They'll ask, 'When are you closing?'" Watson said. "I say, 'When the world closes!"