Bill’s makes first alcohol sale Monday
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By Dave Taylor
The first sale of alcohol in Hancock County in generations took place Monday morning, kicking off a flurry of activity with businesses all hustling to get their licenses in place to try to make their fortunes in spirits.
At 10:18 a.m. Bill’s IGA, aka Bill’s on the Hill, sold a 30-pack of Budweiser Select to Shane Eckles, who they’d promised could make the first buy.
At around 11 a.m., Bill’s began selling to the general public, after getting the rest of their beer shipment unloaded, all the prices coded into their system, and all of the alcohol stocked in their new 16 foot by 10 foot walk-in cooler at the back of the store.
“That cost us $27,000,” said Wayne Stephens, of the gleaming new silver cooler. “We spent about $2,000 moving the box that was here to another location to prepare for it.”
Glass doors on the front of the cooler open to give access to single cans and small cases of beer, but a central man door allows customers to walk inside and grab larger, or multiple, cases.
On Monday afternoon everything was fully stocked and there were too many brands to list.
“Today we bought about $9,000 worth of beer,” Stephens said.
With just the cooler and the inventory Bill’s is out nearly $40,000 for initial cash outlay, but Stephens is hopeful that the investment will show returns soon, but for now it’s anybody’s guess.
“I have no clue how much is going to sell or what,” he said.
Two main vendors supply alcohol to Bill’s, Stephens said, so he thought maybe they could give some insight.
“I’ve asked them both what they expect I’d sell and they’ve got no idea,” he said.
Profit margins on beer can be slim, depending on how it’s sold.
“Margins all these 30-packs and stuff, it’s less than 10 percent,” he said. “But where people try to make money at is on these singles and stuff. There’s a whole lot better margin there.”
They’ll try to make their volume with factory workers, who already commonly stop before and after work for other items.
“They’ll get off at 7 tonight, they’ll stop here and get a few things and go home. That’s what we’re hoping there. And do the same thing at 7 o’clock in the morning,” he said.
Bill’s actually got their liquor license approved last Thursday, but even with a license they couldn’t sell until they got some product, which is as regulated as the rest of the process has been.
“I’m not allowed to go down there and pick up beer and bring it back. It has to be delivered on their trucks,” he said. “So I couldn’t sell until they delivered.”
They’re working on a delivery schedule to keep that new cooler stocked, and they’re promising the beer will be cold and plentiful.
“We’ve got it set at 30 degrees. It’s going to be a cold beer,” he said.
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