(AP) — Alcohol sales in Mississippi are seeing a big jump during the coronavirus pandemic, the state Department of Revenue says.
“Since March 16, we have shipped 932,120 cases, which represents an increase of 140,785 cases over last year,” the department’s division of Alcoholic Beverage Control said in a social media post last week.
Numbers reported by the agency include sales to some casinos and restaurants, said Department of Revenue spokesman Jacob Manley.
Most of the increase is sales at liquor stores, Manley told the Sun Herald.
“The sales slacked off a little bit since restaurants and casinos reopened,” but are still strong, said Danielle Yelle, who handles information technology and sales at Shawn’s Petit Bois Liquor Store in Biloxi.
Officials wrote in the social media post that the state agency is shipping at capacity every night. Crews are working to reduce a backlog of requests at the state warehouse that supplies wine and alcohol for liquor stores, restaurants and casinos.
“It will take longer than usual to receive your order,” the agency said. “We ask for your patience as we work to get your orders out.”