Apparently, Amazon makes a ton of money off you when you do this one thing, and we’re guilty of it, too
If you’ve ever splurged on Amazon while under the influence of alcohol, take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. Tech and business newsletter The Hustle just unveiled their 2019 Drunk Shopping Census, and it turns out that people spend a lot of money on drunk online shopping…like $48 billion dollars per year. Yes, that’s billion, with a B.
The survey polled 2,174 people with an average age of 36. It found that 79% of respondents admitted they had made at least one drunken purchase in their lifetime (fun fact: 82% of respondents identified as millennials). Women and men seemed to shop drunk at about equal rates, with 78% for men and 80% for women. The average respondent reported spending $444 per year when tipsy, which they calculated at $4,187 per lifetime in drunk spending.
As for where that massive $48 billion number comes in, The Hustle cited the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, which revealed that 86.4% of people over the age of 18 reported alcohol use at some point in their lifetime, adding up to around 138 million alcohol-consuming adults in the United States. If 79% of people are drunk-spending up to $444 a year, that adds up to more than $48 billion in drunk online purchases.
In the least surprising news of the survey, it seems 85% of those purchases happen on Amazon, which makes sense given the sheer breadth of what you can buy from the e-commerce giant.
The full survey examined average income, industries, exact items purchased, and even return rates, but the results are clear: We love to spend a few bucks after some bubbly. No shame in that game as long as you’re drinking—and shopping—responsibly.