Alcohol sales continue to drop as younger generation stays away

One notable factor of this decline is a generational shift in mindset, with many of the younger generations choosing to avoid the bottle, or forgo it entirely.

“When you’re drunk you’re out of control, and that’s not a good thing to be. It’s just something that I’ve chosen, if somebody wants to have a drink sometime, I’m not going to tell them no. But for me personally, I just decided that I can do better things than have a drink or two,” said 19-year-old UNBC student Graham Yoder, who says he doesn’t drink alcohol at all.

“Health is a very big thing for me. Looking at older generations and what alcohol has done to them, I feel like I’m learning a lesson,” said 23-year-old UNBC Student Nicola Marais, who says she only drinks twice a month

Health and wellness, both physically and mentally, remain some big factors as to why many are choosing to stay dry, but economic factors have also had many looking at alcohol as an expendable expense.

“The cost of living nowadays is quite high, so you don’t really have a lot of money for alcohol, which is not high on the priority list,” Marais said.

“It really comes down to the wallet being squeezed, it’s your average everyday consumer who’s buying a 15 pack of your beer that is feeling the push. And when it comes to when you’re choosing between your groceries which are higher, and your gas which is higher, and all of these other things, sometimes the alcohol is the one that has to go,” said Vice-President of the Liquor Warehouse Aleisha Ramsay.

Ramsay says liquor sales across all four Liquor Warehouse locations in Northern B.C. have seen a dip, but non-alcoholic drinks have seen an increase in sales. Also of note, she says stronger drinks, like a 7% ABV or higher, have also seen an increase in sales.

“It’s kind of interesting to have the dichotomy of your very high volume as well as your your 0.0 volume. So I would say overall, we’re seeing a decrease in your everyday stuff, but an increase in some of your more niche things,” Ramsay said.

She says sales of specialty products, such as expensive scotches or wines, among other more high-end products, remains consistent. That customer base is one that is very unlikely to change, but the younger generation who may be buying the more typical cases of beer, or your casual drinker who may not have such a specific preference, are where the sales decline is happening.

“It’s not a huge give and take for them to have to cut out the 15 pack of beer,” Ramsay said.

As for non-alcoholic sales, Ramsay says there are many factors this could be increasing in sales, such as:

Social pressures of appearing to drink alcohol without actually doing so
Health
Trying to quit alcohol

For some members of the younger generation who aren’t buying alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages, it simply comes down to the conscious choice of either being more responsible, or not having any interest.

“For me, I can have more fun by myself without alcohol and without that influence I can have more fun in my life with my friends and actually knowing what I’m doing, rather than forgetting what I did,” Yoder said.

The Stats Canada report noted that beer remains the most popular alcoholic product, even though beer sales saw a dip in overall sales.

by Tommy Osborne

Alcohol sales continue to drop as younger generation stays away

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