. Many of their workers joined the more than 20 million others who found themselves unemployed at one point.
What very many people apparently did, however, was drink. In the first few months of lockdown, Bennett’s staff had to hustle harder than ever before to keep up with demand. Liquor sales were through the roof, with many days eclipsing New Year’s Eve, traditionally the busiest day for wine and liquor. Deliveries went from roughly five a week to more than 500. Lines were out the door. General manager Michele Thomas said she worked 120 hours one week.
As she prepared her company tax returns in March, Bennett realized Greene Grape had enjoyed its highest sales year ever. Profits weren’t quite as high — employee overtime costs also skyrocketed, and Bennett had to pay high prices for sanitizer and masks in the early stages of the pandemic — but Bennett decided to end the year by distributing big bonuses to her 75 staffers. “They put themselves on the line,” she said.