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A ‘buy one, get one free’ liquor offer in Uttar Pradesh sparked massive crowds, police deployment, and frantic buying, as customers took leave from work to stock up before the March-end deadline.
A routine year-end stock clearance by liquor vendors in Uttar Pradesh took an unexpected turn as a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer triggered a statewide shopping frenzy.
एक बोतल पर एक बोतल दारू फ्री –
उत्तर प्रदेश के शराब ठेके वालों को 31 मार्च की रात 12 बजे तक सारा स्टॉक खत्म करना है। वरना बची हुई दारू सरकारी खाते में जमा हो जाएगी और उसकी बिक्री नहीं हो पाएगी। इसलिए ठेके वाले ग्राहकों को खूब ऑफर दे रहे हैं। Video नोएडा की है। pic.twitter.com/hCLD9sxleu
By Tuesday afternoon, swelling crowds outside alcohol shops forced police deployment to maintain order. With eager buyers scrambling for their share, many even skipped work to seize the rare bargain.
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The limited-time offer, which began as a strategic move by shop owners to clear unsold stock before the financial year’s end, turned into a statewide spectacle. With liquor licences set to expire on March 31, vendors had every incentive to offload inventory before unsold bottles became unsellable under new regulations. The Uttar Pradesh government, departing from past practice, introduced an online lottery system for license renewals, replacing the previous automatic renewal process.
Anil Kumar, an excise inspector in Muzaffarnagar, confirmed that beyond March 31, shops cannot legally sell leftover stock unless they secure a fresh licence for the new financial year, reports Times of India (TOI). “In previous years, licences were renewed automatically. This time, the UP government introduced an online lottery to allocate shops selling wine, desi liquor, and bhang. So far, 15,609 desi liquor shops, 9,341 composite shops for English liquor and beer, 1,317 bhang shops, and 430 model shops have been approved,” he explained.
In Muzaffarnagar, makeshift banners announcing the ‘buy one, get one free’ deal sent customers into a frenzy, with scenes reminiscent of a Black Friday sale. The urgency was not just about stocking up but seizing an opportunity before liquor prices potentially rose under new licences.
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“Earlier, shop licences were renewed automatically, but this time they’ve gone to a lottery system. That’s why shops are throwing out these offers,” explained Hari Shankar, a local customer who successfully navigated the rush, says the TOI report. “You can see how people are lining up. Even milk vendors can’t sell anything today, but liquor is flying off the shelves.”
In Noida’s Sector 137, Ravinder Kumar observed people taking time off from work or shutting down their businesses early just to visit liquor shops. “Everyone thinks they won’t get liquor this cheap for another year. Once the new licences kick in, prices will rise again. I bought a few bottles myself,” he said without hesitation.
Rahul Kumar, another customer, noted that while the deal was initially set to expire on March 25, vendors had successfully pushed for a five-day extension. “Now they’re selling at even lower rates. Shops open at 11:00 am, but people are queuing up from early morning. Even those who usually buy desi liquor are opting for Scotch today,” he added.
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A vendor, speaking anonymously, revealed that liquor sales had skyrocketed, with some shops witnessing a five to tenfold increase compared to regular days. “We’re open till 10 pm, and the final numbers will be clear tomorrow,” he said, hinting at a chaotic night ahead for accounting books.
Despite the massive footfall, police officials maintained that no violence had been reported. Superintendent of Police Satnarayan Prajapat stated, “There have been no incidents, but we have deployed officers near liquor shops as a precaution.”
With March 31 fast approaching, the mad dash for discounted booze is only expected to intensify, making liquor shops the unlikely hotspots of economic strategy in Uttar Pradesh’s evolving excise regime.
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