Pune: Just one home delivery order for liquor in district

PUNE: The liquor home delivery bubble seems to have burst with just one doorstep drop made in the entire district on Monday and no demand on Tuesday, in sharp contrast to the excitement in its anticipation.
The state excise department data for the entire Pune division revealed surprising figures, hinting at tipplers stocking up before the home delivery system was launched following the long dry spell in the state because of the Covid-19 lockdown. The mandatory liquor permit for home delivery and several norms for liquor shops to start the facility could have also played spoilsport, a source said.

In contrast, the liquor home delivery is a big hit in districts like Thane, Nagpur, Latur, Aurangabad and Jalna. Data showed Thane executed approximately 9,962 home deliveries on Monday. In Latur, the figure was over 7,037 and it was 6,140 in Nagpur. As many as 3,422 home deliveries were made in Jalna on Monday. As many as 62,916 liquor home delivery orders were executed in the state till Monday.
According to the excise department data, around 616 liquor and beer shops are currently functioning in Pune district. Of them, only 14 registered with the excise department for home delivery for Monday.
A top liquor retailer in the city said not even 1% liquor and beer shops in the city had opted for the home delivery option. “There are hardly one or two customers at a liquor shop at any given time these days. Liquor sales have dropped by approximately 25% because a lot of people purchased alcohol in bulk when the sales started. The alcohol shops in Pune aren’t keen on home delivery as there are issues like security of delivery personnel. Also, how viable is it to offer free home delivery when a customer places an order for a quarter of liquor?”
Another liquor shop retailer said, “We are working with 40% staff strength and cannot spare even one person to make deliveries. There are other factors like registering delivery boy with the excise department, medical check-up and getting the ID card. There are security issues to. So, we cannot take a chance.”
An excise department official said the rush at liquor shops in the city had dipped by 80% in comparison to the time when the shops had resumed business. “ The number of home deliveries is less in Pune as counter sales are allowed here,”he said.