Pennsylvania liquor stores threw down record sales around the holiday season.
The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) set a trio of records in December – highest single-day sales, highest single-month sales and top sales through first half of fiscal year.
The most booze went off the shelves on Dec. 31 as state-owned Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores sold $26.3 million (including taxes) worth of alcohol and wine to revelers looking to ring in 2016. The dollar amount topped the old record, set the previous New Year’s Eve, by more than $2 million.
“New Year’s Eve is always a highlight of the year for wine and spirit sales, but we saw an exceptional end to 2015,” said PLCB Chairman Tim Holden. “We have taken a number of steps to improve customer convenience and the buying experience, and these steps are paying off in increased sales.”
The PLCB reported more than $310 million in total sales (including taxes) in the month of December – a 5.2-percent increase over the old record set a year earlier. The PLCB credited a $1 million increase in special liquor orders with helping set the record.
The December booze boon brought sales for the first half of the 2015-16 fiscal year to a near Powerball-level of $1.29 billion, said PLCB.
An in case you want to know when to avoid crowds when buying booze before your New Year’s Eve party next year, the busiest time at state-owned liquor stores was from 3 to 3:59 p.m. when they cleared $3.2 million worth of booze.
