Virginia ABC stores will close at 6 PM on November 25 so employees can get a little time off before the Thanksgiving holiday, the state-run liquor authority said Thursday. While wine and beer are available in grocery stores and convenience stores in the commonwealth, ABC stores are the only retail establishments where Virginians can buy spirits in-state.
And, as Washingtonian reported last month, Virginians have bought a lot more liquor in 2020 than in the year before. Sales in Northern Virginia, the commonwealth’s most populous region, were up 17 percent over 2019 through September. Statewide, sales were up almost 20 percent.
The stores don’t normally close early, but, “This is an unusual year, to say the least, and we have elected to give employees additional time off ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday,” ABC CEO Travis Hill said in a statement. The stores will be closed on Thanksgiving as well. A similar plan is in place for Christmas: Stores will close at 5 PM on Christmas Eve and reopen at noon on December 26.
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
