Liquor store sales set an all-time record for the month of March in Oregon. Regulators say the spike in sales is related to the coronarivrus outbreak.
The Oregon Liquor Control Commission says Oregonians aren’t necessarily drinking more alcohol. Instead, social distancing measures have shifted people to consume their favorite beverages at home, instead of at bars and restaurants.
The OLCC says liquor stores sold $66 million in distilled spirits in March. That’s a 20 percent increase in sales over last March, and a new record for the month.
That’s offset by a 53 percent drop in liquor revenue from bars and restaurants over the previous March. Oregon Governor Kate Brown ordered all on-site dining options closed on March 16 as a strategy to slow the spread of COVID-19.