SMU

Plano Mall Now Allows People to Sip Alcohol While Shopping

It has happened more times than some people would like to admit: Online-buying binges fueled by adult beverages.

It's no surprise then that "buzzed" Americans spend about $30 billion dollars online every year.

Now, brick-and-mortar stores are looking to cash in on those sipping while shopping.

For decades, caffeine is the closest mall customers have come to buzzed shopping.

But this week, Willow Bend Mall is popping the cork on a new proposition: Shopping under the influence of alcohol.

“I just think the environment of just chilling out the whole shopping environment makes it a much more relaxed type of experience,” said Ascension Coffee owner Russell Hayward.

Ascension Coffee, known for its cold brew, is now serving brews and wine inside the mall, drinks customers can walk around with, even inside stores.

“It seemed like a crazy idea but I've seen so many people at Whole Foods walking around with glasses of wine doing the shopping so I go, ‘Wow, ok, maybe there's something in this',” said Hayward.

The idea is catching on.

Neighborhood Goods offers cocktails from a full-bar inside the Plano department store.

"[A] Single glass of wine in many people releases their inhibitions, loosens them up, making them more likely to buy,” said Dan Howard, marketing professor at SMU.

You'll have to wear a wristband and pour your drink in a plastic cup before walking the Willow Bend Mall.

Customers aren’t allowed to take beer or wine into other restaurants.

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