Going shopping on Black Friday? Will you be in Virginia? If so, you're in luck. Virginia liquor stores will be participating in the biggest shopping day of the year with their own sale on alcohol.
Across Virginia, state-run ABC stores will open at 9 a.m. Friday and offer discounts between 25 and 50 percent on select alcohol and all purchases above $50 will see a 10 percent reduction at the register.
A handful of locations, including the ones in the Fairfax Court and Fair Lakes shopping centers, will begin selling to customers at 7 a.m.
"This is a unique opportunity for our retail customers to purchase quality items at reduced prices," said J. Neal Insley, chairman of the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. "For individuals interested in trading up to more premium brands for themselves or as gifts, the discount will help offset the higher cost."
There are 339 state-run liquor stores in Virginia. Gift cards will not be discounted, but all alcohol purchases are eligible for the 10 percent discount. The sale lasts until 3 p.m. Friday.
Virginia tested a similar statewide sale the day after Thanksgiving last year. Despite little fanfare about the deals, the state saw a boom in liquor purchases. Sales totaled $3.3 million that day, up nearly $400,000 from 2010. The total number of customers was also up by 5,500, according to the ABC.
I assume many husbands in The Old Dominion and surrounding areas might actually be looking forward to going shopping with their wives on Black Friday this year.