– Clients have become better at planning during pandemics

May 16 was Vinmonopolt’s biggest sales day so far this year.

On this same day last year, there was absolute panic among all the last-minute shoppers heading to Winmonopoly. Card terminals across the country have gone down to counting, and in many places payment is only possible in cash.

Aftenposten was able to tell about Storting representative Carl I. Hagen (Frp) who had to put down some bottles because of the problem.

Fortunately, WinMonopolet did well this year, and sales went as usual.

– We will be selling a lot of sparkling wine today. With over 100 years of experience in running a store, we stock the essentials. Jens Nordahl, Winmonopolet’s communications manager, said on Tuesday morning.

A long long weekend

– Tellef Hagan says that it is not only May 17, but also the Ascension of Christ and a defining day. He’s standing outside the Winmonopolet in Grünerlokka, standing in line around the door and around the corner.

He says he spoke to many people leaving Oslo on Tuesday to spend the long weekend out of town.

– Hagan says the next time I’m near the store is on Tuesday, May 16, explaining that I’ll be outside Bollet.

But not everyone is in the shops over the long weekend. Sigrid Sivertsson Haugen queues half an hour before Winmonopolt closes. She will buy bubbles for breakfast on May 17.

– I really should have been here two hours earlier, but I had to stay longer at work, she says.

Due to inflation, a weak krone and high price growth for groceries, the May 17 celebration will be significantly more expensive than in the past. Haugen is one of those people who thinks about price when shopping at Bolet.

– That’s why he says he’s already spent a lot of money on the ingredients for the pavlova cake, which will be cava instead of cremond this year.

Henrik Gerultsen is one of the many who leave Winmonopolat with bubbles in their carrier bag. – I don’t think about tomorrow’s price. He says that’s why I don’t buy champagne.

Learned from the pandemic

– Today we sold approx. 980,000 liters of liquor.

Communication Manager Nord can announce this after the closing time. – It will be the biggest day of the year until Christmas.

– No registration in any direction. But it’s a constant “drag,” he says.

– Interestingly, the communications manager points out that customers seem to get better at planning during pandemics.

Nordahl believes Norwegians were willing to learn during the pandemic and were good at finding gaps in the day when they could trade with fewer people.

– This seems to be a lesson they took with them during the holidays after the pandemic.

So Nordahl thinks it’s appropriate to thank people for being good at planning their purchases. – It makes running a store easier, he says.

Nordahl says there’s a special sales mix on May 16, with many looking for sparkling wine.

– On a normal day in May, about 10 percent of sales are bright. Up to 20 percent flashed yesterday and today.

According to Nordel, sparkling is most popular in city center stores in big cities. There, it is the dominant product category and accounts for more than 30 percent of sales figures.