Target Offering Delivery, Curbside Pickup For Alcohol At 1,200 Stores

Adult beverages — beer, wine and spirits — are now being offered for curbside or in-store pickup at more than 1,200 Target stores across the U.S., according to a company press release on Monday (May 17). Same-day delivery is also available with Shipt online from more than 600 retail locations.

“Our adult beverage category is one of the fastest-growing divisions within our food and beverage business,” Target Chief Food and Beverage Officer Rick Gomez said in the release, and offering pickup and delivery is a “natural next step.”

He added that there was a 450 percent surge in digital orders in the adult beverage category in 2020. The new service is launching before the end of May and will roll out in 29 states across the U.S.

The liquor pickup and delivery program is being expanded after successful pilots in Florida, California and South Dakota. Some 80 percent of Target stores that sell alcohol will fulfill adult beverage orders via order pickup and same-day delivery with Shipt, USA Today reported.

“We do plan to continue to work with our local teams and state regulators to roll out adult beverage same-day options to remaining store locations that sell adult beverage items in-store,” the company said in a statement, per USA Today.

In March, Target introduced a new private label grocery brand — Favorite Day — that targets the indulging and snacking crowd. The private label will cover 700 products, including beverage mixers, bakery products, and premium ice creams. 

The company’s signature label, Good & Gather, includes more than 2,000 products that are focused on healthy choices that are made without high-fructose corn syrup or artificial colors and sweeteners. Target also sells the in-house label Market Pantry, which staples like coffee filters and flour.

The desire for alcohol delivery and curbside pickup surged during the pandemic lockdowns. A recent PYMNTS study showed that almost 25 percent of respondents said they increased their intake of beer, wine, and spirits while 49 percent stayed the same. But how people get alcohol has changed, regardless of intake. The survey also showed that about 27 percent of millennials and 24 percent of bridge millennials indicated that they buy booze online for same-day delivery.