Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/04/01/san-francisco-drinks-its-way-t.html
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This morning my mom texted me a screenshot of an article stating that Newsom just declared alcohol vendors were no longer considered “essential services” and sales would be shut down throughout the state.
Sometimes she gets a little sadistic on April Fool’s Day.
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I hope you are posting this in jest.
Also, I have to refrain now every evening to pour me one drink. Because one would already be too many.
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I too was intrigued by said headline but suspected from the get go that was not the case after the ‘controversial’ weed dispensaries are ‘essential’ move.
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Take a wild guess why people are drinking that heavy in recent days
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She really sent me the screenshot, but yes the article/headline about Newsom suspending alcohol sales was an April Fools’ Day joke.
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I was more referring to you rating this as cruel…
Confession Time: I’m hoarding Whiskey.
I know, I know, I’m a bad Papasan.
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drinks its way thru the pandemic
At this point I’ve only got one tool in my tool belt.
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San Francisco is jamming on the wine deliveries.
Everywhere else that isn’t nerd/tech/startup central is set to experience a New Year’s baby boom. 
(edit: which, of course, is excellent for the immune system.)
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In PA, the state runs all the liquor stores, and closed them weeks ago. This caused liquor stores in NJ to be swamped, with lines going out the doors and around the stores. The governor said he’s"considered" reopening some on a case by case basis. Ughhhhhhhhhhh
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Working for an alcohol vendor we’ve trying to figure out why the hell we’re essential in the first place. Especially as stores are starting to cut back alcohol purchasing to save resources and space for more legitimately neccisary shit like water and food.
My theory is that given my state considers us essential as a business involved in warehousing, shipping and wholesaling. And all such companies are essential, whether they’re shipping dildos or medical equipment. They want anyone with trucks and warehouses operating as long as possible so they can potentially be used for emergency purposes.
If places like this shut down and lay off their staff, and then you need press them into service, it’s a lot more complicated from a dead stop.
The other ideas are to keep the industry moving. Hooch and hooch production employs a lot of people, it’s a big chunk of the economy for a number of states.
And the idea that if you cut off alcohol supply then serious alcoholics will go into withdrawal. Stressing the hospital system beyond capacity.
Between the 3 I don’t think we’re going anywhere. But heavy layoffs are starting to hit the business and craft breweries are heavily cutting production.
With all the bars and restaurants closed there’s too much. Brands are panicking about where to send it all. And even with sales spiking in certain venues (grocery and liquor stores, take out in very limited places) sales have collapsed.
Hoarding whiskey is always advisable. But in a couple of weeks expect to see discounts and promos. Hard alcohol and wine are in a better place than beer since it doesn’t expire and doesn’t need cold storage. But cash flow is becoming a problem. In beer land people are already putting deep discounts on kegs and smaller brands are laying on bulk discounts.
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Two of our neighborhood restaurants are selling wine along with their carry-out food. One of them has discounted all their bottles of wine by 50%, and they have an excellent and diverse wine list. We want our restaurants to survive, so we’ve been making a point to purchase from them.
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My favorite bar in LA is offering growlers.
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Ah yes, the “pay or I play” school of busking.
Just kidding. I love bagpipes.
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If people are thinking of declaring alcohol non-essential, I need to start hoarding whiskey.
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i assumed they’d be vaping, bong hitting, and… whatever it is when you light a nail on fire with a blowtorch-ing through
Likewise, but with gin. Just got delivery of 4.5 liters of Bombay. Virtual martinis with my mum here and brother in Philly every Friday at 5! (Other weeknights, it’s just mum & me knocking down the martians! - weekends are freeform, what with day drinking and brunch.)
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Except… unsupervised withdrawal from alcohol can be deadly. There are more alcoholics out there than you think. Forcing them all to go cold turkey because you’ve cut off all supply is going to help strain an already burdened healthcare system.
Or they’ll turn to more desperate measures that won’t do the healthcare system any favors, either.
Before anyone rolls their eyes at me with “won’t somebody think of the addicts”, the problem comes in that we don’t and when we do it’s with disdain. Addicted people are people. We don’t always choose our addictions. Nor do they simply go away when the rules around them change.
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