Shopping drunk a multi-billion dollar industry: survey

By Mike Blanchard

CALGARY (660 NEWS) — It turns out, drunk online shopping has become big business — a multi-billion dollar business.

According to a report from “the hustle,” drunk shopping is a $45-billion-dollar a year business in the United States.

Amazon is the big winner — scoring nearly nearly 85 per cent of drunk online purchases.

The survey finds the average respondent spent nearly $450 a year, after having a few drinks.

What are people buying online while inebriated? Everything from life-size cut-outs of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, beer goggles, to 30-pound bags of Idaho potatoes.

And, not surprising, the average drunk shopper tends to consume more booze — twice as much per week as those who don’t shop online.

Overall clothing and shoes are the most popular purchases among so-called drunk shoppers. Women are slightly more likely to shop drunk: 80 per cent who responded to the survey said they had done it, compared to 78 per cent of men. But men spend more money than women on their drunken purchases; an average of $448 a year compared to $441 for women shoppers.

Not surprisingly, drunk shopping peaks after 9 p-m — and retailers know it. That is when you are more likely to see targeted advertising on your browser.

For people who can’t step away from the computer to control their shopping urge after a few drinks, there are a couple of apps designed to protect you from yourself. Drunkpay is designed to stop people from overspending after they’ve been to the bar, and apps like cold turkey will block certain sites altogether.

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