Alcohol sales remain steady in county despite economic state

 Despite the economic downturn, alcohol sales in Onslow County remain steady.

The Onslow County Alcohol and Beverage Control Board sales report for February 2009 shows a 0.9 percent decrease in sales compared to February 2008 which could be contributed to the fact that 2008 was a leap year, said Neta Grady, administrator for the Onslow County ABC Board.

"The fact that February 2008 had one extra sales day, it had, in fact, 29 calendar days, where 2009 had only 28 calendar days, but as it turns out one of those would have been a sales day," Grady said. "That would certainly make up for the small decline, which keeps us basically flat as far as sales go."

Grady said it's difficult to guess why customers continue to purchase alcohol during tough economic times. But she noted that alcohol is used for various reasons such as gift giving, celebrations and commiserations, which all continue to happen despite what's going on with the economy.

The county's ABC Board sales report also shows the sale of mini bottles more than doubled when comparing the month of February 2008 to 2009 - going from 10,050 sold in February 2008 to 20,245 sold in February 2009.

Grady said that rather than cutting back on purchasing alcohol, consumers may look for cheaper options, and that restaurants and bars may see a decline in alcohol sales as customers choose to drink at home rather than in a restaurant to save money.

The North Carolina ABC Commission reports that for the state as a whole, alcohol sales declined almost 2.7 percent when comparing February 2008 to February 2009.

Like the county's economy as a whole, Grady suggested the military presence helps maintain alcohol sales locally.

"It really is a steady business, particularly in our area because of the military population," Grady said. "If you look at those figures from the state you might notice that the other areas with military presence, like Cumberland County and Wayne County, they also sort of track along the same sales we do as far as percentages of sales increasing and decreasing."

At Christina's Collectibles in Cedar Point, a gift shop where a selection of wines is sold, owner Christina Mitchell said her wine sales have been on the upswing over the last year.

"They've increased about 10 to 15 percent in the last year overall; each month is a little bit better than last year's month," Mitchell said. "It's been great actually; if I weren't in the wine business I wouldn't be in business."

Mitchell said a glass or two of wine can help consumers escape from the harsh reality of the economy.

"I think (wine) can be used for medicinal reasons, that's what I always tell people," she said. "I make wines like an adventure - take you to a different world, take you out of the reality that's the slum and glum."

Wines & Wares, purveyors of various wine and craft beers in Jacksonville, has also seen business remain steady; however, co-owner Joe Kershner said he thinks the business may see a drop with March's numbers.

"It's been typically flat this year," he said. "I think people are still trying to figure out how this economic thing impacts them."

Kershner said customers aren't scaling back on the types of wines and beers they purchase, but they may be making fewer trips to his store.

"I don't think people have changed their habits with wine just yet," he said. "People come looking for that one particular item ... If we didn't have niche products we wouldn't be here."

Harrika's Brew Haus in Cedar Point, which boasts a selection of 200 craft beers, has also seen steady beer sales as the economy continues to decline.

Owner Erika Worden said people who drink alcohol are always going to spend a portion of their annual disposable income on alcohol.

"People are always going to spend 3 percent no matter what the economy is doing," she said. "What they might do, is instead of spending that 3 percent and buy more expensive wines, they'll probably buy less expensive wines or beer ... If you're a drinker you're going to spend that amount of money anyways, so it doesn't really matter."

No matter what's going on economically, Mitchell said consumers need to maintain a certain quality of life.

"You still gotta live no matter what's going on in the world," she said.