Americans have more than doubled their spending on so-called "drunk shopping"— or making purchases under the influence of alcohol — say researchers at personal finance comparison website Finder.com. According to the site's 2018 survey, U.S. drinkers now spend an average $447.57 per person a year while blitzed, up from $206 a person last year, totaling $30.43 booze-soaked billions.
And it's not just a tiny, tipsy minority of drinkers who whip out cash or cards to splurge when drunk, according to the survey of 2,000 Americans. Nearly half, or 46 percent, of those who drink regularly admit to shopping while under the influence — adding up to an estimated 68 million people.
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Finder.com also found that men spend almost double — an average $564.51 — what women spend, just $282.65. Drunk Gen Xers spend triple what soused millennials do, at $738.87 per drinker, versus $205.11. (But millennials are more than twice as likely as Gen Xers and baby boomers combined to tip a glass.)
So, what exactly are tipsy U.S. shoppers spending on while imbibing? Top buys include food (60.83 percent), shoes or clothes (25.09 percent) and gambling (24.91 percent). Other favorites include concert tickets and even — ahem — sex services.
