Catching up with metro cities, Ranchi has fast adopted the idea of self-service liquor stores — a set up that allows consumers to choose from a variety of premium liquor brands, compare them with each other and buy the bottle of their choice in the comfort of an air conditioned shop.
The new stores bring an all new experience to the consumers of premium liquor and give a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of the old-school liquor shops that had fewer options for the elite class.
At least two such stores –one on Kanke Road and the other at Nucleus Mall—have opened in the past couple of weeks. The staffs at the stores say that the outlets have received a warm response since their opening day.
The sale, they say, is likely to increase when more people get to know about the concept, which is relatively new to Ranchi. Moreover, the Excise Department is hopeful that more such stores will come up in the days to come and encourage healthy drinking habits.
Excise Commissioner Bhor Singh Yadav said that the extension in the validity period of liquor licence from one year to three years has given retailers the option to invest in infrastructure. “Earlier, the retailers got the license to sell liquor for only a year, so it was not feasible for them to invest in the infrastructure.
Since we have increased the duration to three years, retailers can now afford to invest in their stores and make them more attractive,” he said.
Such stores, Yadav added, were also women-friendly and allowed women to buy liquor without having to visit the ‘shabby’ liquor shops in the neighbourhood. “The self-service liquor stores at malls are women-friendly. Women are usually not comfortable going to the crowded liquor shops due to various reasons, but the new stores offer a comfortable shopping experience to them.
This concept is pretty popular in many metro cities, and Ranchi is fast catching up,” said Yadav. The self-service stores in Ranchi have a collection of liquor starting at Rs.1100 and going up to Rs.10,000 for a bottle.
The stores have housed some of the premium single malt scotch and foreign vodka brands that were unavailable in Ranchi so far.
Customers can make payments through credit cards and other digital banking platforms here, which also give a boost to the concept of digital India, say managers at the stores. “Many customers come to us for the shopping experience.
There is a customer base here that is only interested in premium liquor. And our store is catering to such consumers,” said Rajiv Kumar, manager at a self-service liquor store on Kanke Road.